Confessions of a Self Insert
by happy ametuer
Summary: It all started when I suddenly appeared from my bedroom to Palmacosta. If adapting to a reality totally different from Earth wasn't enough then there's what happened afterwards . . .
1. Over Some Other Rainbow

Well, this is it. Happy ametuer's self-insert. Now, I'm sure you're expecting my OC to immediantly join Lloyd and the gang at this chapter or at least the next one and immediately roll into the journey of regeneration and have a laughing good time with jokes at every corner and nothing else and eventually get too cheesey for its own good.

Don't expect that.

I'm giving my OC a decent background story. Most other playable characters do. Genis, Raine, Sheena, Zelos, Presea, Regal, and Kratos have at least one long fanfic worth of background to go through. Lloyd and Colette's stories are already explained via game beginning so not much else to say for them. So why make the typical self-insert beginning and follow the gang around like a little kid lost in Wal-Mart who's tailing behind an employee all the time? Since I don't have to I'll give my character a good background.

It's going to take some time, though . . . Be patient with me.

Oh, and also, if you find any "Kellen"s in there instead of "Kelsey"s then please tell me and tell me where it is. I changed my OC's name sometime ago from Kellen to Kelsey.

**2012 Edit: Since I'm a masochist and like embarrassing myself occasionally, you get to see the embarrassing first author notes in all its shameless glory. While you're reading this, please bear in mind that this was written over the course of 3 years. My technique, skill, attitude, and perspective on things change over time (for better or worse).**

* * *

Chapter One: Over Some Other Rainbow

I'm not going to do it.

I'm not going to do it.

I'm not going to do it.

Well . . . _Maybe_ I'll do it.

But I really, really, _really_ don't want to do it.

But I have to do it _some_time today. If I don't do it right now I won't get to play.

And I really, really, _really_ want to play.

Ah, hell with it! I'll just . . . do it . . .

Sitting on my bed, I stare straight down at my Spanish homework. I like Spanish, really, it's just that I don't feel like doing _any_ kind of homework after Pre-Cal (and who actually wants to do homework after advanced math problems?). That, and it also feels like I'm in Spanish class again whenever I do it. Spanish class is a nightmare. Everyday I enter fifth period (which is right after lunch for everyone) and wonder just _what_ kind of asinine nonsense the village idiots will come up with _this_ time. They say stuff like "I'm not Hispanic! I don't know Mexican!" or "What choo say to me, clown?!" (usually this comment is often said after the teacher calls them out for play-fights or knocking their desks about). Out of every Spanish class there is in my school I get the one that has the worst brand of idiots when they're all hyped up from all the sugar and carbohydrates from lunch.

Yay for Southern idiots.

Question 1. ¿_ (tú) la camisa roja o la camisa azul?

I don't even glance at the chart. I just write down "prefieres." It may take forever for the other students to learn through all their call-ons and their consistent requests to go to the restroom (when they could've gone during passing period) but I actually do this one thing called "listening." It's a great new well-tested technique for gathering information that could be on tests. They should try it sometime.

Question 2. Nosotros _ comprar un suéter nuevo.

This is a little tougher. I think about it for a moment and write down my guess of "queremos" which means to want. "We want to buy a new sweater." Yeah, that makes better sense. Better than "We plan to buy a new sweater." Well, I _think_ it's better.

Question 3. Ellas _ ir de compras hoy.

Okay. I'm bored. I don't want to do homework. My brain is basically _fried_ after Pre-Cal. I had to do a review (which is about fifty questions over each chapter). My teacher doesn't actually _grade_ them (she has enough homework to grade—it's about a mountain high!) but it's good practice especially when the grades are dropping . . . as my dad said right after he found out we got a review.

I like taking breaks and going at work at a non-brain-frying pace (translation: I like to procrastinate). Good thing we get an entire weekend to work it out. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I get _homework_ every weekend! Even during the summer! There is a reason why AP classes give college credit along with high school credit.

Welcome to my life, people.

I don't wanna do _hoooommmmewoooorrrrrrk_!

I wanna play! Something with plot! Story! Even some violence!

I plop my Spanish homework down on the floor and examine all my video games. Let's see . . . Shadow the Hedgehog got finished over and over a lot. Crystal Chronicles was given away to my friend (don't know why she'd want _that_). I'm not in the mood for Kingdom Hearts one or two right now. I want something a little more difficult than any Legend of Zelda. Pokemon . . . as good of a game it is let's just leave them at the side for a little while longer . . .

Final Fantasy VII. What a great game. It's no longer being made so it took two years to find the original game. We finally found it at a privately owned old game store and it was expensive. It was in _perfect_ condition. I didn't get it that day, but I suspect that my parents did considering that I got it the next Christmas. I wonder what they did to hide that thing. I must be easy to fool . . .

But I wasn't in the mood for that, yet. I look at the last game. I pull out the case and push the disk into the Gamecube and push the power button. While the before-the-title scene plays I pull my coffee mug (which I use for tea—I don't like coffee) to me and set it close to the side.

Zelos is my first player and avatar. He stands as a giant before Altessa's house. I forgot that that's where I am. I guess that I was training my character a lot. It's been so long since I actually played. From seeing that Ozette is still intact I see that it's our first visit to Altessa. Am I training still? Not anymore, I'm not. I push the giant Zelos into Altessa's teeny-tiny home. Altessa's cliff side house appears. I run Zelos to the door and let the scene play.

Lloyd goes in and Tabatha appears. She asks, "WHO IS IT?"

Lloyd answers (a little timidly in my opinion), "Ah, excuse us. We've heard that there is a dwarf living here. Is there any chance we could see him?"

"YOU DESIRE A MEETING WITH MASTER ALTESSA," she presumes (rather correctly). "PLEASE COME INSIDE." I can't help but think _He's already inside, Tabatha . . ._

Lloyd follows her to Altessa. Tabatha stands next to him as Lloyd approaches.

"Who are you people?" the dwarf asks rather gruffly.

"My name is Lloyd," the swordsman says. "We've come in regards to Presea. We heard about you from Kate in Sybak."

". . . Leave!" the dwarf snaps. The voice acting doesn't really match up with the text.

"What?" I'm sure Lloyd was supposed to sound like he's surprised, but he sounded like he's offended in my opinion.

"I don't want anything more to do with that girl! Get out of here!" Sounds like reluctant growling. Looks like shouting on the text.

Come on! Get to enjoying the game already, Kelsey!

The scene changes to the front door.

"What was that all about?! . . ." Lloyd growls.

Tabatha replies in her robot voice, "I APOLOGIZE. THE MASTER DOES NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH PRESEA."

"Why? . . ." Genis barks, "He doesn't care if she dies?!" The "Why? . . ." part should've been intensified.

It's just a game, Kelsey. Enjoy it.

"IT IS NOT THAT. IT IS BECAUSE THE MASTER REGRETS WHAT HE HAS DONE," Tabatha explains.

The screen rolls to Altessa's workshop. "Then please, save Presea! All she needs is for her Key Crest to be fixed."

". . . I DO NOT KNOW IF THAT WOULD TRULY BE IN HER BEST INTEREST."

Lloyd ghastly questions, "Why? How could anything be worse than living in that cruel condition while waiting to die?!" His voice actor is really good. He and Cam Clarke are probably the best voice actors in the game.

Pay attention to the game, Kel . . .

"IF YOU ARE THAT COMMITTED, THEN YOU SHOULD SEARCH FOR INHIBITOR ORE," Tabatha provides.

"Presea's Key Crest isn't made out of inhibitor ore?" Lloyd gasps.

Okay, I'm bored now.

"CORRECT. HER CREST IS—"

Altessa (finally) interrupts, "Tabatha! What are you doing? Get rid of them!"

"I APOLOGIZE, I MUST RETURN." Tabatha says, "PLEASE COME BACK AGAIN. I WILL ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE HIM."

The screen goes black and I hear a game door open and close. Altessa's dirt path to his home appears.

"Where can we find the inhibitor ore?" Colette wonders.

Regal offers, "I've heard it's mined in the mountain range that extends between Altamira and the Ymir Forest. I would like to help if you're going to create a Key Crest for Presea. I can lead you to the mine."

"Just what is your relation to Presea, anyway?" Lloyd asks this _now_?

En. Joy. The. Game!

"There _is_ none." He sounded like Tabatha there.

"Yet you sure seem concerned about her," Raine puts out.

"Well, either way, you haven't done anything suspicious so far. You're welcome to come along with us."

Really? That's what you're going to say, Lloyd? Why not ask what makes Presea so special to him or something? I'd ask more questions if I were you.

Stop acting as if they exist, Kelsey, or you'll end up talking to inanimate objects like you did with that Harry Potter movie.

"Inhibitor ore is found relatively near the surface of the Exsphere mine." Regal informs, "The mine I know of is across the sea from here, on the southern continent."

Zelos chirps, "You said Altamira, right? That place is awesome! Let's stop by there on the way!"

Ah, Zelos. No matter how annoying or carefree you get I'll always love you.

Inanimate objects again, Kel!

Sheena snaps, "We don't have time to hang out at that gaudy resort!"

Raine moans, "The sea? . . . We're going out to sea again?"

I'm getting bored again.

Lloyd announces, "Okay, then. Let's go!"

Colette adds, "Yeah! Let's hurry."

Everyone except Zelos and Regal leave.

Zelos goes, ". . . By the way, this has been bugging me for a while now. Haven't we met somewhere before?"

Even if you were nine when you last saw him, how in the world can you forget someone like blue-haired Regal?

Inanimate objects again . . .

Regal doesn't answer. He just leaves.

Zelos glares after him. ". . . Fine, ignore me. Not very friendly, are ya?"

Nice voice actor. One of the best the game has.

I'm still bored.

I get control over the game back and I leave Altessa's. I go through the skit "Is Tabatha an Angel?" and take a sip of my hot tea while I ignore the game and wait. I get control back.

I am so bored.

I press the y-button and hit "System." I open that up and hit "Save" then "Slot A" and then the only file (I'm the only one who plays this game). Then overwrite the game data blah blah blah . . . Saving . . . Save successful . . .

Power button.

I drop the controller and lie on my bed and sigh. I. Am. So. Bored. I sigh again, and get up to find a book to read. I don't want to read something manga, I want to read a good, long book. I pass up Twilight (I like Julia Quinn and Lisa Kurland much better), Eragon became a joke after the second and third books (the main character became more whiny than a little kid). I pass up authors from Tamora Pierce to C.S. Lewis. I cringe at Fast Food Nation (I already grossed myself out over that once before. I'm not going to do it again. I _rarely_ eat McDonald's now.).

I pulled out my collection of the Lord of the Rings books from The Hobbit to The Return of the King but I just hold them close just incase I want to read them. I go over to my growing collection of necklaces and go through them. I pull out a green fake-gem cross I got for Christmas one year and another one with coral and gold beads that's more like formal-fancy. I stare at them in my hand with my books against me. I take a sip of my tea. I frown. It got cold.

Of course it got cold, Kelsey. It's _January_ for crying out loud. It doesn't matter if you're in one of the most southern states in the U.S. it's still going to be as cold as a freezer in here. How often does it snow again? When it snows and actually _sticks_? Once. Once every year. Still, the amount of times it sleets or freezes after a hard rain is amazing.

My eyes droop to a close. It's a little late tonight. I still want to do _some_thing but . . . what? I don't want to do homework, videogames bore me right now, I don't really want to read at the moment, and I'm getting a little tired. Maybe I should . . .

Huh?

. . . the wind?

That can't be right. Usually I can hear my ceiling fan move, the house settle, my sister move to and fro in the house, my dad cooking, my mom doing grades (as she is a teacher), the dogs bark at the neighbor, and the traffic outside on I35. But now I'm only hearing the wind and nothing else. I move my hand to start getting up, but it gets tickled by grass.

Wait . . . grass? I was on my bed! How could I feel grass and not covers when I'm on my bed?

This can _not_ be good . . .

I open my eyes and see not my bed, but a blurry blue sky hanging over me with sunlight streaming out. I slowly and warily make my way to stand and wait for my blurred sight to recover. My vision clears and I can see that I'm in a the middle of a vast plain.

That is when one of the most traumatizing moments in my life begins.

As soon as my vision cleared a rush of energy sucks right _into_ me. I go from being exhausted to filled with energy! And it won't stop! _It won't stop!_

It won't stop! It won't stop!_ It won't stop! The energy burns! It burns! _BURNS! BURNS!

_I'm on fire! The energy is setting me on FIRE! FIRE! HELP!_

FIIIIIIRRRRREEE!

SOMEONE! _ANYONE!_ PUT THE FIRE OUT! _PLEASE!_

It engulfs me! It destroys my vision! I fall and barely feel me hit the ground hard and gasp!

I black out, and know no more . . .

* * *

I'm in pain . . .

It isn't too much, but . . . still.

I open my eyes, and see that I'm on a grass plain. I hear a few birds and other animals and the wind. I wait for what seemed like forever to me for the fire to return in full power, but it doesn't come. In fact, it leaves.

I even more slowly and warily make my way to a standing position, and investigate my surroundings.

The first thing I notice is the amazing amount of _energy_ just _radiating_ from not only around me but _inside myself_ as well! I guess that either means that I _somehow_ got this ability, or people just naturally have this sense once needed. I know that the incident involving all that energy flooding into me had something to do with it. I wonder what that did. Well, I can guess later.

I notice the humidity. I look out around me and see nothing but the plains . . . but the ocean should be near by.

My books are still there on the ground. I finally notice that I must have dropped my necklaces. My mug's here too. I still have my jeans and my jacket and my plain white shirt on. I guess . . . I guess that whatever was touching me got taken with me . . . except my bed. I wonder why?

I scold myself, finally speaking after all this, "Kelsey! This isn't the time to wonder about anything! I need to think . . . What should I do . . ."

Indeed. What _should_ I do? I just suddenly appeared from my room at seven p.m. to God-knows-where that's apparently midmorning.

Well, first, I've gotta make sure I don't lose my stuff . . . no matter how useless they are . . .

I take off my jacket (it's pretty warm anyway) and gather my things into the nice jacket. A feeling tells me to go in one direction (north, south, east, or west I don't know). Even though my better judgment tells me not to go, I follow my feelings.

I refrain from thinking. I refrain from even daydreaming. I know for a fact that I'll only make things worse by panicking myself through thoughts and daydreams that question on what's going to happen and what's going on and where I am right now. Instead, I just watch out for anything that may tell me where (or even possibly when) I am.

The sun starts its decline. I know I'm going west. Peaks of a town rise ahead of me. They continue up and up until I can clearly see it even though it's still a long ways off. A sea port. With sail-bearing ships and old fashion buildings it sits upon the sea with high dignity holding itself as if it were the pride of the land. I see a large school on one corner, a towering cathedral on another closer to the heart of the city, and way way _way_ out there I see a complex-looking steamboat—

Palmacosta.

"Oh my god!" I sink down to the ground realizing just what kind of fix I'm in.

Palmacosta stands before me.

I've been sucked into the world of Tales of Symphonia.

"Impossible . . ." I murmur. "This . . . ! This can't be real!" I drop all that I have in my hands. "I can't—I can't be here! This isn't real!"

I beat the side of my head over and over. "This has to be a dream! There's no other way!" I shout, "Wake up! Wake up! This _can't_ be real! It's just a dream!"

My family! My friends! My home! I lost it—!

"It's just—a bad dream!" I clutch into my hair and lean down to the ground and start rocking myself.

"It's just a dream. It's just a dream," I chant. "Go away, go awaaayy. Disappeeeaaarrrr . . ."

I choke back my tears as more comes into reality. The world regeneration journey.

I clutch myself together even closer. "I'm dreaming! It's just a sick dream! Just a dream!"

I feel so sick to my stomach . . .

I feel . . . like I'm going to vomit.

"It's just a dream. Just . . . a dream."

The monsters here—

I nearly scream, "_It's just a dream—!_"

I cough violently. My throat feels like it's going to rip out! My stomach flings against the roof of my chest. I crawl over my things without even thinking. I cough again.

"Just a—_kagh!_"

An acidic fluid rushes out of my mouth, forming a burn along its escape out. I gasp in all the air I can. My mind clogs up into a blank. A tiny thought of how nice it was that I didn't cast up my scant lunch over my things forms before being choked back by my rampant panic.

I roll back behind my (fortunately) clean things and flop on my butt. I'm sixteen, now suddenly I'm a little toddler who's lost their mommy and done all she could do to find her. I rock back and forth, back and forth, trying to find enough comfort to calm myself for thought. The only thing that comes up after a long time is _Don't faint._ I'll probably have to go through everything all over again, not that I actually thought about that when I knew that I didn't want to faint.

I sniffle again and pinch my face up to keep my budding tears from falling. I'm going to be strong in this. I'm going to be rational. I'll find a way to get back home or I'll wake up again. When I do I'll do horrible things to my game disk. I'll snap it in two. No, I'll snap it into tiny pieces and shove it through the sink's garbage disposal. I'll scratch the disk until I get to the little sticker that covers the top.

Yeah . . . Imagine what you're going to do to the disk instead of panicking. Yeah, that'll work. Better than throwing up.

I'll play mad scientist and see how bleach reacts on the disk. I'll give it to the dogs and let them play with it. Hard plastic lasts only half a day in their backyard. They managed to chew up solplex exercise bands. That tiny little disk wouldn't last a second. I could make like Ezma in Emperor's New Grove and put that disk into a box and then put that box into another box and then mail that box to myself and when it arrives I'll smash it with a hammer. I could take a meat tenderizer and start beating that thing into tiny bits. I could draw a hideous mustache on Lloyd's face on one disk and turn him into a complete punk on the other before throwing it out the window. I might just trash it all together but that'd be boring. I could set it on fire after I make sure it won't do anything bad when the chemical reactions start going.

Well, that's ten total . . . I'll try getting to twenty. I gather my things back into my jacket. I make sure to avoid looking at Palmacosta and my vomit.

I could stuff it into a potato gun and shoot it across a field. I could tie it onto a tree branch and use it for baseball bat swinging practice. Then again, pinning it onto a dart board and use it for throwing practice sounds even better. I could soak it in milk and see if it works. I could soak it in bleach for ten or thirty seconds and see if it still works _then_. I could see how well it conducts electricity. I could also try to turn it into a prism even if it won't work. I could scratch it against one of the trees in my backyard just to do it. I could turn it into a perch for one of Mom's birdfeeders. I might also see if it's possible to cut it into ribbons.

That's twenty. Twenty in total. I feel calmer. I still don't know what to do but . . . it's better than panicking.

I hug my stuff to me and try to keep my mind blank. I'm shaking. Normally it wouldn't be worth mentioning since I usually shake, but this is intense shaking.

I'm scared.

I am so scared.

"I wanna go home . . ." I mumble to myself.

Finally, finally, I break down and cry.

* * *

I couldn't sleep.

There was no way that I _could_ sleep through all my trauma. I just exhausted myself through all my tears and panic.

I'm hungry.

And angry.

_So_ very angry.

I leap onto my feet and shout to the dawning sky. "_God! What DID this to me?!_ This is so sick and wrong! I had _plans_, God! I had a life! I had family! I had everything that I could possibly need! _What did this to me?!_"

I'm not about to go blame God for the freak thing that happened. He never does any evil or wrong. Besides, what's the point? It feels more productive if I ask Him just what in the world happened instead of ranting and raving at Him for this.

As that wave of rage dissipates I begin to question myself. "Who am I even talking to?" I ask. "Am I talking to You, or the sky?"

The sky doesn't answer.

I sit back down on the ground. I'm going to have to go into Palmacosta sometime today. I'd rather not look like a freak or some sort of rebellious bratty girl (pants are not usual wear for most societies like Sylvarant). I need money and clothes and food. I need shelter and safety. I'm going to have to redo my entire life here.

And I'm hungry.

I growl, just to growl. I feel like ripping apart something. I want to exert all my rage out on some durable unfortunate thing. People, property, monster, it doesn't matter. I just need to destroy _something_!

"This is _so_ wrong," I grumble. "This isn't even like a typical fanfic for crying out loud! Why couldn't I just suddenly appear around Iselia or just get really powerful out of nowhere? That would've been pretty _useful_. At least with the randomly powerful part I could've been able to tear something up."

I start doodling in the dirt. I'm not drawing anything specific, just tracing lines. "I could've gotten angel wings. That'd be useful too. I don't care if it's one of those Sue wings that goes from black at the base to blue, red, violet, green, or some weird color. I would've used them to fly away."

A funnier thought comes to mind. "I could've just suddenly been assigned to guard the Eternal Sword despite all logic. I could've grabbed that sword and ditched this place. I'd wave goodbye and say sayonara while I do it."

Yeah, I'm talking to myself. So what? I earned it. I can talk to myself if I want.

I sigh.

This is so very wrong.

"Why Palmacosta of all places?" I wonder. "The earliest I could be in the game is when the group meets Dorr. Judging from the fact that it's intact and not some resemblance to Atlantis I'd say the latest I could be is just before the Great Seed goes nuts. Either which way I'm going to be forced to participate in _some_ sort of disaster."

A scarier thought appears. "What if . . ." I start. "What if I'm in the _second_ game? Oh, god, I _hated_ that game. If _that_ comes to life then I might be a witness to the Palmacosta Blood Purge. That'll be a nightmare."

"Great. Now I'm suddenly wishing that I'm part of the first game," I rue.

A brilliant thought makes itself known. "I know!" I chirp. "I just won't participate! I don't have to join that group if I don't want to! Just because I'm in some sort of fanfic-fate doesn't mean I have to be like every other lame self-insert OC. I can just settle down here!"

Then I'd have to go through every disaster previously mentioned along with the Desians and the usual social dangers now intensified by being a homeless sixteen-year-old girl.

I sigh. I really am in a fix.

Noon . . . and I'm hungry.

I'm shaking from hunger.

I'm not starving. I know I'm not, but I still usually get three meals a day so I'm too well sheltered to be used to going hungry. I never once skipped a meal unless I just wasn't hungry. I eat when I'm hungry.

Now I feel like my hunger is clawing at the walls of my stomach trying to get free.

I have to get to Palmacosta. If I don't I'll probably die. Starvation, thirst, monsters, or even people like bandits, it doesn't matter which it all still amounts to the same grisly end. I don't want to look like a freak when I get down there, but if I don't go then I will die.

"This makes no sense," I say. "I didn't even play any part that has anything to do with Palmacosta. Why here, anyway? Why me?"

Cradling my stuff to me, I stand up and mutter to the sky.

"God," I say, hoping that my prayer will be answered, "give me a wise mentor. My life basically turned into a story and most other adventure characters get some sort of wise mentor. I don't think I'll survive out here without someone to help me."

The sky doesn't answer.

I sigh. I sound like a little kid saying "Daddy, give me a cookie. Most other kids get cookies. I don't think I'll make it to supper without one."

For the sake of politeness (because my little kid daydream sounded so rude) I add, "Please."

"Daddy, give me a cookie. Most other kids get cookies. I don't think I'll make it to supper without one. Please."

Not much better if you ask me.

I snort at myself. "I might as well throw in a pony . . ." Man, I'm bitter.

My stomach growls.

"And a hot meal," I add.

I gaze out at Palmacosta. It sits there beckoning me to it with promises of food and shelter, but there is a price. I will have to be a social outcast. I never was popular but I was never a complete outcast. The thought of people cringing at me and spitting at me and hating me stings at my heart. If that is my price for getting food and surviving then . . . I will pay it. What it takes to survive.

I start walking.

After a long time, I finally get bored and entertain myself by humming "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." You know, Dorothy was lucky. She had Toto, the Good Witch of the North, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and almost everyone she met. She even crashed her house on the Wicked Witch of the East in the middle of a friendly town that was constantly harassed by the very witch she landed her house on. Everything was basically given to her. Food, shelter, companionship, a mission (however dangerous it was), and even a way back home.

Why can't I be that lucky?

I snort in laughter.

"Symphonian ruby slippers," I laugh. I click my feet three times. "Who would give them to me? Martel? Would they be behind Origin's seal? Could they be buried in one of the temples? It'd be hysterical!"

I click my feet three times again and quickly chant, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home." I laugh again.

I can just imagine Raine going berserk over them. With exaggerated movements, I go, "This is fantastic! The very ruby slippers are right before me! The ability to go anywhere one desires by just clicking them together three times and a chant!" I sigh lovingly. "The research and results I could get! If only they were large enough to accommodate me. What a shame they can only fit a small teenage girl."

I laugh again. Yes, Raine would go berserk over something like ruby slippers.

Something heavy with clomping footsteps sounds off from the distance.

I turn. There way behind me is a horse-drawn wagon. Strangely, the driver is a woman. Upon closer inspection (me squinting my eyes) I discover that . . . her clothes . . . like her hair . . . are completely and only black.

That's really weird.

I step to the side not wanting to dash away when the wagon gets close enough to nearly run me over. The wagon looks like it's dawdling but I know that's just as true as trains going at a snail's pace when they come your direction. I stare at it as it comes nearer. I see that the driver sees me and watches me as she approaches. Closer and closer she comes (which is towards Palmacosta) but she keeps watching me. It's starting to get kinda creepy. Think about it, she looks like a witch and drives this horse drawn wagon that looks like it came out of the seventeenth century and she keeps watching me. That's going to get on someone's nerves.

Finally, she gets close enough to stop next to me.

Her eyes are black with iridescent colors of . . . something. I couldn't tell because she started talking to me.

"You seem to be in a disadvantaged position," she says. "Do you mind if I offer my aid?"

That takes me off guard. I was expecting her to say something witchy, or do something witchy. The sensible half of me scolds me for being so ridiculous, but just a while ago I never thought that it'd be actually possible that I'd be transported to another world. If someone told me otherwise I would've laughed the fool out of town like everyone else.

But I notice that there is a weird energy around her. It's like the energy—oh, yeah. I'm in Tales of Symphonia. It's mana. She's probably a half-elf or something. She certainly looks more like an elf from the Lord of the Rings movies than a human.

"At this point, I'm going to take what I can," I brazenly tell her. "How can you help me?"

She scrutinizes my clothes. "You will need a spare change of garments."

I shrug. "Something I don't have. Do you have anything that fits?"

All pride went out the window a long time ago. I'm not letting something like that get in my way of getting clothes, food, and shelter. Morals are another matter, though, so don't assume.

The woman twists herself around to her wagon and digs in a large bag. She pulls out a dark-dark blue dress. "It is too tall for you but I doubt that you will protest. You _are_ in a rather unfortunate situation."

Tell me about it. "It's not black?" I go.

She pulls out a black shawl from her bag and says, "I wear my shawl with that dress."

Okay, she doesn't make me think of a witch all too much. She reminds me of Saki Hanajima from Fruits Basket. This woman still kinda scares me, though.

I set down my jacket filled with all my stuff and reach for the blue dress. "Thank you so much."

Then my stomach growls. What the hell is this? An anime?!

The woman notes, "You poor, unfortunate soul."

Aw, crap. If she's going to start quoting Disney witches unintentionally then I'm just going to walk to Palmacosta by myself.

"I . . . haven't had much to eat in a while," I hesitantly admit. Correction: I haven't had _anything_ to eat in a while.

My stomach snarls demandingly. I'm tempted to tell it to shut up.

She just stares at me for a moment, calculating. Then she says, "Get in the wagon."

"Why should I?" I demand. Although I may be desperate, I'm not stupid.

She simply counters, "Although you may be desperate, you are not a fool. You are hungry, tired, and in need of clothes and shelter. I can provide those. Get in the wagon."

I think about it for a moment, wondering if I should consider going with her or rejecting her offer. She's a stranger but she's offering clothes and food. It's dangerous to be with suspicious people (in this case, anyone can be suspicious) but it's dangerous just to be away from civilization in Sylvarant (monsters, Desians, etcetera . . .). I don't want to take a risk, but survival demands several risks. Then again, she's a stranger that could actually be a witch (despite my better judgment) but she's offering me food and shelter. And so I go in circles.

"If you are only going to be stubborn and fight me then I will be on my way." She turns forward to move her horses on.

"Wait!" She looks back at me as I climb in the wagon with my things. Damn the safety measures! The risks are worth getting food. "I'll go with you."

Her dark eyes soften. "That is a better mind set. You may want to change into the dress while we move." She whisks the reins gently to move the horses forward.

I tumble onto the side and grab a hold for support. I notice my things sliding off and dive for them. Keeping them close, I question to the woman, "Change? In the middle of this wide open field?"

"Would you rather Palmacosta judge you for what you now wear?"

Point taken. I struggle into the dark blue dress as I try to keep my modesty intact. When it's on I notice that she somewhat understated that the dress is too tall. The thing eats me alive. I'm like a nine-year-old trying on her big sister's church dress.

With a grip on the side of the wagon, I try walking around in it. Something comes to mind that I was too busy with my trauma to notice: I only have my socks on.

I never wear my tennis shoes unless I'm going somewhere. In fact, I never wear shoes at home as a general rule. My feet felt freer whenever I had them off. That usually includes my socks too but it's winter where I was, so I had them on.

Winter where I was . . . A lot of mental angst is in that now.

I dismiss the thought and ask, "Do you have any shoes?"

"There should be a spare pair of boots in my bag."

Boots? I expected her to say black slippers or no spare pairs at all. Well, some people need boots for travel. I just shove that aside and dig in the only bag there is and pull out a pair of short, cotton boots. They, too, are dyed black.

"Why so much black?" I question.

She doesn't even look back. "I suppose I never really became comfortable in any other color unless I also had black on."

"So it's habit?"

"In a nutshell, yes."

I don't bother to continue the interrogation. I just slip on the boots grateful that I have some decent clothes (what's decent for here) at all. Then I remember something.

"Uuuhhh . . ." I hesitantly note, "I never got your name . . ."

She turns her head from Palmacosta. "Elvira."

I feel obligated to tell her mine in exchange. "I'm Kelsey Miller."

"Well, Kelsey Miller, it seems as if your life will take a new turn."

Are you some sort of fortuneteller? It sounds like the kind of crap that they will say. At this point, however, I'm not really one to judge seeing as how my life just took a _really_ "new turn."

I hope my "new turn" doesn't include a complete tour of Symphonia.

* * *

I feel like Ritsu from Fruits Basket . . .

Please review.


	2. Lost in Palmacosta of All Places

Okay, brace yourselves. My quality of writing is getting a little . . . Well, it's declining a bit. Those of you who've read Through the Brother's Eyes will know that I may get into a slump at first but I end up picking up my quality once I set a good rhythm.

Also, the people who've read Through the Brother's Eyes will recognize Elvira. My better characterization of Elvira is in my romance fic because this OC isn't as open as the characters in my romance. If she seems vague, it's because she's more important in the romance than here. Remember, this is through a different point of view than my romance so backgrounds will unfold in different ways.

I'm getting impatient with this fic already. I wanna be on a writing frenzie! RAAAWWWRRR!

**2010 Edit: Through the Brother's Eyes is under reconstruction, so it can no longer be viewed. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

* * *

Chapter Two: Lost in Palmacosta of All Places

Elvira (the woman who wears too much black) strolls silently about an unknown route of Palmacosta. She occasionally glances back to make sure I didn't wander off or get lost amidst all the people and shepherds me whenever I came even close to getting separated from her.

Not that I noticed much.

Palmacosta in the game is a kiddy model that barely resembles the real Palmacosta port city. Many of the better sailing ships look a little like clipper ships or something along the lines. The buildings make me think of a super clean sixteen hundreds English port city. When I said super clean I meant that this is the cleanest city I have ever seen in my entire life. I can't even find any litter loitering about. The water is the clearest I have ever seen (the only ocean I have ever seen being the Galveston Bay attached to the Gulf of Mexico). I can see fish that look a lot like the fish from back home, but they are definitely of a different species.

Then there are the people. Humans here have either a slimmer or more bulky shape than the people I'm normally accustomed to. I don't really know. They just seem . . . different somehow. Are they a bit taller than people of Earth? Are their faces more angled? Are their necks a little longer? Does their hair shine a little differently? I did notice that the most common hair colors are brown and black of all sorts of different shades. I stand out all because of my red hair. The people give me strange faces when they see my hair. They see the redness first and then my face. Some people glare at me darkly. I know what those faces say. "Half-elf."

Life is going to be hell from the get-go now.

We get into an area filled with apartment-like buildings each one with only two floors. They most likely were built for only one resident on each floor. Once again, they are the cleanest apartments I've ever seen (like everything else here). I would have counted nine buildings before we stop at a particular one we climb up to. I knew that I would easily get lost so I broke from gawking at Palmacosta and did my best to memorize (something that I never got down) the area this woman is herding me to.

Okay . . . Apartment number ten . . .

Elvira opens the door to the commons room (which is more like a tiny closet with a door to the left and stairs to the right) and I follow her in. Then she walks to the door to the left side of the room with her dress flowing behind her complementing her otherworldly air. Still going against my better judgment, I tail after her.

These are obviously much better apartments than what I have ever seen, picture or reality, on Earth. Alright, I'll try to be more precise. Obviously (as I said numerous times before) it's much cleaner than what I've seen because only there are only two apartment houses. Only two people (or a small family) can live here. Of course it's going to be cleaner.

Well, there's also making sure the environment is clean because the city lives on top of the sea line. That or the Sylvaranti people are much cleaner than an average American.

That doesn't speak well of my home country either.

The woman pauses at the door past the commons room door that I think is the actual front door to the first floor home. She reaches into her large bag and takes out an old fashion looking key and inserts it into the keyhole. I hear it click with a turn. The door gently swings open (with an eerie creek I notice) and she holds her hand (with the long black sleeve draping off her arm) in welcome.

"Come in," she simply says.

Can anyone really blame me if a part of me wants to run in the opposite direction?

I enter the room. I'm a little surprised. The home has a . . . well . . . homey feel. With a woman like Elvira I didn't expect the home to feel like this place belongs to a person who once owned a two-story house with a white picket fence. That kind of house.

Now that I see her walk in she fits perfectly with the scenery. Otherworldly air or no, this is definitely Elvira's home. There's a . . . peaceful feel to the entire place.

Then I realize something. This sounds too much like a typical fanfic. My life turned into a self-insert.

Fun fun fun . . .

Elvira notices a facial expression change on me (not that I noticed myself). She asks, "Is there a matter?"

I make my face blank and innocent (as much as I can). "What am I going to do? I can't just stay here my whole life."

I really can't. I have a home to return to.

The woman smiles. "I will put you on your feet again. Of course, you may leave any time you wish, including right now."

Presumptuous, isn't she? "What makes you think I can't take care of myself?"

She points to the clothes and stuff that I carried with me when we got off the wagon. "Those luxury items and the fact that you have not eaten a morsel for some time are what prompt my assumptions."

Oh yeah.

"Point taken," I mutter awkwardly. This is way too much and way too uncomfortable. I still feel like I'm a lame OC from a bad self-insert. I'm grateful for her help but all this is a little suspicious. What can I do? . . . Aside from telling her the truth. Can you imagine the conversation?

Me: Well, I just feel really uncomfortable because I don't want charity.

Elvira: You are not in the position to deny something like that. Where do you come from, anyway?

Me: This other world called "Earth."

Elvira: Ha ha ha ha! Now, really. Where are you from?

Me: I'm serious. Earth.

Elvira: This girl is stranger than I am . . .

Not a conversation I want to be in.

She walks to the door. She turns back around and says, "Wait here."

"Why?"

Elvira answers, "Do you really want to live in my blue dress? Your only clothes are in your hands."

"Point taken."

The woman nods. "I am glad we understand. Wait here while I gather things for you."

I gather some of my wits when she starts to close the front door behind her.

"Wait!"

She stops.

I ask, "Why are you doing this for me?"

Elvira stares at me intently, and replies, "Because no one did for my brother and me."

What kind of—

The door closes.

Wait!

Now I'm alone again.

I groan where I stand. This is getting a little much. What can I do anyway? Here I am stuck in Symphonia. Also, I've got a woman who is practically shoving her aid on me. It's not that I'm not grateful; it's just that it seems a little suspicious. Why would anyone want to help me? I'm still trying to figure out what the hell is going on!

Maybe I'd better see what Elvira is doing. I know you're probably reading this and thinking "Get over it already! She's just randomly trying to help!" but put yourself in my shoes. Wouldn't you be a little suspicious about random people who suddenly give you clothes and shelter and food . . .

Now I feel like such an ingrate.

Damn it . . . I don't know what to do . . .

Before I think about what I'm doing I'm already out the door. I think I set my stuff next to the door on the inside of the building. This is probably one of the stupidest things I have done yet but I need to think. Too much happened at once for me to take in.

"You! What are you doing here?"

I whip to the furious voice. A tall man with black black hair storms my direction waving his arms angrily. I back away warily.

The man shouts, "I saw you leaving that apartment! I know it is not yours!" He closes the half distance. "Get out! Get out of here!"

I fluster an "I'm sorry!" and flee. What else do you do when some random person thinks you're a thief and has nothing against kicking your butt if you don't leave? I was pretty zoned out when he just came out of nowhere. I rush past him, out of the connecting commons room, and out of apartment number ten. I gasp in air, cursing the new stitch in my gut that formed while I ran. I swear I need to exercise more.

Oh, and, by the way, Kelsey, you're on the streets again.

I sigh, "What am I going to do now? I can't go back . . ." No. I certainly can't. That guy will beat me if I go back. As if he'll listen to me.

Me: Elvira said—

Man: What are you doing coming back? I told you to get out!

I say to myself, "I better find Elvira." She's the only one who could explain things to that man (though I doubt he'll believe her—I barely believe what's going on myself). I still have her dress on, anyway. I think she'll want it back.

So I just start walking. This time I pay careful attention to where I am and where I'm going. Let's see . . . Elvira said that she's getting me things. Well, I can assume that by things she meant clothes. I highly doubt that she'll get me things like a DVD player.

Elvira: I brought you the things I feel that you will need.

Me: Why the hell did you get me a DVD player? I need food! And clothes!

As funny as it is in my head, it's not funny when you're still hungry. I haven't eaten in . . . let's see . . . Nearly two days!

My stomach growls at the very thought.

Well, Elvira should be at the market. Wherever that is.

I go back the way I came with Elvira. The apartment numbers dwindle down to seven to five to four to one and end. Then I stop. There's a fork in the path. Three forks, I might add. Beautiful. I'm already lost. Which one did I walk from?

I decide to wing it and take the path to the left of me. I always do better when I wing it.

Thirty minutes later, I'm lost with no way back.

Guess where I wandered. There are ships off to one side and stands and stands of supplies and food and all sorts of goody goods such as textiles I guess are from Triet and swords made by some blacksmith in Luin. If you guessed the town square of Munchkin Land then you're wrong. I don't even think the roads here are yellow (more like a nice, foggy gray).

Well, at least I'm at the market. I just wish that I was on the _right_ side of the market where Elvira is supposed to be.

I lean against a post on the docks. I sigh as I slide down into a wooden plank seat. What the hell am I going to do now? Alright, forget "do" for right now. I want to know what the hell happened to me.

I sigh again, staring at the clouds and the seagulls (or are they laughing gulls?). Let's see . . . I was lying in bed and I closed my eyes for just a second. Next thing I know I'm laying on the ground of some strange place. This energy (which from all evidence I can safely assume is mana) all of a sudden sucks into my body and I fall unconscious. I wake up and totally freak out some more because I see THE PORT CITY PALMACOSTA in front of me. After I calm down I start walking because I haven't had anything to eat since the day before and you-know-who comes along and gives me a ride. Then she gives me the use of her home and food and goes out to buy supplies for me. Then I get stupid and leave the room and get chased out by some random neighbor. Suddenly, I get this brilliant idea of looking for Elvira so she can get me back into safety and shelter. Now I am absolutely lost (even if I have some vague hint at where I am).

Okay. That's my trip in a nutshell but I still don't have a fricken clue as to what the hell just happened. One moment I was home and the next I've been SUCKED INTO A VIDEO GAME!

I rest my head on my knees folded up to me and mumble, "Well, it could be worse."

How worse? I could be sucked into Final Fantasy VII. Least the monsters here are at a reasonable size and the main villain isn't totally bat-shit crazy and obsessed with destroying the world for his mommy Jenova. THAT, ladies and gentlemen, would suck. Big time.

But I'm still in Symphonia.

I get up and start walking down the rows of bartering salesmen (and women) who are not trying to catch my eye. If any of you want to know how I managed that then there is one simple rule: Don't make eye contact. They will force you to come because they make it where it'll be very rude if you just walk away. Don't even think about giving your name, cause you're dead if you do.

I glance over to the side and cringe away. A weapon salesman finished setting up a set of twin swords on display.

I don't want to go.

Do I have to go?

I just lost my family. I don't want to go.

Do I really have to go?

"No you didn't! You bought ten thousand gald worth of gels and you only paid me nine thousand and eighty-eight!"

"Yes I did! I counted each coin myself!"

"Obviously you can't count!"

I stop in my tracks. A girl my age and a sailor argue hotly in front of me. I swerve around to avoid any sparks that may hit innocent bystanders.

"You're the one who can't count, lass!"

"Then let's get someone else to count each gald!" The girl glances around and spots . . . "Hey, you!"

I freeze. I look at her and glimpse around to see if she's pointing at someone else. As it turns out, she's not. I'm the only one around.

Ain't that clichéd?

"Me?" I ask.

She nods. "Yeah. I need you to count the gald here. This sailor is paying me short some one thousand gald."

"I told you I'm not!"

"Shut up!" she snaps. "Let's see who's right!"

The girl waves me over and I obey promptly. The less of a fight I make the less trouble I get. She snatches a large coin purse from the sailor and shoves it to me saying, "Here. Count every coin!"

I question her intellect. Not openly, but does it really make a difference? She just handed me what I need to get some sort of life together here. I won't be able to pull off a robbery (I don't think I can out run either of these two) but what if I could and would? These two would be out of luck and out of at least roughly ten thousand gald (don't forget the sailor would have to pay her that ten grand still, stolen or not).

I open the bag cursing my luck. I hate math. I used to be good at it until I reached high school then it all went downhill for me in that area in my academics. Who can blame me, though? I'm the daughter of a high school English teacher who I take after. I swear the English department's motto is "I'm an English teacher. _You_ do the math." On that note, the math department's motto is probably "I'm a math teacher. _You_ check the grammar."

I pull out a coin. Thank God. It's a five hundred gald coin. My counting is going to ease up tremendously. Okay, now I'm at five hundred and still have nine thousand and five hundred to go.

Three tens, six five hundreds, and twenty-eight two hundreds later I'm still counting. I think have . . . uh . . . my head . . . uh, have . . . eight hundred and uh . . . . . . . seventy. I think. There are still a couple of coins left. I pull them out.

Thank my lucky stars. Each one is a one gald coin and only four of them. That makes the total . . . . . . . uh . . . . . . . .

"It's . . ." I timidly start. The girl and the sailor lean towards me. I start to feel a little claustrophobic. ". . . Nine thousand one hundred and thirty-four."

"I told you you got it wrong!"

"You're still short on paying me that ten grand!"

The girl thrusts out her hand and snaps "Pay up that last bit!"

The sailor grumbles. He takes out another money purse (I think this one is his own) and forks out the last few coins. The girl turns around with an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry about getting you involved in that. I needed someone else to check our math."

"You were both a stretch off," I comment as politely as I can. You know, she seems really familiar . . .

"I realize that," she assures with that familiar voice, slightly embarrassed at being wrong too. She starts to walk off, "Uh, you have a nice day, alright?"

With that, the girl leaves.

Oh, crap. I forgot to ask for directions.

I turn to the sailor (who's still grumbling about the loss of gald) and tell him "Excuse me. I believe I'm lost. Could you tell me where I am?"

"The docks," he snaps at me.

I frown. "Just because I just so happen to be the person that girl had to count the gald and you were unfortunate enough to end up paying the difference doesn't mean you can just take it out on me like a kid throwing a fit. May I have those directions?"

The sailor snorts gruffly and walks off. I sigh.

"Now that was rude."

I look up to my right. Another sailor with a narrower frame than the last perches at the top of a pyramid of crates waiting to be loaded up. He smiles idly down at me.

"You'll have to excuse him, kid," he casually says. "He gets that way every time he loses even one gald."

I guess up at him, "I'm thinking you're responsible for some of those times."

He takes on a fake scandalized shock. "Me? Why'd you think so? I'll have you know that I'm pretty innocent."

"Don't be fooled, little girl. That man's cheated a lot of green men on his crew."

I whip around. Another sailor with an equally narrow form with slight edges to him stands behind me. His hair is grey with a youthful tint of blue. The mana around him is weird. Kinda like Elvira's but different, more pronounced. Maybe he's a half-elf.

"'Green men'?" I word.

"Newbies," he replies.

"Suckers," inserts the other.

"He's cheated Kiel out of a lot of gald, too," the half-elf (I think) says to me (but mainly as an insult to the other's honor).

"Come on!" chortles the casual sailor. "It's not _my_ fault he takes it out on people like Chocolat."

Chocolat? Wait a minute. That girl . . . was _she_ Chocolat? It'll make sense since she put me through déjà vu. Still, the way she acted, but I guess anyone could act that way around the sailor she was arguing with. What am I saying? _Chocolat!_ More evidence that I'm stuck in this damn game!

I'm trashing that game as soon as I get home.

"Could you at least not rub it in his face?" snips the half-elf sailor. "He won't take it out on others if you don't."

"But that's half the fun!" chirps the gambler sailor.

"So?" growls the other. "Stop it!"

This is way too interesting to interrupt. I've always wanted to study cultures and here I am! I'll betcha that no one else in my entire world would ever get the chance to study any aspect of Sylvaranti culture (let alone all of Symphonia). What's more? This is a culture that's supposed to be from a game. Not very many people are going to go _this_ in-depth into every little detail. And I don't even think the creators have this much depth into the society that they created the setting from. The deepest they go is characterizing Zelos and Kratos, and Kratos is for plot necessity. Besides, who doesn't like the little drama of someone else's nitpicking?

"I don't think so," slurs Mr. Casual.

The half-elf holds his silence and narrows his eyes in thought. He stares at his crewmate for a moment or two.

"Let's make a bet."

Mr. Casual goes, "What?" Clearly this isn't usual for the half-elf sailor.

The sailor repeats himself, "I said let's make a bet. If I see the Chosen of Regeneration of this round first then you have to keep from making a single bet or gamble for one entire year."

The other rolls his eyes. "Interesting considering that we don't even know the next Chosen is born yet or not."

"I know she is."

Mr. Casual insists "How so?"

The half-elf shrugs. "Word of a friend from shore."

Casual stares at him trying to feign indifference. "And if I win . . . ?"

The other sailor lowers his head. "Then I pay you five thousand gald."

_That_ perks his interest. He smirks as he accepts, "Alright. I hear ya. Gotta be honest and keep your word, though."

"I have no problems with being honest," comments the half-elf. "It's just _you_ I have a few doubts or two about."

The other snaps "I'll win this bet with an honest streak!"

"Fraser! Reece! Are you two at it again?"

"No, Captain!" sounds the two.

Interesting . . . Then again I'm probably acting a little like Raine . . . You know, she would go nuts over on my world. The Great Wall of China, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the Aztec pyramids, Buckingham Palace, anything and everything in Rome, Mecca, the pyramids of Egypt, you name it. She would have the field trip of her life.

The half-elf turns to the human. "Keep your word, Fraser."

"Why are you so serious, Reece?" Fraser taunts. "A little bet isn't going to hurt ya. Just leave you flat broke!"

"There you are!"

I jump in my spot and whirl around. I jump again at the sudden sight of a woman dressed in entirely black looking all creepy charging right at me. Who the hell is that? Oh, yeah. Elvira. How did she find out that I'm lost?

As soon as Elvira stops at my side, Fraser calls out "How bout giving me a fortune, Elvira?"

She cranes her neck up at the sailor and responds back "Very well. You will lose your wager."

Reece laughs hard as he heads back to his ship. Fraser scowls rather bad sportsmanlike and retreats back into the same ship his own way.

Elvira just shakes her head at him and turns back to me with a sympathetic smile. "I had heard what happened and came searching for you. Let us get a roof over your head again, and this time without the interference of my son."

I blink. "Your son?" Her son was the one who chased me away?

Elvira hastily nods as if embarrassed. "Yes. He never approved of my actions of who I lend my home to. He claims there will be a time when one will rob me blind."

I can't help but agree to a point.

She pulls the smile back on her face. "However, he changed his view for this once when I explained the situation. He will trouble you no longer. Come, we should return to the house. I promise to keep the home open for you until you can find your way home."

What?

The woman sees my confused expression and just casually says "Come now, surely a young girl like you has a family searching for her. I am confident that they are near."

Thank you for reminding me . . .

As she pulls me away I can't help but be dazed. Too much happened in so little time. I can't even process what's going on around me. I think I blocked everything out after that since all I remember is going there without anyone bothering us and Elvira showing me the guest room with an explanation that I can't remember. What came next is a blackness that I think is sleep.

What's going on, anyway? Can you tell me? Too much is going on at once . . .

* * *

It's official. I feel like Ritsu. (i'm sorry! i'm sorry for posting this fic on the internet! i apologize to the reader! i apologize to the entire woooooorrrrrrrllllld!)

Please review.


	3. Define Rehabilitation

Titles can be hard to come up with. Good thing I have Protesting Against Late Night Writers to help me on title-making!

By the way, the angst is supposed to be there. If you were sent into a game as a self-insert with no say for yourself you WILL go through the five stages of grief. There will be trauma. I'm working hard to demonstrate that.

* * *

Chapter Three: Define Rehabilitation

Mom's not waking me up. Did I go back to sleep after she did and forget about her doing so? Maybe it's a snow day! Sleet could have froze up the roads and, this being Texas, no one here knows how to drive on ice. It could happen; after all, it's January. If it's not then Mom's going to storm in asking why I'm not up yet.

It's pretty warm. Dad probably has the heater turned up high. That, and I also have two comforters and three blankets cocooning me. What can I say? I hate the cold.

Okay. Mom's obviously not waking me up. Snow day today. I'm waking up, too. Aw, man. I don't have school today. I shouldn't be waking up! Stupid mocking birds at that one tree in the front yard won't shut up, either. They sound like gulls, too.

Gulls?

That isn't right. I live next to a manmade lake in a landlocked area. Even if there are enough seagulls there shouldn't be enough for the mocking birds to mimic. Am I back at Lamar University in Beaumont? I'm just so disoriented that I think I'm home, aren't I? I kinda feel like that's not really the case. How long have I been asleep, anyway?

My eyes creek open against the fine crust that accumulates whenever one is asleep. I squint against the bold morning light that guards its radiance greedily from the dim room. Not very spacious but it's clean and the wood has a relaxing texture to it—

This isn't my room.

I shoot up in the foreign bed and jump out of it after a frantic glance around. The strange nightgown I'm wearing that I neither own nor remember tangles my ankles in my panic. I fall over, barely catching myself on the tiny bed that I slept in. My thoughts rush like Niagara Falls and my fear echoes and consumes my head like the roars of those waterfalls.

This isn't my house. Where am I? Who brought me here? Why am I here? What happened to me? Did someone do anything to me? How far am I from home? Is this just some really sick nightmare? What day is it anyway?

My eyes clearer, I search around for any hint of my location. I only find wooden floors, wooden walls, a wooden feather bed, wooden shelves, wooden drawers, a wooden vanity table with a pitcher and a bowl with a cloth. A wash bin?

Should I be asking what _year_ it is? Did something like Freaky Friday plus time travel happen to me? Where am I? What the hell is going on? Whose house is this? Whose _bed_ did I sleep in? Oh, god, what's going on?

I twirl around and find a window where concentrated light beams through slight partings in white curtains. I hurry to them and fling the cloth open.

The ocean. Buildings perch on stone platforms floating on the waves. There are ships. Wooden ships. As in the eighteen-hundreds-clipper-ships-and-cargo-ships-and-that-sort-of-thing ships. What year is it and where did I magically teleport to?!

That's when I remember my first panic outside this city.

I slide down to my knees and lean my forehead against the wooden window ceil muttering, "So it wasn't just some sick dream . . ."

I really am stuck in Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

I managed to find my clothes and some new sets in the drawers. Knowing where I am, I slipped on a blue dress with a short blue cotton jacket. I couldn't bear to get rid of my old socks (even as dirty as they are) so I just wore them with these boots that remind me of Aeris' boots.

I exit the bedroom with my stomach growling painfully (when's the last time I ate?). Things in my memory start fading back when I look around the main room. Oh, yeah. That lady in complete funeral clothes left me here and had to hunt me down when I stupidly left. What else happened?

My stomach snarls. Food first; questions later.

It was easy to find the kitchen. It's in a connecting room next to the main room (which doubles as a dinning room). I walk in there and nearly mutter "damn" to myself. I barely know how to cook for myself and have a vague idea of how to work the kitchen. Me and nineteenth century kitchen appliances should never mix if I can make "blackened" garlic bread leftovers in a microwave (and then burn my finger with it from trying to remove it after the smoke cleared). With this Sylvarant-style kitchen equipment things are going to go up in flames if I'm not careful . . .

"Cookbook. Cookbook. Cookbook," I chant as I search through the cabinets for, guess what, a cookbook. Maybe I can guesstimate how to use what with some cooking instructions. I know what an oven and a stove is. I know what the pots are and the kettle is. I know how to basically work those (through some rare common sense).

You know, I might as well have some scrambled eggs. How difficult could those be? All I have to do is crack the egg over a pan and stir them up with that wire-spatula-thingy. Right? Right?

Where's the perishable food?

I found most things like meats and stuff like that in something that I'm guessing is an ice box (basically the ancestor of the freezer). I didn't find the eggs in there (I guess they wouldn't want to freeze them exactly . . .). I search through the cabinets and drawers. I found most kinds of food but still no eggs . . . until I realize that I saw them in some other cabinets.

Almost chuckling at my scatterbrain-ness, I go back to those cabinets and retrieve two eggs. My stomach growls again and I take a third. I set them down and hunt for a pan and place it next to the stove.

That's when I start trying to figure out how to work this old fashioned thing. Let's see . . . Firewood goes here and you light it . . . Fire starts and heat goes up through here but the smoke is sent up through the smokestack . . . I set the pan here and let it heat up a little . . . Crack the eggs and scramble them and I've got myself my first meal in like . . . ever . . .

Well, that's just what I do. When I get to the part where I crack the eggs over the pan I start wondering maybe I can improvise and try making sunny-side-up. I search for a spatula as I let the eggs toast for a little bit. After finding the spatula, I return to the eggs. I wedge the spatula under a random egg and flip it like I would with pancakes (which I've never done in my life before). The results are a floppy mess. Hunger driving me, I just take a deep breath and try to flip the other egg. Now I have a single floppy mess of what used to be two neat eggs. I sigh and just get the wire-spatula-sturry thing and scramble my eggs which should have been done earlier for nicely scrambled eggs instead of ripped-apart scrambled eggs.

After a huge piece of drama about putting out the stove fire and where and how to clean the pan I used, that's basically my breakfast done. Hey, when you're hungry you don't exactly get picky. Though I do try to eat slowly. The more time my brain gets the message that something's in my stomach, the fuller I get to feel. Besides, if the owner of the house (uh . . . Elvira, if that's her name) walks in and sees me eating like a pig then it's not going to be a great piece of persuasion not to get sensible and kick me back out on the streets.

The door opens and a woman dressed entirely in black walks in carrying a heavy looking box. Well, speak of the devil.

Elvira heaves the box on the table I eat at and leans against it panting from the effort. Her eyes glaze over at me and stop at my disfigured eggs.

I give a dismissive "I tried flipping them."

She merely nods as if it were an eccentric concept to just leave alone. "I understand that you know your way about the house. This is a relief, if one considers how many people I have cared for that did not even know how to cook."

I let her think that and touch another subject, "'Many people'? You've up and adopted a lot of others before?"

"I have had a very long life."

So she has elvan blood. That would explain the weird energy around her. Okay, every bit of energy around me is weird since I can sense it but hers is just weirder.

The woman leaves to a part of the home and opens a door to who-knows-where.

"How long have I been out?"

Elvira, who's returning for the huge box, replies "All last evening, all last night, and well through the morning."

Okay, so I've been here for . . . three days. I lean over the box and peer into it. I see a big star-decorated midnight blue cloth, a thing of tarot cards, frankincense, tea leaves (coupled with a nice assortment of tea cups plus one matching pot), a star chart, and a book guide of dream symbolism. I'm almost disappointed not to find a crystal ball.

Beautiful. I'm living with a creepy fortuneteller.

"Do you have any extra paper?" I ask her.

"Why would you need paper?"

"I want to make myself a calendar." Why do I have to? Think about it, people.

"A normal calendar will suffice," is the answer.

I don't think Sylvarant's calendar will help me keep track what day it is on Earth. "I still want to."

A pause (probably for a mental sigh) and then she picks up the box and carries it away. "The extra sheets of paper are in the top drawer in the desk next to the door."

I follow her instructions and pull out a thick flop-stack of paper (about twelve or thirteen) just before fleeing back to my room (oh, God, why am I already claiming it as mine?). I set it on the tiny bedside table (which has a nice mahogany red color to the wood, I finally notice) and arrange it in a wall calendar style arrangement with what's going to be January (a blank January) open. After hunting for some sort of drawing utensil, I write "January" in the neatest print-style handwriting that I can manage on the top paper and (remembering my wall calendar at home) I slash five somewhat neat lines on the bottom paper with seven columns. Okay . . . It was January twenty-sixth when I went home and arrived at Sylvarant (oh the horror!) and that . . . was on a Monday. I scribble the number twenty-six on my last square of the Monday column. I fill in the rest of the month according to that. Then I draw a little sailboat in that last Monday box to symbolize Palmacosta. On the top-right corner of that box up to the twenty-eighth (which is today) I draw a tiny circle and put a line through the days that have already passed.

Then, just because I'm bored and I don't want to face a new and beautiful Sylvaranti day, I do the rest of my calendar. Of course it took a while since the ink had to dry . . . But in the end, I'm rather proud of myself. I didn't screw up at remembering how many days each month has! (Note to self: keep taking joy at the little things or the fact you're stuck in Symphonia will swamp you.)

It was about two hours after I woke up when I got done.

I get up from the table and walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Elvira asks.

"I need fresh air," is my lame answer.

There is a silence as the fortuneteller debates on whether or not to stop me. Finally, she says, ". . . Do not wander far. No one would want someone as young as you lost in this large city again."

I don't bother to correct her on my age. I just need to watch the ocean. After that, I need something to do.

I walk out the door and go out to the edge of the floating pathway. It's amazing, really, how clean this ocean water looks. Lots of rivers in my world are ruined because people kept dumping their trash and waste in them while it was thought by a massive whole that all of it won't accumulate and just wash away. Maybe it's true for small villages but not for cities even as small as Palmacosta. I guess this culture is just smarter than people of Earth. That part is certainly a relief. After all, this ocean and the nature around it is so pretty. It would be such a shame if it got destroyed by carelessness.

"Momma!"

I turn and look.

A little girl goes, "Momma, come on! We have to go! We're going to be late!"

A young-looking woman (I'd say about early thirties) hurries to keep up to the bundle of energy calling for her. "I'm coming, sweetie! Just be patient with your mother."

"But Mom," carps the girl, "if we don't hurry, we'll be late again!"

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'm here," she pants as she catches up with her child. They hurry away together.

Oh, joy. How clichéd. Still, an effective cliché.

Looking back at the ocean, I meditate on what could be happening at home. Mom and my sister are for sure in complete hysterics. Dad's probably going over my description with another set of police officers. Someone might have called in a private detective because of how quietly and mysteriously I disappeared, in my own home as well. People who don't know me could be saying that I ran away because I probably had problems in my seemingly perfect family or that I eloped with a secret boyfriend that Dad didn't approve of or something. People who _do_ know me will definitely know that something bad must have happened to me. I'll probably be in the town paper or mentioned on the news once because of how weird it is. Either way, I'll absolutely be a juicy piece of gossip to tell and retell for years to come. Did you hear about Kelsey Miller? She had a happy family and a perfect life; yet one day she just disappeared into thin air. Can you imagine that? Disappeared into thin air! There was no trace of her and the police couldn't find any leads. Her family was so distraught that they moved away and never came back. Think she ran away or that she was kidnapped? I wonder what happened to her . . .

I rub the watery itch in my eye. Then I sniff. Sinuses are going to kill me later. Any moment it'll all hit me like a sledgehammer. They went haywire when I went down to Beaumont for Texas Governors School during summer (cause activities like that look good on a résumé). At a costal area on a completely different world is going to drive me up a wall. I can already feel the headache coming.

But it's so beautiful here. The ocean is so clean and lovely and the sails unfurl so glamorously. I almost feel in my element . . . minus me being stuck here without my friends and family and not being able to breathe because of the humidity and my sinuses going nuts, but let's look on the bright side! I can almost imagine Lloyd and his eight-numbered group wandering around this city. Almost. I can still only imagine him as an anime character but I guess I'll see them all soon enough.

Not that I'll be joining them. First off, I don't want to; two, I REFUSE to be the OC that just follows any group around like a little kid lost at Wal-Mart; three, can you imagine what it would be like if I tried to join the group?

Me: Hey, can I join?

Kratos: Who the hell are you and who do you think you are? Get out of our way.

What about Lloyd?

Me: Hey, can I join?

Lloyd: This isn't some bandwagon that anyone can join. It's too dangerous. Who are you, anyway?

Not going to happen, people. There is no chance in hell that I'm going to be a toy for fate or whatever. I have more pride than that. Besides, I don't want to get killed and, well, last time I checked I, like, don't have an Exsphere. Yeah, that didn't mysteriously appear on my body. Why? Cause I've got a LIFE in this game! Meaning that I'm suddenly LIVING in Symphonia as an everyday person instead of going on some grand adventure. (Though I wish it were that convenient . . .)

I'm just getting myself depressed again . . .

I decide to skip rocks (even though I've never been able to do them before—but hey! You never know!). I glance around at my feet and find a pebble. Okay, to skip a rock it has to be flat. Well this is flattish. Guess it counts. I fling it out at the ocean.

The rock goes "Ka-PLOP!" and drops down into the water on the spot.

Oh, well.

I start bouncing on my toes with excess energy. I look one way and another and find nothing to do.

Well, I could walk. I'm not going to get lost this time. No twists or turns in where I walk. Just a straight line along the edge of the stone walkway.

* * *

I'm not lost.

Really, I'm not lost.

Seriously, I really am not lost.

I'm just . . . directionally confused.

I had to zone out. I just _had_ to zone out, didn't I? Now I'm . . . directionally confused as to which way Elvira's home is. I know it's straight one way but . . . _which_ one way?

"You seem lost."

I turn around. Before me is a girl about some inches taller than me (not hard to accomplish with my five foot two . . .) with brown hair and a cowgirl-ish outfit—

Oh, that's Chocolat!

Doing my best to keep casual, I comment with a small smile "I'm not lost. I'm just directionally confused."

"Ahahahah! That's a nice way to put it," she responds. Then a light comes on in her eyes. "Oh! You're that girl at the docks from yesterday!" Her smile turns slightly embarrassed as she adds, "Thanks again for helping out, even if I did sort of drag you into it."

The docks? I was at the docks? How off from getting to the market was I? "You were pretty frustrated back there," I note as I choke down my discomfort from being so lost.

I see a frown twitch on her face. "It's not hard to get mad at Kiel. He argues over every little thing."

"Considering that it was over money, I really can't blame him," I say to her.

Chocolat looks at me for a moment as if analyzing something about me. I shift on my feet uncomfortably.

She asks, "You are older than you look, aren't you?"

"How old do I look?" I question.

"About . . . thirteen or fourteen," she answers. "Your voice actually gives your age away. You actually sound like you're my age."

"Sixteen," I give. "I get the 'you don't look that old' thing all the time."

She nods knowingly. "I'll bet." Then she says, "My name is Chocolat. My family owns the item shop 'Marble's'. It's just around the corner if you ever want to look at it. What's your name?"

I blink for a moment, not really believing what I'm hearing. Well, why not? I've been a little short on friends ever since I landed next to Palmacosta. I reply, "Kelsey. I'll take a look at your family's shop when I get a chance. By the way, think you can tell me which direction this set of apartments are? They're right on the edge of the water and are . . ." I think for a moment. "I think they're that way," I say as I point to my right.

Chocolat looks in that direction and nods, "Yes, you're right. The apartments are that way. You live over there?"

How do I explain? I'll just go with the shortest answer and explain later. "Yes. I'll go back after my walk."

She glances back towards the opposite direction and turns back to me, "My break is about done. Since you aren't in a hurry why don't you come along?"

She makes friends fast, doesn't she? "Are you sure I won't get in the way?"

Chocolat nods, "Absolutely! Besides, I'll tell you if you're about to be in the way. You don't have to worry about that."

"Errrr . . . Okay."

I follow her trying my best not to feel like a little kid lost in Wal-Mart. We turn the corner and . . . The item shop really _is_ just around the corner. It looks homier than most shops would (then again, Cacao and Chocolat supposedly live in the second floor). There is also a big sign next to the door that says "Marble's: Your Friendly Cupboard Supplies Shop." You know, how did Lloyd and Genis miss the fact that this item store has the same name as Marble? They were just oblivious while the rest of us were either (like me) thinking "Omg! It's got the same name as Marble!" or "The item shop is named 'Marble'? That must be Marble's family! Omg! Something's going to happen!" Well, in reality the two are going to notice this similarity. They'll think it's a coincidence, but still, they are going to notice it. Now that I think about it, the only person who wasn't completely oblivious to almost every single little thing was Zelos, but the most I remember about that point is that he recognized Regal long before he revealed himself. When? Hmmm . . . I'm thinking sometime a little after Altessa's house and before the mines.

I digress . . .

Chocolat opens the door and chirps, "Mom! I'm home!"

Cacao, the woman with short brown hair behind the counter that looks like an older and more withdrawn Chocolat, smiles with love and resounds, "Chocolat! Back from your lunch break already?"

Lunch already? Man, my internal clock is so freakin' screwed . . .

Cacao looks past her daughter towards the closing door (a.k.a. me). "And who is this? A new friend?"

Chocolat cheeps, "Yep! Her name is Kelsey!"

As I thought, she does make friends quick. My voice grows quieter as I speak, "Hello, ma'am. It's nice to meet you." (Chocolat already took my intro.)

Cacao replies, "It is nice to meet you, too. Oh, and be careful! We just—"

SKREEE!! THUD!

That was me slipping backwards and landing on my back.

She finishes, "We just waxed the floor . . ."

With a throbbing head and an aching neck, I push myself back up and try to get balance back. "I . . . I noticed." Now that she mentioned it, the floor does have a squeaky clean look to it. No pun intended on that last sentence.

Biting her bottom lip, Chocolat asks, "Are you, uh, alright?"

"Fine," I answer with as much dignity as I can muster. I move off to the side where I see a chair in a cozy corner. It looks like a safe haven from where I—

SQUEEE!! THUK! Shhaaaaa, duh . . .

That was me slipping sideways into the wall and sliding down onto the floor slightly stunned from the impact.

"Owww . . ." I groan as the shop door opens. As Chocolat comes to make sure I didn't give myself a concussion Cacao warns the customer that the floor is waxed. Using the wall as support, I get myself back on my feet before Chocolat gets to me. I settle myself into the chair without any (desired or undesired) help and I notice from the way Chocolat is looking at me that she has something to say but doesn't really want to say it.

"Go ahead and say it," I calmly tell her. "I'm not going to get offended."

"You really are going to get in the way. . ."

I redirect the subject with "When do you think the floor will be safe to walk on again?"

"When it dries later," is her answer.

The customer leaves with a bag of supplies while Cacao waves merrily goodbye. She turns to her daughter and summons Chocolat back to work. Meanwhile, it's a game of fifty questions directed at me.

"I haven't seen you before at all. I'm guessing you're new at Palmacosta."

I reply to that, "Palmacosta seems pretty big to me. I don't think you've met every person here."

Her response to that was a long explanation that I summarized to "Marble's is one of the few item shops here in Palmacosta with a lasting reputation. Everyone has been to Marble's at one time. So where are you from?"

Uh-oh. I need to build a story fast. I got lazy with Elvira not questioning me at every little thing. "Well," I begin (still thinking), "not anywhere, really. My family travels a bit often."

Her eyes light up at that. "Really? Have you been all over the world or have you just been around the continent?"

I blink as I form my answer. "Uh . . . Just along the main road to Luin. That's it, really." That's right. Keep it short and sweet. Don't add frill.

"Wow!" she goes. "That must be so cool to travel around like that."

Short and sweet, Kelsey. Short and sweet. Nothing complicated. No drama. "I don't really know. My family has been doing it for so long that it's just kind of an 'is' thing. I never really thought of it as anything special other than that other families don't just get up and move."

"So is there any special reason why your family travels so much like that?" Chocolat asks as she works.

I slowly shake my head as if confused (and I am on how I'm going to keep all these facts straight). "Not that I know of. As far as I know they just like to travel a lot."

Her posture loses that edge in the excited light as if disappointed that there isn't any juicy piece of drama to pass on or just not that much to get excited over. Still her interest remains consistent.

"What is Luin and Asgard like? I have never been outside the city so I don't really know."

For a family vacation, my parents took me and my little sister to Disney World in Florida. One of the employees that I had a chance to talk to was from Pakistan and I asked him what it's like there. I take a leaf from his book regarding answers (his is actually honest while I'm needing something simple) and I answer Chocolat's question with "Uh . . . All four seasons? Windy in Asgard and a little colder in Luin? I'm afraid they're just places to me. I'm not exactly going to spout off with a lot of details since this is pretty much daily life to me."

She replies with "That makes sense. It's actually pretty cool that traveling around is just everyday to you. I kinda wish I could travel around like that."

Me too, Chocolat. Me too.

"Though you seem pretty happy here working with your mom," I note (mainly to redirect the conversation away from me).

A customer comes in and she gets to work while she talks to me. "I am. I'm very happy. Though I wish . . ." Chocolat turns downcast. "Though I wish Grandma were still here." She turns around to the customer with a smile and exchanges the package (apple gels) for the appropriate number of gald as she says "Here you go! Have a nice day!" As soon as that person leaves she becomes downcast again.

I remember now. Marble. It's none of my business, though. Since I'll be staying here the entire scene she'll have to go through at Magnius' ranch (oh good Lord, it actually exists!) will not involve me. All I'll witness is her leaving as a guide for that Asgard tour or whatever it's called and later I'll hear that she's been kidnapped by the Desians.

I feel very cold hearted now . . . Seeing these people in real life brings a new personal touch.

"What's the matter?"

I blink and look up. Chocolat stares at me with curiosity. I shake my head at her, "Nothing. Why?"

"You look a little sad," she replies.

Sad? I looked sad? I don't really know why so I offer a simple reason, "Just a little homesick."

"Aren't you here with your family?"

Crap. "My dad and I decided to stay in Palmacosta for a little bit longer."

"Really? That's cool! Where are you staying now?"

Double crap. "Just around? Does it really matter? You'll see me walking a lot, anyway."

"I was just asking. Maybe we can visit each other."

Crap, crap, crap! I've dug myself into a hole! Think, Kelsey! Think! There has to be a reason why Chocolat can't just jaunt up to my imaginary temporary home to drop by and say hi. Think!

"Er . . ." I awkwardly look away as I form my explanation for avoiding this. "The place is actually . . . a huge mess. We're, uh, very embarrassed by it so . . . yeah." (Which is the truth for my real home back on Earth—that's so corny sounding . . .)

Chocolat takes a turn to blink and then smiles without a care. "I don't mind messy houses."

Before I get to explain that we're still embarrassed Cacao jumps in with, "For some people, a clean house truly matters. If their living space is a mess then they feel it makes a reflection on themselves."

She turns to her mother. "That doesn't make sense."

"It's simply a perk some people have. If they are embarrassed then we should not press upon them a visit."

"Oh . . . Okay."

Thank you, Cacao.

Chocolat frowns in concentration. "I still think we should get together again. For some reason, I just want to keep talking!"

I can't help myself. "You have a bit of a weird way of making friends."

She smiles in an apologetic way that makes me think of Colette (damn! Why do I keep thinking of that group at the most random of times?!). "It works, though. How about you help me tomorrow with the shop when the wax is finally dry?"

Am I really that desperate?

I reply with obvious fake gruff, "I guess a little work isn't going to hurt me."

Yeah, I really am that desperate.

* * *

". . . sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen."

Elvira opens her eyes and reaches over to the cloth just before her and drapes upon the small wooden relic. Even still, the cloth doesn't seem to hinder the openness within the air about the relic. The fortuneteller stands, and then she slowly turns to face the man behind her who silently entered her home without leave to do so and cryptically—as usual—stands behind her a respectful distance away.

"You have developed a vexing habit of approaching me during inopportune times," she calmly states. "What have you come for?"

"A misfortune."

Elvira snorts. "Due to the fact that this is our reunion after fourteen years, I demand a reason for this misfortune."

The man doesn't even blink or miss a beat as he says, "I wish to know if this Chosen's journey will go without any unexpected obstructions."

She combs her hand through her iridescent black hair. "So soon already?" Elvira focuses on the man with cold eyes. "You will have to see for yourself. This will be the Chosen's future and none of your concern."

He starts to approach her. "So you have seen into this journey."

Elvira sidesteps him with an icy gaze, bitter still from their last encounter, and heads towards the spear mounted above the door frame in the main room. She looks up to it as she walks and, in a flowing movement, she picks an object out of her pocket and holds it to her heart. The fortuneteller stops and pretends to watch the spear for a moment.

"What have you seen, Elvira?" the man demands.

There is a long moment of silence. Then ". . . 'Obstructions'? There will be many." She turns to him with a maddened eye and a harsh grin. "This particular Chosen's journey will truly be the end of this era. You had best be prepared for hell because that is exactly what will break forth just before all is lost if one thing goes out of balance. Be sure to pack an open mind as well: the possible endings are infinite."

* * *

. . . I really hope that my fic isn't getting too terribly bad. Man, I'm really self-conscious now . . .

Please review . . .


	4. A Matter of Different Errands

Chapter Four: A Matter of Different Errands

I. Damn. Well. Over. Slept. I damn well overslept! How the hell could I oversleep?!

When I returned from visiting with Chocolat (while slipping on the newly waxed floor again on the way out) I returned to the apartment house just after staring at a man with a huge hat covering his hair that gave me . . . a very odd feeling of . . . déjà vu. I saw Elvira a little flustered looking by the front door as if she were harried by someone. She didn't seem to want any questions so I didn't ask despite my curiosity. I decided to go back to my room and meditate (coughcough—slouch around—coughcough!).

Well . . . she _did_ say that _one_ thing: "I need you to run an errand for me."

I remember mentally groaning so loud that I was surprised that I hadn't groaned for real (I _so_ wanted to sleep!). Keeping a monotone face, I turned to her and asked what it was. Turns out that apparently she forgot to get a package from this ship captain yesterday while she was shopping for supplies while I was apparently lost.

Then she added, "His name is Hudson. He captains _The Seabird_ ship. Captain Hudson is well known in Palmacosta's docks so if you ask others then you should not lose your way."

_His name is Hudson? Like the Hudson River in east New York?_ My thoughts couldn't help but laugh as she continued her instructions.

"Tell him that I desire my trinket to be returned to my possessions. If he asks what then inform him that I have a brother."

Hudson. Hudson for a name. Hahahahahahahah!

"If he does not comply then you need to be persistent. Strong will is the key to obtaining and fulfilling your wishes. In the morally right sense is what I mean . . ."

Hahahahahahahah!

"And then afterwards, I need you to return here. Please note that I do not want you to enter. There will be a package on the doorstep that I need you to take to the Governor-General. Before you head off to the government building, please place my belonging from Captain Hudson on the doorstep and knock once."

Hahahahahahahah—HUH?!?!

"Leave as soon as you knock, please. Also, I truly need you to start this in the morning. Both the captain and governor have hectic schedules in the afternoon and neither of us could ever get the opportunity to accomplish this."

I stared at her rather stunned at the fact that she has connections with Governor-General Dorr (but then again why should I be surprised by anything at this point?). Then I ask her, "Not that I mean to be rude or anything, but why can't . . . uh . . . you do this yourself?" I grimaced as I looked down in shame for my bluntness. "Sorry that sounds rude."

"There was no offense. In fact, I heartily wish that I could do this myself." Her facial lines and dark circles under her eyes darkened as she mutters to herself bitterly, "However, I have a guest that simply does not learn that . . ." Elvira regained her composure before she stated, "Please do this for me, and take care not to be late."

Aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnd I slept late. I slept late! Of all my luck!

"Typical," I curse between pants as I race down to the docks searching for _The Seabird_.

I squeal to a halt by someone and push out "Do you know where I can find a Captain Hudson or a ship called _The Seabird_?"

The person points in a general direction.

"Thanks!" I drop at them just before dashing off hoping that noon to three does _not_ equal afternoon.

I encounter a stack of crates being hauled into a nearby ship. When I spot one of the sailors coming it I go up to him. "Excuse me," I say to him (despite the crate in his arms getting in the way), "do you know where _The Seabird_ is?"

"Ya found her," a voice grunts. The sailor turns towards his ship and I can finally see his face. Oh wait a minute! He's that one sailor who likes to gamble! What's his name? Uh . . . Had an "a" in the middle of it . . . Uh . . .

The sailor continues to grunt without looking at me, "She's the same ship I'm loading in. What do you need?"

"I need to see the captain," I reply, hoping that he'll just leave it like that (which I doubt).

The sailor sets the crate in his arms at the foot of the ladder and calls out, "Nodin, I'm leavin' this one to you!"

"What?! You can't do that!"

"Just did!" The sailor turns to me and leans lazily on the crates. "So, what's your deal with the captain?"

"I'm picking something up," I simply state.

"Ya can talk to the first mate or something," he brushes.

"For Elvira."

"She can do it herself."

"She's busy."

"Ya still aren't allowed on the ship."

"Oh, that's fine. I'll just get around you."

"I'll stop you."

"I'll sneak onboard. You can't always watch the deck."

"I can eat my meals here."

"You have to work somewhere else eventually."

"Who says?"

"Common sense."

He smirks at me. "A smart one, eh? What does she want, anyway?"

I reply, "She said that she has a brother. I'm guessing it's his."

The sailor frowns. "She's serious. Alright, I'll get you onboard. Captain owes her and the tax collector is here."

"Thank you," I say. I head towards the ship. "I'll be on my wa—HEEEYY! What do you think you're doing?! Put me down!"

The sailor starts walking after he secures me slung over his shoulder. "I might as well have a bit of fun since you're being so stiff. Make ya ruffle your own feathers." Then he chirps, "Let's go see the captain!"

"Put me dowwwwnnn!"

The sailor saunters to the ship and up the boardwalk. I kick, struggle, and howl all in vain against him . . . Until we reach the top, that is. Seeing that if I manage to get free that my landing point could very well be the docks or the sea (both which are a very long way down from where I am), I clutch at my captor with my fear of heights choking me. When we got completely onboard the ship, however, my moods instantly change back to fighting and screaming.

Another sailor carps, "Put her down already, Fraser! She's stirring up hell for our ears!"

Ah-ha! _That'_s this guy's name! Fraser! I remember now!

Putting that aside, I keep banging my fists against Fraser's back.

Fraser slurs, "Come on, Reece, don't get your dander up. I'm just having a little fun with this chit."

Reece? Who's Reece? . . . Oh, yeah, he's the half-elf that made a bet with what's-his-name—Fraser. Oh, look. He's coming over here right now. My, what a scowl he's making. He probably made it at Fraser way too often for it to make any effect.

"Just put her down and let her go about her business," Reece blandly says.

Fraser pauses for a moment but then goes, "Alright. Have it your way."

He still doesn't put me down. Instead he starts walking.

"What's the big idea? Put me down now!" I command.

He just gives me a self-satisfied look and replies, "Okay. As the lady wishes."

"Kaah!" Ker-_Plash!_

"You dumped her into one of our water barrels?!" I hear Reece gripe over my whimpering and my cold, wet butt.

Ah-haa! Cold! Cold! Cold! I need to get out! It's cold! I need to get out! _I'm slipping in!_

Fraser admires, "Wow, she's tiny! Look at her slide in the barrel! I bet she's stuck!"

I flail my arms to hook onto something firmer than the slippery edges of the barrel. Then—COLD!! I slipped further in! I'm almost completely submerged! The top half of my legs are wet, my butt is completely drenched, and my top is utterly soaked! And it's _coooolllllld!_

"What's that girl doing in one of our water barrels?"

"Captain!"

Oh, goody, someone in charge has finally arrived. Thank God . . .

Shivering in the water barrel, I look over and spot the person who is the captain of _The Seabird_. Considering that he wears finery meant for a stereotypical sea captain (rather unimaginative if you ask me), I'd very well say that he's the captain. My respect points go up when he glances at Fraser with a large amount of disdain; my respect points go respectfully down when he glances at me with an equal amount of disdain despite the fact that I'm the victim in all this.

He keeps staring at me with disdain and questions, "Why did you have to dump her in our water supply when the sea might have done just as well? Do you know where she's been? Did you even think about what she might be contaminating our water supply with?"

So the asshole thinks that I don't clean myself even if I somehow end up shitting my underwear and walk around in it all day? Wow! Isn't he just damn well brilliant? And quite the charmer, too! Definitely knows how to make a girl feel all special and fuzzy inside.

I snap, "Then quit gawking and get me out of here so I don't taint your precious water supply!"

Fraser, ironically, is the one who gets me out. My hair and face are dry as well as my feet, but my dress is so thoroughly soaked that it's dripping a huge puddle at my feet within five seconds.

"Captain Hudson?" I guess.

"What?" he goes. Bastard, acting so high and mighty . . .

"Elvira wants her brother's stuff back," I tell with full expression of my indignant mood.

"Watch your tone, girl!" he snaps. "You should have respect."

"I was fully willing to give you respect before you acted like I was some sort of crap floating disgustingly in your water barrel instead of a person," I growl. "If you want respect then you earn it by giving it first. Now give me what you owe her and let me be on my way."

"Elvira can come get it herself," the captain grudgingly responds.

"She wishes she can but is stuck at her job," I blandly state. "That's why she sent me. Where is it?"

"I'm not giving it to some whelp who needs her mother to swat her," he declares.

I slur, "Oh, boo-hoo, I'm so offended. I'm going to go cry in my mommy's lap after she spanks me, but not before I finish the job Elvira sent me to do."

"Insolent little brat," he snarls.

"And I'm sure you're just the paragon of manners and chivalry. Where's Elvira's stuff?"

Captain Hudson stares at me for a long moment. I stand there, waiting for him to move with a "no-crap-please" expression on my face. Finally, the sea captain snorts and heads for his office. I just watch him leave because I don't want to look like a stalker on top of things (and I don't want to see what his office looks like when he's so stereotypically dressed). It takes a bit before he returns but he eventually does with a medium-sized package in his hands.

"Here," he bitterly snips as he shoves it into my hands.

I take a firmer hold onto the package. "Thank you," I coolly respond. I walk away with my chilling clothes clinging onto my form. In the background I hear one of the sailors go "So she's actually older than she looks. With that shape I bet she's in her late teens." To get away from the sailors' eyes, I pace myself a little faster—

_Skreee!_ "KYA—UGH! Ee! Guh! Duh! Ooff! . . . Owwwww . . ."

As I recover from slipping on my feet and falling down the sloped walkway from the ship to the docks I pull the package closer to me and try to get myself back on my feet with all the dignity I can muster back together. I can't help but notice that people around me are chortling at my downfall. I hurry away trying to ignore the new sharp pain in my leg.

I got a lot of staring as I went along. Who wouldn't stare? I'm almost completely soaked save for my feet and my head. But I'll tell you that it's really creepy when people are watching you when you're used to being socially invisible. A part of me wants to stop and explain to every person staring at me why I look like such a mess but that's a waste of time and effort when I can just ignore them and get this over with so I can go back to my room with a fresh towel.

It turns out that Marble's is in my path. I realize that when I pass it. I wonder if I can afford to stop for a moment and just say hi but I really need to get this done. I'm starting to get really chilled anyway.

A door behind me opens and I hear a voice (guess who) call out, "Hey, wait up!"

I stop for a moment and wait for the caller to catch up. Sure enough, Chocolat joins me and we walk along.

"Hey, Kelsey!" she chirps. "So what happened to you? Did you slip off the docks?"

Pretty cool breeze today, huh? "Hmm . . . Not quite so peaceful. I'm running an errand for this fortuneteller named Elvira and I got dumped into a water barrel by one of the sailors."

"Wow." She looks up and down at my sopping wet dress. "Did you get stuck? Did someone get you out?"

I press my lips together. "Yeah, I think I got stuck. I kept slipping in. And ironically it was the same sailor who dumped me in that got me out. So where are you heading to?"

Chocolat answers, "I'm heading to work at the church. I'm a guide at the Asgard Travel Agency. I use the money I earn to help support our item shop."

"Work-a-holic, aren't you?" I teasingly comment.

"You hush," she goes with equal casualness. "I don't see you working."

I hold up the package I got from Captain Hudson.

"Other than a favor," she states. She looks at me suggestively. "You know, we could use some help at the item shop, especially when I'm working at the church."

"I'll check my schedule." I let a split second pass. "Oh, wait. I don't have a schedule. Sure, I'll see what I can do."

She frowns at me. "That was a pretty bad joke."

"Alright, alright," I dismiss. Then a question comes up. "Do you and your mom live by yourselves? Just the two of you to work that item shop?"

Chocolat looks at me as if a little surprised but then says, "I forgot that you didn't come from here. No, we don't live completely alone. It used to be my parents and Grandma and me living there, but Grandma . . . Grandma got taken to the ranch and . . . and Dad joined Governor-General Dorr's army and is away a lot for training. He's out doing patrol right now and has been for the past week. He should be coming home soon."

Ah, so her dad didn't die . . . or yet. Wow, that was really cold for what I typically say or think and I wasn't even trying. Chocolat's dad died before the group arrives at Palmacosta so he's never seen. Now that I think about it, in the game she's acted pretty hunky-dory about her dad being dead, like he's been dead for a while even though dialogue suggests that it can't have been that long ago. Then again people act pretty hunky-dory about a lot of things in the game like . . . the fact that Lloyd just seemed frustrated at Kratos rather than hating him for what happened at the Tower of Salvation? Or what about when Presea was used by Rodyle to kidnap Colette? How about the fact that their religion was just proven right before their eyes that Martel is not a goddess and that their angels are not real and that Cruxis and the Desians are side by side when they're supposed to be like heaven and hell and that they worshiped to a hoax? The characters pretty much brushed it off and were like "Meh, it's cool." Well, I don't think any of them are going to act like that now that this is reality.

I ask her, "Isn't it hard to have your dad in the military? Don't you ever worry whenever he's gone from home? I can't imagine what it would be like if my dad was in the military."

She just goes, "Hmm. Yeah, we do worry about him, but I know Martel will make sure he comes home safe and sound. I know she's the reason why Grandma is still alive so I know that she will protect dad to the end. All we have to do is hang in there until the Chosen comes and saves us."

I wonder to myself if her words could be considered full of faith and hope or just naïve. I see her look up to something ahead of us and say, "Elvira's apartment-house should be that one. Let's go drop off that package."

I follow her into apartment ten and to the front door of Elvira's home. There, as she said yesterday, is another package on the doorstep. It's rather squat and unimportant-looking (but that may just be the brown paper wrapping). The tag on it simply says "Dorr".

"What's with that?" asks Chocolat.

"Another errand," I state as I trade the package from Captain Hudson for the squat package for Dorr. Then I try to remember the next set of instructions. What did she say for me to do . . . ? Let's see . . . Don't enter . . . Package on doorstep . . . Knock once . . . Oh, yeah! Knock once!

I knock once on the door and head back down. "We need to go now."

Chocolat follows me and questions, "We aren't going to even say hello? This is kind of rude."

I tell her, "She told me not to disturb her—" I stop when I hear the door behind me open and turn to see what's going on.

Now the hallway to Elvira's home has the door at the side of the wall since the very end of the hallway is basically a balcony-esq. stop that has an outlook of the ocean. This means that I didn't see anything but a large hand that does not belong to Elvira reach out without revealing the hand's owner and grab the package from Captain Hudson and withdraws back into Elvira's home without a word.

There is an awkward silence.

". . . Am I the only one creeped out about that?" Chocolat wonders obviously unnerved.

"No, you're not, let's go now," I reply with an equally unnerved voice.

We leave immediately and hurry to the square. The silence tails us like an eerie stalker. I keep looking back over my shoulder to make sure that no one was following us. So far there weren't any people who kept reappearing.

In an attempt to break the uncanny aura that infected us I wonder, "So is your work at the square?"

Chocolat nods. "Yes, the church is at the square. Though how do you know where you're going? You pretty much got yourself lost each time you went outside."

I glance off to the side before answering, "Elvira gave me detailed directions so I wouldn't get lost. I'm also kinda following you to make sure I didn't get something wrong."

Chocolat rolls her eyes. "Glad I could be of service."

I just smirk for a moment in amusement and refocus on making sure I don't get myself lost again. Sure enough, we arrive at the square without a hitch. It looks just like it does in the game. Only real and . . . bigger. Much bigger.

Chocolat skips away towards what looks more like a small cathedral than a church (but I've never seen a cathedral so my opinion doesn't count much at that point). She waves bye to me and calls out, "If you want to help out at Marble's you're welcome to any time!"

_I guess that's my "job interview" in a nutshell._ "Later!" I call out.

I move to the government building with the Roman columns (which are there for some bizarre reason since this is Sylvarant) and enter the building trying my best not to look suspicious to the two guards by the door (not that I have any reason to be suspicious but I'm pretty nervous).

The first room isn't the main office (which would be obvious in the real world). Instead there's a lobby. It's a rather clichéd lobby. Everything has a neat yet cheap quality to it. The receptionist at a front desk even matches the style of the room. The receptionist is a woman in a uniform with that red lipstick and pinned-up hair and all that jazz. Seems really clichéd.

The receptionist snaps up to the door hoping for something but finds me. I'm a little put off that I cause disappointment that quickly but it wasn't long-lasting when I figure out a second later that she's probably hoping for some handsome man to snatch up like in her girlish daydreams.

"Can I help you?" she asks with a begrudging sigh.

My voice turns clipped, "Yes, I have a package for Governor-General Dorr from a woman named Elvira."

She waves apathetically to the only other door in the room. "He's waited for that thing. That way. You'll see his office marked by a label. Can't miss it."

I just follow her instructions and head in the other door. There are a series of doors I could walk through but I don't even glance at most of them. Dorr's office is going to be the most important and farthest in. I really don't think I can miss it, especially since I'm seeing how the door at the very end of the hallway is a bit excessive with some doorframe decoration (coughcough—must be Dorr's office—coughcough).

Although there was this one hallway that I saw up ahead. I look down it when I approach it and find that it's just one door at the end of a rough stairway. A guard stands in the way, blocking most of my view with his hulking armor.

After a while the guard gets impatient with me and clips, "What do you want, kid?"

I crane my neck around him for a better view. "What's down there?"

"The prison," he answers. "Now move along. Stop loitering here."

I walk on with my thoughts recollecting about the game again. So that's where Clara as a monster is being held. That's also where Dorr is going to die, as well as that monster thing that imposters as Kilia. That isn't going to be pretty.

Well, not that I'll know. After all, I'm not going. I refuse to go.

I approach the formal-looking door and knock. As I wait to be answered with the package resting in my hands, I start feeling self-conscious. What if I messed this up somehow? Does my hair look alright? Will I be turned down because I'm something of a mess because of what happened at the docks? Am I going to get embarrassed? Am I going to get tongue-tied? What if? What if? What if? . . .

The door opens to reveal a man of average height with dark hair. "Yes?" He scans me up and down, his face getting a little critical over my drying-yet-still-wet dress.

I ignore that and state, "A woman named Elvira sent this." I offer the package to him.

The young man takes it going, "Ah! We waited to have this back. Governor-General was thinking of sending someone to retrieve it. I suppose we didn't need to. I suppose she finished restoring it?"

I just shrug. "I don't know what's even in this package so I don't know."

"Tell her that we thank her very much," he replies. He scans me over again with slight disdain. "Your dress . . ."

"Please don't ask," I imply with a slight tone in my voice. "It doesn't really matter, anyway."

He sidesteps back into the room. "You didn't get the package wet, did you?"

"Considering that I didn't have it yet at that point, no."

"Very well then." He starts to retreat back into the office. "Tell Elvira that we said thank you and that her pay will be sent as soon as possible."

"Will do," I respond to the retreating form. I start walking back. That man looks a little familiar . . . and I feel like such an idiot by not realizing until just this very moment who he is. Of course that's Neil! Guy with dark hair working in Dorr's office that's also traditionally handsome with a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Why didn't I realize this sooner?

Oh, well, that's already over and done with now. Though what do I do now? It took a little faster than I guessed and Elvira probably doesn't want me to return this soon. I'm guessing it's because of that person with the creepy hand . . . My imagination runs wild at the different theories that could explain why she wouldn't want me around when another person is visiting. Black market? Crime? Her son stubbornly doesn't want to see me around the property? An affair? Then again it could be something that's innocent that she's embarrassed about. Or something terrible and she doesn't want to panic me or something. The point is that I don't think she wants me to suddenly show up just yet.

I could help out at Marble's item shop. Chocolat did say that they need help while she's working at the church.

"Don't get your hopes up, hon."

"Eh?" That interrupted my thoughts. I search for whoever said that and find the receptionist. I'm still in the government building?

"You heard me," she snips.

Then I get the general idea. "Are you talking about Neil?"

"Don't play dumb," the receptionist bites.

I think about my reaction for a moment before I finally decide on "Don't worry, I'm not into him, but I don't think you would be even considered if he ever wanted to date someone."

I leave before she comes up with a good comeback. With a grin on my face I close the door behind me and walk onto the stone courtyard that is the square and heart of Palmacosta. Looking out to the scene of everyday busy happening around the place (students taking their afternoon break, a lady setting her laundry out on the line, churchgoers congregating and loitering about the church) gets me in the mood to sit down somewhere and read a good book, or just a book I like. Just sit there in the sun and read to my heart's content . . .

You wanted to go help Cacao, remember, Kelsey?

Snapping myself out of my daydream, I move along to Marble's item shop, which proves easier than I thought. Looks like I'm getting to know my way around this city. When I arrive at the general area, I catch myself observing the ocean as I amble on by. Wish I had a camera; the pictures I'd take would be gorgeous even if they are touristy. I must admit, though, I take better photos than your average tourist. Then again I can't exactly say that I'm a tourist considering that I'm living here, but it's a temporary fix until I find a way back home.

I stop in front of Marble's and step up to the shop's front door. Remembering that this isn't a home, I remind myself not to knock and go on in.

Standing on a stepping stool shelving products, Cacao turns from her work and discovers me walking in. "Kelsey, how are you? Did you see Chocolat on her way to work?"

I close the door behind me and answer, "Yes, I did. She told me that you might need some help while she's at the church."

Cacao replies, "That would be much needed. Please, come over here and hand me those bottled gels in the basket next to me so I can shelve them."

"Sure," I respond as I walk around the counter to her. A little work isn't going to kill me. In fact, a little work is better than sitting in my room wondering why I had to be sucked into Tales of Symphonia. Besides, I'm starting to get a grip on my life now.

* * *

Elvira slumps in her chair. She eases each of her knotted up and tense muscles one by one as she ignores the gut feeling that just because this is a hiatus doesn't mean that this will be the last she will have to confront the man. Blast him. He has gotten cold and hard-hearted ever since . . .

The door swings open and all her efforts to calm herself are laid to waste. When the man who intrudes is revealed as her son instead of the man whom she has argued for hours with her process of tranquil begins again.

"Mother," the man of dark, iridescent hair goes. "I saw a suspicious man walk from here. Was he . . . ?"

Elvira nods. "Yes, Nicohlas. That truly was him."

"What is he doing here after all this time?" her son growls.

Elvira's shoulders loosen from tension release. "He wanted a misfortune."

"Misfortune . . . Oh, yes, what you call your visions from your gift."

She glances towards him. "You would never call it a 'gift' if you had it."

"I never really understood why you call your visions a misfortune," comments Nicohlas.

The fortuneteller explains as her left arm becomes relaxed, "A fortune is what people want when they seek a future event and for most of the time they want what they want to hear instead of the truth. A misfortune is a mere jest of mine to describe the true future sight that I have for which most of the time is something no one would ever want to hear from a fortuneteller such as I."

Nicohlas asks, "Why did he want a misfortune?"

There is a pause before she answers, "What else do you think? His life has been chaos and sorrow and he wants to know if this Chosen's journey will be a success."

Nicohlas sets himself on edge. "So we can expect him to return."

"Yes," says Elvira, "but not as soon as you suspect. He has an assignment to carry out, but when his path returns here he will hassle me again for only a moment, then he will leave again to complete his mission."

"Good riddance," he nips. "His wife took his better side with her."

"Do not cross into that subject so brazenly," his mother warns. "It is the only pain we both know and it is a pain that is not to be taken so lightly."

"Mother—"

"No." She scolds, "Have you forgotten that he is a widower and I am a widow?"

"I am sorry, Mother . . ."

* * *

"Kelsey, I need you to put these candles up on their shelf."

"Yes, ma'am. Uh . . . Candles, candles, candles, candles . . . Uh . . ."

"You're lost again, aren't you?"

" . . . Yeah, I am. I'm sorry . . ."

"There is no need to apologize. Look: they're right there."

"Oh! Oh. Oh . . . Uh, okay . . ."

"Don't over think this."

Marble's just got restocked on certain supplies (candles being one of them). As was just demonstrated, I have a terrible tendency to get, well, directionally confused. Get it together, Kelsey! Get it together!

Out of pure curiosity I ask, "When does Chocolat usually get back?" I set the candles in their respective place and line them neatly (nice to be organized and I admit that I'm sort of compulsive about that).

Cacao glances outside and replies, "She should be back about now. Once you put up the orange gels you can leave."

"Okay," I simply put. "Think I can help again tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Thanks." Better that I do something than dwell on things.

I put the orange gels (which are, you know, orange jello stuff) on a shelf taking care not to drop any bottles. When done with that I leave. I gave out a thank you before I closed the door.

Then I found Chocolat about to open the door.

"Oh, so you did come here," she notes. "Thanks for the help."

"It's no problem; I need to do something anyway." I make way for her and add, "I'll be coming back tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!" she chirps. "See you later!"

That's when I leave.

My life feels a little more in order. That's a good thing since (one) I just got sucked into a video game, (two) am determined not to let my life become a self-insert, and (three) I plan on settling in Palmacosta until I find some way to get back home. Maybe I can go to the Palmacosta Academy and search their library. Well, if it's public, that is. If it's not then I'm kinda screwed . . . But let's look on the bright side of life.

I enter apartment number ten as I hum "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from a musical called "Spamalot" based on "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." I figure that whoever was visiting Elvira is gone by now. I enter the door and—

"I just don't understand why you keep ties with that man."

What's that man doing . . . Oh, yeah, I recognize him now. That's the man who chased me away when I first got here. He's Elvira's son, right?

"We are in a considerable debt to each other. Besides, there are some ties that you cannot just cut." Elvira's eyes gleam warningly.

"You helped him more than he has ever helped you," her son puts out. "Who does he think he is that he can just barge into your home and hassle you like that?"

"A man in need for a guarantee is who he is," Elvira counters.

"Mother—"

"This is the end of this." The fortuneteller looks to me. "Hello, Kelsey. Did you do what I asked of you?"

"Yes, I did." Don't ask what this is all about. It's none of your business and it's just nosy.

"Thank you. I wish I could have done this myself," she says.

Her son cuts in, "You could have if you had just turned him down."

"I did," she hisses. "He does not listen. He would return tomorrow if he had not an obligation that . . ." Something dawns upon her. Elvira looks to me and says, "Come here, please."

Too confused for words, I do as she says. She holds out her hand and motions for me to grasp it. I lay my hand in hers and they stay limp like that for a moment. Getting even more confused, I glance up to her face, wanting answers.

Her eyes are empty. It's like she doesn't even have her soul in there. I feel chills going down my spine. I shift uncomfortably.

"Don't be so tense," the man with Elvira's iridescent black hair tells. "She will snap out of it in a moment."

"What's going on . . . ?" I uneasily ask.

"Mother wants answers," he states. "She is getting them."

"How . . . ?" I ask again. My question goes unanswered as Elvira shifts back into life and awakens from whatever trance she's in.

"Tomorrow." She faces her son. "Nicohlas, it will appear tomorrow."

"What will?" I question.

Nicohlas groans, "No wonder he left. It was about time for it to appear, anyway."

"What will appear?" I repeat with a more panicked tone.

Elvira faces me with emotionless eyes.

"The Tower of Salvation. Tomorrow, the Chosen of Regeneration will receive the oracle from Cruxis."

My only reaction is a blank face. ". . . Really?"

I'm not going.

Nicohlas nods. "Mother can see the future. She uses it only when there is a definite need. If she sees that the Tower of Salvation will appear tomorrow then it will appear tomorrow. Be sure to be somewhere clear like on the docks facing northwest. What time will it appear?"

I'm not going!

Elvira goes, "Hmmm . . . I would say about three in the afternoon. Just a little after lunch. However, this will mean that the Desians will be some more active at keeping the people restrained. They want us to remember that they can still control us even if the Chosen has come. Best be prepared for something after tomorrow."

Do you hear me?! _I am not going!_

* * *

I am holding you at toy-gun-point to review.


	5. Expectation

Coming up with a title for this one was a pain. I feel like I'm going so slow on this, too. Kinda like walking underwater with weights tied to your feet. Of course, that's just me.

If it seems like Elvira is bombarding Kelsey with errands and favors, it really isn't. I'm just pointing out stuff that stands out in this OCs new daily life.

* * *

Chapter Five: Expectation

I couldn't sleep. I couldn't sleep at all.

_I am not going._

When the morning gray came, I thought I saw the Tower of Salvation but that was only the mast of a ship.

_I am not going._

Every hour drags as if it had some heavy burden to haul behind it with only a rope to help.

_I am not going._

I keep repeating those four words over and over again in my head.

_I am not going._

It's like I'm making some sort of reminder that just won't let itself be memorized.

_I am not going._

I already lost everything from mere trinkets representing events in my life to my very family who I love and adore and miss so terribly much.

_I am not going._

I break down and cry again.

* * *

When Elvira hears me finally emerge from my room she comments, "Would you like some bread?"

Well . . . it's better than cereal. I sit down at the table and wait as Elvira saws a thick slice from a large loaf and hands it to me.

Oh . . . Wow . . . This is not your typical white bread crap that you get at the grocery store. This is freshly baked and flavored. I notice the nuts embedded in the grains. Then I notice the butter at the center of the table. When Elvira was done using the butter knife I take my turn and spread a nice fine layer of butter on my hot slice of bread. When the butter melts into perspiring warm liquid on the crisp bread I take a nice bite out of it. Oh . . . Wow . . . This is heaven!

As I munch happily on my breakfast Elvira wonders, "Are you feeling well?"

"Hm?" I swallow. "I think so. Why?"

"You have dark circles under your eyes," she notes. "Your voice is also somewhat scratchy. How is your throat?"

You know when you don't feel something until you think about it or until someone mentions it? Yeah . . .

The painful itch in my throat motivates me to turn my head towards the floor and cough hoarsely. Ow ow ow . . . I sniffle and feel drainage leaking down my throat. Gross . . . Absolutely disgusting . . . My sinuses are finally catching up to me.

After I cough again I ask, "Is there some sort of medication I can take for sinuses?"

"There are antibiotics for infections but that is as much as anyone has."

Beautiful. Now I'm going to have to live with migraines and coughing up snot. Why can't I have been sucked into a game like Final Fantasy VII?!

Must remember the difference between Sephiroth and Shinra to Yggdrasill and Cruxis. That will clear all doubts that you are grateful for being stuck as being an extra for Tales of Symphonia. You'll probably die in either game anyway. Why not pick the game that usually has the faster deaths (unless you get caught by Desians)?

Wow, I'm cynical today. Must be because of my sinuses. I feel god awful . . .

I finish my breakfast doing my best not to get all down just because I suddenly notice the itching sting on the back of my throat. I'll tell you something, though, the bread really did help. As I glance about the room I start noticing things I should have noticed when I first got here (I'm not good at observation . . .). There's a cloth-covered relic a blank wall, a small vase with flowers (mostly weed flowers) sits merrily on a table by a window, an assortment of old trinkets (probably from earlier years in her life) are sparsely spaced about the main room, the curtains are white (the irony), and there is a framed picture of people (too far away for me to distinguish at this angle) by the entrance. What gets my attention is the long spear mounted above the door frame. The body of the spear is polished wood with a dusty metal handle at one end and the blade is slim and long. I note that the spear itself reminds me of a plain Final Fantasy style, like a starter weapon for a character.

Noticing where I am staring, Elvira explains, "That spear belonged to my brother, Jaren. He perished long ago when the Desians ambushed us and I could not let go of some of his possessions including his spear. I mount it there to remember my brother, and for the rare occasion that calls for it."

"I'm sorry you lost him," I tell her from my heart. I lost everyone, including my sister . . . I'll get them back eventually, but all the same I have lost them as of right now.

"It happened long ago when I was young," she brushes off. "I do feel sad that he is dead but life moves on with or without us. Perhaps one day I will pass it on to someone in need of it."

Please don't let that be foreshadowing . . .

I nod. "Yeah, maybe." I get back to finishing my still-warm bread. I cough again.

When I finish my share of bread I get up and mutter, "I'm going for a walk."

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"The docks."

Elvira mentions, "You still have seven hours until the Tower of Salvation appears. Why do you not go to Marble's and help them until then?"

I turn to her in surprise. "You know about that?"

"No but now I do. Cacao mentioned to me some time after I returned with you that she is in need of assistance," Elvira replies.

"Oh . . ." I return to the door. "Well, I'm going out. I'll either walk or help Cacao. I haven't woken up enough to think, I'm afraid."

"Wait!"

I stop and find Elvira grabbing for something off the counter. It looks like an old fashion style purse. She hands it to me saying, "You will need this later."

I frown in confusion and slight suspicion from the purse to her. ". . . Why?"

"Knowing Chocolat, you will," the fortuneteller implies. "Also, avoid the square until noon. The priests will force you into the service and I do not think that you are ready for any sort of gatherings religious or not."

"A bit presumptuous," I civilly note.

Elvira adds, "This is a conclusion I have made from the fact that you seem to have a tendency to detach yourself from others."

. . . This is actually true . . . Just how much does she see and how does she see all this? It's kind of creepy . . .

"Well . . . okay . . . uh . . . I'm going for a walk . . ." I pocket the bag and head on out. Knowing Chocolat I'll need a purse? Is she some sort of shopoholic? Not exactly good for her item shop unless she can keep it in moderation. I might as well buy me some new clothes and a few trinkets and make the room I live in a bit more . . . well, me. It's obviously a humble guest room and I want to add some color other than wood-red and white from the curtains in it. Oh, yeah, and that wash bin. I've got my green mug on the table and my clothes in a drawer but that's all the change in there. Maybe I can get a small jewelry box for my two necklaces. Nothing fancy, just a small hinged box.

Then again I could buy a new blanket that actually has some color. Green would be nice. But then again it might be too expensive considering that this is impoverished Sylvaran—

Plop!

"Gaw!" goes a seagull that flies overhead. I look down at the origin of the plop sound and find a fresh white splatter.

Okaaaayyyy . . . . . That was really random (especially where my train of thoughts was heading). Was that my daily surprise? At least it didn't get on my shoes.

I dismiss that little scene and head straight for Marble's. When I get there, however, there's a little white sign cutely hanging from a hook on the door. It reads "At Church Service. Be Back at Noon!"

What am I going to do now?

Sure, go to the docks. Maybe I can search through thrift way for some cheap crap to hang in my room to liven it up. Add some color. I'm getting tired of the plain wood coloring anyway. I could probably counter the mahogany red with some forest green or emerald green. Earthy tones.

I hurry to the area making sure I don't go toward _The Seabird_ (I had enough of that captain already). As I search through the wares and prices I find my way around the economy system of Sylvarant. They keep a set base of gald value for each item and barter whenever the buyer also wants to sell. I also get the idea that the game way overprices things such as food and some basic clothes and tools and things such as gels. Weapons, on the other hand, were way cut back. Although the kadema is a toy so it's pretty cheapish, the others such as chakrams, swords, daggers, and staffs (especially the good ones) are undervalued in the game. They're free compared to what I'm seeing in the fine print on the price labels. My eyes are bulging just looking at them. Well . . . also I've got a pretty good feel for the average price range and the value of gald just from today. Maybe when I get myself together I can get a job and start saving up money for the things I need and want. I _am_ a pretty good money saver, if I must say so myself.

A vendor of blankets and such goods catches my eye and I go over and examine a nice blanket dyed a deep green (alright it's pretty cheap quality compared to what you can find in Wal-Mart or Target or whatever but this is Sylvarant). I debate in my mind whether or not this blanket is worth consuming half of the gald Elvira graciously gave me.

"Move it, you scum!"

People squawk and squeal and produce noises that make my sinus headache worse. I turn around expecting the commotion being made by some high-born, arrogant punk who thinks he deserves to have people throw out a red carpet in his path and grovel at his feet.

I was pretty close at that guess.

Three Desians. There is no other way I could name them. There is no way I could mistaken the high-tech armored men, two with futuristic crossbows and the leader with a futuristic menacing whip and a short sword at each of their sides, as anything but Desians. The fact that their weapons are put away doesn't mean that I feel any safer. Anime, especially the game's CG that makes everyone in it seem all chibi-looking (even in one of the two anime shorts), does not do them a lick of justice. I'm shaking. I'm seriously shaking from fear. These guys will kill me if I give them any pathetic reason to, they seriously will.

I watch as they circle against a close vendor whose skin has lost all color and quivers so bad that I'm surprised he hasn't fallen like a pile of glass.

"This him?" asks the leader.

The bowman on the right side goes, "Yeah, that's the sleaze ball who cheated me out of my gald. He sold me fake gels!"

A hushed gasp echoes through the witnessing masses. I myself don't make a sound.

The offended bowman flings down a bottle with a resounding crash and barks, "Hair gel! Dyed hair gel! I was told they were pineapple gels! I paid good money for fake gels made a fool to thinking they were the rare pineapple gels!"

The bowman on the left jibs, "I told you it was too good to be true."

"Shut up!"

"Stop," warns the leader. "Let's just get this over with. You do it since you were the one cheated."

The one on the right backs away towards the tremulous vendor saying, "Right." He grabs the collar of the vendor and jumps on the vendor's counter, taking the terrified man up with him off his feet.

"Stop! Please! I-I-I-I'll do anything! Anything!" begs the vendor. "I'll-I'll give you double the refund and double the gels you—"

"Shut up!" snaps the Desian bowman. With the vendor put to silence he faces the mass watching them and displays himself and the vendor proclaiming, "This is what happens when you cross the Desians!"

The bowman whips out his short sword with his free hand and shoves it down the vendor's throat.

Cries resonate within the crowd, including myself. I can't take my eyes off the sword that found a complete sheath of the dead vendor, who surely died by choking on the sword and his own blood before the empty missed heart eagerly gave out to death's graceful arms. The sword returns from the fleshy shell with a new coat of dark red ink dripping ominously from the thirsty blade's tip. The Desian drops the vendor's body in such a way that the corpse lands bent over itself on the counter and a bloodbath river flows out of the mouth, pooling on the stone walkway.

The offended bowman drops down and stares ruefully at his tinted short sword. "Got something I can clean it with?"

The other bowman pulls out a huge cloth out of his pocket. "I knew you'd forget."

The first bowman takes it and starts wiping down his blade. As casually as they be, the threesome walk away, not taking note of the parting crowd.

The vendor still bleeds.

I whirl around and pay for the blanket with a fumbling hand. A gald coin or two dropped once on the counter. This vendor graciously picked it up for me and hands me my new green blanket. I hug the blanket tightly to my chest like I would love to do with my old baby blanket, or even a big, stuffed pillow at home. I hurry away from the sight, needing to flee but also somehow wanting to stare at the dead man by some sick instinctual sense. My feet find it easier and easier to move away from the death scene and I catch myself dashing madly to apartment house ten completely unaware of the people around me who stare at my unusual behavior. Oh well to them. They'll learn soon enough.

I shove through Elvira's door and slam it behind me. I finally burst into hysterics trying my best to get air into my cramped lungs. Sobs and sinus coughs disrupt each desperate gasp as if they need their say in this too. My hands quiver too harshly to hold any strength and drop everything in my hands.

Hands snatch my shoulders and force a squeal out of me. Then I face the man who is labeled as Elvira's son.

"What happened?" he demands.

He talked? Didn't realize. Didn't hear.

"What happened?!" he demands out of me again.

I can only gawk at him through my bulging eyes and hysteria.

The man—who I think is named Nicohlas—sighs. He repositions his hands and ushers me (more like pushing me) to the table in the main room. Nicohlas presses me into a wooden seat and works in the small kitchen.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god! That man is dead! That man is _dead!_ That was the Desians?! Sure what that vendor did was bad but they intimidated a more than satisfactory amendment for what he should give to a common customer! That was way out of the line! He's dead. He's dead! That was totally barbaric! By the time Cacao was about to be hanged for refusing to sell supplies (which is what Chocolat did) they were about to pass the designated death count. No wonder! After what happened today then that _has_ to be the point where they reach the designated death count! It _has_ to! It just _has_ to! I don't know what I'm going to do if it wasn't. Keep living life I suppose, but I'll be watching over my shoulder checking to make sure Desians aren't marching down the street like that. Oh god. Oh god!

Thweeeeeeeeeeeee . . . !

I gasp and jump in my seat. Nicohlas works on something in the kitchen and the sound stops. He returns with two mugs and sets one in front of him and one in front of me.

"Let it steep," he informs me. "Now tell me what happened."

It takes a long while of effort before I can force it out of my mouth, "Desians."

He keeps watching me. I try to continue with, "They . . . killed a . . . vendor . . . who cheated them. Understandable . . . since they're . . . Desians. But . . . But . . . It was so . . . s-so bloody! They shoved that sword down his throat! . . . There was so much . . . blood . . . It spilled in a big puddle . . . He begged so loud . . . Offered them a really good bargain in . . . a . . . amendment for . . . his swindling . . . I could only watch like everyone else . . ."

There is a long silence. I could only shake as I stare down at my brewing—excuse me, steeping—tea and he watches me shake and stare down at my steeping tea. The quiet is almost comforting as well as unnerving. I don't really know what to make of it.

I hold out my hand before my face to pass judgment on my shivers. Too severe to risk the mug. Still, it's better than a moment ago. Deciding that I need something to do, I start to get up to retrieve my new green blanket.

"Don't," calmly commands Nicohlas. "You stay there and finish that tea." Instead of me, he gets up and grabs my blanket. He returns and drapes it carelessly over my shoulders. I cocoon myself in the green material and just stare at my cooling tea.

Nicohlas scrutinizes me, and sighs. "Listen, the Desians are a part of our lives, whether we like it or not. You had better be prepared for death whenever they actually enter the city. That is not their usual errand for most of the time (especially considering the fact that we have some necessary plants that don't grow in their region), but all the same you must be prepared that someone will die. Your safest tactic in regards to the Desians is to avoid them as much as possible. Otherwise, you are out of luck if the worst case scenario occurs."

"I need to learn how to defend myself . . ." I mutter. Well, I took tae-kwon-do when I was little and became a yellow belt, but I didn't keep up with it so I'm a white belt now. I do remember how to punch properly and keep my balance but I doubt that will do a thing against the Desians. If it does then I'll be suspecting that all my life is just some lame self-insert (which isn't the best thing in the world to realize).

"What reason do you have to fight the Desians?" snips Nicohlas.

I attempt to give him a look (which doesn't work). "I didn't say 'fight'. I just need to learn how to keep myself alive if the worst thing happens. Not to mention I've been needing to learn for a long time . . ."

"Ask my mother," he frustratingly sighs. "_She_ is the authority in this house."

I just register that in my brain the best I can and take a sip of my tea. After I taste it I comment, "You like bitter tea?"

He corrects, "Mother likes bitter tea. If you don't then too bad; sugar is hard to come by and honey is expensive."

"I wasn't complaining . . ." I mutter. I sip droopily on my tea. Hot still, but it isn't scalding my tongue. It's a while before I set it back down and wonder, "Where is Elvira?"

Nicohlas just glances at me and responds, "She works as a fortuneteller, remember? She is at the square right now at her stand."

I lightly pucker my lips in thought. "The church mustn't like that."

He shrugs. "Not really now that I think about it. Every once in a while she would have someone from the church trying to pressure her into 'turning to Martel' and give up her occupation. Usually she ignores them. She will be back about two in the afternoon or after the Tower of Salvation appears."

"So she can really see the future," I note. Strange. If I could see the future I would never live as a fortuneteller. Can you imagine the things that they would see on a daily basis from the different futures? Say you come home from work with stories of how this girl is going to get raped or that this guy will get framed for murder and have his life ruined or this person is being persecuted simply because of their race. It wouldn't be a pretty job at all.

"Yes, Mother can see the future." He explains, "She doesn't use it for her fortunetelling for her mental health, but she does have this talent. When she gives you a prediction, be sure to pay attention to it. She has a tendency to be quite accurate." Then he offhandedly mentions, "By the way, you have four hours until the Tower of Salvation appears. If you want to spend some time then I suggest taking a look at the Palmacosta Academy. They have a library open to the public if you are interested."

I'll consider it, but right now I still want to recover. I tell him, "Thank you. I'll look into it."

"Very well," he dismissively puts. Nicohlas turns himself to the side and stares out into space with his eyes gleaming with thought.

I take that as a polite discharge and carry the mug to my room. Once there I set it on the table and make my bed . . . Alright, I untangle my bed sheets from the little bird nest shape I made from the blankets and one pillow during my sleep and make the arrangement to resemble something of a made bed. Then I add the blanket ceremoniously on the top. I step back to my door and take a good look at my room. White wash bin, wood, wood, wood, white curtains, wood, wood, wood, green mug, wood, wood, wood, green blanket on top of a white bed, wood, wood, wood . . . I need more color. I'll get it when I save more money (which will probably take a while . . .).

After done observing the colors of my room (or lack thereof) I kick off my shoes and crawl into the bed and under the covers. I wrap and tuck and cocoon the blankets around me and close my eyes, trying for meditation rather than sleep.

I'm not going. I'm not going. I'm not going . . .

* * *

"Hey, Chocolat?" I ask her as I lean into Marble's from the door.

She looks at me from the stairs she was climbing down. "Yeah, what is it? And just come in."

I do so and, while I close the door behind me, I say, "There was something that was going to happen at three. If you have a break we can go and see it."

Chocolat glances at the shop's clock (2:15) and states, "Why don't you tell me what it is. I can't exactly afford to just take breaks whenever I choose."

I don't think she'll believe me if I tell her it's the Tower of Salvation. I think an equivalent for Christianity is like telling them that Jesus is coming today (which we've been hearing for the past two thousand years already). I tell her, "You won't believe me. To be honest, I'm not quite sure it will happen or not but I'm going to have faith that it will."

She regards me with doubt. "You're so gullible . . ."

I promise her, "If I turn out to be wrong then I'll tell you what I heard and you can call me gullible all you want."

Chocolat glances at her mom (who nods) and puts, "Deal. Where are we going?"

"Errr . . ." I haven't come up with a spot. "Someplace clear and high? Got any ideas?"

"You don't even know?!" she exasperates. I just watch her. Chocolat sighs, "Fine. The square is usually the best place. It's close enough for us to make it at three, anyway." She comes to the door and blandly calls out, "I'm going out, Mom."

Cacao resounds, "Take care."

As we walk along the stone walkway, Chocolat utters, "I'm using valuable break time here. This had better be good."

"Hey," I remind her, "you either get a grand site or you get the privilege of calling me gullible as often as you want. You can even start practicing until I end up right, or keep calling me it."

"Alright, gullible," she inserts.

I just chuckle at that.

We arrive at the bustling square. People take walks; Neil is speaking with someone at the front of the government building; his fan girls hide about obvious corners watching with moony eyes upon him; clergymen talk about stuff I can't hear from here; an elderly woman is hanging out her wash; people are going to a special dock on the side of the square pass a sign that reads "Modern Revolution: Steam Power!"; students eat snacks along stone walls the height of picket fences; children play around the center. I look to the northwest skies and turn one hundred eighty degrees to find a high spot to perch on. I locate a nice stone wall (same very long one the students are on at the other side) and hurry to it. I latch my hands on the edge and lift myself up to . . . I fail. It's pretty tall (or I'm just pretty short and weak). I lift myself up again and . . . fail. And heave up! . . . Fail. Heave ho!

Epic failure. I drop to the ground when my strength (or lack thereof) becomes evident. Chocolat just goes right by me and does what I was attempting to do and succeeds. She offers me a hand and, after some struggles, I manage to get myself up there with a C minus.

"Thanks," I tell her.

"No problem," she tells me back. "Actually, you're lighter than I thought. What are you? Thirty-nine kilograms?"

Crap . . . ! The metric system! The United States adopted the older system with feet and pounds and such (forgot what it's called) from Great Britain while it was still just a bunch of colonies. They never switched out even when the rest of the world went to metric. Uh, uh, let's see . . . three pounds roundabout equals a kilogram (which I found out from Webster's Dictionary) . . . Last time I checked I weigh one hundred six pounds (which scares me—I can't even give blood) . . . one hundred six divided by three is . . . carry the one over . . . Thirty-five kilograms.

"Thirty-five," I reply.

Chocolat raises her eyebrow in question and surprise. "Are you anorexic?"

"Noooo . . ." I slowly shake my head in a Presea-ish (why did I use her name? I'm not supposed to know she even exists.) manner. "I'm just that tiny."

"You have to be underweight."

Only when I reach below 100lbs. "Only when I reach below thirty-three kilograms."

"And how would you know that?" she asks me. Really, I'm not anorexic. I'm just not eating much right now because I'm under some severe stress and trauma I'm successfully ignoring (remember? I'm from Earth and was sucked into a video game.).

I answer her, "My dad used to work as a doctor's aid in the medical field."

"Doctor's . . . aid?" Now she seems a little alarmed. What's up with the drama? "A doctor . . . like a surgeon?"

I get confused. "Er . . . What's the deal?"

Now Chocolat is surprised, almost shocked. "What do you mean 'what's the deal'? Surgery is grisly and savage! There's nothing to kill the pain and most people end up dying from a fever or something! It's more like torture than a cure!"

I guess painkillers and sanitation are a modern time thing that makes surgeons look like miracle workers in comparison to the past. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking. No, he wasn't. He quit anyway to spend more time with us as a family." He worked mainly in the ER. That should tell you that I lied. I don't want Dad to be looked down on because the methods of the medical field are more humane and advanced than what Sylvarant sees and I can't explain any of this.

"Anyway," I go, "Dad got a lot of information about how the body works and what's healthy and what's not. I asked him about my weight and he said that I'm just on the low side of good. Few more p—kilograms and I'll be underweight so he told me to be careful."

She frowns as if worried. "I hope so . . . You don't seem to take care of yourself very well."

Due to the forces of coincidence, I cough up from my sinus congestion.

"Are you alright?" she asks me. "You're not sick, are you?"

I sniff. "Sinuses. They can get worse." And will.

"I never get them so I wouldn't know, but they don't look like something that I want," notes Chocolat.

"No. They're not."

Chocolat looks up at the square clock tower. Thirteen minutes till. "You said three, right?"

"Yep."

"Can't it happen now?"

"I heard it was going to happen at three. From what I see, it still hasn't happened."

"This is taking forever."

"The things worth it have to be waited for."

"This really had better be good."

"Be patient."

"Want to play 'I Spy'?"

"Sure."

We killed eleven minutes playing "I Spy" before we started repeating topics.

I comment, "Two minutes."

"I don't see anyone preparing anything."

"Either it's a grand phenomenon or you get to call me gullible for as long and often as you want to anyone any time."

"Better hold up to that."

"I'll even answer to it."

"I'm counting on that, gullible."

Neil strolls by, followed by his hoard of gaggling girls. After they leave, Chocolat and I rumble with chuckles. They looked so ridiculous.

_If that's Neil,_ I think, _then Zelos must have a parade._ I can just imagine it. Zelos just goes walking along, minding his own business (with a self-satisfied smirk), and Meltokio's female population tag closely behind him, all begging for his undivided attention.

"Kyeheheheheh . . ." I chuckle, unable to help myself.

Chocolat agrees (to something in real life), "I know what you mean. They all look so stupid following the Assistant Governor-General. I wonder when they will ever clue in that he's not going to fall in love with a girl who stalks him all day."

I start to chuckle willingly, "Hahahahah! What extremes do they go through to get his attention? Think they knock the guards out and sneak in, or do they launch a mass attack and mob the government building?"

"That's really weird."

I laugh again, "But very nonsensical and comical to imagine!"

"What must be going through your head . . ." Chocolat comments to herself.

DONG!

We look to the clock tower. Three O'clock.

DONG!

I look to the northwest.

DONG!

Silence falls upon us.

I stand up, balancing myself on the wall. My stomach turns flimsy and squirms slightly. I watch the skies as seconds tick on by . . .

It still didn't appear.

I frown. I sit back down and, leaning my weight into a fold, I bow my head dejectedly. "I'm sorry," I say. "I really did think something was going to happen."

"Kelsey . . ."

I continue, "I should have thought this through. I wasted time over nothing."

"Kelsey . . ."

"I'm sorry. I really am. Gah! I just feel so stupid! I should have just left you back at—"

"Kelsey! Just look!"

I snap to Chocolat. She stands on the wall with her hand clasped at her throat. Her eyes are wide and shine with awe. She faces northwest. My breath stops as I look to the same direction.

A person can almost miss it. It's nothing but a thin, black line dividing the sky vertically in two. It appeared so quietly, without a single announcement, I doubt many others will notice for another day or so. I know for certain Palmacosta will be the last to notice that faint line. The Tower of Salvation.

I know.

They will come.

I will not go.

"I can't believe it . . ."

I face Chocolat. She continues to murmur as tears bud in her eyes, "I never thought I would ever see the Tower of Salvation. Now it's here. The Chosen is going to regenerate the world. The Desians will finally be gone. Dad won't have to fight anymore. Grandma will come back." The tears roll down her cheeks. "There's really hope . . . !"

I remember. The Chosen receives the oracle. After that, Lloyd, accompanied by Genis, leaves Iselia.

Chocolat fully smiles. "I know not all Chosens succeed, but I have complete faith that this time the Chosen will reach the Tower of Salvation. We can finally live in peace!"

Genis takes a detour to the ranch, followed closely by a worried Lloyd. They meet and aid a captive named Marble.

She sobs happily, "It's a miracle! Thank Martel! It's a miracle!"

Tomorrow, the Desians will turn Marble into a monster and force the duo to kill her ignorant of who the monster truly is until it's too late.

Tomorrow, Marble, Chocolat's beloved grandmother, will die.

A terrible ache pierces my chest and permeates through my body. I don't tear up, I'm not that close to Chocolat, but I know how I would feel if this was my own grandmother. So I hug her from the side, like I would with my close friends whenever they suffer. She hugs back in happiness.

"Everything's going to get better from here," she murmurs. "I just know it."

I don't answer. I can't answer. That damn game's plot is too clear in my memories for me to speak. I can't risk opening my mouth.

Slowly, each and every person looks up to the distant sky. Joyous chorus can be heard from long ways off. Chocolat as well as I hurry down to Marble's where Chocolat tells the unbelievable account to Cacao, who (along with the customers she was attending to) rushes out to see for herself. That day, the entire city gathered and created a grand celebration from scratch. I stayed with Chocolat and just stayed by her side. What else was I going to do? Sit and angst about how Marble is going to die and how the Chosen's group is going to come and that I'm scared that I'll have to join them via fate? Why not have a good time with everyone else despite what I know? I still can't risk anything to betray the unhappy news I know, though.

And so my voice became sealed for the rest of the day.

* * *

I decided that, instead of posting seven chapters, I'll post six (since that's how many I've got done). I wanted to post seven then eight, but . . . I'm not finished with seven yet. I just finished six yesterday (nov. 24).

If it's dragging then tell me via review.


	6. What Precedes Peace

I'm posting this all in one day. I originally wanted to post seven then eight but, well, things don't go as planned all the time.

I feel like my quality of writing is deteriorating with each chapter . . . That's not a happy feeling . . . And I'm supposed to be happy ametuer!

Well, then again, I _am_ an amateur. (yes, I did misspell it on my pen name. That's on purpose. Really. It is.)

Oh, yeah! There's a part that talks about clothes and what works in the complementary color sceam (i know i misspelled that . . .). I know what I'm talking about with what colors work better with what but I'm lost with clothes. I'm pretty much basing those two OCs off of Ayame and Mine from Fruits Basket.

* * *

Chapter Six: What Precedes Peace

Today is January thirty-first. I have been trapped in Sylvarant for five days now. I know this because I scratched five days off my make-shift calendar this morning in my room (which I made all pretty with abstract flower and seagull sketches). I need to get home fast if I want my current terrible-fate story to be believable. You see, I decided that I was kidnapped by some freak with a mask while I was feeding the dogs and kept me drugged enough to where I wouldn't remember much and I managed to escape while he was out getting groceries. Then the reason why my sister didn't notice me go outside to the backyard is because she just didn't hear me go out.

I don't think I would believe it myself but what am I going to tell the police?

Me: I got sucked into a video game called Tales of Symphonia and managed to escape via this amazing reason!

Officer: I see, Kelsey. I understand perfectly. (Somebody get a psychoanalyst in here.)

I'm not going to surrender to the standard procedure if I have to go through that crap. I swear that I'm going to give dumb answers if I ever have to answer the question "What do you see in this ink blot picture?" I swear one of my answers will be "Butterflies and the nice men in the pretty white coats! I actually have a big crush on the one who escorted me here!"

Anyway, first I have to find a way to get back home. That's why I'm here in the public library provided by the Palmacosta Academy. I'm going over Sylvaranti mythology and still on skimming the Ancient Kharlan War era. So far I'm getting a lot of hoo-ha about Mithos the hero and his companions and a large number of theories, explanations, and ground-breaking essays of what really happened in comparison to the legend. Right now I'm rolling my eyes at the question of whether or not Mithos and his companions existed in the first place and reasons behind the "they did" side and "they didn't" side. Personally, I think this question is here because this is a book intending to stimulate the student brain into thinking outside the box. I am, after all, inside an academy. My task is starting to drag. I would much rather read about creepy history stories like . . . like about the Edinburgh body snatchers William Burke and William Hare. Did you know that Burke was the only one caught and convicted?

Pay attention to the book in front of you, Kel.

I turn the page to a new chapter of the Mithos chronicles, or should I call it The Chronicles of Symphonia? Then again I would be the one starting it all and I would be tempted by . . . Mithos the White Angel with turkish delight at his side? Sorry. That was super lame. Anyway, this chapter is about the legends of Mithos being met with reality (i.e. the Great Seed being the soul of Mithos and if it's possible to form a pact with the goddess Martel . . .).

With a sigh I reshelf the book. That was the eighth dead end of today. I'm not finding much at this rate. I don't even have a clue as to how I ended up here in the first place. By the looks of things, either the books with the myths have been destroyed by the Desians or the myths were forgotten. I mean, they have to exist, right? I can't be the only one who just suddenly ended up in Symphonia. If there is one then there is at least one more. It just doesn't fit that I'm the only one from Earth here. There just has to be a way back. I know it's out there.

Don't you dare mention the Eternal Sword. I said that I'm not going to join them just because my life somehow ended up as some sick self-insert. _I_ control my life! _Me!_ Nobody else! Especially not if their name is fate!

I skim book titles for potential subjects. With the way things are going I'm starting to run out of options other than join the group and tag along. Considering that I don't have an Exsphere or even a weapon or way to defend myself, that is an absolute no-no. I'll be like the nameless thug who gets killed on the spot if we pretend that they will let average civilians follow them on the dangerous journey of regeneration. What caused me to be here? Some sort of worm hole? Bend in the time/space continuum? Well, Einstein did say something about time being more than a straight line of events and space being able to bend (if I remember some things correctly . . .). We could lean toward religion and wonder if God put me there, but why do that in the first place? I have a life waiting for me back home. There is no reason to put me here (so I doubt God did this to me). Some sort of ultra-powerful being that is not a god? Now I'm just being ridiculous. How valuable would I be in order to attract such beings' attention in the first place (if they even exist)? There are five to six billion people on Earth and I was singled out of them all? Yeah, right.

"Hey, you!"

"_Yike!!_" I squeal when I suddenly get lifted off my feet. An angry (and strong) supervisor glares down at me.

"We don't allow your kind here!" he shouts. "You're out of here!"

_What?!_ "What do you mean 'my kind'?!" I protest. "The Academy opened this library to the public!"

He starts dragging me out. "That doesn't mean we allow half-elves here!"

_Insane!!_ "Are you blind?! I'm human!"

"Humans don't have red hair!"

I snap, "Yes they do! It's just really rare! Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean—"

"I'm not falling for those lies!" He slams open the door and hikes me up horizontally.

_NONONONONONONONO!!! DON'T THROW ME!!_

Instead of what I was thinking, what comes out is "YEIIIIIIEEEE!!!" I fly through the air like a frisbee and land harshly on the stone brick walkway. I hear the supervisor command "Don't let her ever come back!" and slam the door.

"Ooowwww . . ." I groan as I pick myself up. I'm definitely gonna feel this tomorrow morning, along with some nice purple bruises on my right hip and elbow as well as an ugly goose egg on my forehead.

I forgot about the half-elf discrimination. Now that I think about it, the people around here either have brown hair, black hair, or blond hair. I guess red hair is only in Tethe'alla. Too bad I didn't get sent there instead of here. Their Chosen (Zelos, of course) has red hair so the ignorant aren't exactly going to up and call me half-elf just because my hair is just an unusual color. Hmm . . . I wonder how Kratos manages while he's here.

Present tense instead of past tense. This indicates that I have considered people like Kratos to be a part of my reality. Beautiful. I'm going native.

I brush all the dirt off myself and head back to apartment ten. Today is Elvira's day off (or one of them . . .) so I know for a fact that she'll be home. I can ask her about self-defense lessons (which she somehow knows) now that I actually remember. I didn't ask yesterday when the Tower of Salvation appeared because I was so preoccupied about Marble and her death.

I stop and turn towards the Academy to their school bell. It's noon. Colette tricked Lloyd into thinking that she was leaving at noon. Genis finds Lloyd still at his home and they hurry to Iselia and . . . Is Marble dead by now? Because I'm not a witness, I'll never know.

. . . . . . . Self-defense . . . When I woke up this morning all I remembered was that I needed to go to the public library provided by the Academy. The prejudiced Academy. They must have only sent that recommendation (or invite or scholarship or whatever they call it) to Genis because they thought he was an elf and that's okay because he's not a half-elf. Racist bastards . . . Anyway, I need to talk to Elvira about learning how to defend myself in case of worst case scenario. Like bigots attacking me for my supposed race.

When I reach there I open the door and walk in as calmly as I can.

Doesn't seem to work since Elvira (who was writing something down at the table) looks up from her work and comments, "You seem to have quite the storm raging in your mind."

I'm tempted to kick something—and kick it _hard!_ I carp, "I got kicked out of the Academy's public library because some idiot thought I'm a half-elf!"

She looks as if she is about to say something, but changes her mind. Instead, she asks, "Why would that be?"

I tug on bundled strands in my hair. "It's all because I have red hair! 'Humans don't have red hair.' My ass! I want to strangle the biased dumb—!" I catch myself. "Pardon my language." While I'm in front of only peers at school I may get away with these little slips in tongue but it's just inexcusable in front of people such as Elvira.

"I heard nothing," she offers. "Dear, you will receive prejudice for your hair color. While you certainly are shaped like any other human, red hair of that tone is brighter than what is normal for humans. Yes, humans are occasionally born with that color of hair but it is usually dark enough to be mistaken for a rust-brown color. You are at a disadvantage."

"This is ridiculous . . ." I grumble. I need to know what my civil rights are here. I've taken my rights as a U.S. citizen for granted and now it looks like some are taken away.

"So feels the half-elf population," she comments. "Is there anything more peaceful on your mind, or is that all?"

Then I remember, "Oh, yeah! I need to learn self-defense. Can you teach me or is there anyone you know who will teach me?"

The fortuneteller looks at me for a moment and then gets back to whatever she's writing. "Most others will not even consider teaching you due to their suspicions of you."

"That's so stupid!"

All Elvira has to do to silence me is just look at me. I close my mouth and listen to her.

"However, I am not so narrow-minded." She finishes up whatever she writes. "I will teach you self-defense. All I ask is time to prepare. It will take a majority of the day to gather the necessary items and run all my errands for today so I only ask for time."

"I can wait," I reply.

She nods and slips the paper into an envelope, which she hands to me. "Right now," she says, "I can shorten the time it takes if you agree to cooperate. I need to do a favor I promised my granddaughter myself and this gets in the way. Will you do me a big favor and deliver this to Abercold? He and his sister run the fabric shop called 'Textures Abundant' that is in the same commerce area as Marble's."

I take it. "Sure, I'll do it." Then it hits me. "Granddaughter?!"

Elvira chuckles. "Yes, that does often take others by surprise."

I frown at a corner in thought. "Nicohlas doesn't seem like he'd be an uncle type . . . Who's his sibling?"

"He has no sibling. Nicohlas is the only child I have."

"Err . . ." How do I respond appropriately? "He . . . doesn't seem . . . the type who . . ."

"I know," she answers with all a matter of patience. "There is more to him than he shows to most."

I backtrack, "Ah, I know there's more to everyone! It was stupid of me to think that! I'm sorry!"

She calmly shakes her head. "There is no need to apologize. Will you deliver that to Abercold now?"

"Ah! Yes! I'm sorry!" I hurry out the door.

Elvira watches me shut the door in haste and chuckles to herself. "Silly girl. Now, to my granddaughter . . ."

* * *

Using Marble's as a landmark, I search the area for Textures Abundant. When I find the sign labeling it I see a wide building. That's as much as I can say about it. It's just a wide building with a shop sign in front of it. I mean, it's not wide like Wal-Mart or Target or whatever. It's just . . . like a one-and-one-half-by-one. In fact, I feel a little disappointed. I expected something flashier, but I guess the most flashy I could ever possibly see is in Tethe'alla.

Note to self: please remember that you are not ever going to Tethe'alla until the worlds are reunited.

I walk up and pass the sign and go into the building and—

WOW! THE COLORS! I'M BLIND!

A woman skips up to my stunned self. "Welcome to Textures Abundant! I'm Amanda, co-owner of the shop! Nice to see you!"

I try to adjust my sight so I can see who is talking to me.

Amanda takes me in hand and pushes me along. "I know _exactly_ why you're here and I know _just_ the kind of thing that can turn your wardrobe into the thing that makes every guy's eyes pop out of their eyes! I can help you turn those boys into putty in your hands! Just leave it to me!"

"A-bu-ah-uh-wait a min—"

"Oh, don't be so shy!" the young woman chirps. "I can tell from first glance that you are the kind of girl with a modest exterior and a feisty interior! What suits you are outfits with a calm base color with touches of the complementary colors. They would have to be pastels or lights, though, especially blue and orange, or they would blind the viewer and no one would see anything other than the clothes you wear."

"Now hold on—"

"But pales would make you wash out but bolder colors would distract the viewer and so a nice balance has to be made more so than usual. Your fair complexion and your red hair provide a bit of a challenge but not to worry! Amanda loves a challenge! Abercold! What do you think of grass green with poppy red for this one?"

A man with light brown hair walks out from somewhere and responds, "No, no, no, Amanda. Poppy red is too bright for grass green. If you want a lighter red with grass green then I recommend scarlet lake but I would rather combine it with crimson red first as a trial. Perhaps grass green isn't the color you want. What do you think of chartreuse?"

Amanda gives her answer, "Chartreuse is too light. It will clash with her fair skin and how dark her hair can be in lower light. A better green would probably be spring green. It will go well with the reds we have in mind."

"Yes, if we were aiming for red to be the base color (unless we are still aiming for poppy red), but as I recall you are definitely looking for a calm yet vibrant green as a base. Spring green does not hit that point at the fullest and goes for more energy. What we want is a tranquil and darker green (but something other than typical grass green) that will allow red to fill the role of providing the energy and spirit of the outfit itself. Let's try for apple green," runs-on Abercold.

Amanda notes, "Now we have poppy red and raspberry out of the lining. Then if we compare the remaining reds then I suppose scarlet lake is the one we want with apple green."

Abercold grins with elation and offers, "Perhaps a different set is what we want. Shall we try violet and yellow? I'm leaning towards black grape, Parma violet, violet, and lilac."

"Oooohhh!" coos Amanda. "For black grape we could do jasmine since it won't be mistaken as a skin color but canary yellow would come out much better than most others. Hmm. Jasmine would be a mistake for this color scheme, and then cream is way too pale. Huh. Canary yellow is the only one I can think of."

"Keep thinking, you'll find it."

"Hold on!" she exclaims. "Are you really considering sand and lemon yellow?!"

"Let me explain myself," says Abercold. "If I combine sand with Parma violet or lilac then it would simply resemble the typical skin color yellowing from a condition of the liver. However, violet and black grape are dark enough to where it doesn't seem comparably like yellowing skin and generally gives the bolder feeling we have been trying with jasmine. Then we can get a more subtle effect with lemon yellow. Although it's a very bright color, it's not nearly as bold as canary yellow. It will definitely partner with violet. What do you want, Amanda?"

"Black grape! I definitely want to see her in black grape!"

"Then it seems like canary yellow will have to be the choice. The others will not fit and cream and lemon yellow will have no chance amidst all that dark, dark violet. Now compare our two choices of apple green with scarlet lake and black grape with canary yellow. Which do you prefer on this red head?"

"Both! Apple green with scarlet lake for casual and black grape with canary yellow for formal occasions! Now as for the style, I believe we need to keep it simple. We need a typical length for shirts and dresses and long for slacks and sleeves."

"Very good. However, we need it all to be sleek and smooth; nothing fluffy will fit her. Any flourishes all have to be subtle. Amanda, do you think _that_ will be the style for her?"

"Oh? _That_? Why, yes, of course! _That_ is the only thing that will suit her to the fullest!"

"Yes, _that_ is quite the thing we've been searching for this girl. Now, young lady, what do you think about becoming glamorous?"

I blink when I realize they finally address me. I stare at them with a begrudging expression on my face (not that it dampens their spirits). I hold up Elvira's letter and say, "I'm just here to give this to Abercold."

Abercold takes it from my hands and opens it with boldness and energy. He reads it with a smile then cheers, "Why! Elvira has so graciously thanked us for her new black dress that she has given us this fine favor on her tab!"

"What . . . ?" I gawk.

Abercold exclaims, "My dear, do you realize what she has done for you? Of course you don't, you haven't read this letter! She probably wanted it to be a surprise!"

I gap at them. "Let me see it!"

Abercold hands me the letter. I take it (nearly snatch it) from his hand and desperately read through it. Well, it was kind of her to buy me a new dress or two but I wish she told me before sending me here, especially since this is something that I'm being given. I don't like it when I get charity without being informed of it! Now I'm stuck with these two extraverts that scare me with just their energy levels!

Elvira owes me an explanation. Big time.

I tell them with all sternness, "There is no way I'm—"

"Of course you're not going to pass up an opportunity like this!" Abercold automatically inserts with an unusual degree of chirpiness. "How could anyone refuse the handwork of the great Abercold and talented Amanda? We will grace you with our finest and we won't even charge extra! True art cannot be valued with a price tag! You will see our greatest at work! Our imaginations know no bounds! After all this you will be amazed as you gaze upon our work that you will shower us with endless praise!"

I've got a bad feeling about this . . .

"Come along, now," Amanda goes as she starts to push me towards an obscured room. "Right this way!"

"_Nooooo!!_"

* * *

When Chocolat sees Elvira walk into Marble's she takes it as an opportunity. "Elvira, have you seen Kelsey?"

Elvira looks at Chocolate for a moment. "Yes, but not since I sent her on an errand."

"Another one? She's not your servant, Elvira," Chocolat says.

Miffed at that, Elvira implies, "Considering her living arrangements with me and that I do not require rent, I believe that I am entitled to assigning errands."

"Living arrangements? She lives with her dad!" insists the girl.

The fortuneteller blinks. "She did not tell you? . . . Ah, I see . . . Yes, she lives in my home—she and along with her father. They came under desperate times and were forced to find shelter here in Palmacosta. I offered them that shelter."

Chocolat stares in confusion. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"I suppose she is embarrassed," Elvira states. "Most whom I take in are embarrassed at first to be in such a position."

"That's stupid . . ." mutters Chocolat. Elvira just goes up to Cacao (who's behind the counter) and requests for three apple gels. While her mother retrieves the items, she asks, "What's the errand you're having her do?"

Elvira takes a second before she answers, "Merely to send a thank you letter for a dress and information that I put my payment through the accounting system."

Cacao examines Elvira. Then asks, "Did you send her over so they could get her measurements?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then I assume that she knows what she's in for?"

Elvira remains silent.

"You didn't even warn her about their eccentric nature, did you?"

Again, Elvira remains silent.

Chocolat snaps, "Elvira! You can't let her go to the sharks!"

The older woman exclaims, "I . . . I just did not think of warning her about their hyperactive nature! I was in the wrong there."

Cacao sets the apple gels down. "Elvira, Abercold and Amanda often scare new customers away with their energy and overconfidence. You should know this."

"I am sorry," Elvira regretfully says. "I will explain myself and the situation as soon as she returns. They will not hold her for long."

Cacao and Chocolat stare at her with complete doubt in their eyes.

Elvira turns to leave as she states, "They can only take her measurements today. There is nothing else they can do with her until . . ." She stops. "What is that commotion?"

Elvira slowly goes to the window. She opens it and peers out . . .

She hastily closes it and locks the door. Immediately turning to the two she goes, "Go to the back! The Desians are here!"

* * *

It all happened so fast . . . !

Abercold heartily scratches down some notes. "And that's the last of the measurements! You'll come back again next week and we'll give you the outfits, right?"

I pathetically snip out, "How about you tell me what this was all about."

Abercold holds up the letter to them. "Doesn't the letter from Elvira explain anything?"

"No!" I protest. "I never had the time for any of this to sink in! You didn't even ask what kind of outfit I wanted if it was even already paid for!"

"Oh."

Awkward silence.

Amanda pipes in, "Well, what do you want?"

I give up . . . "I want something simple and light blue."

"Simple and light blue," Abercold notes. "Hmm . . . We can certainly do that. Amanda! Let us go at once and let our imagination soar!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Amanda chimes.

"You can go now! Just don't be late and don't be a stranger!" Abercold adds.

I keep myself from sighing. These two are exhausting. I leave them to the work that now occupies the jolly duo and head for the door. Elvira owes me a big explanation for what just happened. Ugh . . . I'm so tired . . . Being around those two just wears a person out. Elvira promised that she'd teach me self-defense (now that I think about it, when did she learn how to defend herself?). I hope that I'll get more rest by the time she starts teaching . . . Huh?

Screaming, shouting, and wailing ring through the walls and the door. I hear Amanda and Abercold come out to the main room to investigate (how could anyone not hear them?) as I open the door, fearing my suspicions.

People run to and fro in mad chaos. They all flee from a source hidden amidst their scramble. Keeping close to the wall of the building so I wouldn't get swept away, I crane my neck and hold myself higher and higher to see over the mass to what is causing this uproar.

My stomach drops when my suspicions are proven true.

Desians push the crowd away as they move deeper into the city's core. They brandish and flash their weapons to warn the public away. The next I can see a pair of horses pulling a prisoner wagon with three men trapped in it trying desperately to get out. They scream words drowned out by the panicked civilians. Nevertheless, the Desians keeping them in line crack their whips at them, whether their words are heard or not.

"The gallows!"

"Gah!" I jump and whip around.

Abercold, who is right over my shoulder (and doesn't seem to notice me), repeats, "They are heading right for the gallows!"

Amanda cries, "But those men don't fight against the Desians!"

"Why would the Desians care?!" Abercold demands. "Those men are mere examples! They don't want us to get cocky just because the Tower of Salvation is here!"

"They must be stopped!" Amanda shouts.

"No!" Her brother holds her back with all his might. "You will be swept away by the crowd! You could get trampled!"

Abercold freezes in horror.

"Abercold?" Amanda goes. "Abercold? What is it? What is it?!"

"She's gone . . ." he utters.

"Who's gone?" she asks.

"The redheaded girl is gone!"

* * *

I fight for balance as the waves of the mob rush me away with them. Each time I try to grab onto something someone would knock into me and knock me into the crowd. It never ends. Not once do I get a chance to catch my breath or feel secure in my balance. I can't afford to fall down! I can't! No one will see me if I fall! They will trample over me! I'll die under their feet! I seriously will die!

I grope around for some sort of support. I grab hold of a shoulder in my reach and put all my strength into my grasp.

"_KYAA! They grabbed me! They grabbed me!_"

Someone wrenches me away from the woman whom I caught hold of and flings me against a wall. I see a man who glares at me as he swings his arm back and—

"GUH!!" I fall to the ground as pain paralyzes me from my stomach to everywhere else. I curl up into a ball while the man hurries back to the woman I unwittingly snatched at, oblivious and sensitive to every noise and sensation around me. I whimper and whine as the crowd screeches and squeals. My stomach just wants to rip itself out of my throat and make a suicide jump into the sea where the fishes will put it out of its misery. I'm more than welcome to aid it in its desire—anything to kill the pain!—but that requires effort and effort brings more pain, something that I'm anything but welcome for.

I hear with my ears and feel from the vibrating stones the crowd settles into tense spots as they watch the Desians with dismay. I don't care. Let them do what they want. All of them. The crowd. The Desians. Let them do what they want. Just leave me out of it.

"Out of the way, you scum! Lord Magnius approaches!"

The mass parts closer to me. Stay away. Leave me alone. Let me recover from my pain. Leave me alone!

"Kelsey!"

A set of hands carefully lifts me up as my eyes register Chocolat in front of me. I randomly cough from my dusty throat and quiver from the spasm to my stomach inflicted by it.

"What happened?!" she goes. "Is she alright?"

Before I can motivate myself to answer vaguely, I hear Elvira's voice reply, "She is merely stunned, I presume. It is fortunate that this is the only result of the mob's fright. If she collapsed in another location then she would surely have perished. At the very least she would have serious injuries and several broken bones."

Chocolat looks over to a distance that I care not to see. "Even Magnius is here. Look! There he is! What are they doing here?!"

"It is because they want to turn those men into examples. They do not want the people gaining a new wave of hope and might now that the Tower of Salvation is here."

"But what crime did they do?! This is so wrong! That's murder!"

I hear Cacao answer, "We know, Chocolat. We all know. They did nothing wrong; they were only in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"That's not right! That's so not right!"

"The Desians do not care. They only care for what they want and they have little in the way for right and wrong. As a matter of fact, the more it brings us terror the more satisfying the action is for them."

"Someone needs to do something!"

"The Chosen will, dear. The Chosen will regenerate the world and save us all. We don't have to suffer this for long."

"Do not hold your breath, Cacao. Chosens have failed before. I have seen the previous Chosen slain right before my eyes. I encourage you to keep hope, but do not allow yourself to believe that this is absolute. We must endure."

"You're so gloomy . . ."

I straighten myself and peer out to the gallows. I can barely hear the Desian announcing the "crimes" committed by the men. The first I see besides the gallows is Magnius. You can't help but notice this guy. He's barbarically huge with muscles that you think of when imagining the weightlifting part in the Olympics. His clothes are just as the game described them only _very_ outlandish. Magnius is tan too. Super tan. He's a redhead and yet he's tan. I wouldn't be surprised if he has skin cancer. Then there's his hair. Good Lord . . . Those _dreadlocks_! They're huge! They're thick! They make me think of freakish anime conventions! How do they stand like that anyway? Concrete hair gel? They defy the laws of gravity!

Magnius makes a loud announcement that causes the mob to gasp in horror, drowning out the sound before it reaches to me. He makes a slit throat gesture.

The Desian on the gallows with the three men reaches for a leaver at the side. Everyone trembles as time slows during that one moment as his fingers wrap around the leaver's handle, and clutch at the grasp, and creaks the leaver back in a deciding yank.

Three trap doors crack open. I cringe away as the three plunge into the holes and hear only the cries of the crowd. I shiver as I look back—and gag when I see three swinging corpses with their necks completely snapped. That is reality. A gallows noose won't choke someone to death after they fall most of the time. When a person falls with a rope around their neck, their neck will break and the person is killed instantly. Movies and games are far too optimistic and clean a lot of the time . . .

"No . . ." Chocolat goes. "No . . . That isn't right . . . That isn't right . . ."

I shudder as the sight of their deaths sinks into my mind.

"This needs to end now . . ." Chocolat continues. "It's going to end. The Chosen is coming. The Chosen is coming . . . !"

I glance up to her and find a glint in her eye. Feeling a sense of foreshadow, I grab onto her and say, "It's over now. They're going to leave." Seeing no change I tell her, "Doing something here isn't going to bring them back or right this wrong."

A decision is made with a glimmer in her eye. Chocolat dashes away from us and climbs upon a large height. As the rest of us chase after her, Chocolat takes in a deep breath and shouts from the top of her lungs, "_The Chosen will come! Don't lose hope! The Chosen will come and defeat the Desians and regenerate our world! The Chosen will come and save us all!_"

A gasp ripples through the air as people turn and stare at her in shock. Cacao and I are frozen in horror for the girl while Elvira double takes before starting to climb upon the height to get Chocolat down. I notice for the first time that Elvira wields a staff.

Magnius grins in black amusement.

He starts walking to Chocolat as Elvira finishes her climb and nudges the girl behind her. Magnius stops just at the foot of the height.

"I wonder if you can back that up, little girl," Magnius implies with a smirk.

Just as she was about to answer, Elvira silences Chocolat with a look.

"Let her answer." Magnius says, "Let's see what else she has to say."

Elvira replies, "You came here to give a demonstration. You have given it to us. You have nothing else to do, especially since you have reached the designated death count."

Magnius' smirk fades but doesn't go away. He regards the fortuneteller for a moment before he just bursts out laughing, "Ahahahah! Rather brave of you to mention the designated death count. Don't you remember that I have say on whether or not we can exceed the death count? Besides, I don't count _collateral_ damage."

Elvira aims her staff at the Desian leader. "I was once a companion of the previous Chosen and aided her for the defeat of seal guardians and Desians alike. Since then I have only improved. I can hold my own against one such as yourself. Dare you risk injury against me when you could have the ease of leaving?"

The Desian Grand Cardinal narrows his eyes at her, and yet he seems merely amused at her challenge.

"Fine," he says. "Have it your way. Anything else we do would get boring. Let's go!"

All the Desians get in an orderly circle with their mages forming the ring. They cast a spell with large hand motions and they disappear in a rather futuristic teleportation manner. The crowd gasps once again and erupt into hectic chatter when the threat is gone. When Chocolat and Elvira finally got down I could have sworn that the fortuneteller looked upon the area where the Desians just were and muttered, "Overconfident as usual. It does not take a seer to know that will be his end."

* * *

I'll post again sometime this week. If I'm lucky . . .

Lloyd's coming! I'm working on it! I'm going as fast as I can!

Please review, or the review fairy will have to go to the soup kitchen for reviews. I don't care if it's negative or positive as long as it's posted and something I can learn from.

I'm feeling self-conscious again . . . I'll feel better when I get a good rhythm going.


	7. Dearly Departed

Wow. This was fast. This isn't my usual pace. I guess that means that things in this fic are starting to pick up more. That's great! It means more fun than ever before for me is on the way!

By the way, I tried to speed the pace up but it ended up skipping days. Well, the events listed here are the interesting stuff. If I added anything else then it would be another bunch of daily activity stuff. And I'm getting impatient to meet Lloyd (which the impatience is most likely a bad thing, hahah . . .)

Oh, by the way, a reviewer told me that I've been misspelling Chocolate's name and that her name doesn't have an "e" at the end. Because getting names messed up bothers me (because ppl mess up my name all the time even though it's very simple *black squiggly*), I looked her name up to check my spelling.

Damn.

I don't mind correcting my mistake, really. It's just that now I have to comb through my six other chapters and fix her name. It's my problem, though, so I'll get over it and change it.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Dearly Departed

I slip into a plain white tunic and black pants. I pick up my brush and work through my bed head knots, and then I brush my teeth. I walk over to my necklaces that still don't have a box to put them in and wonder. Should I put on my great-grandmother's coral necklace or my cross necklace? I feel uneasy today so I wrap my green cross necklace on and latch the back. I take a deep breath and let all my stress go with my exhale. I'll start with a day-by-day review since the Desians held that execution.

January thirty-first. Everyone was in panic, scrambling to make sure everything was in one piece with themselves. Elvira ran immediately to her son and his family once Cacao and Chocolat were back in their shop. I went with them. I discovered that Marble's and its owners are pretty well-known because people kept crowding in trying to make sure that Chocolat is alright and that the Desians didn't do anything to her and would either praise her for her encouraging words or scold her for taunting the Desians. Abercold and Amanda came to do the same and expressed their relief for my safety after they were done with Chocolat. I suppose they figured that I got swept away by the massive alarm. Then, because so many people visited the shop, the visitors would remember some things that they needed to get and the shop would get busy. I stayed and helped; they needed it badly, too. When I got back to Elvira's home I was greeted by the fortuneteller continuously apologizing for not being able to teach me self-defense. Due to everything being in disorder, she will have to reschedule the lesson. I didn't mind. Who could after all this?

February first. I went back to Marble's and gave them a hand. People are still flooding into the store for either supplies or a chance to talk to Chocolat (who's getting tired of all the attention by this point). To be honest, I can't blame her. Everything is going by so fast. People are starting to stress more and more as they discover the true extent of the damage created by the Desians. Cacao and Chocolat are no exceptions. The militia was under the last few days of field training and was in the way of the Desians. Of course they were the first to be attacked. Because Chocolat's father is in the militia, it's a time of stress and worry as the militia takes census of their remaining soldiers. As for what Dorr is going to do about this, I don't know. I kept hearing that Dorr isn't going to do a speech until everything is made known about how Palmacosta stands now. What I do know is that the militia is being called back so that brought some relief.

February second. There isn't much to tell. Same business as the day before. Everyone is scrambling to make sure everything is alright. Wounded soldiers started to trickle in that day. Chocolat's father still didn't come back. Knowing the game, I think it's somewhat safe to assume that he's dead. It's strange. I don't even feel sorry for the family until I imagine what it would be like to have my own dad die in the military. I guess I just feel so numb.

February third. Same as the day before. More soldiers came home. I feel like I'm walking in a dream.

Today is February fourth. I think I'd better start keeping a journal. I just feel so . . . empty. Like there are no emotions inside of me. I'm just going through the motions; no school-related specialness for a long while since last holiday and won't come again for another long while; everything is just a fact; nothing to get excited or worked up about. Empty.

I guess this is what it was like for Presea for . . . twelve years? Fifteen? How long?

I don't even know what time it is. I just walk out into the main room of the house and I get ready to face another Sylvaranti day working at Marble's, seeing who will walk in through the doors again to gossip about who from the militia is dead and what collateral damage has been made from random Desians. Maybe a soldier will actually come in and tell Cacao what happened, like she needs. That isn't meant to be mean; it's just that she deserves to know what happened to her husband. I can't feel it in my core anymore, but I would end up feeling sad or lonely every time Cacao goes into a recluse and frets over her husband. She deserves to know what happened; it's the least anyone can do for her. I hope their worry ends. Then again, they just might end up trading worry and hope for dismay and disillusionment, something they don't deserve at all.

"Wait a moment."

I slowly turn—and fumble as I try to catch the pole tossed at me. I stare at it. "What's with this?"

Elvira regards me for a second. "You have forgotten? I have promised to teach you self-defense. I set the time for another date due to the Desians but I have delayed for far too long. I believe it is best if you know self-defense in case of an emergency such as when the Desians held that demonstration at the old gallows."

I stare at her with a blank mind and switch to the rod in my hands and back to her. Okay . . . It's getting obvious that I'll soon be living the life of a self-insert again. Does that mean I get an Exsphere somehow? So I mention, "The Desians have Exspheres. I don't think self-defense lessons will make a difference unless you somehow have a random Exsphere you want to give me. And why this stick? Why not a real weapon?"

As she walks to the front door she answers, "The reason why I do not provide you with a real weapon is because you have not reached that point. See? I bring my staff with me. I will not give you the weapon until I can trust that you have the basics of combat grind into your muscles. And yes, self-defense lessons will make a difference even if you fight against Desians. It is the same difference between being able to swat them with a weapon properly and stunning them enough to get away and merely screaming as they either kill you or drag you away to the ranch."

I get the point now.

The fortuneteller walks out the door. "Come along, now."

As I follow her out I say, "What about Cacao and Chocolate? They'll need some extra help."

"They can handle their situation more than enough with or without you," she replies. "This has happened before many times and they managed then so they can manage now."

"What about your family?" I ask.

"My son and his family are well. No one is hurt and the threat is over. I can spare enough moments to teach you how to defend yourself to the best I can."

"Don't you have a job as a fortuneteller?"

Elvira turns to me with a slight growl, "Why do you continuously pester me with these questions? They only waste the time we have. Get a move on."

I get the point now.

I keep my mouth shut as we walk along the city walkways. The more we travel the more the way grows familiar. Then I recognize it: we are heading towards the exit. I want to ask her why we're leaving the city, but as soon as I collected enough courage to even open my mouth, we turn to another way that throws me completely off. I start seeing stables and shelters where wagons are stored. Elvira stops at one and pulls out a key. She fits it into a flimsy-looking lock (Sylvarant can't exactly get the quality Earth gets) and it opens with a click. She swings it open and enters the hollow wooden shed. I follow in after her.

The first thing I notice is that it's lighter than I expected. Then again there are enough windows for the area to be relatively well-lit. The next I notice is the wagon that takes up half the space in this shed even though it's just average size. The ground is dusty and dry. Hopefully my sinuses won't erupt in here. That'd be very convenient. I start hacking up gunk right as she's teaching me how to swing this rod in my hands. Very pleasant sensation.

Elvira closes the shed doors and turns to me. She points down to spots at my feet and instructs, "Position your left foot there."

I do a guesstimation of what she wants. Then when she says "Now place your right foot there," I do as she says. Elvira walks right over to me and manually shifts me around like a bendy toy. In the end I wind up feeling awkward.

"That is standard position," she states.

"Are you sure?" I ask her. "This doesn't feel right . . ."

"That is because you are merely beginning. Let us go from here into defense position."

As time went by you wouldn't believe how many times Elvira had to manually correct me. She has me switch from standard to defense and back. Whenever I got something wrong she tells me what I did wrong and would have me do it again five more times to make up for the mistake. At least I'm able to get a feel of things. Then from positions she instructs me on the different basic blocks while she displays each block to me. I follow the "monkey see; monkey do" rule and copy her as best I can.

An hour of this pass and I'm sweating despite myself.

"Can we . . . take a break?" I ask her through my gasps.

Elvira examines me for a moment. Then she answers, "Thirty seconds to catch your breath."

"Isn't that a bit short?!"

The fortuneteller narrows her eyes. "You must work hard in order to get better fast. You will not learn everything but the pace that we must go involves no slack. If you cannot keep up with this pace then I will drop these lessons when you get too far behind. I assure you this will become harder. You want these lessons; you work for these lessons."

I knew this wouldn't be easy, but I should've known that this isn't like anything else I've had to practice on. Beautiful. More evidence that I'm very sheltered. The Desians are more than enough . . .

Now I'm just whining.

I refocus myself to the task at hand. The fortuneteller ends the break and gets me back to reviewing everything we did and has me do each thing ten times. I'm beginning to suspect that fortunetelling is just something she's doing as a retirement thing. (Who knows how old she really is when she has elvan blood?)

Though something random nags at me. It nags, but it's important. I'm surprised I haven't asked this a second time before. "Elvira," I ask, "why did you take me in? Why do you take care of me with such attention?"

She meets my eyes. "Why do you ask so? What stands out to you?"

I tell her, "You got me necessities . . . even though you could have just told me to get a job and buy those myself. Sure, you have me do chores around the house and do you favors and errands, but that's it. That's all you asked me for, even though we're basically strangers. Why? I'm not related to you, so why?"

The fortuneteller observes me for a moment. ". . . You believe that I have visions of the future, no?"

I'm starting to see where this is going. "Yeah. You saw that the Tower of Salvation will appear at three in the afternoon on that one day, and it did just like you said." After a split second pause, I question, "What did you see of me?"

Elvira closes her eyes in a moment of meditation. "Last year, when I traveled to Asgard, I took a short cut to avoid bandits that I had heard were harassing the main roads. Monsters attacked my wagon and I dispatched them, after which I sat down for rest. I closed my eyes for only a moment before I received a vision of you, wandering that same path, lost and alone. I had sheltered others, but you seemed different, more desperate. I felt that timely arrival was the difference between a saved life and a ruined life. So I bided my time, traveling my usual route between Palmacosta and Luin, and when I returned to Palmacosta, I decided to take the short cut I had used previously and found you."

I look down at my feet, completely at a loss of how to react, let alone words. I knew that this was where this was going when she mentioned her future sight, only over life and death (which was where I pretty much was then). I just . . . don't know. I don't know if I should be more grateful that I was saved or more indignant that I was saved because someone saw a vision of me coming. I feel like I should be one or the other but unable to decide which. I wish that I had an easy answer to all this. I wish there was some sort of guide book or something for this entire thing. Though I suppose that back at Earth I would have laughed if I saw an "Adventures for Dummies" or "Survival Guide for Self-Inserts." Okay, scratch the "suppose"; I would have laughed my guts out.

Elvira regards my reaction (or lack thereof). "You are at a loss."

I glance up. I just don't answer that.

She nods as if answering something. "It is about time to stop, anyway. We need to leave."

So we leave. A silence hangs over us. I notice people glancing at Elvira and her black clothes and me and my red hair. They look at Elvira and glance away like her black attire is an everyday oddity. I notice they look at me and glance away like I'm something taboo. I hate that. I'm human. Why can't they get over my red hair and realize that? I'm human! I wish for the first time that I could dye my hair brown or just rusty brown, but I quickly take it back. It's _their_ problem if my hair color bothers them!

When we start to pass Textures Abundant, Elvira asks, "Are you going to practice?"

"Hm?" Then I realize what she's talking about. "Oh. Yes, I am." I have to. I need to.

She smiles. "That is good. Please keep your word . . ." Her smile fades into a confused frown when she spots something ahead. "What is . . . ?"

I follow her gaze to Marble's. A man in a formal soldier's uniform walks out. He glances back at the door with a visible frown and walks away.

My stomach drops.

Elvira and I rush to Marble's front door and hurry inside. We stop and see only Cacao, who softly, oh so softly, sobs, clutching on a flag that I can guess is the Palmacosta flag.

My heart sinks.

Elvira moves around the counter with her otherworldly air giving her the effect of an angel of grief. She gently places her hands on Cacao's shoulders and embraces the woman as she mutters words mirroring the new widow's sorrow.

I take a guess where Chocolat is and quietly go up the stairs. I open the door separating the shrinking family's home from the shop and step inside the visiting room (which we at Earth may call the living room). It doesn't take long to find where Chocolat's room is, which has its door partially open. I hesitate, feeling like an interloper walking into a funeral. Nevertheless, I inhale a breath, bracing myself, and cautiously push the door open.

Chocolat sobs heavily on the window ceil, facing away from the open door. I step once just beside the door frame and pause. Should I . . . ? I've never been placed in this sort of situation. I want to comfort, but most I've met who go through some sort of grief don't want it or anything except to be alone, at least the people who I once called my peers before I arrived at Palmacosta.

Unable to decide, I just let my presence known, "Chocolat . . . ?"

A hard sniff breaks the crying, giving me a signal that she knows I'm here, and returns to weeping.

Not feeling any rejection, I step into the room and slowly make my way to her. ". . . I saw the soldier leave . . ."

No change. Just crying. I know she heard me though.

I stop at her side and kneel down against the wall and lay my head on the window ceil with my arm cushioning my bony skull from the hard wood. "No words of comfort can even come close to relating to your pain. I understand at least that." No words are given in response. "If . . . If you need another ear to listen . . . just know that I'm here for you."

She sobs right there with no response to me for a long time. It's as if I don't even exist. I feel . . . as if I really am not here. Like I'm just dreaming this in my own bedroom on Earth, back home. It's very surreal. This is almost like I'm nothing but a ghost in this world. That would be cool but . . . but I'm not. I really am here. I lost my home, my family, my friends, my future. What do I get in exchange? I've yet to see, but I'm not holding my breath for anything that can make up for all of it halfway.

In a way . . . I know her pain. Not completely—God forbid, no! But still . . .

"M-Martel . . . can't exist."

I sharpen my focus to hear those mumbled words.

Chocolat continues through her sobs, "N-n-no l-loving god or-or goddess can ssssleep while we s-suffu-ur. How can anyone sleep while we suffer, while we di-die? Martel can't exist. She didn't protect Grandma when she went to the ranch. And now—" She gasps for air through her crying. "And now Dad's dead! He was killed in that attack! And what did Martel do? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! If she's kind and loving then why is Dad dead and Grandma at the ranch?! So she can't exist—She can't! There is no way that Martel exists!"

Chocolat collapses back into her heavy sobs. Not knowing what else to do, I ease myself next to her and hug her as tight as I can allow without feeling as if I'm intruding.

I think I heard someone else crying too.

* * *

Everything's been hard for everyone since the Desians held that public execution. Though it hurts more for some people than most others. Chocolat's eyes changed, I noticed. They're empty, sometimes dazed when she's focusing on something or thinking. Cacao's eyes turned into a deep well that I don't often want to look down into. I confuse myself when I'm around them. It's because I don't want to be around them yet I do at the same time. They remind me of what I lost yet they know what it feels like to lose and I don't feel as alone as I usually do.

Here's some good news, though. I've been keeping up with my practicing. Elvira's now teaching me how to strike and says that once I do well with my strikes and defense she'll buy a dark bottle and have me fight some gold beetles. Frankly, I'm a little nervous. Okay, I'll be honest, I could wet myself—and that's saying something! For one I don't have an Exsphere and two there are other monsters out there. What if those giant grasshopper things comes along with the beetles or if there's too many beetles? Alright, that's an obvious one. Elvira will take care of them. I'm sure they'll be easy for her since she had the guts to challenge Magnius like that during the execution. You have got to have some experience in your abilities if you have the guts to challenge a Grand Desian Cardinal like that. If she comes up short then . . . well . . .

Don't think about that now, Kelsey.

I sit at the docks with The Hobbit in my hands (it was one of the books I accidentally brought with me, remember?), enjoying some leisure time while I go on an adventure with Bilbo Baggins (whom I'm starting to relate to). Maybe the docks weren't such a good idea, but the town square where the church is located is crowded with "come worship Martel with us" people (the attitude isn't bad but I'm Christian) and the Palmacosta Academy kicked me out because the idiots think I'm a half-elf because of my red hair (insert rage and angst). So I'm outside at the docks reading the part where Bilbo finds the trolls.

"Thief! Thief! Catch him!"

I snap to out of my trance and find a man dashing madly towards my direction. I grin, thinking of how convenient it is that I now have a chance to practice what Elvira's been teaching me. I grab my practice rod that I've been keeping with me just in case and replace it with my book.

I step in the thief's way and brace myself in standard position. The man winds an arm back and, to my eternal delight, I can see where I can dodge and make a strike. I duck under his swing with a side step and swing my rod with all my might into the thief's tender, rib-less side. To my great satisfaction (and stroke to my ego), the man falls away to my side and stays there, cursing and aching over his smarting flesh.

My mood plummets when I see Captain Hudson catching up to the thief and retrieve a very valuable-looking compass that tumbled out of the thief's hands when I bested him.

He and I meet eye to eye. We stare at each other for a long time, and then the Captain does something that surprises me.

He sighs, "I suppose I can tolerate your presence on my ship while she's docked. Just don't cause any trouble." Hudson looks back in the direction he came. "Did you hear that, Reece? Make note of it."

Reece (who was chasing after the thief with Captain Hudson as well) looks quite surprised at this.

Without another word, Hudson leaves with his compass. I make a note to myself not to return to his ship unless it's absolutely unavoidable. Ironically, I found myself talking to Reece about the thief and following him and the conversation all the way back to _The Seabird_. Fraser met Reece as soon as he came back aboard to remind him of the bet they had over the Chosen and made a big deal over me coming. I kept jumping each time he approached me, fearing that he'll dump me in another water barrel, but he never did. I met even Kiel (who Chocolat was arguing with over gald when I first came to Palmacosta) and I learned that he just likes to play gruff a lot, which amuses the hell out of Fraser and many other sailors.

As the sun started to set, I asked which way Izooid is and stared that way until twilight came. It was rather meditative to watch the coast, and yet . . . almost ominous at the same time.

I'm not going.

* * *

February fourteenth, Valentine's Day.

I found a recipe for strawberry cupcakes in an old cook book Elvira keeps in the back the night before (on the thirteenth). After morning practice with the fortuneteller I used some the gald I get from doing work at Marble's and Texture's Abundant (which is a blast with Abercold and Amanda and their vast amounts of energy) to buy things like eggs and strawberries and flour and milk and all the other things I need that I can't think off the top of my head. I even found this tiny, thin candle and a pack of matches that I bought. It was noon when they finished baking.

I left one in my room with the candle and the matches; two were left for Elvira and Nicohlas; two for Chocolat and Cacao (both whom are getting back to functioning with their spirits); two for Abercold and Amanda; and the rest for the sailors. It was rather amusing when Fraser refused to even touch them (because they're pink and he's a _manly_ man) until he found that they're disappearing in the stomachs of his fellow crewmates and snatched one as soon as he got room to do so (much to the sorrow of the sailor stomachs that got harshly elbowed). Since I had one left (miraculously) I decided to be unusually nice. I walked right into Captain Hudson's cabin and, without a single word or explanation to him (without even looking at him) I left the remaining one on his desk and left without anything to acknowledge his existence. I got a good kick out of his speechless expression (which made the efforts that much more worth it).

I went straight to apartment ten and into my room. I closed the door and shut the white curtains before I stuck the little candle into the last cupcake that I saved for myself. I lit it and sang . . .

"Happy birthday to you~!"

"Happy birthday to you~!"

"Happy birthday, dear sister~!"

"Happy birthday to you~!"

I blew out the candle, and left the wishing to my sister Kaylee.

* * *

Life has been going in a blur. Chocolat and Cacao are the same as they have been for the passed . . . several days. It's hard to talk to them now, especially Chocolat. What's a person to do when their friend lost all religious faith? It's hard . . .

It's February seventeenth, and I now can say that I have completed a process that anthropologists call "going native." To me it's rather self-explanatory and the only cure is to remove oneself from the environment that holds this effect on the body.

Huh, that's quite a fix. I'm going native yet I can't get out of this reality because I'm stuck in a f**king video game so I can't avoid going native in Symphonia yet I have to get out of here and get back home but I'm still don't have a way to get out of this f**king video game and . . .

You get the point.

I bought myself a diary this morning after practice (which is going quite well. I'm so proud of myself!). I flopped the thick book on my bed thinking that I'll write in it later (which probably means that I'll never work on it because I like to procrastinate) and headed back to the square with The Hobbit in my hands (which I'm starting to finish).

I struggle up the wall where Chocolat and I saw the Tower of Salvation and seat myself comfortably on it. I can see people going in and out of the church and some taking walks. There's that deaf old lady again hanging out her clothes on the line to dry. I once tried to talk to her but she seemed like she couldn't hear me right. Someone's cooling a melon in the sea water. A soldier is scolding a group of men fishing just over the way (fishing isn't allowed in this area). I can see Elvira telling some fanciful young lady her fortune via cards. Neil's being followed by his usual hoard again. Gossips are gathering once again to gaggle over the greatest piece of scandal in which they gasp over and glutton themselves over the questionable subject more. I note that the city gossips are more animated than usual. Some even rush to the church singing hymns at the top of their lungs.

It doesn't take a deduction from Sherlock Holmes to know what they're so happy about.

I glance up from my book and absentmindedly wave hi to Fraser who's probably here to visit a certain lady whom I'm guessing is Elvira by the direction he moves to. . . . Yup, it's Elvira who he's visiting. I'm guessing he's wanting to know if he's going to win his bet with Reece or not. Judging by the look on Elvira's face, it is, and she's not happy about the visit. With some effort to shoo him away, Fraser finally leaves, grumbling and mumbling while at it. I just roll my eyes. Really, he and his entire crew are like a bunch of hyperactive dogs (which is how I view their attitudes). They can't help but get each other all riled up and force others to get involved.

Bilbo returns home to discover that an auction is being held at his house with everyone surprised that he's still alive. Lucky. I wish I had a way home. By the looks of things, my only option is the Eternal Sword.

And I'm not going.

I sigh to myself, "Beautiful. My own mentality is foreshadowing . . . How depressing . . ."

"Hey."

I blink and look down. "Chocolat!" I softly go. "What's up?"

She says, "I'm going to work, but I have a question for you."

"Uh . . . Go ahead." How bad can it be?

She points at the church. "The Asgard Pilgrimage Tours are trying to round up some soldiers and I hear that you're practicing self-defense with Elvira. Since we are having some trouble, I'm wondering if you can go on the tour I'm guiding."

I blink. "Well, yeah, Elvira is teaching me self-defense. I'll happily go with you on the tour. But I didn't think that you're still working for the church since . . . well . . ."

Chocolat frowns, but only slightly. "It's okay. I'm not going to inconvenience the church by having them search for a new guide just because I lost faith. Besides, the item shop still needs the money." She perks up. "Anyway, I'm glad that you're coming. You'll talk it over with Elvira and your dad, though, right?"

Ah, that's right. My imaginary dad. "Of course I am. I'm not going to just disappear on him for some sort of tour." I wish it were that simple . . . "Though, I don't think he'll mind at all as long as I can defend myself."

She makes a full-blown grin. "That's great! The tour leaves Palmacosta on Minarin the nineteenth at three O'clock. The staff meets that day two hours earlier at the church and we hold our official meeting over the details tomorrow after service at one. You'll be there, right?"

I pinch my lips in a comical fashion. "Yeah, I will, but I wish you would've given me more of a moment's notice than this."

Chocolat chuckles, "You'll live."

Before she gets a chance to leave I ask her, "What if the Desians attack again? How will that affect the schedule?"

"Hmm . . ." She thinks to herself. "It will only affect the schedule if we get attacked right at that very moment or there's a battle in the way. We pass out immediate notices telling staff and participants when to meet again so we can reschedule."

I will not laugh. I will not laugh. I will not laugh. The Desians are a very serious subject. Never mind that they already have all those little disaster details laid out, I will not laugh. I will not laugh. I will not laugh.

Chocolat suddenly wonders, "Did you see Abercold and Amanda's new church clothes?"

"Oh my . . ." I can just imagine. "What did they wear?"

"I don't have to tell you. Just look that way." She points towards the church.

Oh my god. They have flash and taste combined in their outfits at the same time. Abercold wears an outfit of a vermillion coat and slacks countered by a white undershirt showing through the coat. Amanda's dress . . . well . . . it looks like a yellow rainbow if that makes any sense. It's all very well balanced, though. Gotta hand it to them, they would make a bright and bold fashion statement back in Hollywood. My descriptions give their outfits no justice at all. None. Absolutely none.

Chocolat comments, "And it's a wonder how they can make such good clothes with such an audacious taste."

I'm totally speechless.

One of the excited gossips that have been running around dash up to us crying, "I've got wonderful news! It's a miracle! It's a miracle!"

I've been stuck in Sylvarant for twenty-three days right now.

Chocolat turns to her. "What is it?"

It's about time I hear of this news.

The gossip cheers, "The Chosen is coming! The Chosen is coming very soon!"

It doesn't matter, though.

"When?!" Chocolat demands with aggressive joy. "When is the Chosen coming?!"

I still won't go.

"I don't think it's tomorrow, but I do know that she'll be here in at least a week or two!"

I won't go.

"That's wonderful! Hopefully she'll be here before we leave, right, Kelsey?"

No matter what, I won't go.

I smile widely. "Right."

And that is a fact that I promise myself.

* * *

I wonder how many ways I can say "Please review"? Hmm . . .

Something about my fic on your mind? Call 1-800-REVIEWS.


	8. Everyone Officially Lost It

This is pretty unusual for me to post two stories on one day. Hmm . . . I should get this pace for Through the Brother's Eyes . . . Anyway . . . I forgot everything that I was going to say . . . Other than that nyaow is a slurred screamed version of no. You'll see later.

*sigh* I tried to get a long sentence to have no spaces (to indicate speed) it got completely deleted by ! Grrr . . . Had to space it with "-".

* * *

Chapter Eight: Everyone Officially Lost It

It was February twenty-three when I finally met them.

Are you thinking of Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine, and Kratos? Ha! I wish!

I'm talking about their damn imposters!

I was working with the sailors with minor stuff (not saying what) when, suddenly, I hear, "She's here! She's here! The Chosen of Regeneration is here!"

It's a loud noise that's distracting us from our work. Of course we all went to the railing of the ship to see what's going on.

The leader with lots of armor (rather crappy-looking armor at that) shouts at the top of his lungs announcing, "It's true! She really is the Chosen! You have heard all the rumors! Now we only need your help with travel!"

I sarcastically bite, "Is it just me or is that a fraud show?"

Fraser answers, "It's a fraud show."

Reece says, "No one with half a wit will believe them."

A sailor close by to us exclaims, "The Chosen needs five gald from each of us to cover travel expenses? I'm coming, Chosen One! I'm coming!"

As the fool runs down to join the growing crowd around the imposters, I note, "It seems like most of Palmacosta doesn't even have half a wit."

"Sadly, they don't . . ." Reece grumbles.

Kiel (who's also nearby) sighs. "It's a cryin' shame, what those crooks are doin'. If they were all men I'd give them a piece of my mind!"

Fraser carps, "You'd think that people at the docks of all places could smell a con when it comes! Yet look at this!"

"Is it really that unthinkable that someone might take advantage of the people and impersonate the Chosen?" I wonder.

"Yes it is," Reece replies. "The penalty ranges from ten years of imprisonment to death. Usually the church isn't strict with blasphemy charges when it concerns different beliefs or views, but they bring down their fist hard when it's deliberate blasphemy or fraud. If they get caught then that troupe will be in very hot water. Only the real Chosen can pardon them."

Knowing how little I know about the real Colette, they _will_ get off.

I push of the railing and go put up my cleaning stuff. "I'm going to go warn everyone I know."

Kiel makes for me and questions, "Did you finish your share?"

I answer, "Yes, yes. I was going to start on another part but this came up so . . . You know."

I get off the ship and pass the ever-growing mass surrounding the imposters. I'm getting pretty disgusted by their nerve, and also by the fact that they're getting away with it! I can't even look at them . . . And it's not even my own religion!

My first stop is Textures Abundant. I enter through the door and—

"Amanda! Here is our redheaded friend!" Abercold exclaims.

"There are—"

"Oh my! You're right, Abercold! And she's wearing the green and red casual dress we made for her!" Amanda cheeps.

"—imposters—"

"What do you want from our fabulous services, Kelsey?" Abercold asks.

"—at the docks—"

"I'll bet she's here for some cute ribbons!" Amanda concludes. "You would look so cute if you wore your hair up!"

"—pretending to be—"

"Come to think of it, Chocolat was here yesterday about some ribbons," Abercold contemplates.

"—the Chosen."

Awkward silence.

"Are you serious?!" Amanda cries. "That's the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my life! You had better not be joking!"

"My dear Kelsey!" Abercold proclaims, "The very seriousness of impersonating the Chosen is not something to kid about! I am shocked and revolted to hear that there are actually people blackening that holy title!"

"Quick! Tell us what those filthy imposters look like!" Amanda demands. "Hurry! You must!"

"Tell us at once!" Abercold commands. "Now! Before they come to our door and violate that good title once more!"

There is silence as they wait for my answer. I try to think of an answer, but I can't really describe them. I can describe the real Chosen and her group, though. I guess I'll do that.

I tell them, "I didn't get a good look at them, but I've heard from someone from Triet what the real Chosen looks like. I can tell you that."

They stare at me as if trying to will it out of me via the force like they're Jedi's (whatever the plural version of Jedi is).

"The Chosen," I start, "is blond and about my age with the Jewel of the Chosen on her chest and is accompanied by four other people. One is a guy her own age with spiky brown hair and wields two swords and has a tendency to wear red (I think . . .). Two others are elvan siblings with silver hair and are very intelligent and are magic users. The last one is a mercenary with dark red hair and is very powerful and wields one sword and, from what I've heard, has a tendency to wear lots of violet. They aren't going to trumpet it around and the only reason why this person from Triet knows is because they had a suspicion and asked. This group even went to the Seal of Fire and came back."

They just look at me. Then they burst.

"Well, if you say so then I believe you!" Amanda chirps.

"I don't see anything wrong with what you just said," Abercold comments.

"Thanks for warning us, Kelsey!" Amanda goes.

"We really appreciate it. Come back again sometime soon, okay?" Abercold insists.

I wave bye as they cheer bye. Next stop: Marble's. I turn in the direction of Marble's and—I stop right where I am. Two Desians work and grumble around one of the public announcement bulletin boards, ignoring all the people around staring at them with deep suspicion and hostility. I stealthily sneak up to the two to hear their conversation better. I listen in to the two once I hide myself behind some random crates next to a shop.

". . . just keep tearing them down!"

"Damn. I hate this job. So annoying . . ."

"Amen!"

"When is Forcystus going to send us a better portrait of this kid?"

"I don't know."

"Why did he ever approve of this piece of crap, anyway? It looks like it was drawn by a six-year-old."

"I don't know. He was probably too stunned at the quality to keep it from getting out. I hear Kvar is laughing his guts out over this."

"Over the poster?"

"At Forcystus for not disapproving the wanted poster in time."

"Of course . . . There, it's pinned. Let's get out of this dump."

"Humph. Yeah."

I watch them leave and wait until they're out of sight. I maneuver around to the bulletin . . . and see the thing. You know, _the_ thing.

"Oh . . . my . . . god . . ." I mutter. "That is the worst drawing I have ever seen in my life." And considering that my art teacher (who teaches Art I to IV and AP) likes to vent over the crap her Art I students do, I've seen a lot of crappy "art works". I start to crack up in snickers, then giggles, then chuckles, then mirth, then . . .

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH . . ." I holler out in laughter as I lean against the bulletin board and secure the wanted poster of the criminal Lloyd Irving with a hand. I am _so_ taking this home with me.

When I get better control over myself I jerk the poster from the bottom with enough force to only rip the corners. As I roll up the poster I spy where there have been numerous rippings and tearings to indicate that I'm not the first one to tear this poster down.

I stroll along in a considerably better mood than when I was entering Textures Abundant. It goes down a little when I get my head in gear as I open the door to Marble's.

"Hey, Cacao, Chocolat . . ." I begin.

Chocolat waves hi. "There are imposters in Palmacosta. We know."

I stop and stare.

Cacao explains, "We are very close to Elvira's family so we know her family very well, including Elvira's unique ability. She came in here herself to warn us about this."

"Ah," I go, "so I don't have to go to Elvira and warn her about them."

"No," Chocolat states. "It's really disgusting, actually. I can't believe that there are people who would actually impersonate the Chosen. The Chosen is our only hope for salvation!"

Those are sad words to hear if you're a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist . . . Well, the list could go on and on.

Cacao sighs, "We can only pray that they will be turned by Martel's grace and stop their vile deeds and repent."

Chocolat goes into silence, then she turns to me and asks, "By the way, Kelsey, when is your birthday? I never asked."

"Um . . ." I act flustered and modest to hide my calculations. Let's see . . . March first and we leave on Minarin the nineteenth . . . "Minarin the twenty-first."

Chocolat's eyes widen a bit. "So soon? It's only the fifteenth! I guess there isn't much that I can do . . . It's during the tour, too. What did your dad say about this?"

I frown and glance downward. "I . . . really don't want to talk about that. He's . . . agreed to let me go but . . . since he and I got separated from the rest of the family . . . he's gotten a bit protective and . . . It's complicated."

Chocolat blushes with slight embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

I'm sorry, Chocolat. You just won't believe the truth.

I change the topic, "Do you know where Elvira went off to?"

Cacao answers, "I believe she went to the government building to warn Governor-General Dorr and Assistant Governor-General Neil about the imposters."

I hope they heed her warnings. You never really know since this is reality instead of a game. "I hope they listen to her."

Chocolat chirps, "Of course they will! Elvira is very well-respected here in Palmacosta. For one, she was one of the previous Chosen's companions and she has protected Palmacosta citizens during Desian attacks. She also donated a lot of money to projects to improve humanity and helped a lot of people during hard times. She's been like a guardian angel for Palmacosta ever since she got here after the previous Chosen died."

I blink. "That's a lot for one person to do."

"It is," Cacao states. "It is one of the reasons why we respect her so much. Elvira has done so much for us and there is so little we can do in return. The least we can do is listen when she speaks. Governor-General Dorr will listen to her and heed what she has to say."

"I hope so," I say. It will save a lot of confusion for the group—not that I'm supposed to care or know. "Can I help out here since Elvira did the rest of the warning about imposters for me?"

Cacao goes, "Of course, and be careful. The floor is—"

SQUEE! THUD!

". . . waxed," she finishes.

I fell forward and, through instinct trained by a sadistic fortuneteller during self-defense lessons, I landed just right to were I received minimal injuries. That's the good news for me. The bad news . . .

I try to slowly get up and—

SHREEE! TA!

That was me accidentally doing the splits. I haven't done them in years so the muscles in my thighs are protesting against this sudden move. I'm tempted to do some sort of cheerleader cheer in this position.

Chocolat helps me up and gets me to the chair I last used when they waxed the floor. She tells me, "You're not going to be any help like this . . ."

"I know. I'll wait for it to dry."

* * *

Today is January twenty-fifth, and I'm getting sick of those imposters.

I've been spending my time avoiding them the best I can so I'm not tempted to do something stupid and attack the group that Palmacosta has been fooled into believing is the Chosen's group. They did go into Marble's and Textures Abundant, but they got a cold reception that unnerved them so much that they didn't say anything and just bought what they came for and left. Then they met Elvira yesterday. It was like their minds were saying "I submit to you! Just don't hurt me!" I could tell from a distance that Elvira's rare death glare is not something you want to fry under. Nicohlas witnessed that with me and laughed so hard . . . He said it was about time someone other than him got it. After I heard that I guessed that Nicohlas wasn't exactly a "perfect little angel" when he was my age.

Right now I'm doing my best to ignore them via reading The Fellowship of the Ring at the square. I should have read at the docks. They arrived to receive "charity" just some time ago. From Dorr. I glare as they enter the government building. When they disappear from my view through the cover of the front door, I glance over to Elvira (who's fortunetelling) to see her reaction.

I wish I didn't.

Elvira's ready to attack. She stands where her seat is and half leans over her table like she's about to leap over it and race to the government building at tear the imposters to pieces. Her skin is bone white, minus her face which holds a lovely shade of violent red. People around her are scooting away warily.

After a while, the imposters finally leave with an air of conceit, and an old book in the arms of the "Chosen".

Elvira shoots off and speed marches to the government building and shoves her way in.

Fearing the worst, I jump off the wall where I was reading and dash madly to the row of apartments. Nicohlas, as I learned over time, is the landlord of those apartments and lives in the last one, number fifteen. It's a single apartment so it looks like a small house that's built in the same style as the apartments next to it. I hurry to the door passed the commons area and office (where people arrange to rent out the apartments) and slam my fist into it three times. I pant out puffs of air doing my best to ignore the stitch in my gut as I wait for someone to answer. Finally, the door opens and reveals a lovely woman with bluish hair and the same kind of aura as half-elves do. I'm guessing that's Nicohlas' wife.

_"Elvira-went-crazy-and-is-storming-the-government-building!"_ I rush out.

"Stop! Stop!" the woman cries. "Slow down! Tell me that again slowly!"

"What about my mother?"

As soon as Nicohlas appears over the woman's shoulder I gush out, "Elvira went crazy and is storming the government building! It's over the imposters!"

Panic flashes across the man's face. He snatches my book out of my hands and pushes me out to the street saying, "You need both hands for this. I'll send it back to you after this ordeal. Let's hurry and maybe she won't have time to do something too stupid to repair."

* * *

With a forced smile, Elvira seats herself across from Dorr. Neil sits just next to his Governor-General. The fools . . .

"You're obviously angry about something," Dorr notes with grimness.

"Yes," she grits out. "Very. Angry."

"What is it?"

Elvira takes a calming breath before she states, "I believe I warned you about a group impersonating the Chosen two days ago."

"These people are sincere," Dorr insists.

"Huhuhuh . . . I have met Desians more sincere than that group," Elvira softly laughs.

"I imagine you have, considering your brother's background," Dorr tensely counters.

Elvira hisses, "You know nothing about my brother and I warn you against playing the racial card. You have no idea how often I have been wounded because of that issue. The matter I wish to speak to you of is that you have given the Book of Regeneration to those imposters."

Neil asserts, "We gave that to them because they _are_ the real Chosen's group. The imposters left a long time ago."

"Is that what they told you?" the fortuneteller blandly puts in such a way that no reply was necessary.

Dorr lectures, "Just because you are cynical about people does not have to mean that they are impersonating the Chosen. You should have evidence before you accuse others of such a high crime."

Elvira snaps, "I watched them for two days swindling others from their money with the façade of traveling expenses!"

"If you believe this then why didn't you do anything to stop them?"

"In front of a mob that believes they are the Chosen's group?" Elvira says. "No. That would be counterproductive. However, I also believed that you two would know better than take the word of random visitors."

Dorr firmly snips, "These people were not 'random visitors.' They are the Chosen and her companions. _You_ of all people should know."

"Yes," Elvira grits out, "I, of all people, should know. During the last journey of regeneration, we did not parade our status around even if we needed supplies and money. Why? Because of the _Desians!_ One word and we would have the Desians chasing our tails throughout the land! We could not ever afford _any_ unnecessary risks. Does that tell you anything?"

"That the Chosen and her companions are braver than the previous Chosen and her group including you," Neil jabs.

The woman hisses, "Very nice insult, Neil, but rather immature, especially considering what the Chosen has to face starting from the Day of Prophesy! Do you not ask for evidence when such bold words are said? Did you not ask her if she has the Jewel of the Chosen or if she has wings? Did you not ask her what Iselia is like, for that is the place where the Chosen receives the oracle to begin her journey? That is where the journey of regeneration begins! The closest seal is the Seal of Fire. Upon the first seal's release, the Chosen receives wings. That is what I know from traveling along with the previous Chosen, and none of those require much of effort! All it needs is a 'oh, here, I can show you' and the wings easily appear!"

Dorr growls, "Unlike you, we have more than enough faith to where we do not need evidence to believe the words of the Chosen. If you didn't hold such respect among myself and the people of Palmacosta then I would have you arrested for this blasphemy! Leave! Now!"

"_You are a fool!_"

Knocking her chair back violently, Elvira shoots up out of her seat and shouts, "I cannot understand how you will believe such people so blindly! You are no different from the throngs who were, and are currently being, cheated out of their money! You gave those imposters something as precious and delicate as the Book of Regeneration! Spiritua's own diary!"

Dorr shot out of his own seat. "_You _are the fool! You have only money and suspicions motivating you in your life! For that I pity you!"

"I merely have the sense not to believe everything I hear without weight in those words!" Elvira counters.

"That cynical outlook on life must come from having a half-elf as a brother!" Dorr snarls.

Elvira double-takes, then she roars, "_How dare you! Do not drag my brother into this! This is between you and me—My brother has nothing to do with this!_"

"_Get out!!_" Dorr commands. "_OUT!!_"

"_Take it back!_" Elvira screams. "_Take back every word against my brother!_"

"_OUT!!_"

The door slams open and Elvira is seized from behind.

She howls, "_Let me go! Let me go right now!_"

She kicks and fights even when her legs are bind by struggling arms. She doesn't see who. All she sees is fiery red and Dorr, who must see fiery red and her. She fights and screams and howls against her captors all the way out the door. The guards at the doors block her way as her captors release her. She hisses and growls but utters no coherent words as the red in her vision fades away. Eventually her breath goes back to normal and her heart no longer pounds against her chest. She turns to identify her captors.

Elvira sighs, "I suppose I should be thanking you two."

Nicohlas doesn't answer and Kelsey must be too confused and shocked to come up with an answer.

She turns to face the government building again. "This is a bother. I suppose he will learn differently when he arrests the real Chosen." She sighs again. "That will bring about numerous complications . . ."

"Will she be alright?" she hears Nicohlas ask. "Do your visions tell you anything?"

The fortuneteller groans, "Not that I can remember as of this moment . . . I need to calm down. Could either of you go buy an incense candle? I believe I ran out just three nights ago."

"I'll get it. Just meet me back at the apartment," she hears Kelsey reply. The teen starts to run off but is stopped by Nicohlas.

He hands her some gald. "This is for the candles. You can only find them for sale at the docks at a store that _The Seabird_ likes to lower anchor at. Take as much time as you need."

After giving a wordless affirmative that Elvira does not see (due to facing another direction), Kelsey runs off to the docks.

". . . Sweet girl . . ." mutters Elvira.

Nicohlas admits, "I confess, she isn't what I thought her to be in the beginning."

"It is about time for the Asgard Pilgrimage Tour," Elvira states. "I believe I will give her Jaren's spear and Exsphere."

Nicohlas utters in shock, ". . . Are you sure? You held on to Uncle Jaren's possessions for so long . . ."

The fortuneteller nods. "Yes, I am quite sure. She will need them more than I. Besides, I have Jaren's journal. That alone is enough for me now."

"Mother . . ."

* * *

I bought the candles pretty quickly. It was easy to find them. I spent the rest of my time looking out towards Izooid on The Seabird. I can see a large fishing boat coming this way out in the distance. I can't see anyone on it clearly enough for details (my sight is somewhat narrow-sighted), but I don't need to guess who's who on that fishing boat.

They will come.

They will go.

I will not follow.

I shift the candles for a better grasp. I notice that my hands are shaking more than usual. I'm with Chocolat on that tour to Asgard. I'm not following the Chosen's group around. I'm going to go back to the apartment, give these candles to Elvira, pack my things, and go meet Chocolat and her group in two days from now. Although . . . I feel like I'm forgetting something important.

"Hey!"

I whip around and find five sailors circled around me. I glance around to look for a way out of the obviously menacing ring. None.

I'm trapped.

One sailor to the side reaches for me and I dodge him, only to have another one snatch the collar of my dress.

"Don't think you're getting away, half-elf," one hisses. "We know you're just a spy the Desians sent to watch the Chosen."

I snap, "Oh, that's nice, especially considering that I've been here even before the Tower of Salvation appeared." I may act gutsy, but I'm scared for my life. Who knows what they'll do to me. I'll stand no chance like this.

One pulls out a knife. "Don't think we'll be fooled!"

"Wait!" warns another. "The Desians might strike back if we kill her! They'll know if she doesn't report back and they'll send in another one!"

The one with the knife grimaces at me as he slowly puts his knife away. Where's Reece, or Fraser, or Kiel, or Captain Hudson? Where are they?!

Another one looks around and points, "There's an empty barrel over there. We could stuff her in that and send her down the boardwalk."

The rest hoot and cheer. They drag me along to it, and I fight against the grasp on my dress. Meanwhile, I debate against my modesty on whether or not I should just slip out of my loose dress and grab something to fight my dress back for or keep struggling against the iron fist that drags me to my doom.

"Stop right there!"

Praise God! I'm saved!

Fraser and Kiel race to the group and me followed closely by Captain Hudson. The sailors who have a hold on me stop and snarl.

One warns, "Don't stop us! This Desian spy has it coming!"

"Don't think we'll let you hurt an innocent just because you think all half-elves are Desians," Fraser snaps.

"This is a Desian spy to kill the Chosen!" another one insists.

Hudson growls, "That girl has been here before the Tower of Salvation appeared. I doubt she's a spy."

"Don't be fooled, Captain!"

Hudson returns, "Even if she was a spy I would stop you. There is no chance that I'm going to allow you to jeopardize this ship and all its crew just because you have a suspicion."

Kiel snatches the shirt collar of the one who has me. "Let her go!"

I'm immediately released as that sailor and two others of the group round up on the three who came for me. I back away to the side, trying my best to stay unnoticed from—

"Kah!" I yip when I'm lifted into the air. The last two! There were five of the group that cornered me and I forgot about the other two!

A hand muzzles my mouth into silence. I fight against my restraints, but the empty barrel just keeps getting closer and closer. The two stop and adjust me so that only one of them is needed to restrain and gag me. As soon as the hand covering my mouth leaves me for just a second, I screech.

"_NYAAAAOOO—_" They gag me again before my voice travels enough for my need. I struggle harder and harder against them. It only slows their efforts to get me inside the barrel that is now opened. In the meantime I bite and lick the hand that gags me but all in vain! They push me in and quickly release me to shove the barrel's lid on above me. I screech again as loud as I can, despite the damage and pain on my throat, as soon as my mouth is free.

"_NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!!_"

The lid bands down on me right as I was about to escape from it hitting my head and bringing me back down.

"_NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!!_"

I feel the barrel being lifted off the ground and carried.

"_NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!!_"

The barrel lands on its side on a surface. My heart drops and my stomach turns.

"_NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!! NYAAAAOOOOWWW!!!_"

It's pushed into a roll.

* * *

I triple DOG dare you to review!


	9. Palmacosta and One Thing After Another

I forgot to mention this, but Kelsey (like me . . .) is narrow-sighted in her left eye. It doesn't hinder the eye sight overly much since the right takes over but it means that she can't see much detail. That's why she can't exactly see Lloyd and everyone on the boat even though they're actually closer than she thinks. Lol! She's half-blind!

The beginning I try to introduce everyone like I do with OCs, but . . . Things get better as I get a hand in things. Also, since Kelsey is basically unconscious through a lot of it I decided not to switch back to her point of view but you'll see her again in the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter Nine: Palmacosta and the One Thing After Another

"Wow!" The swordsman, a mere boy of seventeen, stares in awe as he steps off the fishing boat. "Palmacosta is so big!"

A kid with bright silver hair joins him on the docks. "Well, Palmacosta _is_ the biggest city in the world." Despite his tone, he himself is in awe as well.

The only blond in the group coos, "This is so amazing!" She turns back to the boat. "Professor! Look! Palmacosta is so huge! If we're not careful, we could get lost." She pauses. ". . . Professor? Are you okay?"

The mercenary helps the silver-haired professor off the fishing boat, who slumps on the man's shoulders with spent nerves. ". . . Yes. Fine. Just fine. I just . . . need to get my feet on firm ground."

The swordsman in red asks with worry, "Are you seasick, Professor?"

"Er . . . Yes, just a little . . . I'll be fine as soon as I get my feet on the ground."

The mercenary, who suspects the actual truth, fights off a smirk.

Assured that his teacher will, eventually, be fine, the kid in red moves around to see the fisherman who sailed them across. "Thanks, Max. Are you really okay with the arrangement?"

The fisherman, Max, replies, "I'm fine. Wouldn't have gotten you across if I was bound and determined not to, anyway. I'll get an escort from the militia's ships and make my way back. Could you just . . . get your pet now?"

The teen calls, "Come here, Noishe!"

A giant dog-shaped creature with large ears leaps off the fishing boat and lands on the dock.

The teen asks, "Can you make it outside the city by yourself without drawing a crowd?"

Noishe happily nods.

The teen grins. "Okay, then! I'll see you later, Noishe!"

Noishe barks "Yearf!" and merrily trots away.

The mercenary reminds, "We better find an inn."

The teen glances at the Professor and goes, "Yeah, let's go." He pauses. "Where could we find an inn, anyway?"

The mercenary sighs. That kid . . .

The blond chirps, "Let's go ask around, Lloyd!"

Lloyd responds, "Alright. How about that sailor right there?"

The group (with the mercenary tailing behind, having an extra weight hanging off his shoulders) moves around to a sailor with gray hair that has a bluish tint. The kid in blue blinks when he sees the sailor but quickly changes his expression to normal.

Lloyd asks, "Excuse me. Where can we find an inn?"

The sailor looks at him and answers, "You'll find most of them at the entrance to this city." He examines all of them. "Though I recommend picking one a little closer to the city's commerce area rather than the very entrance or the docks. That area is usually a lot friendlier and the merchants don't tolerate troublemakers. It's a good neighborhood."

Then the sailor notices the blond. He stares at her for a moment, and then, "Are . . . Are you . . . the Chosen?"

The blond blinks and goes, "Me?" Seeing him nod, she replies, "Oh, yes! I am the Chosen!"

"I . . . would never have suspected," the sailor utters.

"It's okay," the Chosen says. "People tell me I'm not very Chosen-like a lot."

"Your names." He looks to all of them. "May I have your names?"

Lloyd is the one to answer this time, "This is Colette, and this is Genis, Raine, Kratos, and I'm Lloyd."

The sailor responds, "I'm Reece. You have no idea how good it is to see all of you. Fraser . . . Fraser has to see you." Reece glances around and doesn't find who he's looking for. He mutters, "Where the hell is Fraser . . . ? This is the end of his . . ."

"Nyaaoo—!"

"What was that?" Lloyd goes.

Reece follows where Lloyd faces and says, "Things always happen at the docks. Though Captain Hudson usually doesn't tolerate anything on his ship . . . Don't mind it. I'll check it out myself. You just get yourselves to an inn and rest. Your healer doesn't look too good."

Raine is slumped a little more, prompting out a concerned "Sis . . . ?" from Genis.

Looking anxiously at his teacher, Lloyd says, "Thanks. We'll do just that. Are you sure you're alright, Professor?"

". . . Quite sure . . ."

They walk onto the main area of the port but stop when Raine tries to get herself off Kratos and onto her own feet. She wobbles a little then steadies herself.

"See . . . ?" she goes. "Just fine . . . I'm only a little fatigued."

"_Nyaaaaoooowww!!!_"

They jump at the screech and rush towards the sound's source. The group stops and searches the area.

"Look over there!" Genis exclaims as he points.

A redheaded girl fights as two sailors shove her into a barrel and screeches even while they seal her inside and carry her to the ship's boardwalk.

"_Kelsey!_" cries Reece, who stands just some away from the walk between the ship and the docks.

Lloyd dashes madly after the walkway and manages to pass Reece (who has a lot of distance on him), but gasps as he sees the barrel be pushed down the walkway's slope.

The barrel speeds down the slope and races even after it gets off the walkway and stops only to crash into a stand with planks from the barrel shattering and scattering everywhere.

Raine, who somehow miraculously recovered from her ailment, is the first one to the girl. As she feels the girl's head for wounds her brother moves the barrel's debris away from her unconscious form. While she opens the girl's eyes and angles them towards the sun, checking for any abnormalities, she states, "Miraculously, there doesn't seem to be any major damage."

"Bastards . . ." Reece curses as he turns to the ship. He curses again, "Damn! The crew already got them!"

Colette, who was searching through the first aid, comments, "We're out of life bottles."

"Which shop sells life bottles?" Kratos immediately asks of Reece.

Reece replies, "I know one or two but the one you'd want is this item shop called Marble's."

Lloyd and Genis glance at each other at that but Lloyd shrugs. It's probably a coincidence.

"They have a large inventory and has a really good reputation," Reece continues. "I can lead you there."

"Then go ahead," Raine invites as she gathers her things.

Lloyd lifts the redhead and adjusts her on his back. "I'll carry her. I was too slow to stop those sailors, anyway."

Kratos tells him, "Don't think like that. They would have pushed the barrel down whether or not you were in the way."

Raine agrees, "Kratos is right, Lloyd. You would have been crushed and the situation would have gotten worse."

"Thank goodness she isn't too terribly hurt," Colette expresses.

Genis mentions, "The trauma is probably the thing that will get her."

Ignoring the curious crowd, they continue on into Palmacosta.

Lloyd feels the girl sliding off and shifts her back up and comments, "She's really light."

Genis looks over her, "I'm surprised she didn't break any bones."

"By the look of things," Raine corrects. "She may have some hairline fractures."

"Why did they do that to her?!" Lloyd demands.

Reece hesitantly explains, ". . . The two I saw discriminate against half-elves to such a degree that they'll even antagonize against humans who coincidentally have unusual hair color."

Colette assumes, "So she's a half-elf?"

Genis quickly puts in, "No! She's human!"

"It doesn't matter!" Lloyd snaps. "What they did to her is still wrong!"

Reece glances around and stops the group. He points to a large shop called "Textures Abundant" and states, "See that fabric shop? Marble's is just down the way from that. It has a nice big sign that says 'Marble's: Your Friendly Cupboard Supplies Shop.' Can't miss it."

"Then where are you going?" Lloyd wonders.

Reece replies, "I'm going on ahead to warn them and explain what happened. From what I hear, Kelsey is a friend of the owner's daughter so I think they'll put at least the one life bottle you need for her on the house."

"Okay. We'll meet you there," the boy in red responds.

As Reece hurries ahead they follow behind at Lloyd's pace (dragged by the extra weight on his back). The crowd in the commerce shifts to where only one group heads their way but they don't pay any heed. They probably won't run into the other group, anyway.

Colette trots on ahead as she chirps, "I see it! The item shop is just right there—Oops!" Colette, typically, trips over a loose brick sticking out of the path and tumbles into the group closing in to them.

Thump. _Crash!_

Colette falls down on her butt as a girl in yellow falls down just across from her. When the two get back up on their feet (as Colette continuously apologizes) all eyes are sucked into the sight of the broken bottle at the two's feet. The smell of alcohol wafts both groups.

"The . . . The palma potion we just received . . . !" gasps the girl in yellow.

The guy in armor snaps, "Hey, lady! That was a very valuable potion! How are you planning to make up for this?!"

Colette goes, "I'm sorry. I'll buy a replacement potion right away!"

The guy growls, "_Replacement potion?!_ Do you seriously think that's going to be enough to appease my anger?!"

Lloyd dismissively criticizes, "Oh, come on, now you just sound like an idiot."

"_Whatdidyousay?!_ Do you know who we are?!"

Lloyd rolls his eyes as he blandly responds, "And I should care because . . . ?"

"You—!!"

The mage in blue steps in front of her companion just before the guy dives for Lloyd. "Stop! I don't want any trouble while we're here. We don't want to make a scene. Let's just get out of this city as soon as we can."

The girl in yellow ponders, "Still . . . They broke our potion. We should at least have them replace it. It's their fault, after all."

Colette repeats, "I'm really sorry. I'll buy a new one right now."

The armored guy snaps, "You better! You owe us!"

Lloyd slurs, "We don't owe you anything. Come on, Colette, let's just go. We have more important things to do."

Colette insists, "No. I broke it so I'm going to replace it."

Lloyd grunts, "Humph. Fine. We'll get a new one."

They walk away (ignoring the armored idiot shouting come-ons and insults at them) and head straight for Marble's. Lloyd glances at the sign and frowns slightly, remembering the ranch captive Marble, but just dismisses the thought. It's just a coincidence. Kratos opens the door and lets the rest go in before closing it behind them. Tension rolls through them as soon as they enter.

"Oh, please!" carps the brown-haired girl at the side counter. "There's no way anyone would sell those to you at a price that low!"

One of two Desians argue just across from her, "You should be thankful that we're willing to spend money for goods from a rundown shack like this."

The girl snaps, "I don't need to hear that! I won't sell one single gel to the likes of you!"

"Chocolat! Stop!" gasps the woman who has to be her mother. She panics behind the front counter completely beside herself.

"But Mom," the girl named Chocolat insists. "These are the same monsters that took Grandma away and killed Dad!"

The other Desian hotly slurs, "You have some nerve talking to us like that, little girl! Don't think we forgot you from last time. 'The Chosen will come! Don't lose hope! The Chosen will come and defeat the Desians and regenerate our world!' Sounds like a challenge to me."

Chocolat sticks up her chin. "Just try it! As long as Governor-General Dorr is around we'll never submit to a bunch of filthy Desians like you!"

One of the two snaps and lunges at her, "You little bit—"

"Stop!" warns the other one as he restrains his friend. "We'll exceed our quota for this year. We need permission from Lord Magnius to go any further."

The aggressive one eases up and huffs, "Humph . . . Lucky b***ch."

The calmer one presages, "Depending on Lord Magnius' mood you may or may not get to keep that pretty little head of yours."

The two leave with a determined gleam in their eyes.

The mother slumps down on the counter. "Chocolat, please don't do anything like that again. I . . . I don't think I can handle another scene like that."

Chocolat assures, "Don't worry, Mom. I get a feeling that a lot of them are all talk and no action."

In the corner near the mother, Reece replies, "Don't take that risk, Chocolat. Cacao won't ever stand to lose you just because you mouthed off to the Desians."

"If we don't stand up to them then what's the point of fighting them?" questions Chocolat.

Raine steps in, "Pardon us, but we need assistance."

The three look to them, and then shout out.

"Kelsey!" Chocolat cries.

"Ah! I forgot!" Reece exclaims.

"Forgot?!" Chocolat turns on the sailor. "What do you mean 'forgot'?! What happened?!"

Cacao is the only one who reaches them and directs, "Put her on the chair over in this corner."

As Lloyd does as Cacao instructs, Reece defends, "I don't know why I forgot! Maybe it has something to do with two Desians coming in and you argue with them."

"Just tell me what happened!"

Genis is the one who answers, "Two sailors stuffed her in a barrel and sent it down a slope."

Cacao and Chocolat exclaim, "What?!"

Cacao tells her daughter, "Get a life bottle, Chocolat."

While she fetches a ladder and climbs for the life bottles' shelf, she questions, "Is she alright? How badly did she get hurt? Are those sailors going to be punished for what they did to her? I'll give them a piece of my mind if they—"

"Hold it!" Reece protests. "Don't interfere with a ship's discipline! The Captain will handle this. Don't get in the way. Besides!" he quickly adds when she glares at him. "I'm positive that others will get their express their disapproval too."

"How will they do that?" asks Lloyd.

Reece looks at him. "Use your imagination to anything short of murder."

As Lloyd, Colette, and Genis stare at him with looks Chocolat hurries to the girl with a life bottle in hand. Raine takes it and tilts the girl's head back and eases the life bottle's continence down her throat.

"Ugh-gh-gh-uuuuugh," the girl stammers. She opens her eyes wide with a gasp and takes a quick glance around. She grimaces at seemingly nothing and lowers her face down to her knees with a shudder.

"Kelsey . . ." Chocolat warily goes. "Are you alright? I heard about what happened at the docks . . ."

There is a pause. ". . . I'll be alright," comes the weak reply.

Lloyd says, "You gave us a scare back there. We tried to get to you as soon as we heard you screaming."

Pause . . . . . . . . ". . . Thanks. I appreciate it."

Cacao kneels down to her. "Kelsey, these people are the ones who took you here. Is this really all you have to say?"

. . . . . . . "I'm trying. I'll get there. Let me recover."

Raine assures, "It's alright. This is probably from the trauma she went under. I checked her for wounds and all she needs is rest."

Cacao replies, "I see. Thank you very much. Is there anything else you need?"

Kratos takes out one of the group's wallets as he answers, "Yes. We need ten life bottles and" (insert sigh here) "a palma potion."

Cacao calculates the cost as she retrieves the requested items. She puts them on the counter and replies, "I will give five of these life bottles for free and cut the potion's price in half. Kelsey is a good friend of Chocolat's and this is one of the few ways I can repay this."

Everyone in the group perks up. Kratos replies, "Thank you very much," as he pays for the goods.

Reece puts in, "What about me? I led them here."

Cacao inserts, "I suppose I can give you a discount for next time you come."

Reece shifts his position with a self-satisfied air. "That's more like it . . ."

While the group prepares to leave Colette leans over Kelsey and asks, "You'll be okay, right?"

. . . . . "Yes. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Awkward silence.

Kratos ushers, "Let's go find an inn."

Colette pops right back. "Oh! I'm sorry! Let's go and replace the potion I broke!"

Lloyd groans.

The door closes.

Kelsey turns her face towards the door. She grimaces as if in pain before she shudders and curls back into her facedown position.

* * *

Lloyd and the others stop when they approach the group with the broken palma potion at their feet. There is a tense pause before Lloyd takes the potion from Kratos and indignantly approaches the armored guy of the group.

". . . Here," he jabs as he pushes the potion to the other guy.

He takes it and jeers, "Well, it looks like you are good little boys and girls after all. Just don't ever cross us again!"

"I won't!" Colette cheeps with this determined expression on her face.

As the group walks away with their new palma potion the hold a conversation expressing views on a different event.

The mage expresses, "I must say, I was rather surprised that Dorr was so trusting as to hand out his family treasure."

The one that looks like an ogre goes, "Well, what are we gonna do with it?"

The guy in the cheap-looking armor snaps, "You idiot! We're going to sell it to that collector at the Hakonesia Peak. We have no use for this thing!"

Then the conversation fades into the crowd noise. Lloyd glares after them and grumbles, "Those guys kinda piss me off."

Genis throws out, "Does anyone else think their conversation was a bit sketchy?"

Lloyd turns to him and asks, "Sketchy? How?"

Raine refrains from sighing and just explains, "As they walked away they spoke of taking a family treasure from someone named Dorr and how they plan to sell it to a collector at Hakonesia Peak. Considering that the current Governor-General is named Dorr, I'm getting a bad feeling that the group we just let by are swindlers."

"In the worst case scenario, this could bring us trouble," Kratos states.

Their conversation continues while they start walking towards where the inns should be.

"How would this bring us trouble?" Genis wonders. "It's not like we're the thieves."

"Well . . ." Kratos tries as he thinks of the right words to say.

Raine beats him to it, "Do you know about the Book of Regeneration?"

Colette answers, "Yes, it's Spiritua's diary. It describes everything she did during the very first journey of regeneration."

Kratos joins in, "Yes. Palmacosta has kept it ever since they got a hold of it and kept it in good shape. From what I hear, the previous Chosen and her group used it to guide them on the journey of regeneration before she was killed. Afterwards, one of her companions returned it to the church. Either the church has it still or Dorr has it . . . or had it if the family treasure that group spoke of is the Book of Regeneration."

"What?!" Lloyd snaps. "Those bastards!"

"Just a moment, Lloyd," Raine recovers. "It's not absolute that what they stole is really the Book of Regeneration. It's only a possibility. As soon as we find an inn to stay we will go to the church and check to see if they could lend us the Book of Regeneration. It will be very useful if we got Spiritua's diary to help us find the remaining seals."

Lloyd nods. "Alright."

They checked themselves in a cozy little two-story inn and left as soon as they dropped their stuff down in their respective rooms (with the same arrangement of Lloyd and Kratos sharing and the Sage siblings sharing too and Colette in her own room) they head right on out and hurried to the church. They walk on by Marble's and pass a loud group of sailors at the door ("Hahahah! You lost, Fraser! No more gambling for you!" "Shut up, Kiel! It's only for a year!"). They ignore the fighting couple on a bridge that's now drawing a crowd they had to worm their way through. When they arrive at the square they can't help but look around. The government building is the largest they have ever seen in Sylvarant; an elderly woman hangs her laundry out to dry on the line; students presumably from the Academy gather around at the stone walls between the square and the sea; the last remains of late churchgoers linger about the church steps; a flock of girls crane their necks peering into one of the windows of the government building; children play around; people take walks; Colette goes over to name a random dog.

As they amble over to the church, Lloyd calls out, "Hey, Colette! Catch up!"

The Chosen scratches the pooch's ears and joins them at the churches door. Lloyd pushes open the doors to the large church. The group awes when they enter.

Exquisite and large, the church decorates itself like the cathedrals of old. Chandeliers hang from the tall ceiling painted with angels and clouds. The altar is very elegant and graceful to the eye. A pastor speaks with lingerers from the late service. Some lingerers try to awaken someone who fell asleep. Everything else . . . indescribable.

"Hi, there!" They turn to their right and find the girl Chocolat behind a counter with a list of names and other paperwork stacked in front of her. "It's so nice to see you again!"

Lloyd says, "Chocolat, right? That was really bold of you to do back there with the Desians."

Chocolat explains, "I knew they wouldn't do anything to me in the first place. They reached their designated death count just last month. We're safe for now."

"Isn't it dangerous to do that anyway?" Genis puts in almost rhetorically.

Chocolat gets a dark look when she hears what Genis said. "'Dangerous?' You don't understand. This area is controlled by Magnius. 'Dangerous' is an understatement."

"If that is so then would the officials think of setting up a treaty?" Kratos says more like a statement than a question.

Chocolat goes, "Only Iselia is the kind of place who has that. Although many envy it, Palmacosta isn't one of those who are jealous for the treaty. Magnius would break it within a week, anyway. We choose to rebel rather than show our belly to the Desians."

Kratos adds, "But now you have to live in constant fear because of this."

Chocolat shakes her head. "It doesn't matter where you are; we all have to live in fear of the Desians. It's how we choose to react to them that defines us."

While Kratos nods approvingly at the girl's display of intellect, Colette makes her statement, "Though things will be different now. The world regeneration journey has begun."

Chocolat nods. "Yes, they are. The Desians will finally be banished and we can live our lives." Then she cheers, "Just hang in there until we're all saved!"

Colette cheers back, "Okay! I will!"

Lloyd, Genis, Raine, and Kratos gawk at their companion who doesn't realize that Chocolat doesn't know that she's the Chosen.

Raine stares unbelievingly at Colette for another moment before she turns back to Chocolat. "We are searching for the head of this church building or at least a pastor. Could you point someone out?"

Chocolat merrily points out, "Pastor can help you. He's just over there." Before they leave she adds, "By the way, thank you for helping my friend earlier."

Raine replies, "It was the least we could do."

They head away while Lloyd, Colette, and Genis wave goodbye at Chocolat. As soon as Colette turns away she spots who the pastor is and gets a big, happy grin on her face. She laughs a bell-like laugh and hurries over to the pastor. The people the pastor speaks with ends their conversation just in time for Colette to go to him.

"Michael!" she chirps.

Pastor Michael smiles wide as he greets, "Chosen One! It has been so long!"

"You know him, Colette?" Genis goes.

Colette explains, "Michael trained under Grandmother to become a pastor, and I see his dream came true!"

Pastor Michael nods. "Yes, it has. I can preach to the people of Palmacosta now. Still, I miss Iselia every now and then. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Pastor," Raine begins, "we need a book called the Book of Regeneration. It's going to be hard to find the seals without it and so we feel the need to acquire it."

Pastor Michael looks to Raine and to each other member of the group individually before he stops with Colette and replies, "Yes, I know of the Book of Regeneration. Governor-General Dorr keeps it with him, especially since he is of an off branch of the Mana Lineage. It's a family treasure of his, after all."

A foreboding shadow settles over the group.

The pastor finishes, "It should be with him still. Go on and go see him."

Colette says, "Very well. I'll see you later, Michael!"

He bides his farewell, "Take care of yourself, Chosen One."

The group leaves with a happy goodbye to Michael (and Chocolat who waves them goodbye) but this unsettling suspicion just won't leave them (except for perhaps Colette who's still focusing on the nice coincidence of meeting Michael). Raine glances at Kratos who does his signature snort in response. They stop and face each other at the center of the square.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling . . ." Genis expresses.

Lloyd holds on to hope, "It could be some other family treasure they were talking about."

Raine rubs the sides of her head. "I doubt it. This means the worst case scenario has arrived."

"What is that, Professor?" Colette (of course) asks.

"We are being impersonated," is the answer.

While Lloyd and Genis groan, Kratos states, "At best, Dorr will realize what has happened when we explain the situation and help us catch up with the thieves and retrieve the book. At worst, he will have us arrested for blasphemy."

"But Colette's the real Chosen!" Genis protest.

"Not that these people will care," Kratos lectures, "unless we give them hard proof."

Lloyd suggests, "Then Colette can just walk in with her wings out. Right?"

She nods. "Yeah! I can certainly do that."

Raine puts out, "You can certainly not do that. We can't risk the Desians knowing our exact location, although these imposters don't help if they are in the same location as we are."

"Let them know," Lloyd challenges. "I'll cut every one of them down!"

Kratos raises his hand at the boy. "Calm down, Lloyd. We are dealing with Dorr for right now. He can provide us with the fastest transportation available to him to catch those thieves. I doubt they can get far today or even tomorrow. In fact, they may still be in the city . . . for now."

Raine adds, "The catch is that we cannot simply say who we are even if it is the truth. The people believe these imposters are the real Chosen's group, not us."

Lloyd grows impatient and calmly (though slightly agitated) says, "Then let's go talk to Dorr. We need the Booklet of Relegation, right?"

"It's called the Book of Regeneration, Lloyd," Genis corrects.

While they move towards the government building, Raine states, "I will go in myself, if that is alright. I will arrange the meeting."

They let her go and the healer walks in pass the guards. Lloyd admires their discipline and visible strength for a while before awing, "Wow . . . They seem pretty tough."

Kratos explains, "They have to train hard every day for in case the Desians attack."

"The training they must go through." Lloyd continues to watch their still forms.

Kratos offers, "I can train you myself if you want."

The boy turns to the mercenary. "You really mean that?"

Kratos coughs and replies rather gruffly, "I wouldn't say so if I didn't mean so."

Lloyd watches the mercenary for a moment to check if this really is so and bursts into a big grin. "Can we start this evening?"

Kratos smiles. "Of course."

Lloyd goes, "Thank—u-u-ugh!"

Kratos blinks. "What is it?"

He follows Lloyd, Genis, and Colette's gawking eyes to a woman in complete black with a surreal and otherworldly air that has a touch of hostility that chills others to the bone. She marches up the steps to the door and halts when the guards drop their spears in front of her to block her path. Her agitation becomes more than obvious.

"This does not even involve me meeting with Dorr! All I must do is set these papers in a box on the secretary's counter!" the woman proclaims as she waves the said papers visibly.

One of the guards counters, "Then you can have someone else turn those in. Governor-General Dorr told us not to let you in until further notice."

"Blasted man . . ." she mutters as she turns back to leave down the steps. She stops when she sees Kratos and scrutinizes the other three. Her eyes stop at the Cruxis Crystal on Colette's chest, and then she speaks to Kratos.

"So . . ." she goes. "You are now a member of the Chosen's group."

Kratos just says, "I am."

The woman looks away but then adds, "If Dorr proves unswayable and won't provide you with transportation then come see me. I have a team that can quickly take you to where you wish to be."

Kratos just groans, "Why am I not surprised?" The woman just leaves with that. Before she gets out too far, Kratos says, "Do you know a girl named Kelsey?"

The woman turns to him rather warily. ". . . Yes. Why?"

"An incident occurred at the docks today and she is now recovering from it at Marble's item shop."

Shock flashes across her face and she whips around and dashes away, still holding her otherworldly air even when she runs madly with her skirt trailing in the air behind her.

Colette cautiously guesses, "Is she a friend of yours, Kratos?"

Kratos looks in the direction the woman ran and answers, "She is . . . an acquaintance of a sort. Our history is . . . relatively long."

"You two don't look like you get along," notes Genis.

"Our last meet didn't end with a friendly note," replies the mercenary. "However, her offer isn't one to take lightly. We need to consider it."

Genis notices the door open and greets, "Raine! How did it . . . It didn't go well, did it?"

Raine makes an obvious scowl. "Dorr won't meet with anyone until tomorrow. Until then, we can't do anything."

"Man . . ." Lloyd groans. "It's just one thing after another today!"

"This _is_ an odd day," agrees Genis. "Especially with the imposters."

Colette chirps, "It's amazing that people actually want to be me! I feel like some sort of celebrity!"

Lloyd sardonically puts with a refrained sigh, "Yeah, Colette, you are famous. The entire world has its eyes on you."

Raine diverts her bad mood by imagining each imposter's place, "The one with the temper and the cheap armor would be Lloyd . . ."

Genis laughs, "Yeah! He's just like him!"

Lloyd's mood instantly sours.

Raine continues, "The girl in yellow would be Colette and the mage would be me . . ."

"Wait," Genis goes with a frown. "Then the one who looks like a big ape would be . . ."

"Genis?" Colette guesses.

"No way!" the boy protests. "It's gotta be Kratos!"

Kratos presses his palm to his face with his eyebrows furrowing at the very image.

* * *

Please review since I don't have time to make a weird "Please review" this time.


	10. Oh Goody I'm a Self Insert!

I'm rather disappointed with myself with this one. I planned so much and it ended up being less than I expected.

I guess that's what happens when I put a quota on my chapters.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Oh Goody, I'm a Self Insert

They're here. They're finally here. Why, oh why now? Though I suppose they _had_ to come _some_time. It's not like none of this is really shouldn't be happening.

Well . . . To me it shouldn't. Then again I should be going to school by now. I should be taking my classes and talking to friends right now. I should be giving my high school English teacher mom a hug because she'll be hugged out by the time we get home. I should be hoping that maybe Dad will do something weird and funny like borrow someone's alligator head (no idea where he gets these things) and poke it through Mom's classroom door or see if he comes in with a joke-of-the-day right now. I should be at _home_ right now.

I hear the door to Marble's close. I turn my face to the door and watch for a moment before I grimace as if in pain and retreat back into my facedown position.

I couldn't even look at them while they were here. I didn't dare to look at them because I was too afraid that maybe something might give itself away. Okay, that's pretty ridiculous. Can you imagine what that would be like if that literally happened?

Me: *looks up at them*

Lloyd: Gasp! She knows about us!

Genis: She's from Earth!

Raine: She even played this game called Tales of Symphonia!

Kratos: Tell us everything that's supposed to happen to us, girl!

Not a happy day.

Though hiding from the group for irrational reasons isn't the only reason why I'm still curled up like this. I feel like . . . I can't even describe it other than that I've been shoved into a barrel and sent downhill. Tethe'alla is supposed to be worse than this? Thank God I look human through and through even with my red hair. Even better, thank God I _am_ human. I wouldn't trade a single thing to be in Genis and Raine's positions. The only reasons why so many people on Earth who write self-inserts make their OCs half-elves is because they have no clue what awaits them if their dreams came true.

"Hey, Kelsey?" I look up to meet Chocolat. "You're going to be okay, right? I mean, are you really sure everything's alright?"

I stare at her in a daze and reply, "Yeah. I'll be fine. I just need some rest. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to work," she answers. "It's about time for me to go."

"Okay," I softly say almost to a mutter. "Don't worry about me. Go to work. I'll be fine. Eventually."

Chocolat gets a faint grin on her face. "If you're joking about it even a little then I know you'll be fine."

She walks out and the door closes again.

I feel a hand brush my shoulder. I look up to find Reece staring down at me with empathy in his eyes. He tells me, "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner."

I watch him for a moment before I reply, "I didn't even see you. Where were you?"

"Down on the docks off the ship," is the answer. "I was giving that group that helped you over here directions when we heard you scream. We all went as fast as we could."

"You did what you could," I tell him. "I don't blame you. Not in the least."

His expression eases. "Wasn't what I was going to, but thanks. I kinda figured you wouldn't anyway. I feel for you, though. I really do. It's hard being discriminated, isn't it?"

I smile weakly. "I prefer to think that I'm lucky that I didn't get lynched."

Reece's expression darkens at that statement.

The door slams open. Three sailors tumble in and I jump away, but then I calm down.

Reece snips, "Took all of you long enough."

Captain Hudson remarks, "And where were you when the girl was attacked?"

"Doing only what my captain ordered."

Cacao threatens, "If this gets out of hand all four of you will leave."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Though it's a good thing that one group got Kelsey all fixed up," Kiel states.

"Yeah," Fraser sighs. "When I saw that barrel, I thought she was a goner for sure."

Cacao adds in, "There may be bad people in this world, but there are good people as well. More good than bad."

"Yes," Hudson agrees. "Those five are good people. There's something about that group, though. Something about them that sets them apart."

"Oh!" Then, Reece mentions, "By the way, Fraser . . . That blond girl? The one part of the group that rescued our little Kelsey?" (I twitch resentfully at "our little Kelsey.")

"Yeah?" goes Fraser. "What about her?"

"I win."

"What?" The sailor stares at his crewmate. "Where you going with this? Win what?"

Reece smiles condescendingly. "I'm surprised you already forgot our little bet. I saw the Chosen's Jewel on her chest. The group confirmed my suspicions only when I asked. No more gambling for an entire year."

Fraser stares, absolutely bewildered. "That's . . . not . . . right . . . That's not right!" He whips to me. "Is that blond girl really the Chosen?!"

The spotlight on me is blinding me. Can someone turn it off or turn it away from me? I mean, I just got stuffed into a barrel and sent down a slope. Can we all not stare at me like I'm the one announcing the jury's verdict?

I tell them, "Yes. That blond girl's the Chosen. Reece saw her first. Fraser lost. You're welcome. So sorry."

Fraser's eyes get wide. Then he jabs his finger at Reece. "That's not fair! You cheated, you . . . ! You . . . cheater, you!"

Reece bursts into laughter, "Ahahahahahahahahah! Lost for words, Fraser? Ahahahahahahahahahah . . . !"

"That's not fair . . . !"

Hudson dreams, "I can finally not worry about how much I lose in gald each time I land anchor."

Kiel expresses, "I don't have to get worked up over every little thing he says . . ."

"You work yourself up over that without any help," Reece remarks at Kiel.

Hudson announces, "We'll celebrate over a huge game of cards! Oh, sorry, Fraser, I am afraid that you can't play. Your bet with Reece states that you cannot gamble for an entire year!"

Kiel laughs, "I guess it sucks to be you!"

Fraser turns on me, "Why did you have to take his side?!"

I slowly look up to him with a tired and aggravated face. He looks as if he instantly regretted shouting at me. I reply, "I took Reece's side because I'm honest."

"And that reminds me . . ." Kiel brings up. "How many times did you cheat at games, Fraser? How many times? Could you tell me again?"

Fraser demands, "Don't we have a ship to tend to?!"

Hudson smirks. "We can harass him on _The Seabird_, men. Let's go."

They laugh and hassle and jabber their way out, with Fraser complaining with each step they take. On the way out, I hear Kiel jab, "Hahahah! You lost, Fraser! No more gambling for you!" To that, in which, Fraser snaps back, "Shut up, Kiel! It's only for a year!" Then the door closes.

Silence . . .

Cacao moans, "What a riot . . . Now I have a headache . . . Kelsey? Would you like some tea?"

I guess tea is a remedy for tension headaches. "Tea sounds nice . . ."

"I'll go steep some," she mutters as she climbs the stairs.

Meanwhile, I just zone out. The silence and emptiness of this entire moment is actually very comforting. Although . . . my mind can't help but wander into thinking about Tales of Symphonia. I guess it'll be hard since I am in Symphonia and that the Chosen's group is finally here. I suppose I can afford to slip a bit.

I can't afford to slip entirely. I feel like if I'm not careful then I'll end up joining their group like I'm some sort of self-insert. I don't want to live that life. I suppose it'll be easier than I'm making it sound as long as I keep my association with Lloyd and the rest brief enough to where they won't remember me by the time they reach Asgard. Yeah . . . I can do that. I'm already forgetting the names and faces of some of my classmates from back home. They for sure won't remember my existence by the time they reach Asgard—no the Thonda Geyser. That's what's so great about time. I can use the healing process it has over memories to erase my existence from their minds and minimize my chances of joining them to nothing.

Though something . . . Something keeps bugging me . . . I'm forgetting something and I feel like it's vital.

Hmm . . . Game starts. Martel temple. Lloyd and Genis banished. Renegade base. Triet. Triet ruins. Ossa Trail. Izooid. Palmacosta. Meet imposters, Chocolat, and Dorr. Hakonesia Peak. Desians attempt to hang Cacao . . . Is that what I'm forgetting? I'll be in Palmacosta by then. Hmm . . . Group leaves. Spiritua statue must be retrieved . . . Go . . . outside . . . and . . .

Chocolat gets kidnapped by the Desians.

I gasp as my heart skips a beat.

Chocolat gets kidnapped by the Desians! I forgot that! I'll be with her! I agreed that I'll help protect her and the tour she's guiding _and she'll get kidnapped by Desians!_ How the hell could I damn well forget?! How can I even defend a group alongside inept soldiers when we're going to be attacked by Desians?! I can't—I can't! I don't even have an Exsphere! I'll die! I'll die! If I don't die then I'm going to end up at the ranch! And then I can't exactly back out of this on Chocolat! How the hell do I explain that?! I'm not even going to imagine _that_ little scene!

"Kelsey?"

I gasp and whirl about.

Cacao holds two cups with steam drifting from them. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I'm not sure how to even answer that.

I shift to another position on the chair as she brings me my cup. "Uh . . . Y-Yeah. Fine."

As I take it from her Cacao says softly, "You can talk about it with me if you want."

As if. But I can't keep some of it inside.

I look down at my hot tea. ". . . Ah . . . I'm . . . I'm anxious. I was just thinking about the job I'm going to do as a guard for Chocolat's tour. I'm . . . relatively new at using a weapon and fighting. I practice really hard every day! But what if I'm not good enough or we get attacked by monsters or something and I drop my guard and someone gets hurt or if the Desians are on the way and attack us or someone needs help and I'm too inept to do anything or . . . or something happens or . . ."

Cacao smiles sympathetically. "Kelsey. Everything will be just fine. You will have other soldiers to help you, soldiers more experienced and some who are even veterans looking for a job outside the militia. You will have support. Monsters do not just come out and attack like a lot of people think. In fact, I believe they are just like animals. Then the Desians have never attacked a pilgrimage tour as far as I have been alive to know. I suppose they never found it worth while to attack the little groups to begin with. You'll be fine. Most guards on the tours never see any combat unless they are unfortunate enough to come across bandits. You'll be just fine. I know it."

I don't answer. All I do is hide my moping and sip at my tea. My lips instantly retreat as soon as they feel the scorching liquid and I lower my cup to wait out the steam. I did manage to taste the tea. I think it's cinnamon. Not my favorite but better than nothing.

I watch Cacao as she deals with other customers coming in. The day drags on and on and my tea sinks lower and lower just little by little. By the time an hour or two passed I took another sip of the cinnamon tea and frowned. It's cold. Then again it's autumn in Palmacosta.

And it's about to be spring at home . . .

The door slams open (again) and a black haze gasps at the front. I turn my head and find someone I completely forgot: Elvira.

The fortuneteller whirls around and spots me. She dives for me and pellets me with question after question.

"What happened to you?! I heard something happened at the docks! Are you well?! Who did this to you?! Kelsey, please answer me!"

Elvira finally stops when she realizes that she's not helping by drowning me in these demanding questions.

"Elvira, I can tell you as well as she can," Cacao says. "Come here and let me tell you. I heard everything."

I thank Cacao as Elvira hesitantly moves away from me and to the counter. However, as soon as the older woman digests the story in her mind she instantly dashes to me and crushes me in a tight embrace, which isn't exactly comfortable or good for my lungs.

"I cannot believe this wretched thing happened to one such as you! How dare those cruel fools! People like them are the reasons why the Desians still exist and humans can never get any peace! This was just too cruel to fathom! I should have gone to purchase the candles myself instead of being so lazy about it! To think you were under such hatred!"

"Crushing . . . ! Me . . . !" I gasp. "Can't . . . ! _Breathe . . . !_"

I'm immediately released and I suck in all the air I can before the spots in my sight disappear. Elvira stares at me for a long time with this crestfallen face.

"Dear," she says, "I believe we should return to the apartment. There is something I need to give you, anyway."

I nod and softly reply, "Okay . . ."

The fortuneteller takes my cup and sets it on Chocolat's side counter and gently leads me outside. We walk a ways but I don't pay any attention to my surroundings. Chocolat's going to be kidnapped by Desians. I'll be there. I'll fail. I'll die. Chocolat's going to be kidnapped by Desians. I'll be there. I'll fail. I'll die. Chocolat's going to be kidnapped by Desians. I'll be there. I'll fail. I'll die. Chocolat's going to be . . .

I get tapped into the home and awaken from my trance. Elvira closes the door behind her and walks into the main room and pauses there for a moment. She goes into another room with some haste and returns in a slow pace with something held in her hand, something I can tell is important.

Elvira stops in front of me, eyes filled with emotion. She takes a breath, and says, "I know you are very nervous about the tour you are about to go with. I can tell by merely placing myself in your position. This . . . This can help you."

She holds out her hand and unfolds her fingers. Resting on the palm of her hand is an Exsphere.

I'm almost too afraid to touch it, even while I reach my hand to it to trace the dull gold metal that I can assume is a key crest. "How . . . How did you get this?"

Elvira closes her eyes. "This is an Exsphere. It will extend the limits of your abilities and even strengthen you to a point. I got this from my brother . . . after he perished. I could not let it go at the time. And now, you are the one who needs this Exsphere the most."

"But!" I protest, "But this is a memento of your brother! I can't just take it!"

She opens her eyes and smiles. "If I am giving it to you then, yes, you can. I keep Jaren's journal, his very voice in writing, and my memory of him, everything that I remember of him while he was alive. That is all I truly need or want of him. Now take it. You need it more than I do. I can teach you how to equip it."

With a hesitant, trembling hand, I wrap my fingers around the cold metal-ringed stone and lift it off the palm of her hand. It gleams a powerful and bold red.

"Where do you wish to place it?" she suddenly asks me.

I blink (somewhat startled) and watch her for a moment. "Uh . . . uh . . . L-let's see . . . Um . . ." I don't want it someplace obvious (like my hand) but I also don't want it somewhere suggestive or hard to get to when I want to remove it. I guess . . . I don't know.

I tug on my sleeve in nerves. Someplace not so obvious or hard to reach . . . I keep tugging on my sleeve. Not obvious or hard to reach . . . My sleeve again. Not obvious or hard . . .

"Um . . ." I go. "My shoulder?"

Elvira gawks at me. "Your . . . shoulder?"

I hastily squawk, "I don't know! Yeah, my shoulder! It was random and popped into my head! Please don't bother asking why!"

She stares at me for just a moment before she sighs (with an eye roll) and instructs, "Get your . . . shoulder bare and place it right here like this." She centers the Exsphere on my deltoid (I remember something from school! Yay!). "Then press the key crest—and only the key crest!—in gently. The Exsphere will follow." Her hand softly compresses the cold metal into my arm (where the arm and shoulder meet) and . . . well, it sticks. I feel no change other than that I can feel it sticking on me with no chance of falling off. Ew. I jerk my shoulder some to test it. Yep. Not coming off any time soon.

Elvira provides further instructions, "To remove the Exsphere, you hook your fingers on the side of the rim and carefully peel it off."

I gawk at her with bulged eyes. "Peel?!"

It takes only a look to silence me.

"Like this." I watch her as she does exactly what she said to do and whip my eyes away the exact moment I feel the key crest come off, taking some skin with it until the skin proves too intact to go with it. It's like slowly removing duct tape (only not as sticky).

She hands the Exsphere back. "Now try it yourself."

With a sigh, I take the Exsphere and put it on exactly the way she told me to. I just don't take it off. The fortuneteller raises her eyebrow at that but I just lift my chin up and stubbornly refuse to peel the thing off my skin. I'm not going through that again unless I have to. Elvira rolls her eyes as she picks not to fight this battle.

"You do not have a weapon, yes?" she asks me.

I shake my head. "I never got a weapon other than the pole you gave me for the lessons." Though . . . I have a guess . . .

Elvira steps around me and approaches the blade side of the spear mantled above the front door. She gently taps the underside of the spear's body and it, at first, slowly tilts towards the other end and collapses after only a second of trying to balance itself, in which at that point Elvira catches the handle and stabilizes the spear. With it balanced in both hands, she offers it to me with both hands held out.

Well . . . I can't say I'm too surprised. Some of the techniques Elvira has been teaching me only make sense if they're for a spear. I hesitate to take the long weapon until I remember that I could probably take it and it feel lighter than it should without the Exsphere. I reach out and take the spear's body, and I test its weight as soon as Elvira releases her hold. As I suspected, it's lighter than I thought. I'll probably never be able to wield it without the Exsphere until I actually get some muscles.

"Now you have a way to defend yourself outside of Palmacosta," she tells me.

Maybe . . . I have a chance after all.

* * *

I know it's only a couple of days until I have to go out, but I'm really jittery. I pack and unpack and organize and reorganize and count and recount all the things I'm taking. Clothes: blue dress with blue vest, white tunic and black pants for road, the green and red outfit from Textures Abundant, underwear (of course), and nice comfy socks to protect my tender toes from my boots. I'm also bringing my cross necklace (for comfort reasons) and leaving my great-grandmother's coral-and-gold necklace (for obvious reasons). The church is going to supply us with some first aid supplies but I'm getting prepared anyway. First aid: ten apple gels (very expensive), two orange gels, and a life bottle (just in case) along with some bandages. It wasn't cheap to get any of those. Books: all my Lord of the Ring books and a cookbook Elvira let me borrow ("I already memorized every recipe I have. Of course you may borrow the book.").

I wish I had my ipod back . . .

By the fifth time I redo my entire packing process again, Elvira (who was out for some time) calls out to me, "Kelsey, I need you to come out and speak with me. Come sit at the table."

I snort at my stuff and go take a seat at the table in the main room across from Elvira. My, how staid she looks.

"Iiisss everything alright?" I ask her with a touch of weariness to my tone.

"Yes," she says, "everything is well. I only worry about you. I will get to the point: I am leaving in the morrow for Hakonesia Peak."

Oooooohhhhhh . . . . . . . . I see. A lot more than I should for my position. "The morrow as in tomorrow morning?"

She raises one eyebrow slightly. "I am somewhat surprised that you know what 'morrow' means."

I've been called the living SAT by peers for a reason.

"So, since you're going to Hakonesia," I go, "what are you having me do? Am I staying here or am I bunking with someone?"

"'Bunking'?"

I rephrase, "Am I staying here or going to stay at someone else's house?"

Elvira goes, "That is a matter of your choice. However, I thought you might like to know that I have already spoken with Cacao and she is more than willing to house you until you and Chocolat leave for the pilgrimage tour. I will return but I do not guarantee return before you leave. Funds left for you are in the box next to the relic covered by a cloth. You can use them for food and lodging as well as baubles of your choice. I do request, however, that you return with leftover gald."

"Sssoooooo . . ." I go. "What happened?"

She explains, "I am escorting the true Chosen's group to Hakonesia Peak. I have spoken with two members from that group quite recently (in fact, just twenty minutes ago) and have arranged to meet them in the morrow to see if we can catch their impersonators before they reach their destination."

"So they already spoke to Dorr?" I assume.

"No," is the response. "They are only taking precautions due to deep suspicions that my account has confirmed. They will speak with Dorr early in the morning. If you have any special arrangements they need to be cared for today."

I consider my options for a moment and answer, "I'll stay here. It's only for a couple of days and I need to learn how to get along on my own. I'll tell Cacao myself that she doesn't need to make room for me."

She bows her head in acknowledgment. "Very well. I will leave you to your business. In the meantime, I will take care of necessary ends for tomorrow."

And she leaves me, literally, to my thoughts.

My thoughts aren't exactly on my good side right now. They keep telling me how much I'm working to keep away from becoming a self-insert or from dying or so many horrible things . . . and yet, with one little memory lapse, I placed myself in a position to where I either become a part of this story or . . . I suffer in the ranch until I'm freed . . . or . . . die. All this time, I can't believe it. All this time I've been heading towards the exact same thing that I've been working so hard to avoid. Now, here I am, with an Exsphere on my arm and a spear in my hand . . .

And a one-way ticket to becoming a self-insert.

* * *

Review, ya varmits!


	11. Let's Toss in a Pinch of Hell

Chapter Eleven: Let's Toss in a Pinch of Hell

"Lloyd Irving, for the last time, wake up!"

No response . . .

"Lloyd!"

"Let me help."

THUMP!!

"Gah! What the hell?!" cries Lloyd. He struggles out of the tangle of sheets as he tries to stand after being dumped from his warm bed onto the cold hard floor. Raine taps her foot impatiently and Kratos lowers the mattress he raised.

Lloyd yawns in his protest, "Wwwwhhhhyyy . . . do we have to get up so early?"

"The only time Dorr's schedule is relatively free is in the morning," answers Raine. "Get dressed. We leave in thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes?!" He snatches his pants from the back of the chair he laid them on the previous night. "What about breakfast?"

"You missed it. You can grab an apple on the way out."

Lloyd grumbles as Raine and Kratos leave the room. He hastily gets himself dressed and bullies his flat hair to the usual spikiness. As soon as he gets down he finds everyone waiting for him with either tired looks (Colette) or irritated expressions (everyone else).

"About time you got up . . ." Genis gripes.

"Shut up, Genis . . ." he bites back.

They walk out of the inn (with Lloyd sleepily drudging along) and move along the way to the government building. They enter pass the guards at the front and pause there while Raine goes to the receptionist who can't get her eyes off the group's muscular mercenary.

The receptionist, seeing that Kratos isn't the one approaching her, instantly sours. "Can I help you?"

Raine pinches her lips together. "I believe we have a meeting with Dorr at six."

The receptionist scans through the office agenda and blandly goes, "Sage at six?" Raine nods. "You have ten minutes to wait."

"Thank you," the healer puts as she walks away towards the couches at the side. Genis and Colette join her and Lloyd leans on the wall next to them. The receptionist eagerly watches Kratos as he finds a chair to sit on. To her disappointment, he seems completely oblivious to her attentions.

Lloyd closes his weary eyes for just a moment.

"Lloyd! Wake up!"

Lloyd jerks up and notices that everyone is in a different spot. "Huh? I just closed my eyes for just a second."

Genis (who woke him up) gives him a look. "That second turned into ten minutes. Let's go. Dorr's waiting on us."

Lloyd looks over to the door where the rest are waiting for him. He sheepishly scratches his head and catches up to them. Raine scowls for a moment and Kratos just shakes his head before Colette opens the door and reveals the long hallway they travel down.

Genis expresses, "I hope nothing bad happens. With those imposters running around . . ."

"We can only hope for the best and handle the situation when it comes," Kratos states.

"Everything will be fine," Colette chirps. "I can just tell."

Raine comments, "It's nice to think so, but I can't help but feel a little uneasy about this."

Colette stops by a short hallway as the conversation continues down the hall. She stares down it as if something strange is happening. Scratching . . . scraping . . . moaning . . . What's going on down there?

The guard snips, "What are you staring at? Move along!"

Colette snaps to, "I'm sorry! I'll get going!" She hurries back to the group who noticed she wasn't following them anymore.

"What's the matter?" Lloyd asks her.

"Um, nothing," she dismisses. "I thought I heard something."

Lloyd watches her for a moment, which sends unnerving chills down her spine. Of course they couldn't hear . . . She redirects the attention by saying, "Anyway, let's go meet with Dorr!"

They open the door and are greeted by a political sight. Two men, one with blond hair and a regal air about him and a younger one with dark hair and traditionally handsome features, stand when they enter and nod welcomingly as their guests enter.

"I presume you are the Sage party?" the young one guesses.

"Yes," Lloyd says. "You two are Governor-General Dorr and Assistant Governor-General Neil, right?"

"That's correct," Dorr assures. "Please have a seat."

They all take a chair around the meeting table across from where Dorr and Neil sit.

"As you know, I am a very busy man," Dorr starts off. "Because I have very little time to spare, I'm afraid we need to make this as brief as possible. Will you tell me what your business is?"

Raine replies, "Of course. Governor-General, we are travelers who—"

The door opens wide, interrupting Raine's account, and reveals a small girl with blond pigtails and innocent eyes and a violet dress. Genis rubs his ears as if he heard something sharp and glances at Raine who shakes her head at him. The boy reluctantly nods and refocuses on the one causing the slight disturbance.

"Father . . . ?" she timidly utters.

"Kilia," Dorr says, "shouldn't you be sleeping in your bedroom? It's a little early for you to be getting up."

"I couldn't sleep . . ."

Dorr smiles sympathetically and coos, "Then come here. Stay with me if you want but please don't interrupt the meeting again." He turns to the group. "This is my daughter, Kilia. I hope you don't mind if she stays."

"We don't mind," Raine puts. "As you can see, we are travelers who are currently on a . . . pilgrimage of a sort."

Dorr grins. "Traveling as per the teachings of Martel. A very fine and honorable thing. How can I help you?"

Lloyd inserts himself in the conversation, "Ah, thanks. We're looking for the Booklet of Regeneration."

"Lloyd, I told you before," Genis gripes. "It's call the _Book_ of Regeneration."

"Anyway," Lloyd grits as he regains his cool, "we heard at the church that it's here."

Dorr's face becomes suspicious. "The Book of Regeneration? Yes, that's our family treasure. What of it?"

"We need you to lend it to us," he states.

"What an insolent request . . ." Neil mutters in criticism.

"Please pardon him, that was rude," Raine amends (with a warning tap on the back of Lloyd's head). "We are aiding the Chosen on her journey of world regeneration." She mentally braces herself as she adds, "For the sake of the future of our world, we wish to learn the path followed by Spiritua."

Tension strikes the air around Dorr and Neil. Their faces turn grim and hostile.

". . . Governor-General Dorr," Neil simply says.

"Yes . . ." Dorr stands from his seat and stares down each and every one of them. "The Chosen was just here yesterday! How dare you defile that name! _Security!_"

They all jump to their seats and whip around when the door bursts open and ten guards push their way in.

Dorr commands, "These despicable criminals must be arrested and turned over to the church at once! Take them away from here!"

The soldiers advance with their weapons ready. Kratos shoots in front of all of them, prepared to defend if the soldiers go too far. Raine pushes Genis behind her and keeps her staff up in a defensive position. Lloyd tells Colette, "Get behind me!" as he grabs her upper arm and tugs her behind him.

In that movement, Colette trips over her own feet and bangs her back against the table, causing her pink wings to flare out instinctively.

"Wow!" a girl's voice cries out. "Father! Look! Look!"

Kilia heaves herself on her father's empty chair and jabs her finger at Colette with a happy squeal that gets everyone's attention, "She has wings! They're so pretty! Is she an angel, Father? Is she? Is she?"

Dorr gasps and cries, "S-stop! Lower your weapons! Back down!"

The soldiers do as he commands and steps away in a confused manner. Some just keep staring at Colette and her wings.

Dorr adds, "This person before us is without a single doubt the Chosen of Mana. Please, return to your stations and forget this happened."

Each soldier hesitantly leaves the room. Some had to be prodded out by reminders from their peers that they need to do as commanded and return to their positions. When the door closes behind the last soldier, an awkward silence fills the room.

With obvious shame, Neil is the first to speak, ". . . There is no mistaking the angel wings on your back. I beg of you, please forgive our insolence, Chosen One."

Colette frowns and assures, "Ah, please! It's okay, really! Uh, um, it really is alright. Everyone tells me I'm not very Chosen-like all the time."

Dorr can't seem to escape the shock he undergoes. "But . . . this would mean . . . that the Chosen we gave the Book of Regeneration to was an imposter!"

Kratos criticizes, "So when this so-called Chosen came you naturally assumed she would be the real Chosen without much in the way of reason and handed over the Book of Regeneration."

Dorr can't quite meet their eyes as he recalls, ". . . This Chosen of Regeneration toured Palmacosta and we kept hearing of her appearances. We thought we had little reason to suspect this group."

"You said that the Book of Regeneration is your family treasure, right?" Lloyd concludes, "That group that gave us trouble with that palma potion must be the imposters!"

Neil hesitantly adds, "After hearing that the Chosen is on her way, we naturally thought that they were them . . . We were warned by certain . . . individuals that imposters were about the city but this group assured us that those imposters left a long time ago."

"Are you stupid or something?!" Genis gripes. "Now what are we supposed to do now that those imposters have the book?!"

"Genis, calm down. We have a way to catch them," Raine informs. "Even if they left on a wagon, we still have the chance that we can catch them."

"Actually . . ." They turn to Dorr. "We recently received word that one of the few caravans with a dragon wagon is giving them a ride away from the city."

"I can't believe this!" exclaims Genis as he stomps his foot. "Are you eyes just for decoration? You humans are—"

_SMACK!!_

"OW!"

"Genis! That's more than enough!"

Lloyd returns the conversation to the original topic, "You don't happen to remember the contents of the Book of Regeneration, do you?"

"I'm . . . afraid not," Dorr implies. "It's only written in the language of the angels. Only members of the church can read it."

"Damn . . ." Lloyd curses. "It looks like we don't have any choice but to chase after them."

"But how?" Colette asks. "Dragons are too fast for horses to catch. We don't even know where they went."

Lloyd reasons, "Remember what they said? They're planning to sell the Book of Regeneration to a collector at Hakonesia Peak. But the dragon wagon . . ."

"Then ask someone with a dragon wagon."

They turn to Neil. He recollects, "A woman named Elvira recently got a license for leading dragons for a wagon just a few days ago. Ask her and she will more than willingly take you to Hakonesia Peak."

Raine says, "We already spoke with Elvira."

Lloyd, Colette, and Genis turn to her. "When?"

Kratos answers, "Just yesterday while you explored that steamboat. Raine and I approached Elvira and took her offer of giving us a ride to Hakonesia Peak just in case."

Dorr grimaces. "So she told you everything."

Kratos shakes his head. "No. She only confirmed the suspicions we already had with her own account."

"I see . . ."

"Let's go after them!" Lloyd prompts.

While Lloyd, Colette, and Genis hurry out, Raine and Kratos lag behind.

Taking advantage of the adults' speed, Neil adds in, "If there is some way we can make this up to you, please let us know. Our assumptions are unforgivable and the consequences are justly deserved to us, but none of you deserved this."

"We will inform you when your assistance is needed," Raine puts in just as the two leave.

The door closes and a silence falls.

"This is a disaster . . ." Dorr moans.

Outside the government building, Lloyd curses, "This really pisses me off! What's with all of them?"

"I'm mad, too!" Genis complains, "It's just wrong that we have to go through the trouble of finding them!"

"If we stop complaining and move along to the stable sector then we can remedy the situation," Kratos lectures.

"So who's this Elvira person anyway?" Genis asks.

"Do you remember the woman in black who tried to enter the government building yesterday?" Kratos prompts.

Lloyd gets chills down his spine. "_Her?_ _She's_ Elvira?"

"Did you say something?" he asks.

"No." Lloyd shakes his head dismissively (taking the hint). "Not a thing."

"Either way, we need to move along," Raine states.

* * *

Insanity, thy name is Elvira.

I stare as Elvira works to hook each of the two Velocidragons up to the large wagon (that I'm assured that is stable and strong enough to take the extreme speed of the dragons) behind them.

Elvira glances up at me and snips, "You volunteered to help me prepare the wagon when we awoke now stop gawking at the dragons and help me."

I jump to and do the handy work that her hands are too big for without assistance. "You're going to get your head bit off."

"I have been working with these dragons for a long time now. I know them well and they know me."

"They're not domestic, Elvira. It's not like they're horses."

"I am well aware of the dangers."

"I still say you're crazy."

"You can say what you will. It will not change my course."

"I didn't think it would in the first place."

Even if these dragons are rather dangerous looking (note the sarcasm), I'll admit that these dragons are so cool to look at and . . . be so close to them even if they're frightening. You have to admire the power behind each and every muscle fiber on these magnificent creatures. They're so beautiful . . . in a terrifying sort of way. Especially since I'm a little under half their height.

"There," Elvira grunts as she tugs on the last belt strap. "That should be it. Now we must wait."

"For the Chosen's group?" I guess.

"Yes. They should be here . . ." She listens outside. "Well, they are here already."

Beautiful. And I forgot my camera for the friendly group photo.

Elvira walks away to the entrance of the stables (which I can't see or be seen from this angle) and I hear immediate chatter.

"Hello, again. I trust that your meeting with Dorr has not brought too much trouble."

"That would depend on your definition of trouble."

"So you're the one offering us a ride to Hakonesia Peak, right."

"That is correct. . . . Let us see if I have your names correct . . . You are Lloyd, you are Genis, and you are Colette, the Chosen. Then I have already met with Raine and Kratos yesterday concerning the wagon."

Just as I thought, she met with Raine and Kratos yesterday just before telling me that she's going out of the house . . . Meanwhile, I'll be getting attacked by Desians as they kidnap Chocolat.

"We need to hurry. The imposters took off with another dragon wagon!"

"Then this is much worse than I have originally imagined. Kelsey! Bring the dragons!"

Insanity, thy name is Elvira.

"Errrr . . ." I glance at the dragons who return a face that I can only guess resemble puppy-dog eyes. It strangely fits them.

"Oh, come now," I hear Elvira carp. "Think of them as horses and not dragons and you will be fine."

"Only carnivorous . . ." I hear a boy that I think is Genis add.

Definitely not helping.

With mixed emotions I grab onto the reins of the pair and coo at them (with an obvious add of anxiety) and attempt to lead them over. Very much like horses, they obediently follow me as the wagon is easily pulled behind them. I keep my eyes on the dragons as we come into the sight of the group.

"And fortunetelling is what you do during retirement?" I hear the man with Cam Clark's voice (only a little . . . different obviously) go.

"I may have invested in a few stores here and there."

"It's you!"

I look to the one person who is obviously Lloyd. I dare not speak. He continues, "You're that girl we met yesterday! Are you doing any better?"

I consider my words before I reply with, ". . . Yeah. I'm doing better. Thanks for asking." There isn't much I can say in this awkward position.

"Kelsey, right?"

I nod.

Elvira smiles down on me. "Why so shy?"

I lie with, "Just a headache." Well . . . I do have a sinus headache, but it's still just an excuse.

I hear Raine (who has a very lovely and deep voice) tell me, "That might indicate some damage to your brain after yesterday."

If genetics from my crazy dad and getting my head dropped on Wal-Mart's tile floor when I was a baby didn't screw my brain up already then I doubt that damn barrel will do much worse. "It has nothing to do with yesterday. It's not that kind of headache."

Elvira takes the reins and says, "Thank you for helping me with this, Kelsey. I very much appreciate this. Let us leave now and save time to catch those imposters."

As she climbs on the driver's seat of the wagon and the others climb on the back, I ask her, "Does Nicohlas know about this? He won't be happy that you're taking dragons."

Elvira ignores me and prompts the dragons to go. I take that as a "no he doesn't."

"He's not going to be happy," I tell her.

"What he does not know will not hurt him. He is not my keeper."

Oh how many ways can I counter that?

Colette leans out of the wagon and towards me even while it moves and cheeps, "Take care of yourself, alright? We don't want you to get hurt like you did yesterday. And could you say hi to Chocolat for us?"

I respond, "I'll be fine. It's you we should worry about. And yes, I'll tell Chocolat you said hi."

"Thanks!" She waves goodbye as I stop and let the wagon move out of Palmacosta without me.

I win this battle against self-insertion. Can I win the war?

* * *

I enter Marble's with my practice rod equipped on my back the same way Elvira taught me last night during practice. I glance around but don't find Chocolat. Huh. A little early for work at the church today.

"Where's Chocolat?" I ask Cacao.

Cacao smiles at me and replies, "Chocolat is doing some volunteer work at Textures Abundant."

Abercold and Amanda. God help that poor girl from her own self-inflicted pain.

"Mind if I help out?" I offer.

Cacao smiles. "Not at all."

During the day I grab individual items that customers order from Cacao and she handles with the exchange. The day goes on and I start feeling safer and safer and eventually forget about the rod on my back.

The door opens with a chime from the bell. Cacao gasps.

Two Desians walk in and stop in front of Cacao across the counter. I ease my hand towards the rod, readying myself for the worst case scenario.

One with a whip growls, "Are you the owner of this shack?"

I recognize the voice to be the one who attempted to attack Chocolat from last time. I grow tense as Cacao shakily answers, "Y-yes, I am."

The other Desian moves over to the door, opens it, and makes a hand sign.

The one with the whip snatches Cacao's neck and snarls, "You made the wrong move to refuse to sell us the few measly gels we were aiming to buy. You'll pay with your life for that!"

I lash my rod out and leap down off the ladder and land next to the Desian. Just as he was about to grab at his whip I cry out, "DOWNCUT!!"

I swing my rod downward onto his hand with lightning speed. The assaulter cries out and releases Cacao in pain. He hisses and sputters curses at me. Movement at the corner of my eye catches my attention. I swing my rod around and block the sword from the Desian I've forgotten about. Using the power of my Exsphere, I jump behind the counter and push Cacao behind me and bring my rod to a defensive position. Noting the severe chip in my wooden practice rod, I conclude that I'm going to have to dodge their attacks rather than block their metal weapons with my wooden pole.

More Desians intrude into the shop and crowd in. I'm way outnumbered.

"Give it up, girl. You have no chance," one snorts. "Why are you opposing us, anyway?"

I brace myself before I snap, "What you do is wrong and intolerable! What other reason do we need to fight back?"

_Thuk!!_

I freeze when an arrow appears just next to my head stuck in Cacao's nice shop wall. The Desians close in on us by going around the counter and hoping over it with this menacing smirk on their faces telling me that we're pretty much doomed.

When we get backed into a corner I mutter to myself, "Damn it . . . Not good . . ."

* * *

The Velocidragons slow to a happy stop just some near the House of Salvation. Elvira quivers where she sits. The others just slowly pry their fingers from the death grip on the wagon.

Lloyd cheers, "Let's go again! Let's go again! Let's go again!"

"Not for a while . . ." Raine utters as Colette tries to keep her breakfast in her stomach.

Genis lodges himself from his sister's side. "That was . . . way too fast . . . !"

"Guah . . . My stomach!"

Kratos clips, "Don't ever go that fast again!"

Elvira just shivers in her spot.

Lloyd jumps down and chirps, "Come on, guys! That was a lot of fun! Go just as fast after this break, Elvira!"

". . . If you . . . do not desire for my death then . . . no . . . absolutely not . . ."

"Awww. You're no fun . . ." he moans as everyone recovers enough to get off the wagon.

All (except Elvira who's still stuck in the driver's seat via trauma) climb down off the wagon and head towards the House of Salvation. Confusion sets itself in them when they notice the number of soldiers surrounding the house.

"This is quite a bit of commotion," Kratos notes.

A soldier comes by and stops them. "What's your business?"

Lloyd answers, "We're travelers taking a break. What's going on?"

The soldier hesitates. He gauges Lloyd and each person as they arrive at his side. The soldier shifts awkwardly and clears his throat. Then he says, "We're taking defensive measures. Some travelers a little bit ago . . . saw the Desians heading right to Palmacosta. You better go on your way and avoid Palmacosta for a while. Their leader, Magnius, is even going with them I hear."

"Oh, no . . ." Raine laments.

"We gotta go back!" Lloyd cries out. Before Raine (who definitely wants to say something else) can get in another word, Lloyd zooms right to Elvira who's still trying to calm herself enough to get off the wagon.

"Elvira! We need to get back to Palmacosta! This time we have to go as fast as we can!"

"WHAT?!" she squeals. "There is no chance in hell—"

"The Desians are heading right to Palmacosta!"

That changes Elvira's attitude with one gasp from her as any indication. "Then get on! I will see if we can go faster, but I make no promises."

Lloyd jumps on and calls out, "Hurry up, guys! We've got to get to Palmacosta!"

* * *

"One! Two! . . ."

"_Nononononononononononono!_"

"Three!"

"_Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!_" Ker-PLASH!!

Each Desian deciding that I wasn't worth the time or effort to kill, they took away my practice rod, snapped it in half, yanked Cacao away, and threw me into the ocean. I struggle up to air with the cold sea sending shocks into my bones from the very effect its temperature has. Feeling no success in escaping the ocean's grasp, I kick off my boots and swim as hard as I can up to the light, hoping that isn't the light that everyone tells you not to go towards. My lungs burn and beg me to breathe. My body feels like ice. I can't . . . I can't . . .

The water breaks away from me. I gasp in the sweet air, deaf to all the screaming. I cry out, "H-h-h-h-h-help! Ge-g-ge-get-t-t-t mmmme out! Somebody!"

No one hears me. They just scream as the Desians move in towards the gallows. With Cacao.

Doing my best to keep myself afloat in this cold, grasping water, I glance about searching for some way to get back on firm ground on this floating city. I spot a place where I remember some man docked a small fishing boat and trend my way through the sloshing waves to that lowered platform. I climb up on it and collapse against the wall, shivering in immobility, detached from the chaos.

Cacao and Chocolat . . .

I move my reluctant joints to get up and hurry back to my apartment where I can get some clothes and Jaren's spear. The more I run the warmer my joints get the faster I run. Finally I'm dashing at a speeding pace and rush into apartment ten and slam open Elvira's door. I rip the wet clothes off and shove my black pants and white tunic on and grab my spear on the way out, already regretting the time wasted on just this.

I rush to the gallows, moving as fast as my legs can carry me with the Exsphere lending its aid. I shove passed the growing crowd and get into the commerce district.

"_Kelsey!_"

I halt and whip around. Chocolat dashes away from Textures Abundant and slides to a halt when she gets to me. Then we run. At _her_ fastest pace.

"Where's Mom?!" she shouts to me.

I bite my lip before I yell over the mass, "The Desians got her! They say it's because she wouldn't sell those gels to her!"

Chocolat gasps and pauses for an angst moment before she snaps, "That's an excuse! I'm the one who denied them service in the first place!" Then she laments, "Mom wasn't even going to put up a fight back then and they attack her . . . !"

"Chocolat!" I shout at her. "We're going to get your mom out of that! You hear me! That kind of talk isn't going to help!"

She stares at me for a moment and gives me a determined nod. "Alright!"

We reach the edge of the crowd we pay no heed to and stop when we see the sight. The Desians circle the entire area; a young man I somewhat recognize lays dead with his neck bent in a grotesque angle; Magnius stands right next to Cacao who quivers in fear with a noose loosely resting around her neck.

"MOM!!" Chocolat shoves through the crowd as I tail her, fearful that something bad will happen.

"Stop right there, women!" one Desian threatens.

Another announces, "If you interfere, we'll have you both suffering in ways that will leave you begging for death!"

Chocolat argues, "You think Governor-General Dorr will let you get away with this?! Let my mom go NOW!"

Up on the gallows platform, Magnius howls, "Dorr? Ahahahahah!" I tug Chocolat behind me, keeping myself calm the best I can. "Don't get your hopes up, woman!"

I hiss to Chocolat, "Now isn't the time to antagonize them!"

"What do you plan to do?!" she snaps at me.

"I'm still working on that . . ." I mutter.

Suddenly, Magnius calls out, "As entertaining as it might be to argue with you, I'd rather take care of this vermin first."

"NO!!" Chocolat cries.

Magnius raises his hand to one side of his neck . . . and narrows his eyes when a pebble flies passed his face. Another pebble flies and barely misses him again. And another one. His eyes home in on a small boy with trembling limbs and a handful of pebbles in one hand and another rock that launches off the palm of the other hand. That rock just tumbles onto the platform and doesn't even come close.

Everyone loses their breath.

"You . . ." Magnius growls. ". . . disgusting little _vermin!_"

Magnius hops off the platform with a thud and marches over to the little boy, whose pebbles shudder out of his hands looking for an escape away from the tiny offending hands.

Forgetting Chocolat, I zoom right to the boy and gently push him behind me. Magnius glares at me with his narrow eyes. I whip my spear out with a shaking grip just as he reaches out for me.

"Stop right there!"

Sharp wind races towards Magnius and slices a fine cut along his leg. He grunts and falls to his knees. My heart pounding, I keep from exposing my back to the Grand Desian Cardinal and shoo the boy away, who runs off to take shelter in the crowd. I myself warily back off and circle around to put greater distance. This, however, gets me closer to the group who saved me. Close enough to hear what they're saying at least.

"Lloyd, stop! Do you want to turn this city into the next Iselia?" Raine scolds.

Lloyd protests, "It's not the same! This city doesn't have a non-aggression treaty with the Desians! How can we go on a quest to regenerate the world if we can't even save the people standing right in front of us?!"

Colette catches up with Lloyd and takes out her chakrams. "Lloyd's right! I can't just stand here and let this happen!"

"You!" My attention turns to the Desians around recovered Magnius. "You're wanted criminal number zero zero seven four: Lloyd Irving!"

Magnius smirks and says, "Well, now. So you're that boy with the Exsphere!" Then he laughs, "This is perfect! After I take that Exsphere off your dead body, they'll make me leader of the Five Grand Cardinals! _Get them!_"

One of his mages makes a dance with red ruins glowing at his feet. He dances and dances around his staff and makes a grand obnoxious gesture that shoots off fire balls the size of my head. They zoom right at Lloyd, Colette, and Raine who don't even move. Genis rushes up and turns his back to the fire balls and points a finger over his shoulder. A fraction of what I can safely guess is Force Field pops up and the fire balls sizzle pathetically against the barrier.

"Amateurs . . ." Genis walks back to his usual spot in the group arrangement.

"Dammit! You worthless idiots!" howls Magnius. His eyes shift from Lloyd's group and Cacao and he shouts, "Enough of this crap! I'll take care of that woman first!"

Magnius makes the sign.

Colette hurls her chakram in panic.

I dash to the gallows where Chocolat gasps.

The Desian at the gallows leaver pulls the switch.

Cacao falls . . .

. . . and collapses to the ground when the rope is sliced by Colette's chakram before it snaps the woman's neck.

While Kratos attacks Magnius, Chocolat and I lift Cacao up and support her with our shoulders as we get out of the scene. I make sure no Desians follow to finish off their work.

"Here, let me be of assistance."

Elvira appears and worms the arm I have of Cacao around her own shoulders and gently pushes me away.

"But—"

"Go help the Chosen, Kelsey," she tells me. "Allow me to help Cacao."

"But—"

One look silences me.

I sigh, "Alright." Then I hurry back to the group.

* * *

"Ugh!" Magnius completely falls under the wound Kratos lashes on him.

". . . Let us respect the wishes of the Chosen," Kratos taunts.

The crowd goes into a frenzy of gabber. "The Chosen? . . ." "_She_ is the Chosen?!" "I thought it was that other group!" "Well those other people aren't here and they are so _they_ must be the real Chosen's group!" "The Chosen herself has come to save us?!"

Raine demands, "Do you all realize what you're doing? Palmacosta may be attacked just like Iselia!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Lloyd snarls. "I'm not going to repeat my last mistake! I'll destroy every last one of them. THE ENTIRE RANCH!!"

Raine cries, "_That's insanity!_"

Lloyd calms down some and turns admiring eyes to Colette and proclaims, "Besides, _we_ have the Chosen on our side. The savior who will regenerate the world! Right, Colette?"

Raine snaps, "That is an excuse and you—"

"Yup!" Colette affirms. "I'm going to fight for everyone's sake!"

"Colette! Not you—"

"Oh! Lady Colette! The great Chosen of Mana!"

Raine moans, "I give up . . ." She gets out her staff and expresses, "But . . . I'll help since I'll be worried out of my mind otherwise . . ."

"Thanks, Professor Sage!" Lloyd goes.

"Don't thank me, Lloyd. Don't you dare thank me for this kind of idiocy."

Magnius curses, "Damned little . . . Enough of this crap! I'm leaving them to you. Get rid of them or else!"

The teleportation spell about Magnius' feet starts and Magnius and most of his Desians disappear.

One of the ten Desians remaining barks, "How dare you lay a hand on Lord Magnius! You're all dead!"

The ten charge right at all of them. Kratos uses Sonic Thrust and lands a deadly blow on one, downing him for good. Genis takes the back a little ahead his sister and begins to cast Icicle and Raine begins to cast reinforcement spells. Colette flares out her wings and tosses her chakrams in a flowing pattern. Lloyd takes out his second sword as three Desians circle him.

The one to his right rushes him but Lloyd blocks his attack and kicks at his gut stunning him. The one in front of him makes a downward slash at him that he's forced to block but is left vulnerable to the one attacking a blind spot on his left.

"GAH!" that one cries. A spearhead hooks at the flesh on the Desian's torso and pulls him towards his attacker from the back and is pushed off the blade. The redheaded girl—Kelsey, he remembers—keeps her eyes off the Desian she just killed and shouts, "Your right!"

Lloyd blocks an attack from his right as Kelsey slashes at the Desian to his front. That Desian breaks and jumps back for more room. He attacks Kelsey with a thrust which she dodges. Taking advantage of the momentary vulnerability, Kelsey shoots passed the attacker with a thrust that must be Sonic Thrust. The Desian falls, dead.

Lloyd's own Desian doesn't fair nearly as well. He trips over his own feet when Lloyd's block sent him tumbling. He tries to get up, but Lloyd finishes him off with Tiger Blade and he flies through the air and drops harshly on the ground.

Colette finished off one Desian and blocks another attack. She spies Kratos rushing to her side and pushes the Desian off towards the mercenary, whose hungry blade runs through that one. Colette whirls around and tosses a chakram at a whip man who closes in on Genis, who's casting Stone Blast on a Desian about to close in on Raine. The chakram slices that Desian open and Lloyd finishes that one off with a Demon Fang.

Finally, only two left. Just mages. They hastily build a rough teleportation spell and successfully activate it just as Kratos was about to meet them head on. Then they were gone.

Everyone settles as they put away their weapons. The previous tension rolls off into nothing as the people cheer their heroes on.

Kelsey sighs, "What a day this turned out to be . . ."

* * *

Review . . . or you don't get candy.


	12. It's Funny How Things Turn Out

Chapter Twelve: It's Funny How Things Turn Out

"Thank you . . ." Cacao mutters while she rubs her neck.

"Thank you so much for saving my mom!" Chocolat cries while tears slowly drip down her cheeks. I sit next to Cacao as I gently rub an apple gel on the ankle she twisted when she fell. Chocolat continues, "I don't know what I would have done if they'd murdered my mom as well . . ."

"As well?" Genis asks.

Despite how incredibly nosy that question is, Cacao seems to have no problem explaining, "My husband volunteered in Governor-General Dorr's militia and . . . and was . . . killed in a battle against the Desians just a month ago. Then . . . before that . . . my mother was taken to the ranch during an attack."

"Grandma was the one who originally founded our shop," Chocolat adds. "That's why we have to protect it not just for ourselves but for when she returns . . ."

Without thinking, I add, "One more reason to work for the church."

Chocolat narrows her eyes at me. "Are you trying to say something?"

I recover with, "Sorry. That wasn't even supposed to have any meaning."

Suddenly the chatterbox, Chocolat goes on with, "So that's also the reason why I work at the Church of Martel Travel Agency." (Ah, so that's what it's called.) "To help support our item shop. Even though . . . Even though I don't believe in Martel or anything . . ."

While I note that Chocolat must feel very open with these strangers Cacao gasps, "Chocolat! I don't understand! How can you say such a thing!"

Chocolat looks down, embarrassed to have to continue this. "I know . . . I'm grateful for the Chosen, but Martel didn't protect Dad or Grandma! Then this time it was the _Chosen_ who saved you! I don't get how anyone can believe in a goddess that can somehow _sleep_ even while _we _suffer."

"I understand what you mean," Colette tells her. "I still chose to believe Martel exists."

"I don't understand," Chocolat repeats.

"I know. She exists inside you and me and protects our hearts so that, even if we are hurt, our spirits stay unharmed," Colette says.

Chocolat pauses and looks at each and every one of us. Then she looks down and considers what she's been told. Then I hear her says, "If . . . If the Chosen says so . . . then I'll try my best to believe."

Then, to change the subject from something so personal, Chocolat gets up and says, "Well, it's almost time for the next pilgrimage tour. Kelsey, are you packed?"

What? "Yeah, but 'almost time'? Isn't it tomorrow?"

Chocolat looks at me. "Did you get lost again?"

Silence.

"Crap . . . !" I get off my butt and hurry away. I shoot pass Lloyd but stop when I realize that Lloyd had to dodge me and the next thing I hear is "Whoa!" and _chut _like a door closing. We all look and find that he fell into a closet. The doorknob jiggles but doesn't allow exit.

Silence.

Genis goes, "Lloyd, come out of the closet. It's not funny."

From the other side of the door comes, "I can't! The doorknob's stuck!"

I hold my breath and clinch my jaws shut to keep from laughing.

Chocolat tells, "That doorknob's always been funny like that. You have to force it to get it open. Now come out of the closet."

The doorknob jabs into a strain. ". . . It won't budge!"

I'm completely beside myself. I will not make a lame pun. I will not make a lame pun. I will not make a lame pun. I will not . . .

_Cha!_ "Got it!" The door swings open and Lloyd walks back into the light. Looks like Lloyd came out of the closet in the end.

"Anyway . . ." Lloyd returns to the original subject. "Why would people go on a trip right after what just happened here?"

I agree by, "My thoughts exactly but I don't set the agendas here."

Kratos makes a grand lecture, "It's after events like this that both those with and without faith feel the need to go on a journey in search of salvation."

This may be just me, but that's a pretty big generalization that has the right words to tick several people off.

Apparently Symphonia has a different mindset than Earth, because Chocolat (perhaps eager to get off the personal issues) dismissively puts, "That pretty much sums it up. Well then, thank you all very much! Nothing I do could ever repay what you have done for us. I'll never forget this."

As she leaves she takes me by the arm and forcibly ushers me out. "Come on, snowflake. We're getting you packed up before you're late."

They watch as Chocolat and I leave.

Lloyd asks Cacao, "Are you sure you're fine with just letting Chocolat go like that?"

Cacao nods. "Yes. She has a commitment and she needs to uphold it. She'll be fine. Besides, with her away from Palmacosta, she should be out of Magnius' reach."

With that they bid their farewells and be-safes and make their way out of Marble's. They meet Elvira outside the shop's door.

"You know you could have come with us to make sure Cacao's fine," Lloyd points out.

Elvira nods. "I know, but all of you are the heroes in this, not me. I believe it was your place to be there for Cacao and Chocolat to be sure they are well. Now, let us leave for Hakonesia Peak. This time, we travel at a reasonable pace. I am quite sure that the imposters have well arrived there long before we ever will."

* * *

I finish my packing process with a "There! All done!"

Chocolat gives me a thumbs up. "Great!" Then she notices a book lying out and picks it up. "Is this a journal?"

I look at it and go, "Yeah. Here, give it to me. I'll pack it. I'll never know when I might suddenly start writing in it."

She hands me the blank book and the writing stuff next to it. "You never wrote in it? Why?"

I shrug. "Never motivated myself to."

"Lazy bum."

"So are we walking all the way to Asgard?" I ask her.

She answers, "No, the church is providing us with a wagon for the tourists and horses for the soldiers. That means you get a horse for yourself while I ride in a crowded wagon, lucky. By the way, nice way to change the subject."

"And when we reach the checkpoint at Hakonesia Peak we'll each have our own passes?" Now that I think about it, I really don't want to stop at that checkpoint for too long. I don't want to just coincidently glance over at the collector's shop and find out that he's staring at the female half of the tour.

"That's right. We'll each get our own passes! They'll be handed out by a priest just before the tour starts."

Then I randomly remember the gald Elvira left off for me. I walk into the main room and search the area for a relic covered by a . . . Oh, there it is! I take the gald and glance at the relic one last time . . . It looks like it could be a . . . I dismiss my thought so I wouldn't confuse myself too much over it and move back into my room and pack my gald.

"Hey, Kelsey."

I turn to Chocolat. "Yes?"

Chocolat starts to leave my room. "Could you stay here for just a second?"

She leaves without an answer. I hear her mess with something in the bags she brought with her from her home (just because it'll be easier to go from here straight to the church) and pull something out. She returns with a small flat package in her hands.

"I know it's early," she says, "but your birthday comes when we will be traveling so I decided to give this to you before we leave."

She hands the wrapped package to me and I take it with hesitant hands. I watch it for a moment before my hands tear at the colorful paper themselves instead of waiting for my command. My eyes mindlessly watch as the paper rips itself away and falls to the table in my room, followed by the tiny parcel's lid.

Four ribbons, red, green, blue, and violet, line next to one another, folded to perfection. I pull the violet one out and admire the sheen. Chocolat gauges my expression, trying to tell whether or not I like what she gave me. To give her a hint, I mutter, "It's so pretty . . ."

Chocolat smiles. "I went to Textures Abundant and asked about ribbons to give to you and those two flooded me with ribbons galore! Eventually I picked out those four and, Abercold and Amanda, well, you should have seen their faces. They looked like I took down their door flag or something."

I guess "took down their door flag" is a Palmacosta idiom equivalent to "shot their dog".

I set down the box and hold up the violet ribbon in my hand. "Thank you. Think you could put this in for me? I know I'll get it all sloppy."

Chocolat smiles wide and takes the ribbon from me. I turn around and let her fuss with my hair. After a few complains about how thick it is and how much hair she has to mess with she puts it up in a high ponytail. I turn and look at her for a moment and we both grin.

"Happy birthday, snowflake," she teases. "Let's get our stuff and go.

* * *

The pastor calls out once more, "Does everyone have their passes? You won't be able to get another one after this so don't lose it!"

With my own pass safely tucked in my luggage, I insert my foot into the saddle foot strap and hoist myself onto the mild horse the church gave me along with an initial pay (which they gave to every guard). I watch as the tourists climb up into the large wagon led by a nice team and Chocolat and another tour guide (whose name escapes me again) seat themselves onto the front where the reins are. I move into my designated guard position with my spear strapped to my back. Meanwhile, the other guards loiter about with gossips dripping off their lips.

"Did you hear? The Chosen actually saved Cacao from the Desians!"

"That kid in red is supposed to be a criminal wanted by the Desians. I say we let him stay here in Palmacosta for as long as he wants! Whatever he did to piss off the Desians must be good for us!"

"My daughter was swooning over that mercenary. It's a damn nuisance! As if Neil wasn't enough!"

"That healer woman . . . She's such a beauty . . . I'd like a piece of her."

"Get your mind out of the gutter! We have tourists to protect!"

"Why does the Chosen allow a little kid to follow them along on such a dangerous journey?"

"That redheaded girl that helped them in battle is with us! Look, there she is! Why isn't she with them?"

Although I can feel their eyes on the back of my head, I don't give them the satisfaction of knowing that I heard them.

Chocolat stands up and announces, "Is this everybody? Good! Let's take the Asgard pilgrimage!"

I start my horse to a trot.

* * *

We've been on the road for a few hours. Palmacosta is nothing but a blur. I've got the hang of my horse now. Well, it's the riding part instead of the horse, actually. They have saddles that resemble the English saddle and those always threw me off, which is ironic because the Western saddles are much more complex to handle. Then again, it's probably because I'm from horse country. I've heard that in my county there are more horses than people so . . . yeah. Anyway, I took riding lessons when I was ten and never got passed a lope. Now that I have a horse and that I'm sixteen (going on seventeen) however . . .

"Kelsey!" Chocolat calls. "Get back over here!"

I turn my horse around and lope on down back to the wagon. I walk the horse next to her.

She scolds, "You're supposed to be guarding us! Keep a look out instead of only playing around."

"Okay, okay," I assure. "Just getting the hang of things."

She snorts and turns back to driving the wagon.

I glance around before I go, "Anything to talk about?" No response. "Nothing? You sure?" No response. Hmm . . . How about an awkward topic? "Got a crush on anyone?"

Chocolat watches me suspiciously. "No."

"Anyone you think is cute?"

She watches me suspiciously.

I smirk. "There _is_ someone you think is cute. Who is it?"

"Not so loud!" she hisses in a whisper.

With equal volume, I prompt, "Well, who is it?"

Her face turns pink with a blush. "Well . . . Uh . . . That group that saved Mom . . ."

_Please_ don't let it be Kratos . . .

She continues, "I . . . I really think that . . . the guy in red . . . is really . . . cute . . ." Her blush turns red and covers her entire face.

Did I hear her right?

"You think . . . Lloyd is cute?" I go.

"You know his name?" she questions. "And what do you mean by that question?"

I lean away for safety precautions. "I just didn't expect that you'd think Lloyd is cute. Er, yes, I know his name. We somewhat met while the Chosen's group was leaving."

"What else do you know about him?" she practically demands.

_Yikes!_ I shrink away. "N-not much else, really! Um, actually, that's all I really know. Really, that's it . . ."

Chocolat turns back to her spot and moans, "Aww . . . He's really cute, too . . ."

Yikes . . . !

Okay, I'll admit, Lloyd's cute. In fact, he'd be the class heartthrob if he went to my school. Think about it. He's nice, has a good shape, really strong (especially for the average guy), cute face, and a sweet disposition. If he were smart then he'd be perfect. The problem is that he gets paired up with people like dark-and-mysterious Kratos, drop-dead-gorgeous Zelos, and super-muscular Regal. He turns into average in comparison to those three. Poor kid stands no chance.

I notice that Chocolat is rather involved in zoning out.

In a loud whisper I singsong, "Chocolat and Lloyd sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I—"

"Stop it!" she snaps. "I'll bet you've got a crush, too!"

I wave my hand dismissively. "I killed off my crush on a guy last year. It got really inconvenient."

She makes a face as if she tasted something suddenly nasty. "'Inconvenient'?"

"It's not as bad as I'm making it sound," I tell her. "It got in the way of me talking to him. I couldn't even say 'hi' to him at school. So I worked to stop feeling so attracted to him and after that he was just another guy. I could finally talk to him without feeling so nervous. I even stopped feeling jealous whenever he held hands with his girlfriend."

Chocolat sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Sorry," I giggle. "It's just so easy to tease you about this."

"Shut up . . ."

* * *

When they finally arrive at the House of Salvation (again) they arrive at a relatively decent pace.

"I am not going to push my dragons any more than they must," announces Elvira. "We are staying here for the night or all of you can choose to walk to Hakonesia Peak."

Genis looks at her for a moment then says, "Those dragons don't even look tired."

"Well," Raine comments, "since Elvira is set on staying here then we should just take our things and go check out a few rooms."

They grab their things and walk to the house while Elvira leads her dragons to the stables. Lloyd opens the doors for them and closes it before he turns around and discovers a relatively strange sight for them.

A young woman in a strange violet outfit and a giant pink bow with her raven hair tied into a spiky bun keeps her head bowed in prayer before the Spiritua Statue. Her words, being muttered, are incoherent.

Lloyd takes a step forward. He watches her for a moment, and then he asks, "What are you praying for?"

She automatically answers, "To save everyone." Then she gasps and whips around to face them. From the look on her face, she's obviously more embarrassed than hostile.

Lloyd smiles. "That's a pleasant thought."

That catches her off guard. ". . . What?"

Lloyd introduces himself, "I'm Lloyd. What's your name?"

Sheena protests, "I didn't ask for your names!"

Colette picks it up. "I'm Colette. I'm still an inexperienced Chosen but I promise I'll regenerate the world for everybody."

"I said I didn't ask for your names!" She shouts, "Don't you get that I'm trying to kill you?!"

"I know," Colette answers. "But I'm sure we can come to an understanding once we become friends—"

"I didn't ask for your friendship!" she yells.

Colette bows in apology. "Oh, right! I'm sorry, uh, Ms. Assassin."

Sheena's face becomes bright red. "It's Sheena! Sheena Fujibayashi!"

"Sheena," Colette says, "you were praying just now. I pray too. Prayer is what brings all of us together. I'm sure, just through that, we can reach some sort of understanding."

"Weren't you listening to me?!" she gawks. An awkward silence permeates the air, causing Sheena to cough. Her hand fumbles in one of her pockets as she says, "I've lost concentration. You better be ready next time we meet."

She pulls out a light gray orb the size of a pea and flings it down on the ground. Dense smoke flares out and blinds everyone behind the screen. It clears quickly, and reveals that the assassin is no longer there.

"She's gone!" Colette exclaims.

"How does she do that?!" Lloyd cries out.

"She must have snuck out a window while the smoke covered her!" Raine concludes.

Genis glances around and points out, "Raine's right! Look! That window is slightly open. It was completely closed when we got in here."

Colette goes, "Oh. I thought it was magic!"

Genis lowers his pointing hand. "Uh, no, Colette. There's almost always some sort of trick to this kind of thing."

"That's twice she pulled this off," Lloyd recollects. "How does she do it . . . ?"

Colette chirps to him, "When we become friends you can ask her!"

Lloyd grins. "Yeah, I can!"

Kratos sighs, "I don't know if I should be happy that they are so optimistic or frightened that they are becoming friendly with someone willing to kill them . . ."

Raine goes off to find someone to check them in while everyone else just wanders around. Outside, Lloyd calls Noishe to them and he, Colette, and Genis play with him (ignoring all the people staring at the strange creature). Elvira herself just acts as the babysitter while Raine and Kratos arrange room and board with the house staff. The day itself is relatively empty so there isn't much else to say.

Raine calls everyone back when they have the rooms ready for them.

"The rooms we could get are all for two so here is the arrangement . . ." Raine lists off, "Colette and Elvira have room fifteen; Genis and I have room fourteen; and Lloyd and Kratos have room thirteen. Don't give me that look, Lloyd. That is final. Now let's take our things to our rooms and settle in."

Lloyd grumbles little after that but shuts up right when Raine gives him a hard look. He retrieves his things and starts walking down the way to the second floor where all the rooms are. Then, he gets an idea. Lloyd smirks and glances one way and another. Then he grabs Genis (who was just walking by) and pulls him to the side.

"What are you doing, Lloyd?" he protests. "What's with . . ." His voice trails off as Lloyd whispers in his ear. Genis raises an eyebrow and glances at Kratos before saying, "You know that's probably not going to work . . ." Lloyd whispers in his ear again. "Okay, okay, but don't get me involved . . ." Lloyd whispers again. Genis sighs, "Fine . . . Don't blame me if we get in trouble. This is so ten-year-oldish . . ."

Lloyd grins and mutely goes, "Thanks, Genis. I'll give you the signal when he's gone."

Genis goes for his room and Lloyd enters room thirteen at a slow pace. He flops his bag onto his bed and unpacks things such as hygiene stuff, his hair gel, the two practice swords for when he and the others can practice or play swords . . . Those kind of things. Meanwhile, he eyes Kratos and his seemingly agonizingly slow pace.

Finally, after dragging minutes of Kratos getting his things settled, the mercenary leaves his things unguarded and exits the room. Lloyd smirks and takes a step towards the bags.

"Don't even think about it."

Lloyd freezes on the spot the instant he hears the older swordsman's stern warning. He waits for a long moment until he hears a set of footsteps moving from his door and fading down the hallway.

He takes a breath and sneaks to the doorway and glances around. No Kratos. Lloyd knocks four times on his own door and Genis appears and hurries stealthily to his older friend's room.

"Okay, we don't have much time so let's hurry up and get this over with," Genis insists.

"I know that." Lloyd halts at Kratos' bags and cautiously digs through them. Nothing too unusual. In fact, it's almost disappointing. Almost.

He pulls out a pocket watch and admires, "This is really nice silver." He scrutinizes the object for a way to open it and finds the mechanism and prompts it to opening. "That's a really weird watch . . . Hey, Genis!"

Genis looks over from his watch post and watches as Lloyd pulls the watch into a gentle swing on its chain. "You're getting veeeerrryy sleeeepyyy . . ."

"Stop playing around and pick something," he nags. "He could come back any second now."

"Okay, okay." Lloyd closes the pocket watch and sets it aside. He digs in the bag a little more, careful not to disturb anything too much. His left hand touches something small and oval-shaped and pulls it out. Lloyd frowns and tilts his head to the side. A locket. It's not unusually small but still small compared to most palm-sized lockets. Still . . . Kratos? With a locket? That doesn't make much sense . . .

"Lloyd!" comes a hiss. "Someone's coming up the stairs!"

Without realizing it in the least, Lloyd unconsciously stuffs the locket in his left pocket and hurries with his newly free hands to set everything right. Noticing that the pocket watch is still out, he grabs that and carefully, yet hastily, sets it in his right pocket. He and Genis hurry away from their posts and slow down when Lloyd motions to his practice swords and grabs them. Genis nods and, as casual and carefree as he could in his shaking nerves, walks down the hall to his own room. Lloyd gets back out of the room and notices that it's not Kratos but just one of the priests. He sighs in relief.

Genis walks out with his kendema and the tension he worked up rolls right off of him when he sees that it's just one of the house priests and goes right up to Lloyd. They go down the stairs and outside before either of them works up the nerve to talk about what they just did.

Genis asks, "What did you pick?"

"The pocket watch," he informs. "He'll probably notice right away that it's missing."

"Doesn't this go against the Dwarvan vows?" he questions with apprehension.

Lloyd goes, "I don't think so. It's not like we're going to keep it. I told you that we're going to put it back were it was once he starts looking around to see if he dropped it somewhere. Just a little prank."

"I wonder how bad he'll freak. That watch is made of silver. I mean, silver isn't gold, but it's still really valuable!" he expresses.

Lloyd assures, "Kratos doesn't freak over anything. He's too calm and collected for that. He'll just get really confused."

Genis groans.

Lloyd puts his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Trust me. It's going to be fine."

They start play fighting (gently due to the valuable pocket watch) and forget all about it until they notice Kratos come out and starts searching the area.

Lloyd blocks one of Genis' attacks and asks, "Why's he looking around like that?"

"Lloyd . . ."

"You know what I mean." He makes a motion towards the mercenary. "Like _that._"

Genis observes the man for a moment. "I think he's tracing his steps."

Lloyd heads back inside. "This is a good time to put that watch back."

"Er—! Wait up, Lloyd!"

They return to Lloyd's room and Genis keeps lookout while Lloyd replaces the watch.

"Hurry up! He could be back any second . . . !" Genis panics.

"Calm down! It's gotta be just right." Lloyd carefully sets the watch back in the mercenary's things right where he found it and quickly, yet cautiously, sets everything back the way it was. "Okay!" He turns back to Genis. "Let's get back outside and—Ah!"

"What is it?" Genis asks. Then he senses it. He slowly turns around . . . "Ah! Kratos!"

Kratos ignores Genis and death-glares Lloyd, who's frozen under that deadly gaze. In four wide strides he closes the gap between himself and the boy next to his bags and growls, "What did you take?"

Lloyd gulps.

"_What did you take?_"

Lloyd jumps and confesses, "I-I-I took the pocket watch! I was going to return it. I-I just did! Look! It's still in here!"

The fire in Kratos' eyes dims just a little before he snatches back his bag and searches through them roughly. He stops and the fire in his eyes douses as his hand lifts the silver pocket watch.

"This . . ." he goes, "is all you took?"

"Yes! I swear!" he promises. "I didn't think you'd actually freak out over this! I thought you would just get really confused! I'm sorry! I really am sorry!"

Kratos just stares at him as if the boy spoke in a different language foreign to him. His hand lowers the watch back in his bag and he mutters, "Really?" Requiring no answer, his mind busies with some other task.

"Kratos . . . ?" Lloyd warily says. "Is something wrong . . . ?"

Kratos pauses for a moment without looking at him. ". . . No. Nothing at all. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Lloyd amends, "No, I'm the one who should apologize. That prank was pretty mean spirited. I'm sorry."

Kratos searches through his things again. "No, it's fine. I would have just been slightly confused over the missing pocket watch. Move along, Lloyd."

Lloyd and Genis move away with guilt seething from their manner. Just before they leave they glance back at the mercenary who mutters, "Did it fall out on the way here . . . ?" Then they creep away.

When they reach the last step of the stairs, Lloyd goes, "We shouldn't have done that."

Genis says, "Yeah, but he's upset over something else. I don't see how us doing that or not doing that would've made any difference. Are you sure you put everything back the way it was?"

Lloyd confirms, "Of course! It wouldn't have worked if he knew right away that something was taken instead of disappeared."

"Hmm . . ." The mage crosses his arms. "Maybe whatever he lost fell out of a hole in his bag. Or maybe he misplaced it, like in his pocket or in something else. Or maybe he put it in another place. Then again, he'll probably find whatever he's looking for pretty soon."

But as the day goes by it becomes evident that the mercenary isn't going to find it anytime soon. It's clear even by the evening that he's still searching for it. The two could tell by the calculating look in his eyes that Kratos is still going through the list of possible places where he could have lost whatever it is. After dinner, Kratos goes back up to room thirteen with this dreading air, most likely to search through his things again.

Lloyd watches guiltily and shoves his hands in his pockets, wondering if . . . "Huh?"

Lloyd fishes the mysterious object in his left pocket out and holds it up. A locket. _The_ locket. The one he had in his hand when Genis told him that someone was coming.

"Uh-oh . . ." he goes.

Lloyd takes a breath, knowing how angry Kratos is going to be once he returns the locket. Still, he has to face the music sometime. It's not like he can just put it back like he did with the pocket watch. He climbs up the stairs ignoring the gut feeling he has and enters his room. Kratos faces away from the door slowly tapping his foot. Lloyd takes another bracing breath.

"Kratos . . . ?" No response. "I think I found what you are looking for."

At this Kratos promptly faces him. His eyes brighten at the sight of the locket in Lloyd's hands. "Yes. That is what I was looking for all day." He moves right to the boy and takes it from his hands. He holds it gingerly as he asks, "Where did you find it?"

Lloyd pauses for a moment before he confesses, "When I was going through your things I found it and just held it for a moment. Then Genis told me that someone was coming and I think I accidentally put it in my pocket when I was hurrying up to finish what I was doing. I completely forgot about it until just now. I'm sorry."

Kratos sighs, "I'm just glad to have it back. You didn't open it, did you?"

Lloyd's relief could be felt a mile away. "No. What's in it, anyway?"

Kratos slips the locket around his neck and tucks it under his shirt. "It's . . . a picture. Of my wife and . . . son."

He walks away while Lloyd goes, "You have a family? If you do then why do you work as a traveling mercenary? Wouldn't you rather be with them?"

". . . They died a long time ago."

Lloyd frowns. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." He unhooks his sword and sets it leaning against the second bed. "As I said, it happened a long time ago."

"How did they die?" he innocently asks.

Kratos looks up at Lloyd with this strange gleam in his eye. A lasting silence slowly passes, and then, Kratos turns away and tells him, "The Desians. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I could only watch."

Lloyd stares in shock, trying to imagine the horrible scene that this man was forced to go through. No words would come despite his will. Nothing would be appropriate, anyway.

Sensing his stun, Kratos tells him, "It happened a long time ago, Lloyd. Don't trouble yourself over this and get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."

Even after long into the night, Lloyd had trouble sleeping, his mind plagued with how much pain the Desians have caused. His own family, Marble, Iselia, Palmacosta, Chocolat's family, and, as he just discovered, Kratos' family. It's just wrong. So wrong.

* * *

I meet a new Sylvaranti day feeling like shit, and that's not something you want alongside with smelling bacon in the crisp, cold morning air. I drudge myself to the fire where everyone is passing out breakfast stuff and I plop a piece of toast and bacon and some fruit onto my plate, not really paying attention to who I bump into.

"Good morning!" chirps Chocolat, whom I really wish I had some duct tape to shut her mouth closed until I'm completely awake. Duct tape is supposed to fix everything, right? "How are we feeling today, sunshine?"

One look gives her my answer.

"Aww, are you not awake yet?" she cheeps. "How about you do some jumping jacks? Get your blood pumping? Ready? _Fifty jumping jacks! Now!_"

I ignore her and get to munching on my toast.

Chocolat puts her hands on her hips. "The tour guides are the leaders of this group. We can even order the guards around. Now give me fifty jumping jacks, right here, right now!"

I ignore her. My toast now has a quarter eaten off it.

Chocolat growls incoherently. "_SIXTY jumping jacks!_"

I ignore her.

She grumbles a little more and goes to get her own breakfast. There is no chance in hell that I'm going to do jumping jacks this early in the morning. Okay, it's seven a.m. It's still early for me, though! I already had to do countless arm circles during band camp when we'd warm up to start learning our marching drills. We'd always add five to each arm position each day and always do . . . ten . . . eleven different arm positions. The max we could reach would be in the sixties for each position. My arms always hurt, but I'll tell ya, my upper arm muscles (especially around the shoulders) are nice and firm.

Call me lazy all you want. I still won't do those jumping jacks.

When we finish our breakfast, Chocolat and the other guide (I think her name is Susan) would rally everyone up with cheers and encouragements and we would be on our way. I hoist myself on my horse and slouch in my seat, completely not awake yet. As we go along I slowly wake myself up.

"You know," I hear Chocolat say, "since the Chosen is on her journey, we might meet up with her group again!"

Susan chimes, "That would be so cool! To meet the Chosen, you were so lucky back there when she saved you!"

Chocolat smiles wide, "I know I'm lucky. I'm thinking of different reasons than you are right now, but I know I'm lucky. Maybe they can tell all of us about the seals!"

I insert in, "If you ask then I'm positive that they will. They'll censor some of the more grotesque things out but they'll be more than happy to tell you."

Chocolat thinks to herself. "Hmm . . . I wonder if Lloyd will talk to us . . ."

Susan coos, "Uh-oh! Look out, Lloyd! I think you have a fan girl!"

With a laughing snort, I add in, "Beware, Lloyd! Your new fan girl will stalk you!"

"Stuff it! Both of you!" she counters. "Just because I think someone is cute doesn't mean that you can harass me like this!"

I go, "Oh, no, it's more than just thinking someone's cute. You, Chocolat, have a crush on him."

"Is that all you can talk about?!" she snaps.

"Yep! Ahahahahahahahah . . . !"

Chocolat scowls and slumps down to her lap.

"Oh!" Susan goes. "But does Lloyd think _you're_ cute?"

Chocolat frowns. "I . . . I don't know. I couldn't tell when I first met him."

Susan says, "It'll be awesome if he does! You two could be like a couple!"

I try, "Well, it's asking about physical attraction instead of whether or not he like-likes—"

"I . . . I don't know if I can ask him. I think I'll be too shy," replies Chocolat.

"You two would look so adorable together!" Susan cheeps.

"Are you listening to me?!" I gripe.

They look at me for a moment. Then . . .

"Hey, Kelsey," Susan says, "why don't you ask Lloyd if he thinks Chocolat is cute since she's too shy?"

You have got to be kidding me . . .

Chocolat thinks about it for a moment and states, "I don't think Kelsey should ask if he likes me since that's something I know I should do, but asking if he thinks I'm cute is another thing. Could you ask him when you get the chance?"

What did I get myself in?

She gives me puppy dog eyes and goes, "Please? Pretty please?"

I watch her for a long moment before I sigh, "Fine . . . I'll ask him when I get the chance . . ."

Chocolat smiles. "Thanks."

I'm such a sucker . . .

We slow to a stop. The horses paw nervously as the guards in the front stop them to keep from going forward. Their weapons are out and they stare defensively ahead at the road. I peer onward and reach for my spear's handle when I see the suspicious sight.

One lone Desian blocks the road ahead. He holds his sword in one hand and his whip in another. The smirk can't be missed.

Remembering my strange ability to sense mana (which I got when I first came here, remember?), I close my eyes and empty my mind, making myself sensitive to the mana surrounding me. People-sized clumps of mana huddle in recluses hidden to the eye just near us. Most produce the strange mana of half-elves and one or two produce the same kind of mana as humans. They all surrounded us.

The one visible Desian calls out, "Give us what we want and no one gets hurt while we take every one of you to the ranch!"

So this is how it starts . . .

* * *

Please review. *running out of wacky please review ideas*


	13. And So It Begins

I've been experementing lately. If I'm afraid to experement with my art then I can't grow. Just a sort of thing like that. People into the visual arts would understand me (not that I'm saying that others won't. it's just that i'm trying to provide a visual or something. ah, hell, my mind is fuzzy.)

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: And So It Begins

A lone Desian blocks our path. Unknown to the others, this one Desian brought a team with him, which hides in recluses that none of us can see.

We're trapped.

The one visible Desian calls out, "Give us what we want and no one gets hurt while we take every one of you to the ranch!"

One of the guards in the front scoffs, "'We'? Take us to the ranch? Are you stupid? You can't possibly fight all of us!"

I get my horse to slowly step next to Chocolat, doing my best to disguise my actions as coincidental. I eye my surroundings as my hand grips the spear's end. They may take the tour to the ranch or kill every one of us, but if they get Chocolat then they win.

The one Desian chortles, "Heheh! You really are an idiot. You can't possibly put even a scratch on a superior half-elf like me!"

That ticks me off. "Get a life. It's people like you who make it hard for the rest to live peacefully."

That Desian looks to me with a raised chin. "They deserve it if they won't let go of their filthy human blood."

"Just leave us alone!" I demand with a calm volume. "We aren't even anywhere near the ranch! You came pretty far out of your way just to harass us? Pick on someone else!"

The Desian smirks. "We have a reason to pick on all of you. 'The Chosen will come! Don't lose hope! The Chosen will come and defeat the Desians and regenerate our world!' Sound familiar?"

People gasp and mutter wildly to themselves. Then some stare at Chocolat and all glance at her. I myself discipline my body to eye my surroundings and the one Desian.

The tour gives away who Chocolat is, anyway.

"You!" the Desian exclaims. "Chocolat! You're the one we want! Give her up and we'll take you to the ranch without harming a single hair on anyone else!"

Panic waves through them. The first guard who spoke first, however, laughs loudly and silences everyone by that unnatural reaction. "You and what army!"

The Desian keeps smirking. He does nothing but snap his fingers. The grass rustles and each hidden Desian appears from their nooks. Quite a few aim crossbows and some hold whips and the rest wield swords.

Everyone panics. They scream, for many things. Martel, their mothers, Dorr, mercy, there's a lot they screamed for. The hellish volume causes the horses to paw and shift nervously, including my own. I do my best to calm this poor steed, and I even had to whisper soothing sounds into the horse's ear to see if those will reach its brain before the chaos does.

"_Take her!_" someone on the tour howls. "_Take her! Just leave us alone!_"

Before I could move or even register what he's about to do, the man jumps at Chocolat and shoves her off the wagon. She lands between the horses on the team pulling the wagon, sending the horses into more frantic alarm.

I swing off my own horse and maneuver around the pounding hooves to reach her. I only realize my mistake in doing so by the time I reach her. I should have calmed the horses first. But I'm already in Chocolat's same position so I might as well finish this as safely as possible. Because I'm not in a spot where I can calm the horses, I try to get out, pulling her with me, by going between the two columns, which proved difficult because of all the belts, buckles, and restrains in the way. Nevertheless, we manage to get out of the hooves' way.

My anger reaches a limit. "Venomous, cowardly _snake!_" I shout at the man. "They're going to take us to the ranch or kill us one way or another! You're nothing but a brainless parasite!"

"Stop it, girl!" commands the guard who spoke to the Desian first. "There's nothing we can do."

I gawk at him. "So we're all just gonna . . . give up?!"

"We don't have a choice."

"'Don't have a _choice_'?!" I exclaim. "We have a choice! How can we just give up?!"

"_They out number each and every one of us!_ Even if we count the entire tour!" That one guard sighs. "Our only chance is to pray and hope that Dorr saves us . . ."

The surrounding Desians chuckle loudly. The first Desian chortles, "Dorr, yeah, sure. He'll save you. Heheheheh . . ."

I turn on him and march right to him. Suicide? I don't care. "Shut up, lowlife!"

_Twang—Shuck!! _

I collapse, not quite feeling what hit me but knowing that it's there. I feel nothing, but then my brain thinks "oh! There's an arrow in my right leg!"

Then I feel the excruciating, hellish, torturous agony.

"_NYAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!_" I screech. "_UUUGGGHHH!!! AAAHHH!!! AAAAAAA!!!_" No words can describe the horrible pain I suffer under. All I know now is just the pain.

I'm not aware of it—I'm not aware of anything—but my example puts everyone into simpering submission. I clutch at my leg with my hands just above the arrow so I can clutch and not cause more pain, but by some unknown will inside me, I have enough of my mind to angle myself towards the Desian and watch, only watch, as I see Chocolat's feet move towards that Desian.

I muffle my cries into whimpers and gasps with all the strength I can muster to hear what's going on.

I hear Chocolat's voice go, "You don't have to hurt anyone. I'll go. Just do your part and don't hurt anyone. I'll just make things difficult if you break your end first."

"Heheh. I thought so. Take them! Don't hurt them, though. We have to keep our word and not give ourselves any unnecessary trouble. Heheheheh."

A new wave of rage rushes into me. "Nnn! No!" I struggle up on my left foot.

_Twang—Shuck!!_

Again, I collapse. The pain comes much more swiftly—almost instantly. I've never felt such pain in my life! _Horrible! Horrible . . . !_

They all give in, little by little. There's a wagon that they're all being put into, I can hear it. I also hear metal boots clanging up me, circling my crumpled form.

"Anyone got any extra arrows?"

"Waste them on _this?_"

"We can always get new ones, but what do you plan to do with them?"

"Watch."

I can only watch and listen during my agony as that one Desian walks close to me and kneels over with a few arrows in his arms. He sets them to the side and I gasp when he yanks one of my arms as I realize what he plans to do.

He takes one arrow and jabs it through my arm.

While I wail in agony, he takes my other arm and jabs another arrow through it.

I wail and scream and cry as he uses the rest to just pin my clothes to the ground, trapping me to this place.

"Leave the horse with her. Maybe she'll come to her friend's rescue."

The others laugh.

Then I hear them leave.

My cries of pain mix with my cries of wrath.

* * *

Lloyd taps his foot on the wagon while it speeds towards Hakonesia Peak.

"Are we there yet?" he asks.

No one answers him.

He waits a little while, and then asks, "Are we there yet?"

Raine sighs. "No."

"Oh."

He waits a little while, and then asks, "Are we there yet?"

Kratos growls, "What do you think? No, Lloyd, we are not there yet!"

"Sorry for asking . . ." he gruffly responds.

Lloyd waits a long while this time. He glances around during the empty moment and spots the short mountain range larger than before.

"Are we there yet?"

Elvira is the one who answers this time, "What makes you think that we are there now?"

"The mountains look bigger. That means we should be closer, right?"

"Yes, Lloyd, but it does not mean we are there yet."

"Oh."

Another long while.

"Are we there yet?"

"Do you wish for me to stop the wagon and allow you to walk to the peak?"

Lloyd never asked again after that.

The wagon arrives to a steady sharp incline by about noon. Elvira stops the wagon there and settles the dragons as the others climb out. Then all of them, including the fortuneteller, climb up the dirt road into the check point area of Hakonesia Peak.

Colette spots a small cottage with a large assortment of . . . things (which is the only way to describe such objects) just lying out in the open and trots up to the hut and gestures towards it. "Maybe this is the collector's house!"

Lloyd agrees, "With all this junk out here, it's definitely the collector's house. There's no way it could be anything else."

Luckily for him, Raine was too absorbed in admiring each and every object to hear him, until . . .

"Wait," she goes. "This is fake. You need consistency for magical items and this miniature gargoyle doesn't have any consistency, not in the material it's made, not in its design, not in anything. . . . This is fake, too! And this! And this! All of these are for sale, too! Does the collector know what he is doing?"

Elvira slurs, "Knowing Koton, those forged goods are purposely placed here. He would never part with his precious relics."

Raine eyes the house with a sinking feeling. She stands and leads the way into the collector's house. Inside are clutters of historical valuables that she would absolutely love to study and care for, all of them real with the exception, she notes, of the ones for sale. A hunch man with wrinkled clothes and sickly skin and a bright red nose turns to the door with an unwelcoming grimace that instantly becomes a toothless smile at the very sight of her. Merely noticing the way he smiles at her makes her want to flee back to Iselia and scrub herself clean in the Martel Temple.

The collector's happy face instantly sours when he sees Lloyd, Genis, and Kratos following in.

"What do you want?" he snaps. "If you want a pass, it's one million gald."

Lloyd gawks, "One . . . million . . . That's theft!"

"You don't have gald then get out!" the collector snarls.

Raine glances around for the Book of Regeneration (first thing's first) as she comments on the side, "That would mean that tours for the Asgard Pilgrimage Tours can't pass this way."

The collector puts on that sickening smile that sends chills down her spine, "Speaking of the Asgard Pilgrimage Tours, you should join their tours! I'll even give you a nice discount on the passes!"

"You dirty—!" Genis sees red at the treatment given to his sister and dives for the collector's throat . . . or would have if Lloyd hadn't restrained him.

"Shaddap!" the collector growls. "Just so you know I hate males!"

Colette spots an old book in the corner of her eye. She approaches it and notes, "This is a very old book."

Elvira follows the Chosen's attention to the book and gasps. Her face is only of lamenting shock. "Six months of restoring that . . . ruined . . . !"

No one (save for the ones close to her) hear her. The collector puts on that happy grin again and goes, "Ah, good lady! You have a fine eye! That book is none other than the Book of Regeneration, which the Chosen herself was gracious enough to bless me with!"

Everyone (save Elvira who still woes over the book) turns in astonishment at the collector.

The old man mutters greedily, "I waited so long for Dorr to let that go . . ."

A little calmer, Genis snaps, "_Please!_ Colette is the real Cho—"

_Smack!!_

Raine leans down into her brother's stinging ear and hisses, "Quiet or _we'll_ be treated as the imposters!"

"Cho?" the collector grunts.

Raine slaps on a fake friendly smile and recovers, "Theeeee Chosen of Mana's devout follower! Yes! Colette is a very passionate follower of Martel and wishes to examine all the sacred documents the Chosen has handled!"

Colette catches on, "Ah—yes! I've been taught the Angelic language since I was very little!"

Calculation can be seen filtering through the collector's dirty mind as he thinks whether or not if he can afford to allow them to look at the book. Then his frown lines crinkle a little. A full "charming" smile appears on his face as he speaks to Colette.

"Well, if the ladies want to look at it that badly . . ." he begins.

Silence fills the entire room (aside from Elvira who still moans over "six months of work ruined.").

". . . then I guess I'll let them take a look at it," he says, "but on one condition."

Lloyd is about to snap back, but a single glare from Raine silences him.

"The Book of Regeneration is a very valuable object. I can't just let people handle it all the time," he informs. ("Six months . . . ruined!")

Lloyd jeers, "Like it costs you anything to let us _look_ at it."

The collector instantly turns ugly on Lloyd, "_Shadda—_"

"What is the cost to examine the Book of Regeneration?"

Elvira returns from lamenting over the book and watches the collector whom she addressed (ignoring Kratos who asked, "Have you finished mourning?")

The collector pauses for a moment but then answers with a hungry smile, "I want that Statue of Spiritua in the Palmacosta House of Salvation."

Genis exclaims, "_What?!_ That is a valuable statue of the church! If we take that and give it to you then it would be robbery!"

The collector snarls, "Shaddap! If you ain't got money and you ain't got the statue then get out!"

"I plead for patience!" Elvira goes. "At the least for a prayer. The Chosen now journeys and I wish to pray for her success."

Caught off guard, the collector utters, "I-I guess so . . ."

Elvira smiles pleasantly. "Thank you. Here, take my hands and I will lead the prayer."

The collector grins for a brief second before taking Elvira's light hands while the others stare. Elvira bows her head and says, "Let us bow our heads in prayer . . ."

There is tense and confused silence. Colette bows her head and prays with soundless moving lips. Raine bows her head but a slight twitch in her eyebrow reveals her frustrated emotions. Genis looks down with a slight bow but is clearly frustrated. Lloyd closes his eyes with a slight bow but, like Genis, it's obvious he's really irritated.

Long . . . tense . . . and . . . awkward . . . silence . . .

Elvira blinks her eyes open and mutters, "Amen."

Her hands flee the collector and she rubs them subtly as if trying to scrub whatever invisible grime she got from the collector's hands off. "Thank you for your time. We will be leaving now."

They all leave the shop with obvious disgust. As soon as Elvira closes the door Lloyd turns on her, "What was that prayer about? That was really random."

She answers, "I merely thought that a prayer would disrupt the hostile air long enough for us to calm down."

"Humph . . ." goes Kratos.

While the others walk back to the wagon to curse over their new situation, the fortuneteller and the mercenary lag behind.

"I know what you really did. You used him to see into his future. What did you see, Elvira?" he questions.

"I need to wash these hands . . ." she mutters before replying, "I wanted to see how long I need to wait until Koton dies. In three years time he will bed a whore who will that night rob him of valuables wieldy enough carry with her (namely the dazzling jewelry). He will awaken and realize his loss and his weak heart will shudder from the shock and he will perish. If I come at a timely pace, I will be able to take the Book of Regeneration and the Statue of Spiritua and take the time required to restore them so as to have it seem as if I acquired those valuables from the thieving prostitute. Then I shall return the precious items to their respective owners."

". . . That is just devious . . ."

"The dead have no use for a book or a statue," she offhandedly defends.

Kratos is rendered thoroughly speechless.

* * *

Pathetic.

So pathetic.

Even _with_ an Exsphere I'm pathetic!

I need to get out of here. I need to save Chocolat and everyone on that tour! But that . . . But that would mean . . . that I would have to join the Chosen's group. Something that I've been avoiding all this time. Something that I've unwittingly led myself to.

Hell. To hell with all of this. This isn't fair. This isn't fair at all. I had a perfectly good life before all this. Why couldn't I keep it? It's not fair. It's not fair at all.

These arrows. I have to do something about these arrows. They hurt. The initial pain is gone . . . but I still hurt. They still hurt. Still, those arrows. I need to do something about them.

Look. Look at all that blood, just flowing out of those holes in your arms. All that blood. You know that your blood pressure is lower than normal. You know that blood loss can have you pass out. A mere shot nearly did that to you. Remember? You're getting dizzy now. Do something. Do something now. Now. You're . . . fading . . . You need to get to a healer . . . Fast . . .

Look. That horse you rode is still there. Ride him. To a healer. You have no choice. Well . . . I suppose you do have a choice. Ride him, or you can die. That's your only two choices. Give in . . . to fate . . . and ride that horse to the only healer you know . . . or die.

Look at all that blood. You don't have much time. Use you're imagination. Reach your head over to the arrows in your arms and pull them out. Never mind the clothes pinned to the ground. Let them rip. So what if you have to go naked. Ride or die. Your only choices. Reach over . . . yes, just like that. Hurts, doesn't it. Gently, gently, gently. Pull the arrow out of that soft soil. Wow. More blood. There. Now the other one. Gently, gently, gently. Pull the arrow out of that soft soil. Wow. More blood. There. Now your arms are free.

Remember that movie about Joan of Arc? Remember when she got shot by an arrow and someone snapped the arrowhead off and yanked the body out from the tail? Do it exactly like that. Reach your right hand over . . . Bend . . . More pressure . . . More blood . . . There. Hurts. Yank it out. That's it. It really did hurt that bad, didn't it. You need to stop screaming. You need to free your other hand. Bend . . . Snap . . . Blood . . . Yank . . . There. You need to stop screaming. You need to do your legs. Remember the two arrows lodged in your legs? The ones that crippled you and made you so pathetic? Reach . . . Bend . . . Snap . . . Blood . . . Yank. Now the other one. Reach . . . Bend . . . Snap . . . Blood . . . Yank. You're free.

You're fading . . . fading . . . You're clothes . . . clothes . . . are ripped but . . . but . . . at least you're free . . . free . . . Look . . . look . . . The horse you rode . . . rode . . . He waits for you . . . you . . . Fading . . . . . . Climb . . . . . . Pain . . . . . . Blood . . . . . . Gallop . . . . . .

Fade . . . . . .

* * *

After a good thirty minutes worth of travel via super fast dragon wagon, our heroes _still_ continue to rant over the collector's ill behavior.

"I can't believe this!" Genis complains. "We have to get the Spiritua Statue for a _look_ at the Book of Regeneration?! That's not right!"

"To think that the Book of Regeneration has degraded to a collector's item," Raine huffs.

"Just what the hell is that avaricious geezer's problem?!" Lloyd carps.

Raine snaps to with beaming proud eyes. "Lloyd! I can't believe you know the word 'avaricious'!"

Taken off guard, Lloyd stumbles, "Ah, it isn't that much of a big deal, Professor."

"And you used it properly, too!" She looks as if she's about to hug him. "I'm so proud of you!"

Lloyd laughs, "Please, Professor! You're making me blush!"

Genis states, "Lloyd, she's teasing you."

"Shut up, Genis."

"Ow! Don't hit me over the head!"

Colette leans over to the driver. "Elvira, what were you so upset about over 'six months worth of work ruined'?"

Elvira glances back and sheepishly responds, "I gained an ability to restore items to their original form. Usually the Palmacosta Academy would have me restore books or supplies, but one day Dorr and the church approached me and offered a handsome pay to restore Spiritua's diary. It took me a little over six months to restore that to as crisp of a condition as I could with my best effort. Those filthy imposters must have been careless with the book because I have seen that book torn and damaged when we were inside the collector's home. Six months of work rendered useless. I can barely contain my temper."

"Such a vile crime to damage the Book of Regeneration!" Raine growls. "How dare they! When I get my hands around their throats . . . !"

"Calm down," Kratos says. "There is nothing we can do about the imposters. All that we can do is ask for the Statue of Spiritua to exchange for a thorough examination of the Book of Regeneration. Getting upset will not be productive."

He ignores Raine's glare.

A few hours later, they finally arrive at the House of Salvation. They climb out of the wagon. Then . . . a single sound interrupts their arrival . . .

Grrrrrrrourgle-ourgle-ourgle . . .

Lloyd blushes before he goes, ". . . Whose turn is it to cook?"

"Mine," Colette responds. "Does fruit salad sound good?"

"It sounds just fine," he responds with an embarrassed smile.

"Chosen One!"

A high-ranking soldier with two guards at his sides approaches. "Is the Chosen One Colette with you?"

Colette points at herself. "Oh, that's me! Is there something the matter?"

The soldier scrutinizes Colette with a little doubt but he kneels and introduces, "I am Officer Garrets. I come in Governor-General Dorr's stead with regards of Palmacosta. If your entire company is here then there is something we need to discuss immediately."

"What seems to be the problem?" asks Lloyd.

Garrets narrows his eyes at Lloyd. "I don't believe I spoke to you, boy."

"What did you say?!"

"Oh, so you are deaf? Let me repeat myself: I didn't speak to you. Shut up."

"You—!!"

"Lloyd, stop!" Kratos demands as he restrains Lloyd with a hand to the shoulder. "Don't allow words like that goad you."

Lloyd stands there and growls.

Garrets continues, "As for what I was about to say, there is a matter we need to discuss now. I suggest we move indoors to discuss our desperate and depressing situation."

"Did something happen in Palmacosta again?" Raine guesses.

Garrets narrows his eyes at her but holds his sharp tongue. Instead, he affirms, "Yes, something happened with Palmacosta. If we move indoors I will feel free from prying ears to give you the sad details."

"Officer!" one of his guards cries.

"Is it a monster?" Garrets dismissively questions.

"No! Look!"

They all turn towards the road. A single horse trots towards them with panicked eyes. A small figure slouches in the saddle against the horse's neck. Blood trails down the horse's limbs from the figure. Lloyd and Raine are the first ones to the horse. As soon as Lloyd gets there he recognizes the figure. Who can forget that red hair?

"Wait, isn't this Kelsey?" he goes.

"Kelsey?" Elvira hurries right to the girl as Lloyd and Raine help her down off the horse. "Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no, no!"

"Something happened to the tour!" Colette exclaims.

Genis recalls, "Chocolat was on that tour, too, wasn't she? I remember them talking to each other about getting packed for it."

"A survivor," Garrets notes.

"So that is what this is all about," Kratos concludes. "You're here to tell us about the tour. Were Desians the ones who attacked them?"

There is a shocked pause before Garrets confirms, "Yes. I am here about the tour as well as other things. Make sure this girl is treated as soon as possible. I doubt she will live long at all."

* * *

"Kelsey?"

I look up from my computer to a girl with striking resemblance to me. "What is it, Kaylee?"

She opens my closet and climbs on the clothes that just piled onto the floor and searches through the rack in the back. "Mind if I borrow one of your dresses?"

I examine the essay to consider what to type next. "Isn't the six grade dance in two weeks?"

"Yeah."

"Why not wait a little bit?" I ask, feeling a little impatient.

"Why not pick a dress now?" she counters. She pulls out a large pink dress with clear plastic beads sewn onto the skirt. "Why don't you wear this for prom?"

I answer with a smile, "Because that dress doesn't fit me. I already tried. Besides, pink isn't my color."

Kaylee examines it with rue.

I point out, "When Mom told her students that just won't ever leave her that I needed a prom dress since we can't exactly afford one they clamored in and crammed me with dresses galore. Obviously not all the dresses are going to fit me and that so happens to be one of them. Look, I know you want me to wear it but I already picked mine out. You can have it if it fits you. You'll definitely get bigger than me."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she goes.

I frown. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm tiny, Kaylee, tinier than you are now. You'll . . . probably get . . . taller than me . . . and by then it'll fit you. In fact, my tininess kinda scares me."

Kaylee gives me a look.

"It means that you can wear almost all the dresses Mom's former students gave me. Think of all those beautiful dresses that you now own that I'll never be able to wear because I could never fit in them."

"Anyway," she goes, "which one did you pick?"

I get up from my chair and climb in around her. I slip passed her and grab the hanger of a thin royal blue dress that just drapes over the wearer's form. "This one."

"Oooo! That's pretty!" she chimes. "I can't wait to see you in it!"

I share, "I have a few ideas of what my hair will be like and Mom and a friend of hers is taking us to Sam Moon to pick out jewelry. You know, she'll definitely be taking every photo shot she can for every single family member."

"Yeah, but we can't see you if you're not there."

I blink. "What are you talking about? I'm going to be there."

She stares at me with this doleful expression. "No you're not. You're not even here right now. Why can't you just come home?"

"But I _am_ home!" I go. "What do you think this place is? Stop playing around with me, Kaylee!"

"_You_ stop playing around!" she shouts. "Don't you get it?! You're lying to yourself about everything! Stop it! Stop it!"

"_Kaylee!_" I try to escape the closing walls.

"Stop it! Stop it! You're lying to yourself! Stop living in a dream world and get back to reality! Stop it! Stop it!"

"STOP IT!!"

I gasp awake. Hands. Hands on me. Clutching me. Clawing me. A heavy weight in my bones weighs me down. I pull away, but the hands just keep their hold. I struggle against it, even as feeble as the effort could be. More hands come and push down on me. Everywhere, everything a blur.

"Kaylee!" I cry. "Kaylee! Kaylee!"

I'm pushed against something. I can't which direction. I've got to get out. I've got to get home! I need to try on that dress for Kaylee. I need to help Mom fold the laundry. I need to nag Dad to teach me how to take care of the car. I need to feed the dogs and play with them. Those everyday things I once thought boring, I need to do them! If only just one more. If only just one last time. That would be enough for me. I need them. I need them!

The weight in my bones pulls me. The hands continue to push me. I can't fight now. All that force needs to go and then I can make my way home. I need to wait. I need to wait.

With a whimper escaping my lips, I surrender with no further efforts.

* * *

Lloyd sighs as he takes a step back to allow Raine the room to work. "That was violent . . . I didn't know she had enough strength left in her to fight."

Raine mutters, "First Aid . . . None of us expected this. She's most likely out of her mind despite being conscious."

"Is she going insane?" asks Genis.

"We will have to see once she recovers," states his sister.

Colette wonders, "Is this Kaylee one of the tour members?"

Garrets, who waits for the group at the doorway, recalls, "I don't remember that name being on the list for the captured tour."

"Incredible . . ."

They turn to Raine. She notes, "Her bones are broken by arrow-like wounds and yet she was able to climb up on that horse and ride here? That is a nearly impossible task."

"A lot of impossibilities are made possible by will alone," Elvira comments. "Especially with the Exsphere this girl has."

"She has an Exsphere?" Lloyd goes. "How did she get an Exsphere?"

"It was my brother's," is the answer. "She had more need of it than I."

"What about your brother? How did he get his, and wouldn't he need it too?"

Elvira's eyes narrow. "You have endless questions that do not need to be asked."

Lloyd just seems confused.

"I'm sure you are all worried about this one survivor," goes Garrets, "but we have a discussion that needs to be undertaken. I'm quite sure your healer won't mind if she stays here while the rest of you can come with me. We have important things to speak of."

There is a pause of contemplation before Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Kratos follow Garrets out. The three youngest linger at the door in hesitation as they look back at Raine and Elvira, who stay by the girl, before they leave the room.

Garrets leads them into a room with a table and lays out a map at the center for them to see. He proclaims, "I will get right to the point. Governor-General Dorr seeks to launch an attack on the ranch. How that relates to you Chosen One is that we request that you cooperate with us to evacuate the captives if you can and . . ." (he swallows his pride) ". . . perhaps even lead us into battle after that."

"_Colette_ lead an _attack_?" Genis questions. "I can't imagine something like that . . ."

Kratos says, "Releasing the seals should be our first priority. With that in mind, why do you want to risk the Chosen's life for this attack?"

Garrets lowers his head. "We fully understand the risk we take. However, Assistant Governor-General Neil is at the ranch itself and will provide you with all the details. We _do_ have the Chosen's safety in mind."

Kratos asks, "How can you prove that this isn't a hoax? This wouldn't be the first time the Palmacosta government encountered problems with imposters."

Garrets slaps an official paper down on the map. "_That _is my proof. Next time you question me I demand that you meet me outside with your sword."

Lloyd comments, "That looks like Dorr's signature. I don't think we have to worry about whether or not this is true. What happened to the tour and Chocolat?"

"The Desians ambushed them just the day before yesterday. From what I heard, _all _the guards _plus_ the tour were outnumbered three to one," he informs. "I believe their motive is to antagonize Palmacosta. Well, they underestimate us!"

"But why Chocolat?" Colette asks. "Why that tour? This all happened so fast!"

Genis concludes, "They probably also wanted revenge for Chocolat standing up to them! They're nothing but bullies!"

"That does not escape my notice." Garrets recalls, "The last time Chocolat stood up to the Desians she stood on a height and shouted out that the Chosen will come and save us and for us not to lose hope. The problem is that she did this while the Desians were holding an execution for examples."

"We have to save her and everyone else!" Colette exclaims. "I'll even go by myself if I have to!"

Kratos intervenes. "When we release the seals then the Desians will no longer plague this world, so the people at the ranches will be freed. We need to continue on the journey of world regeneration."

Colette protests, "People are suffering there _right now_! I can't just continue on as if I don't know what's happening!"

"It isn't possible for us to save every person suffering under the hands of the Desians by ourselves," Kratos lectures. "World regeneration would be the surest way to save these people and vanquish the Desians."

"So it's okay to let these people stay in these ranches?" Colette demands. "A lot of them might not live to see the world regenerated like . . ." She glances with sad eyes at Lloyd and Genis. ". . . like Marble."

Lloyd and Genis glance downward.

Kratos' eyes soften with a sympathetic frown. Then he sighs a sigh of gentle surrender. "Very well . . . The only one of us that has any right to choose is you, Chosen One."

Colette relaxes in her hard victory.

Kratos turns away from Colette and removes the address from Dorr off the map. "Are there any other maps with more detail than this?"

Garrets shakes his head. "Of the general area? I wish. That group from Luin that mapped the Asgard ranch should come down here and map the ranch here. That would aid the militia so much . . ."

Lloyd peers at the area around the ranch and asks, "If this area around the ranch is supposed to be a forest then why is it all brown?"

Garrets sneers, "That would be because the entire area is dead. There isn't any mana left all because of Magnius. He sucks any mana he can get his hands on in the area dry! It's a lucky thing the area still has dead trees. _That_, boy, is why the forest on the map is brown."

Lloyd grimaces at the tone aimed at him. "Excuse me for asking . . ."

The officer takes a pen and circles a small area and states, "This is where Neil will be waiting for you. He can provide you with the details. I have a camp that I need to attend. I'll leave you the map, Chosen One."

Colette replies, "Yes, thank you."

Officer Garrets leaves without another word.

"What an ass," Genis snorts. "He could at least pretend to be polite."

Lloyd rolls up the map and replies, "Well, he gave us a way to save Chocolat and the other captives. We'll go in and destroy those Desians! They won't ever bother Palmacosta again!"

Colette waits at the door. "Let's make sure Kelsey is alright first."

Lloyd nods. "Yeah. She can tell us exactly what happened to Chocolat and the rest of the tour."

* * *

It took a while. It took a long while. My mind slowly regains itself. Am I going insane? Probably. Hopefully this won't last long. I already lost everything I had. I can't lose the last piece of who I am. I can't. I can't . . .

"Kelsey? Can you hear me?"

A woman's voice. I can guess who that is.

"Kelsey?"

I sigh in response. I don't want to face everything just yet. Don't force me to see what my life has become right now.

"Kelsey, please respond to me in words. I don't speak in sighs."

I take a breath—a bracing breath—and open my eyes. Just as I thought, I'm in a room. The one who spoke to me is Raine Sage, who sits next to me. I can see Elvira standing a little ways, just observing me.

I decide to start with one of the cheesiest questions to ask first. ". . . Where am I?"

"You are in the Palmacosta House of Salvation," she answers. "How do you feel?"

I snort. "Tired. How are my arms and legs?"

"I was able to heal most of the damage, but I'm afraid you will have scars where the skin broke and you also might have a slight limp in your right leg which was almost completely shattered in both your tibia and fibula. I'm surprised you managed to get this far."

I try for a weak smile. "I only got on that horse. So he got me all the way here . . ." I pause for a moment. "Good horse. Very good horse."

Raine watches me for a moment before she says, "My companions and I would like to hear your story. Would you like to tell me and I repeat it to them or would you like to tell us all at once?"

I think about it for a moment. ". . . No. Let me tell them. Get it all out at one time. I can wait for them."

"Very well."

It doesn't take long before they get here. I hear them coming up the stairs with their boots and enter my room. I tilt my head towards the door to see them. Their eyes go instantly to Raine.

"Raine," Genis goes, "we're going to the ranch to save Chocolat!"

"I'm not surprised." She informs, "We should be continuing the journey of world regeneration rather than going on this suicidal invasion. The captives will be free once the Desians are sealed after world regeneration."

Colette expresses, "Saving the people in front of us and world regeneration are not exclusive of each other. At least, that's what I think."

"Then I see the decision has already been made," she states. Then Raine turns to me, "You will be safe under the care of the priests. They will help you return to Palmacosta."

"You're awake!" someone exclaims (I wasn't paying attention).

I work to sit up in my bed. It was easier than what I predicted but I felt somewhat dizzy for a moment. Just tired. "I failed as a guard. Now I'm supposed to just skip back to Palmacosta and wait for the tour to return? As if. I'm going to that ranch."

Raine starts to protest.

"With all of you or with some idiot adventurers or alone. Either which way, I'm still going to that ranch and saving each captive I let down, even if I have to save them one by one."

Lloyd looks at me for a second. "You lost a lot of blood. Are you sure you're up for it?"

I turn to him with stubborn determination building in me. "I just proved that I can do a lot by will alone. I'm not going to fail them a second time by abandoning them in that ranch, and I don't care if I'm alone or not."

"You're not going to be alone," he tells me. "You're going to be with us. Besides, you have a better chance to save them if you're with a group."

I don't break my eye contact with him. "You really mean that?"

"Dwarven Vow number one: we must all work together for a peaceful world," he recites. "Yeah, I really mean that."

I close my eyes for just a moment to meditate on the irony of my situation. When I open my eyes, I put all my past reserves to the side for later.

I give up.

* * *

By the way, Elvira needs physical contact to see into the future. From grass to people, it's all the same. The people who read my romance would know this about the fortuneteller already, but since few actually read this then I'll just toss this out into the air as and explanatory FYI.

Then the author came down, fell to her knees, and whispered "Please . . . review . . ."


	14. The Puppet and the Shadow

I spend a long time on this chapter. I'm, like, exhausted.

The battle against Kilia was less than I intended. Hopefully some things on this make up for it.

Personally, I like the part where Kelsey angsts about how the day is going to be and how it all happens on her birthday. Pretty sucky, isn't it?

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: The Puppet and the Shadow

Oh, the irony.

After it was confirmed that I'm now an unofficial member of the Chosen's group I told them what happened that morning, keeping some details (such as Chocolat's crush on Lloyd) to myself. Once I finished there was a foreboding silence in the air as they each digested the information I provided them. Lloyd couldn't understand how the tour just gave up like that no matter how many times and how many ways we kept trying to explain to him the fact that we were weak and way outnumbered. Elvira, who was in the room at the time (remember?), sat down next to me on the bed and hugged me. I didn't mind; in fact, I welcomed the gesture. I haven't been hugged since my mom hugged me. I forgot how good hugs feel. I almost wanted to cry.

Well, isn't this peachy?

Once the angst fest against how cruel the world is was over we all got back to the main issue: meeting Neil at the ranch and infiltrating the place to rescue the captives. It was decided that we would go to the ranch tomorrow on Elvira's dragon wagon and use today to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. Because my white shirt is, well, completely ripped and ruined, Raine and Colette dug into Colette's things and pulled out a spare semi-dress thing she usually wears and her old leather guard which, by the way, they fortunately forgot to throw away. Colette was really embarrassed and laughed at herself about how many tears the poor thing has. I personally don't mind at all. I would rather go in with the miniscule protection that thing can provide than with only cotton clothes.

Even still . . .

I tried to get up from my bed several times that day. I was better each time but Raine always caught me and forced me down. This one time I even got into the hall and got found by Genis who went to his sister, the little tattle. It's an independence issue for me! Meanwhile, I got visited by Lloyd and Colette making sure that I'm really alright and talk to me and asks me questions about this, that, or the other, and that's nice since I haven't exactly done that since Chocolat met me. Then Genis helps his sister by bringing her supplies, a book, or a sandwich and stuff. He didn't really talk to me, but I'd catch him looking at me weird, like he's surprised or curious about something. Then there's Kratos. He would come in and inform or remind everyone about some things and leave or he could be seen waiting on one of the younger members of the group outside my door or something else. Sometimes he made an observatory glance at me that I'd notice if I'm quick enough but that's about it. His red eyes never fail to creep me out, though. I know that red eyes are natural in this world, but in mine . . .

Today is March first, my birthday.

Today I'm going to go to the Palmacosta human ranch and discover via Neil that Dorr is a complete scheming scumbag who set a trap with the Desians for innocent little Colette (whose semi-dress swallows me whole). Then we're going to either skip on down to Dorr and watch him get killed before we kill Kilia and then watch Clara the monster get released into the wide world; OR we're going to skip on down inside the ranch, watch Chocolat scream at Lloyd and storm off like a brat with some Desian thugs at her side, and then have a nice death match with Magnius before exploding the ranch, and THEN skip on down to Dorr and watch him get killed before we kill Kilia. Sing with me, everyone! Happy birthday to you~!

Well, damn.

* * *

"Koff! Kagh! Koh-koh!"

"Are you alright, Genis?" Colette asks.

Our blue mage covers his mouth with a handkerchief Raine just handed him. "Yeah . . . Just the dust."

Update time! Update time! We're in Elvira's speedy wagon that goes about some over forty miles per hour heading right to the ranch for a little skip-a-dee-doo-dah skip-a-dee-yay to Neil. Now forty mph may not seem like much to someone who rides in a car but it's pretty damn fast when you take off that windshield. There's also dust flying everywhere because of the dragons stirring up the dust. Why is there dust? Because the top soil is completely blown away due to the fact that Magnius is sucking every bit of mana in the area, making everything rooted in the area dead. This seriously reminds me of the Dust Bowl from during the Great Depression after the first world war. Everything was dust. Nothing could grow and dust always got onto anything wet from the apple you bit into to your mouth. Sometimes it would pile on something about a foot high. The economic deflation that the U.S. is experiencing is nothing compared to the economic crash that brought the entire world's economies down into nothing.

Genis hacks out dust caught in his throat again. Poor thing looks like he's about to choke. I myself sport the collar of the semi-dress Colette loaned me (because my white tunic is torn to shreds) around my snout. I'm taking Genis' reaction as a nice warning. The last thing I need is a sinus infection.

The trees congregate closer to each other and force the dragons into a slow stop, slowing the dust into a looming cloud that sends everyone into coughing fits. We all climb out to make our way to where Neil should be expecting us. Everyone quivers from the chills sent up their spines. This horrible feeling that came upon us some time ago becomes acute. This horrible feeling like something is sucking dry the life out of us. Well, I can safely guess that this is a nasty side effect of being in range of the mana reactor, which is now reminding me of the mako reactors from Final Fantasy VII. Maybe they work very similarly, only mana reactors are like primitive versions of the mako reactors since they suck everything around instead of concentrated on a single spot and everything around being collateral damage. Either which way, it still sucks. Figuratively. (I didn't mean for the pun . . .)

Elvira climbs off the wagon carefully and aims to join us. Kratos stops her and points to the wagon, more specifically the dragons. The fortuneteller shakes her head vigorously and tries to pass him. Kratos stops her again and just glares. After a quiet moment, filled with conflict, Elvira sighs (through her nose) and returns to the dragons. She turns back to us and points to the ranch and slits her throat as if to say "bring me back Magnius' head!"

So we leave without her. During that I keep looking back wondering if she's going to get our attention again to tell us via sign language to be sure to bring his head back on a silver platter.

We continue in this eerie silence all the way to the ranch. Dust whirls at our feet and floats into the air around us. Each tree droop over us ominously, moaning even after death. It was like walking in an abandoned graveyard during midnight with no life, not even animals or bugs, for a mile. I knew this feeling is going to be worse when the setting sun retires for the night. I keep glancing over my shoulder, feeling invisible or perhaps only imaginary eyes piercing my back. This buzz of fright seethes in the bottom of my lungs. I can feel paranoia clogging my throat. It takes all I have not to run screaming back to Elvira's wagon.

. . . Alright, all it takes is a quick reminder from my pride about how humiliating it would be if I ran screaming back to Elvira's wagon. I wouldn't be able to show my face to this group again for at least a decade or two.

When I sense everyone slow to a stop I halt and look around and follow their gaze.

There before us are giant connecting buildings lined with fences that would put high-security prison walls on Earth to shame. Portentously, with the air of a Nazi death camp, it looms over the land imposing its great power over all things. No words could describe everything I could see through the lifeless trees or even the feelings I felt over such a place. All I can tell is this terrible, foreboding dread that renders me into complete silence.

Foot prints echo through the muffling powder loam. We whip to it with our weapons ready, expecting the worst, but relax as soon as the figure reveals itself.

". . . Neil," Lloyd quietly says before erupting into a coughing frenzy.

Neil stands before us with a ragged edge to his appearance. Dark bags under his eyes report loss of sleep, his blood shot eyes say that he's been under a lot of stress, his clothes are torn and severely wrinkled and shabby, his usually neat hair is a rat's nest, and his skin is a tad sickly pale. In other words, he looks like crap. Obviously he's got some bad news for us left and right. Hmm. I wonder what it possibly could be . . .

Oh, am I in a bad mood? Well, sorry, but I'm not exactly thrilled about anything at the moment. I'm experiencing one of those "days-of-doom" that comes with epic tales like this for the first time right now.

While keeping a paper mask pressed against his snout, he hands out extra paper masks to each one of us saying "Put these on. They won't completely block out the dust but it helps."

We each gratefully grab one out of his offering hands and slip the things on nice and snug. I hear Genis sigh in relief as soon as his is on. Poor kid.

"I need to speak with every one of you," he soberly states.

"It doesn't sound as if you have good news for us," Raine mutters.

"No, I don't," Neil replies. He glances back to the ranch and motions for us to follow and moves in a direction off to the side. We follow, keeping an eye out for anything. When he stops in this reclusive cluster of trees he turns to us with this look that screams out that he wishes this weren't real and glances around once again. Feeling a little more secure, he speaks.

"Chosen One, you should leave Palmacosta and continue on the journey of regeneration." He says, "Things are not as they seem here. Leave the rescue of the captives and everything else to me and move on."

"So, this _is_ a trap."

Shock waves through the group.

Lloyd turns aghast at the other swordsman. "Kratos, what are you saying?"

Neil solemnly affirms, "It is as he says. The Desians have set a trap to kill the Chosen."

"Out of all the possibilities, the worst one came true," Raine sighs.

Lloyd turns to Raine. "Professor . . . !"

"Think about it, Lloyd," she says. "Why would the Desians leave a city with a resistance be? It could be that the seeds of rebellion are powerless or they might be beneficial."

Kratos adds, "It was rather strange for the Desians not to retaliate after the failed execution. It was even stranger for the Desians to react by merely kidnapping Chocolate along with the tour and nothing else. Then, when we got word of Chocolate's kidnapping, the Chosen was immediately the one asked to lead the attack on the ranch."

"But it was the Palmacosta army that asked us for help," Genis says, trying to keep his optimism for this bleak situation.

"Then this means that the Desians are controlling Palmacosta through devious hands or Dorr is willingly involved," Kratos states.

"Kelsey . . ." Lloyd goes when he turns to me with begging eyes.

I pinch my lips together, knowing what he wants from me. "Sorry, Lloyd. Governor-General Dorr kept mainly to himself. I don't think anyone but the Desians knew about this." I face Neil. "This is pretty new information for you, too, isn't it?"

He sighs. "Yes. I overheard Governor-General Dorr speaking with a Desian representative about the plan to assassinate the Chosen and about how it's already underway. I was so shocked that I couldn't confront him right then. I'll do so right when the captives are all safe, but for now . . . Leave, Chosen One. Let me fix this situation. I was too complacent to even notice anything like everyone else in Palmacosta. I let myself become blind . . . Let me fix the problem I helped with just my obliviousness. It's not your problem."

"Neil is right," Raine says. "Our most important task is releasing the seals and regenerating the world. We should leave Palmacosta be."

Colette protests, "No! We already committed to saving the captives and I'm not backing out of this!"

With a sternness I haven't seen in him before, Neil growls, "Chosen One. I was not throwing a tantrum in order to badger you and your group into finishing the task that is justly mine to end. Leave. Now. Away from the Desians. I will not allow our world's only true hope to be dashed by a trap the Desians have set for you. Leave."

"Look . . ." Lloyd speaks up, "We are not sacrificing or abandoning anyone just to save our own skins. There are people in there suffering right now who need our help. If anyone can do it, we can. You can either help us or just stand there and watch us."

While Neil watches Lloyd completely stunned that he would say that (because he doesn't know Lloyd at all), Raine shakes her head and mutters, "No one listens to me very much on these issues . . ."

I was about to say "look on the bright side" but I forgot what I was going to add to that afterwards. I'll write it down when I remember it for next time.

Neil sighs again and looks up at Lloyd. "Even if I use force I'm not going to be able to stop you, am I?"

"No," Lloyd firmly states.

Neil sighs once more as the stress lines darken on his face. There is a pause before he goes, "Then I will help. What are you going to do? Will you go inside the ranch or will you confront Governor-General Dorr first?"

Kratos goes, "If we consider the options we have before us, the most logical path we take first would be to confront Dorr. He will have the plans for the trap, and perhaps even a way inside the ranch though I have my doubts about that." Neil flinches at the thought that Dorr might have entered the ranch before.

"But what about Chocolat and the other captives?" Colette demands. "If we destroy the Desians right now then the captives will be saved and Dorr won't be pressured by them anymore!"

"The Desians have a trap set up ready for us," Raine reminds. "We will be playing into their hands if we charge in right now instead of forming a strategy."

"Who cares about their trap?!" Genis exclaims. "We can just find a way around it by going through a different entrance!"

"And just how many entrances do you know of, Genis?"

His sister's question silences him.

"That's what I thought."

Then Genis turns to me. "Kelsey, what about you? Your friend is in there!"

I hold my hand up in surrender. "I have no idea _what_ to do. Just barging in would be counterproductive but who knows what the Desians are doing to them . . ." Then I face Lloyd. "Looks like Lloyd is the deciding vote. What do you think?"

I hear Raine and Kratos sigh in frustration and see Genis and Colette tense expectantly for their cause.

There is a pause while Lloyd furrows his eyebrows in thought and his eyes shut to any interference. Then, he reasons, "If we charge in we might end up springing the trap. If we do that then we will just end up killing ourselves and no one will be saved. Confronting Dorr is probably the better option. He'll have information that might help us."

"What about Chocolat and the other captives?" asks Colette.

Lloyd sighs. "I know. It's just that we can't save them if we get caught in their trap. They're expecting us."

Neil goes, "Then I will call in an emergency order to Officer Garrets and have him standby. I will take control of the army and we will watch the Desians and act when the captives are secure."

"Knowing him he's not going to like it," Lloyd comments.

"No, he's not." Neil states, "However, he isn't in a position to argue with me."

Colette approaches Neil and asks, "Do you have an extra mask?"

Neil digs in his pocket and offers one. "Yes. Why?"

Colette points to where we came and replies, "Elvira took us here and is waiting for us. I just thought she might want a mask herself."

Neil moans, "By the goddess, that woman is everywhere . . ."

* * *

We left with a grim air hanging over us. Raine was the one who told Elvira the bad news. She turned five shades of white with her eyes wide in shock. She shook her head several times at the ground, as if trying to wake herself from a nightmare. I don't blame her. Dorr has been allied with the Desians all this time. She either suspected this and didn't want to acknowledge any of it or didn't have a single clue. I suspect the first. The fortuneteller didn't say a single word after that. She just drove the wagon all the way to Palmacosta.

Lloyd seems a lot more steamed than usual. Well, that's an obvious thing, but it's a different kind of angry. It's like that look you imagine in a tiger's eye when you see it pace along the glass in its enclosure. That angry, vengeful look just waiting for the tiniest chance of getting out of that enclosure and . . .

Now that I'm paying attention, everyone has that look in their eye. Lloyd's is just the most obvious.

To be honest, I don't know how to react. I've known all this time that Dorr has been working alongside with the Desians. When I think about it, it's a lot scarier when I imagine all that could go wrong for me and everyone else in Palmacosta. This would endanger all of us, everyone I know. Just look what happened to me.

I'm still thinking of Tales of Symphonia as a game.

When we get to Palmacosta, the first thing we do is make our way to the government building. Seeing the place closed, we all split up and search for a place to enter the building in without upsetting the public. Because I'm starting to feel lost (again), I went with Colette, the most welcoming or . . . fluff? . . . out of the entire group. "Fluffy" . . . Would that be the right word?

"Over here!"

We all go to Lloyd as he opens a window and climbs in. Each person follows in with Lloyd helping Genis up and Colette helping me up as us being the shortest in the group (sobsobsob . . .). When we all got situated, Lloyd turns to Elvira.

"Can you make sure no one follows us?" he asks.

The fortuneteller nods. "I can certainly manage that."

I eye her. "But you gave your brother's Exsphere to me."

"I said I can manage," she firmly insists and that was the end of that.

"Let's split up and take a look around," Lloyd says.

Colette gets this look and goes out into the hall. Confused, I follow her. She stops at the guardless (I know that's not a word . . .) doorway to the prison below. She listens for a little bit . . . and . . .

Colette flings her eyes open (startling the crap out of me) and hurries to (guess who) Lloyd.

"Lloyd!" she goes while he and Raine inspect an empty office. "I heard voices in the prison! I think one of them is Dorr's!"

"Go find Genis," Raine tells him as she hurries off (to find Kratos I'll bet).

We all gather at the prison door. A determined glance passes through everyone (with the exception of the newbie). Lloyd, the most forward of us all, opens the door and leads the way. We creep down into the darkness . . .

A feeling of dread waves through me. I feel as if something unnatural is close, very close. It's like . . . something boney with a scaly film covering over it. That kind of unnatural. A gut feeling tells me to run—and run now while I still have a chance! Run! Run! _Run! RUN!_

I keep creeping down with the group, making sure that they're semi-oblivious to my reluctance. By the looks of things, however, I'm not the only one uncomfortable. Raine and Genis keep rubbing their ears like there's a sharp sound emitting through the air. As we go from the stairs into the prison area, they start flinching every now and then. Hmm . . . Do half-elves sense mana through their ears? Like, in a nonphysical sense and it just feels like they're hearing it?

". . . when will Clara return to her original form?"

We freeze at the sight.

"Not yet. _You_ still haven't paid us enough _gald. _Speaking of which, you've been paying us less and less."

The fast thinkers of this group (I'm not part of it) pushes us behind nearby crates. (You know, those things are everywhere we need them. They're like a convenient cliché.)

"This is the best I can do! The tolls, the municipal taxes, offerings to the Church of Martel . . . There's nowhere else to squeeze more money from! How can I pay all this at this rate?"

"I'm sure that you'll find a way since your darling wife's life is on the line. I suppose this will do . . . for today. _Depending_ on your next contribution, Lord Magnius _might_ remove the demon seed from that woman."

The Desian walks away through another way, probably to a secret passage that is conveniently there (damn clichés . . .).

Kilia watches the Desian disappear before she turns to Dorr. "Father . . ."

"Just a little more time, Kilia . . ." he gently pleads. "I'll . . . I'll raise the taxes on unnecessary goods and the tours . . . and then . . . maybe . . ."

Lloyd, tired of waiting, steps out and goes, "What's the meaning of all this?" At the looks of Dorr's face he smirks and bites, "What's the matter? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Genis responds, "Um . . . Lloyd, that's really clichéd."

"Shut up, Genis!" he snaps back.

I snip at them, "You two can get your big girl panties back on and focus since now's not really the time to play around."

I ignore their promising glares of death and hell.

Dorr panics, "What are you doing here?!" He searches the area. "Neil! _Neil!_ Where's Neil?!"

"Neil isn't here right now," Raine tells him with a chilling tone.

Dorr stares at all of us for a moment, and then growls, "So . . . that's . . . that's it . . . He betrayed me . . . Neil betrayed me!"

"Oh, that's nice, you hypocrite!" I snap. "All that talk about defeating the Desians and here you are cooperating with them behind all our backs! You have no right to throw around the word 'betrayed' as you please!"

"Quiet!" he snarls. "You don't understand anything about what I've been through!"

"Shut up!" I shout. "Don't talk to me about what I understand and don't understand! You don't even know my name!"

"_You_ certainly don't know about what happened to Clara!" he counters.

Lloyd taps on my shoulder and gives me one subtle stern look. I can translate that to "please shut up and let me handle this."

He speaks up, "What's wrong with your wife? Was she taken hostage by the Desians or something?"

Dorr huffs, "Hostage? Don't make me laugh!" He glances at the jail cell next to him. "Hostage . . . I wish that were true . . ."

He turns to the jail cell and grasps the curtain. It might just be my imagination, but he looks like he's under a trance or something.

"_. . . Here's what happened to Clara!_"

Dorr rips the curtains off the cell. The cloth reluctantly gives away at the sudden yank, halfheartedly trying to keep the cell shielded from all eyes. A gasp erupts out of all of us as soon as the light hits the inside of the cell.

It's . . . It's a . . . a humanoid chimera. What else can I use to describe the standing thing caged before me? It stands twice my height with a wrinkled, sagging hide that reminds me of a monster in a movie called Pan's Labyrinth. Five stubby claws sprout from what should be hands and feathers spike up from along the arms. Tiny black eyes scan us from a huge head that's best described as a nose-less monkey-human thing with no fur. The gnawing fangs in the creature's mouth are shaped like shark teeth. This monster resembles nothing like what the game describes.

It's much worse.

I collapse onto my butt in shock while Genis cries, "Wha . . . What is . . . What is that thing?!"

Colette softly goes, "She's . . . She's crying . . . She's crying in pain. You mustn't call her a thing like that! She needs help . . . !" Her words catch in her throat as she takes in again what Clara has become.

Lloyd stares, shaking in his spot. He tries to get words out but fails continuously. He can't look away, yet he doesn't want to look anymore.

Dorr chuckles darkly. "That's right. Look at her. This is what happened to Clara. This is what happened to my innocent wife!"

"So that's why you told everyone she passed away . . ." Raine utters.

"Yes . . ." Dorr goes. His words tumble out as if they had a will of their own. "The Desians did that to her as a warning so that I wouldn't follow in my father's footsteps. That fool . . . He defiantly stood against the Desians and got himself killed. Then they planted that demon seed in Clara as soon as I got elected!" He smiles absently, emptily. "If . . . If I cooperate with them, they will give me the medicine to save her."

No they won't. He's their money cow. They'll keep him, and keep him, and keep him, until he dies. They'll never give him the medicine. I stand, willing to give my own opinion.

Genis beats me to it, "Then . . . Then you're betraying the people of this city! You _are_ just a hypocrite!"

The evidence that his energy drains shows, "What do I care? We'll never escape the Desian rule anyway . . . All that fighting is just a waste of time . . . The Chosen's journey isn't absolute, and they'll end up killing all of you eventually. Just like they did with the last Chosen, and the last, and the last, and the last . . ." Then, with a firmer nod, he adds, "Besides, the people of this city are well satisfied with this way. There is no difference. They just don't know I'm working for the Desians."

Lloyd growls, "Shut up. What do you mean your so-called way?!" He works up, "I'm sorry about your wife. That's . . . That's tragic . . . but think of all the people who believed in you, built their hopes on you, only to be sent off to the ranch! That's so disgustingly selfish! It makes me sick! Did you ever think that any of them could end up just like your wife?!"

Dorr roars, "Silence, boy! How dare you act like your justice is absolute!"

Lloyd shouts, "Where do you think you get off? Don't even start spewing the word 'justice'! I _hate_ that word! If you really wanted to save your wife then you should have resigned your position as Governor-General and search for a cure, or help, or whatever! You're just a selfish jerk who couldn't give up his social status even for his own wife!"

Colette rushes to Lloyd and grabs onto his arm. "Lloyd! Please stop!"

He stares at her in mild surprise. "Colette . . ."

She continues, "Lloyd, not everyone is strong like you. Not everyone can stand up against the Desians. Please, stop this!"

"Colette . . ." he utters as he watches her turn to Door.

With a desperate, gentle plea, she goes, "What if we go and get the medicine you mentioned? We're going to the ranch to save everyone anyway. We can get it when we go there and come back for Clara."

Dorr is taken back. "You . . . You would actually do that for me . . . ? Even after what I have done? You . . . forgive me for all that?"

Colette shakes her head even while she puts on a smile. "I'm not the one to judge. It's not my place. That's up to the people of this city and Martel. Though I have complete faith that Martel will forgive you, because she loves you and everyone, no matter what we do."

"Absurd!"

Kilia walks up to Dorr's back. He gasps as three thin and sharp things goes right through his chest, piercing his lungs and a major vein very close to his heart. When he collapses, absolutely helpless, we find that the sharp things were three of Kilia's fingers, claws in reality. It's like those wicked fingernails of Lust's from Full Metal Alchemist.

"As if the Goddess Martel would lend her aid to an inferior human being," she says with a cruel smile.

Lloyd instinctively reaches for one of his swords. "What are you doing?! What are you?!"

Genis exclaims, "Wait! Dorr's not even your father, is he?!"

Kilia jerks her chin up, still holding that smile. "My father? That's a laugh!"

Her eyes turn red and grow large, yet monstrously narrow. Her pigtails turn into horns turning from an orange-yellow to a blood red at the tips. Her body turns violet with different hues from blue-violet to purple shading different inches. Each limb stretches to such a degree that the freakish three fingers actually make sense. All of her body looks disgustingly and dangerously starved, and yet she holds herself up with more than enough strength. "Demonic." That's the only word I can use to describe just how freakish she is overall.

The demon proudly states, "_I_ am a servant of Pronyma, leader of the Five Grand Cardinals who rule over the Desians. I was merely assigned to observe the new human cultivation technique developed by Magnius. It's so stupid of anyone to think that a _superior_ half-elf such as I could _ever_ have a fool like this for a _father!_"

"A . . . a fool?" Colette words.

The demon waves one of her claws at Dorr. "Just take a look at him! He didn't even notice that his real daughter was _dead!_ All because he was too busy chasing after medicine that doesn't even exist, in order to save his monster wife! Ahahahahah . . . !"

While she laughs Dorr stirs in pain more severe and more personal than the wounds killing him now. "Dead . . . ?" he utters. "Dead . . . ? Kilia . . . is dead? Then the medicine . . . it doesn't exist? All this time . . . ! A-a lie?! No . . . No . . . ! It can't . . . ! It can't . . ."

Lloyd saw him and heard his words. He unsheathes his twin swords and snarls, "You—!"

Colette whips out her chakrams. "How could you?!"

"How could I?" the demon goes. It whips its claws out threateningly. "I'll show you how!"

The demon instantly starts casting something. Lloyd charges in with a roar with a slash that rips at only air as that thing dodges away like a dance. My nerves sting and hiss against a black rain that comes pouring down. I yip once or twice as I focus on taking out my spear. Then the rain is gone, but the stinging isn't.

Lloyd whips around the thing and slashes at it again, but it dances away once more . . . with Kratos waiting for it on the other side.

Kratos Sonic Thrusts at it. The thing tries to cringe away but only manages to dodge Kratos' move by a half, which means that its side gets ripped through, but only through its surprisingly tough hide.

I rush in and around the side, trying to find a spot where I can zoom in with Downcut. The problem is that Lloyd and Kratos keep getting in the way. Grrr . . .

Genis shouts, "Stoneblast!"

Huge rocks come shooting up from under the demon out of no sensible source. The thing gets mad and charges at Genis. I brace myself and charge at her, trying to outrun Lloyd and Kratos (which is not an easy thing to do. At all.). It hits the poor kid with a ball of electricity.

"Spark Volt!" it cries out.

Genis shakes violently as he's electrocuted with the ball of electricity. He falls to his knees, quivering in his spot, when the attack stops.

"Downcut!" I call out as I speedily leap into the air and slice down with pretty amazing speed (well, amazing for the average bear . . .).

"Gah!" The demon rounds up on me and knocks me down, flying a good distance back.

I land on my back and find that Lloyd and Kratos had to dodge in order not to get hit by me. I remind myself not to feel like I have to apologize.

"Angel Feathers!"

Glowing chakrams of pink illuminating feathers race at the monster and slice it at the shoulders when it dodges with a simple twist of its body. Even still . . .

"Gaaahh—Uuuggh!" it wails out. The thing leaps away with this furious expression twisting its face and starts casting another spell.

I get back up and run at it with the two other melee fighters.

"Dark Sphere!"

I know that move . . .

I leap to the side and take a quick look around, and then I find Colette. A black sphere of dark inscriptions traps her in a binding doom. Her eyes go wide as she realizes just what kind of position she's in.

The sphere bursts.

"KYAH!" she cries as she falls to the ground.

I shuffle around for a moment, unsure if I should go for the thing or go help Colette, then I see Genis rush to Colette's side with a life bottle and return my focus to the monster. Kratos brings his shield up just in time for the demon's claws to come down at him and dances away once more as Lloyd leaps up with his swords in Tiger Blade, narrowly hitting Kratos himself. I weave around the two and bring my spear up for a swing.

"Swipe!" I call out as my spear rips at the demon at high speed in a horizontal swing. I only end up nicking it.

"Spark Volt!"

The only thing I manage to do before the pain comes is flinch. Intense pain prickles across my skin and send my nerves completely haywire. I fall to my knees, trying to summon the will to get up. The thing starts casting another spell. By the sound of the chants, it's Dark Sphere. Not good.

"Follow it off!"

"_Cross Thrust!_"

Lloyd and Kratos zip right by me, hitting the demon square. As it screams I recover and put some nice distance between the thing and me.

The thing jumps away and just stands there for a moment. Then, scorpion-like tails, barbs and all, sprout out from the back and flex ominously.

I mutter, "F**k . . . This just gets better and better, doesn't it?"

Colette joins the fry and starts sending off chakrams left and right at it. Lloyd rushes in and slashes at it, making a nice slice down its arm.

The thing whips around and thrusts a barb at Lloyd. He manages to block, but only just as it rips through his own arm, eye for an eye vengeance.

"Lloyd! Retreat to Raine!" Kratos commands. Lloyd lets Kratos take his place and rushes to Raine's side. The group's healer immediately starts casting First Aid.

I move in and, after a hesitant second, and dive in the fighting with a Downcut at the thing's face. Of course it dodges again. Then I realize what I did was stupid. I should have attacked it from behind instead of attacking in an area where it would obviously retreat when Kratos is attacking at one side and Colette is attacking from the other side. I do my best to ignore Kratos' disapproving frown.

Colette moves away and starts casting Angel Feathers again. I move around to take her spot and flinch as I see three giant fire balls race right by me and land on the demon. Kratos slashes at the thing and it falls towards where I am. I follow it up with Swipe. It falls away again, and is hit by Colette's glowing pink chakrams. In the instant that the chakrams move away from it, a dark aura envelopes the twisted body.

Overlimit. Isn't this peachy?

The demon focuses its attention on Colette, being that she landed the last hit, and uses its emotional overload into casting Dark Sphere. In an attempt to distract it, Kratos hacks off three of the scorpion tails in one go, but in vain. Lloyd rushes in and lands a nice Sonic Thrust through the demon's side. Still doesn't manage to sway its focus.

"Run, Colette!" Lloyd calls out.

Colette flies around at a speed that surprises me and—

"Dark Sphere!"

The sphere scrapes Colette's foot as she passes, causing her to lose her flight and fall to the ground. Nonetheless, the sphere bursts on nothing but air.

The demon snarls as it whirls on Lloyd and gets him with its remaining tails. He falls back and, feeling useless, I dig in my side bag and pull out a bottle and toss it at him.

"Need this?" I call to him.

"Thanks!" He catches the apple gel bottle and downs it in an instant before dashing back in.

I go at the demon's side and Downcut it. Then I jump away as a huge spike of ice shoves up from the ground from under the thing. When the ice goes away I leap back in, feeling more confident in my attacks, as dangerous as the thing is . . .

"Genis!" Lloyd calls. "Use Lightning!"

Seeing Kratos jump away, I take a hint and dodge away myself.

A thread of lightning zaps Lloyd's left blade. He runs at the demon and leaps into the air . . .

"Lightning Tigerblade!"

Massive bolts of lightning follow Lloyd's swords and continue to strike the thing even when Lloyd finished his initial attack.

The monster staggers back, sobbing over the pain. Lloyd rushes at it and stabs it right where its withered heart should be.

"_Gaaahhh!!_" it gasps. "L-Lady . . . Pronyma!!"

The thing staggers away, closer to the cage where Clara as a monster panics from all the violence, but then falls flat on its back.

It glares at each and every one of us, but then gets an idea and grunts, "Fine! I'll . . . set that monster free . . . and let it kill you!"

The demon rolls on its stomach and weakly drags to the cell. It reaches up at the lock and inserts one of its claws into the hole. Then, it doesn't jimmy the lock, it shatters it to pieces. Then the violet body goes limp at the last spent energy.

A giant foot pushes the cell door out, taking the demonic corpse with it, and the humanoid chimera Clara jabs herself out. She snarls at us.

Lloyd goes, "No! I—! . . . Do I have to kill another innocent?"

Clara steps to us once more. She keeps snarling and snarling, and raises one of her giant claws.

Colette flings herself in Clara's way. "Stop!"

The claw pauses, then falls away. Confused and frantic, Clara flees away to where the Desian left.

"W-wait a minute!" Genis calls. He and Colette attempt to follow with Lloyd just about to catch up to them.

"Is Kilia really dead . . . ?"

Everyone turns to Dorr. I see the agonized expression he has and shudder with a quiet gasp. Is that the same expression Dad had when I couldn't be found?

Genis looks down upon Dorr with lost eyes. "K-Kilia . . . Kilia is . . ."

Lloyd kneels down to the man. "Don't worry. It looks like your real daughter is fine."

Although Colette and Genis were searching for something to say, what Lloyd said was not what they wanted.

"Lloyd . . ." Genis cautions.

Dorr doesn't seem to hear that. "I . . . see . . . Y . . . Your name is . . . Lloyd . . . right . . . ?"

Lloyd nods. "Yeah . . ."

Colette looks at the wounds. "Professor, can't you save him? He . . . He doesn't look that bad."

Raine wastes no time. She hurries to Dorr's side and utters "First Aid," and a soft white light illuminates from her staff hovering over Dorr's wounds. I see no change, but the light grows as Raine's face crumples in concentration more and more . . . and she retreats with this tortured look. It was too late.

Knowing his doom is close, Dorr reaches for Lloyd's arm and begs, "Please . . . Please save . . . Choco . . . lat. That poor, poor girl. She was . . . only a tool . . . to lure you—Kough! Kogh! Hooh!" Blood splatters out of his mouth from his punctured lungs. I shake where I am. This is so much different from that vendor that got killed before me a long time ago. His was quick, a sword down his throat. Dorr's . . . This is slow, and very painful. It tests my discipline and my mentality. I want to leave. I can't just leave him. I want to leave. I can't just . . .

He continues, "Over . . . on the desk . . . are papers that the Desian forgot. He always forgets them—always . . . They have . . . blue prints of the ranch and . . . entry codes . . . You can use them to get around . . . their trap . . ."

"Thank you," Lloyd gently replies as he glances, for just a second, at the accounting desk at the other end of the hall.

Dorr pauses for a moment before he sheepishly goes, "And . . . I know this is . . . selfish of me . . . but . . . if you find a way to save my wife . . ."

"Of course . . . I'll do everything I can to save her," Lloyd tells him.

Dorr smiles. "Thank . . . you . . . I don't want Kilia to be . . . all . . . a . . . lone . . . Than . . . k . . . you . . ."

The last of Dorr's breath goes out . . .

Everyone just stands there, staring at him. A long time passes. We hear footsteps come down the stairs. We all turn and just find the fortuneteller. She takes in each and every detail before moving to Kratos' side.

She says to all of us (though mainly him), "I found . . . the . . . what is it?"

"Clara," Kratos states.

Elvira solemnly nods. "Ah—that . . . That would . . . Once I help her to exit the city without anyone seeing her and panicking, I will return here and clean up. I believe . . . this story for the city will be that . . . the Desians sent a monster at Dorr . . . and . . . killed him. Please . . . wait for me at my home. You can rest there while I take care of things here."

"Thank you," he puts. "Let's get going."

Lloyd gawks at Kratos for a moment before protesting, "Kratos! How can you be so cold?!"

Kratos turns to him. "Calm down. What is it that we need to do?"

Lloyd continues to stare at him despite the swordsman's attempt to calm the boy.

Raine finishes for him, ". . . Rescue Chocolat, then defeat Magnius the leader of the Palmacosta ranch."

"Exactly," Kratos says before turning his gaze on Lloyd.

Lloyd sighs and surrenders, "Yeah . . . I know . . . You're right. I'm sorry."

I go up and weakly brush my hand against his shoulder. I'm so tired . . . "Let's just get some rest, okay?"

Everyone leaves, with Raine lagging behind. She pauses at the foot of the stairs and takes a last glance at Dorr.

". . . My healing arts cannot save even one single life?"

Genis's voice echoes down, "Raine? We need to go . . ."

Raine's feet make their way up, even while Raine takes one or two guilty glances at Dorr's soulless form.

* * *

And to think, this isn't the end of the day. Poor Kelsey gets a sucky birthday.

Hark! How the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say "Please review."

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays to you all!


	15. Too Bad There Aren't Any Save Points

I have now passed my original self-insert (the one i luckily had the sense not to post). I can finally delete it! *phew!*

I decided to have a lighter chapter following the one over Kilia. Also, I was going to title this one "OMG! Spiders!" but I'll save that for the wind seal where there actually are giant spiders. (Keh keh keh . . .)

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Too Bad There Aren't Any Save Points

The first thing I do when I enter that house is that I sigh and grab a chair before anyone else can. Selfish? Maybe, but I really don't care at this point.

"What a day . . ." Lloyd sighs. He keeps rubbing his arm where the monster thing got him. Well, I don't think I should worry too much. It's the smaller scorpions that are venomous enough to hurt a person, and those tails were huge!

"Will Clara be alright?" Colette asks.

Raine replies, "I'm sure she will. For right now, we need to wait. We might as well get some rest while we do."

Then everyone takes a spot. Lloyd and Genis sit at the table with me, Colette stands by the nearby window, Raine stands in the middle of the room and takes out a notebook that looks like a planner of some sort, and Kratos takes the most distant and isolated spot in the entire room (which I don't know how he manages that).

I spy Genis digging in his bag and pull out a sheet of paper with writing on it already and an oldies-looking pencil.

"You're doing your homework?" Lloyd goes.

Genis looks up. "Why not? This is a good opportunity to finish up this week's assignment. You should be doing your homework too."

"Nah, I'll do it later." The procrastinator's philosophy: why do something now when you can put it off till later?

"Then it'll be late," Genis states.

"So?"

"Sooo," the mage lectures, "Raine will count off points for being late."

Lloyd reasons, "What's the point? I'll get a low grade anyway."

I hear Raine sigh in the back.

_Thump!_

We glance to Colette who's getting up from the floor. She laughs, "Oops! I just dozed off a little."

I motion to my room, "The guest room right there isn't being used right now. You can take a nap in there."

She smiles. "I couldn't impose."

"And you aren't," I tell her. "No one's using it anyway."

"Thank you," she says as she passes by to the offered room. "It will be quick."

As soon as the door closes (after a bit) I ask the others at the table, "No one's going to wake her up, right?"

They give their nays.

"Thank goodness," I sigh as I scoot my chair into the window near the table. "She needs it after . . . well, fighting that thing."

"We all do," Lloyd says as he rubs that one spot on his arm again.

Genis raises an eyebrow at Lloyd. "Do you need Raine to take a look at that? She might have only done a patch job because of the battle in the government building."

"It's alright," he replies. "The wound isn't there anymore but the pain still stays."

Then Raine assures, "As my abilities as a healer progress that effect will diminish."

"Pain or no pain, I'm glad you're around, Professor," Lloyd expresses.

Raine smiles. "I'm just doing what needs to be done." Then, she mentions, "Speaking of what needs to be done, shouldn't you be doing your homework?"

"Aw, man, Professor . . ."

Genis glances at me. His eyes get huge like an anime character's and are replaced with this devious grin. What's he up to? . . .

"Don't look at your shoulder," he casually tells me.

I don't look. "What's on it?"

"You really don't want to know," he says. Genis' warning catches Lloyd's attention and he looks at my shoulder. Lloyd's eyes get huge like an anime character's and are replaced with this cautious look.

"Kelsey . . ." Lloyd goes. "Stay still."

"What's on it?" I hiss.

"A spider."

I instantly tense up in a freeze.

Genis adds, "Not just one. I see three."

"Get . . . them . . . _off!!_ . . ." I tensely snarl.

"They're huge, too!" he goes.

Oh . . . my . . . god! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod! OHMYGOD!!

Lloyd gets up to my shoulder. "I only see one."

Genis frowns in disappointment. "Awww . . ."

"Little twerp!" I mutely hiss through my teeth. "Don't tease me like that! I _hate_ spiders!"

A red glove swats something off my shoulder. I instantly whip around and slam my foot on the large invader. Once I'm done grinding the arachnid into the wooden floor I move my chair away from the window and sit firmly down, keeping myself in battle mode against any and all spiders.

I ignore Genis' chortling.

Things settle down after that. When it became obvious that Lloyd needed something to do (when his rebounding energy level irked us) Kratos took him to the side and had him help take count of our remaining supplies. This one moment I spotted Lloyd rubbing an apple gel on his aching arm while he was taking out the supplies Kratos was tallying. Every now and then I'd see them get this worried gleam in their eye but then seem as if their thoughts were reassuring them of something. Probably about Clara or the captives at the ranch. Getting bored, I gaze around the room, even at the floor—AH! _Spider!_ _A huge one_—oh . . . It's just the one I killed earlier.

Genis gets up and goes to his sister. "Here, Raine. I'm done with it."

She takes the paper and stores it in a folder. "Thank you. I'll give you the next assignment at the next lesson."

Curiosity gets me when Genis sits back at the table. "What was your homework over?"

With content casualness, he answers, "It's over recent history in the Asgard continent; stuff like Desian activity and civil activity from ten to twenty years ago. It's really neat until you get to Desian activity. All of it gets really choppy and mostly guesswork since no one could really make sense of what their goals were."

"That part must be frustrating," I comment.

"It is," he says. "Especially to Raine. She's pretty determined to collect information in order to fill in the gaps the text book has. I'm getting a little worried since she gets that ruin mode look in her eye . . ."

I'm not supposed to know about that, so I go, "'Ruin mode'?"

"So what kind of schooling do you get around here?" he immediately asked.

Curiosity killed the cat. He's asking about my background.

"I never really went to school here." Ouch! Wrong words! Raine's looking over with a gleam in her eye!

Of course, Lloyd questions, "You don't have to go to school here in Palmacosta?"

"That's not what I meant!" I hastily amend. That look in Raine's eye . . . "I'm not from Palmacosta originally, so I wouldn't know what the school system is like here. I did browse through the Academy's public library once, but I'm now barred from that due to . . ." I finger my red hair. ". . . hair color issues. During my life I was mainly home schooled because my family would hop from place to place." This lie about my traveling family is getting easier to tell each time.

Lloyd frowns. "But you're alone here. Where are they?"

I gaze downward. Now _that_ I don't have to lie about. "I don't know. One moment I was with them, the next . . . gone. I can't even begin to grasp any of what happened."

Raine glances back and forth between me and Lloyd. She then interrupts, "So what sort of education did you get during your home schooling?"

Not noticing the change in topic, I look at her with confusion. "Uhh. What do you mean? My home schooling is just an 'is' thing to me. It just is."

She takes the seat Lloyd used to sit in before Kratos had him help tally supplies. "I mean how much have you covered in your education? How far along are you?"

Oh, no! No, no, no, no! "I . . . I wouldn't really know. What's the difference between the two?"

"Sometimes a world of difference," she replies.

A world of difference. She doesn't know how pinpoint accurate she is on that statement concerning me.

Feeling myself backing into a corner where I hastily try to keep my lie intact, I ask, "Where are you going with this?"

Raine states, "I will write a test to see how far along you are in your education. I would love to compare public education with home based education."

I frown. "You can't really compare home schooling when it varies with each and every situation. I mean, I haven't been with my family for a few months so I haven't been home schooled for a while. I'm not really a good source of comparative information."

Not to mention that I (one) know nothing about Sylvaranti history and (two) am still learning the very basics about the reality I live in. There aren't many similarities between Earth and Symphonia. Just a touch of this world would have every intellectual back on Earth going for a loop. I'm not going into the details for that and everything else. It would change almost everything about how we understand the universe we live in (certainly about how we view time and space).

Raine continues, "I understand the variables that I need to consider when making the comparison. After we save Chocolat and the other captives and defeat Magnius, I would very much appreciate it if you would allow me to administer the test to you."

There's no getting out of this one. I go, "I don't mind . . . You're going to be severely disappointed, though."

"Come now, I'm sure a bright young lady such as yourself will do better than you expect," she assures.

For effect, I loudly sigh. This part isn't going to end pretty.

Lloyd remarks, "Hey, at least you're only going to have to withstand her until after we save Chocolat and the others. Since you're coming back here once everything is settled with the Desians, you don't have the Professor as you permanent teacher."

Such reassuring words. Knowing where all this is going, I'm going to have a new teacher named Professor Sage.

Looking for a way out, I say, "I'm going to Textures Abundant to get a new shirt. I can't wear the dress Colette loaned me forever."

"Alright," Lloyd goes. "When Colette wakes up, I'm going to check on Cacao. You can find us at her shop, okay?"

"Alright." With that, I leave.

* * *

The shop was open yet few customers came. That was fine. Cacao needed to be alone anyway. She doesn't want anyone to come in and see her in the mess that she's in right now. A picture in her hand she holds tenderly, sketched by some artist she forgot who's name. The people in the sketch smile back at her merrily and contently. The one who bears mirror-like resemblance to herself hugs the youngest with loose arms while the youngest grins with a full laughing smile. On the youngest's shoulders is a man with a uniform from the militia and eyes that match the youngest's perfectly. In the very center of the group is an elderly woman surrounded by an air of warmth and welcome. The very sight of the three others forces tears into Cacao's eyes.

"M-Mother!" she sobs. "C-C-Cyril! Ch-Chocolat! I . . . I lost Mother and Cyril. I can't lose Chocolat . . . !"

The door opens.

Cacao looks up and cries out, "Chosen One! Chocolat! The Desians—!"

"We know," says Lloyd as he approaches the counter. "The Desians have her, but don't worry. We're going to the ranch and we'll rescue her. We just needed to make sure you were alright."

Cacao shakes her head. "I'm not the one you need to worry about. Just make sure Chocolat comes back home."

"We will." Raine states, "Be sure not to do anything drastic."

Cacao shakes her head again. "I . . . I won't. Please. Please. Bring her back. I can't lose my baby girl. Not after losing my mother and my husband Cyril."

"You're not going to lose Chocolat," Colette firmly says. "It's just as Lloyd said. We're going to the ranch and we'll rescue her, and then we're going to bring her right back here, safe and sound."

Cacao nods this time. "Alright, Chosen One. Alright. Bring my baby back." She starts to gaze down, but then remembers something. "Chocolat's friend, Kelsey, she was taken by the Desians too."

Raine responds, "No, she wasn't. She managed to barely escape the Desians after they attacked. She was severely wounded but she is just fine now. She's coming with us to save Chocolat."

"Where is she right now?" Cacao asks.

"Textures Abundant," is the answer. "Her tunic was torn to shreds during the Desian attack."

"I hope Abercold and Amanda don't overdo things," expresses Cacao.

Raine refrains from rolling her eyes. "I'm sure nothing will happen."

Meanwhile . . .

"What do you think of this color? Commanding and powerful, isn't it?"

"I'm not too sure that navy blue is the right color for such a thing, Amanda. What of this loose blood red shirt?"

"Blood red? Why blood red of all things?"

"What if she is injured during battle against the world's monsters? She wouldn't want anyone to see and be distracted and discouraged by the sight of their injured ally. With this color on they won't notice a thing and win the battle gloriously!"

Shirts and material of many colors pile high at my feet. Pins and measuring tapes stick to Colette's dress without any hopes of gentle removal. A scowl twists my face, showing my agitation.

"Guys," I tell them, "I didn't come here for a military uniform. I came here for a simple traveling shirt! Just something off the shelves. That's all I need and all I'm asking!"

Back at Marble's . . .

"Is there—" Cacao sniffs from her running nose. "Anything you need?"

"No," Lloyd states. "We have everything we need. Right, Kratos? Did we miss anything while we were checking our supplies?"

"No, Lloyd. We have everything we need."

"Okay." Lloyd turns back to Cacao. "Take care of yourself."

"You all be careful," Cacao wishes them. "Give Kelsey my regards, too."

"We will. Everything will be just fine," he says as they leave. "I promised to bring her back, after all."

"Be careful . . ."

They leave the shop, knowing to go find Elvira to—

"Impeccable timing."

Elvira arrives at that very moment.

"That's creepy . . ." Genis comments.

Elvira ignores that and reports, "The guards of the government building are handling the situation inside the prison now and Clara is safely out of the city. I can go ready the Velocidragons now, if you desire."

"Please do so," Raine replies.

"Very well." She leaves in a hurry.

Genis watches her go and wonders, "Just how does she get around?"

"We will probably never know," Raine answers. "Let's pick Kelsey up and meet Elvira at the stables."

With a short walk they arrive at Textures Abundant, and enter into chaos.

"Wait! You _have_ to try this on!"

Kelsey bursts out into the main area and, as soon as she sees them, cries out, "Help! These guys are _insane!_"

A man with a flamboyant shop uniform rushes at her and grabs her from behind and carries her back into the changing area.

"_Noooooo!_" cries the captive. "Fine! I'll stick with the red one! Just give me that! I'm not your dress-up doll! Let me go! Nooooooo . . . !"

A woman appears after Kelsey disappears and singsongs, "We're busy right now! Come back in a bit~!"

There is a silence, and then Colette asks, "What do we do in a situation like this?"

Kratos is the one to answer, "We leave and come back in a moment. Let's go."

The mercenary ushers them out and settle by the door to wait for their new companion.

Colette looks around and finds the dock bordering city and the ocean. She tugs on Lloyd's sleeve and points towards the sea while she says, "Let's go look at the fishing boats for a moment."

Lloyd looks out to the waters with their large boats bobbing up and down on the sea line and replies, "Sure, why not."

Colette smiles and leads him away to the edge of the city walkway where Palmacosta meets with the sea it floats upon. They pause for a moment to look out to the boats.

Lloyd casually asks, "So what's up?"

"Lloyd," she starts. "I didn't want to ask you this in front of the others so . . ."

Lloyd senses Colette's troubled tone. "What's wrong?"

She looks up at him. "Why did you lie to Dorr about Kilia?"

Lloyd frowns. "I couldn't tell him that his own daughter is dead when he was dying himself."

"But isn't lying against the Dwarvan Vows?" she inquires.

"Dwarvan Vow number eleven: lying is the first step to the path of thievery. Yeah, I know." Lloyd sighs. "But . . . when I saw the look on his face . . . I couldn't help but wonder that, if my real dad is still alive, maybe he had the same expression on his face when he thought I was dead. Losing a child must be one of the most painful things a parent can feel. I didn't want that to be the last thing he felt before he died."

Colette thinks for a moment before she says, "I think I understand now. I'm still having a little trouble with the fact that you lied to him, but you're right. That shouldn't be something that someone would feel before they die."

"I can see where you're coming from," Lloyd tells her, "but I'm still sticking to what I did."

"I know that, Lloyd. I don't blame you for it," she replies with a smile.

"No! You're not getting me back in there!"

The two turn back to the shop to find Kelsey, wearing a red tunic with Colette's dress in her hand, fighting to exit the shop.

"I paid for the red shirt! The money's on the counter! You're not making me your dress-up doll!" she shouts.

A woman's voice cries out, "No! That shirt doesn't suit you!"

A man's voice cries out, "We are still deciding on what you should wear!"

She yells to the group, "Which way are the stables?!"

The three of the group over by the door point.

Kelsey struggles out of the grasp of the shopkeepers and makes a break for it.

The woman cries, "Wait! Come back! Come back! Aw, we lost her, Abercold!"

The man carps, "We haven't even made a final decision yet! Humph! What a shame!"

* * *

I situate my things in a nice cozy corner of the wagon with my spearhead properly padded with a special sheath that I use for occasions like this. I know I'm heading to the ranch after this but let's calm down after one traumatizing situation after another, okay?

Elvira comes up to me over the wagon wall and says, "After the ranch I will have this group return to Palmacosta for another wagon or team of horses or some other solution. As apathetic as this may sound, I do not see the need for me to carry the Chosen's group every which way. My question is what will you do after we return from the ranch? Will you stay here, go with my on my annual travels between Palmacosta and Luin, or become a companion with the Chosen?"

I pause before I give my answer, "I think . . . I'll end up traveling with the Chosen. I don't want that to happen but . . . I don't think I really have much of a choice at this point."

Elvira lays her hand on my shoulder. "Why such a fatalist view?"

I turn to her in confusion. "Why aren't you a fatalist? Can't you see the future?"

"I do," she states. "I also see visions that have not come to pass when they should have. I have seen visions where people who should have lived die and people who should have died live. I have seen things that should have happen that did not as well as the visa versa. The future changes all the time, and by small means such as where things are placed or by if a walk is taken and the such decisions. This is why I do not believe what fatalists believe and also why I believe that there is a higher being than us. Life is built too complexly and works too simply for there not to be a higher being."

"It sounds very complex, actually," I note.

She replies, "It is a lot simpler than it seems. You have control of your own destiny. Why would you think otherwise?"

I face downward, embarrassed by my reasons even though I have every reason to hold this part of fatalist thinking. "People from my . . . particular . . . family for many generations have gotten into the habit of inserting themselves in things that they shouldn't. Things like . . . adventures and quests and some other stupid things, trying to make legends and who knows what else. It's like they all want to make their lives a story, and I feel like that, whether or not I want to, I'm next. Look what already happened to me. It's a story just waiting to be written!"

Elvira lets silence calm the air before saying, "A story just waiting to be written, hm? With that frame of mind, think of the story as not being written by some unknown mystical force but by you. You are writing the story to your life, as we all are writing the stories to our lives. No matter what happens, we always have a choice of how we act in these stories. This is your story; you choose the middle and ending to it."

The woman leaves to let her words sink into my brain and climbs up onto the wagon's driver's seat. She keeps an eye out around the scenery.

"Nicohlas had better not find me here . . ." she mutters.

"I knew Nicohlas wouldn't be happy with you," I slip in.

"He is not the ruling factor of my life. He may think he is or wish he is, but he is not and I will never allow him to be."

I smirk as I get snug in my little corner. Getting kinda chilly now.

It takes the others a little bit (since they're walking) but they arrive just in time for the news to start spreading that Dorr is dead, killed by a monster that the Desians sent to try to hinder the military attack on the ranch. When they start climbing into the wagon, I speak up to thank them for earlier.

"Thanks for showing me where the stables are," I say. "Abercold and Amanda went insane in there."

"No problem," Genis casually responds. "They were putting nice clothes on you. I would have been scared too."

I just smile at him. "Let's see you withstand those two next time we're in Palmacosta."

"I will say this as a warning," Elvira suddenly says. "Any fighting and I will dump you on the side of the road."

Lloyd asks, "Does she really mean that?"

Kratos puts his palm against his forehead and answers, "No, she is only messing with you."

"Try me, Kratos Aurion. Just try me."

_

* * *

_

Here we go again,

I think as we arrive at the Palmacosta ranch with the red sun sinking down the western horizon. The day has gone by agonizingly slow during each passing moment but flies swiftly by once the sluggish moment has passed. This morning I thought we had a very long time to kill Magnius and that demon with Dorr (or visa versa). Now that moment seems like ten minutes ago and I'm wondering who took our precious time away from us. We approach the spot where Neil should be hiding and the said man comes out from his nook. One look at our faces tells him today's previous events.

"No," he says. "You don't need to tell me. I can just tell by the look on your faces . . ."

Colette tells him, "Dorr's last request was that we save Chocolat and the other captives."

"I see." His glumness softens even if his stress doesn't. "Anything else?"

Raine takes out a neat folder and opens it up for him to see. "A Desian forgot this in the prison. It holds a map to the entire ranch as well as codes for some entryways."

Neil takes a quick look at it and points towards a direction. "Over that way is a side entrance. It isn't guarded although you will need a code to get in, but with that I believe there won't be much of a problem. I'll follow you until we reach the captives and guide them out of the ranch to safety. At this time of day all the captives are being transported to their holding cells so it should be easy to gather them all."

"Very well then. Let's go." Raine follows Neil as he leads the way.

We walk a distance around the ranch until we find a side door with number pad at the side. Along the way, Genis stops and peers into the ranch passed the gates. He watches the empty darkness, and shivers with a painful grimace. The boy takes a step away and starts running back to his group.

Raine opens the folder and scans through it before turning to the punch pad. "Three . . . Three . . . Four . . . One . . ."

The entry light turns green and something in the door clicks just before it automatically opens.

"Alright! We're in!" Lloyd zooms right on inside. We all freeze and start a staring contest with the Desian group just on the other side of the door.

"Or not," is my side comment.

"They came in through a different door!" one of the three Desians calls out. "Sound security!"

The one with the crossbow runs off. Kratos is tailing him. I dismiss that one Desian as already dead as I turn around to find that one of the whip wielders got a lash around Lloyd's arm. I rush in just as the Desian yanks his whip toward him, wrenching Lloyd along, and_—THUCK!!_

I get between Lloyd with his now-badly-bruised jaw and the Desian. "You okay, boy wonder?"

"I'm fine!" he bites. Getting decked in the face after being yanked towards your attacker isn't fun, is it?

The Desian cracks his whip at me. I block with my spear and end up having the whip wind around the body like it did with Lloyd. A tug-of-war begins at that very moment.

"Get him! He's about to disarm me!" I shout to Lloyd. Of course, me shouting that gives the Desian confidence and I end up having to grind my heels down to keep my weapon.

Lloyd rushes around and Demon Fangs the guy. Then while he's stunned Lloyd Sonic Thrusts through him to the other side, and then it only takes a few more slashes with his twin blades to finish off the Desian.

With the other whip man dead and this one finished, I lower my guard and start unwinding the loose whip twined around my spear.

"Okay," Lloyd goes as he rubs his coloring cheek. "_Now_ we're in."

Raine notes the fist-shaped bruise on Lloyd's face. "What happened there?"

I answer, "A Desian got him with a whip and yanked him in to land a blow on his jaw. Judging by how fast that thing's taking such nice colors, someone's going to feel that pretty bad in the morning."

"You could have let me answer."

"I'll be sure to next time you eat a knuckle sandwich."

At that point Kratos returns, cleaning his bloody blade with a handkerchief that I'm guessing once belonged to a Desian.

"Anyone else down the hall?" Lloyd asks.

Kratos a-matter-of-factly replies, "Not anymore." He tosses the now soaked handkerchief at the feet of one of the Desians.

Raine pulls out the folder again. "We need to move to a place where the Desians are less likely to find us and make our plans there."

We all lean over the map inside the folder. Raine points at the main entrance, "So here would be the trap set for us."

Lloyd comments, "The person who set that there either doesn't think we're bright or isn't bright themselves."

I add, "It was probably Magnius who set that there. I always suspected he replaced his brain for muscle."

Genis go, "Ahahahah! His tests show he has an I.Q. under fifty!"

"And over here!" Raine raises her voice a notch to catch our attention as she points to a spot just a little ways from us. "There are notes around this portal saying that it requires three keycards. The names of the Desians who hold them and where they are on which shift are written here." Then she frowns. "But then it only lists a few shifts, including the one that is about to end in twenty minutes, but not the next one. Also, there is a lot of space separating the three already. It will take longer than twenty minutes to reach two in this maze . . ."

"So that means we must split up," Kratos finishes.

Oh, boy. Why can't this place be as simple as it is in the game? (Minus the part where you have to use all those hellish portals. I swear I get lost every time I play through that part.)

"So how do we decide who's going with who?" Colette asks.

I shrug. "Draw lots?"

Colette chirps, "Okay! I'll get my cards out."

"I was kidding about that!" I quickly put. "And why do you have game cards?"

The Chosen of Sylvarant pulls out her cards and goes through them selecting individual cards. "I like to play Go Fish."

Genis testifies, "That's a real way to understate something. If she went to a gambling house she could win thousands and spend only ten gald!"

Colette picks out her sixth card and puts the rest of the deck away. "Genis just doesn't like to lose."

"She always wins! Always!"

"Anyway," Colette goes, "I have two kings, two queens, and two jacks. Whoever gets the same card as you do is your partner."

Colette shuffles the cards three times and spreads them out face down in a fan shape. We each take a card. I flip mine over: queen of hearts. Off with their heads.

Colette states, "I've got a king!"

Lloyd responds, "Looks like we're partners."

"Sis," Genis goes, "I've got a jack."

Raine turns her card for him to see. She has a jack in her hand.

Oh how typical this turned out to be.

I comment to Kratos, "Then I guess you have the other queen."

Kratos doesn't respond to me before he hands his queen of spades back to Colette.

Raine turns back to the map. "One is on an upper level that can be accessed by a portal. Another is on the same level in the captive hold. The third is on this level just across the way."

Lloyd says, "We'll go to the captive hold. Chocolat might be there."

That reminds me. "Speaking of captives, where's Neil?"

"I'm right here," says a voice just behind me.

I jump in reflex. Holy! That guy could be a spy if he wanted!

Neil moves around to Lloyd and Colette. "I will be sure that these two keep out of trouble as we head to the captives."

"Thank you, Neil." Raine continues, "Genis and I can handle the upper level area and quickly join Lloyd and Colette. Kratos . . ."

"I know," he responds. "I'm going to the one on this level."

Raine closes the folder and asks, "Do you have the map memorized? I'm giving it to Lloyd and Colette since they will need it the most."

"I already have it memorized."

"Alright then," she says as she hands the folder towards the duo (with Lloyd taking it since he was closest to her).

We don't actually split until we passed three patrols (don't know how they manage not to see us), a long passageway, and a connecting room. Then we find the portal. The others wish us luck as they use the portal to the next level. Then it's just me . . . and my partner . . . all by ourselves . . . facing Desians . . . together . . . you know . . . tiny Earth girl me and intimidating Cruxis leader Kratos . . . Now I'm not saying that this is one of those romance situations (hell no!), it's just that it's rather intimidating to be alone with someone who can easily snap you like a toothpick without even putting forth any physical movement. Although . . . I _do_ have to rub something in . . .

_Eat your hearts out, Kratos fan girls!!!_

"We only have twelve minutes until the shift changes," calls a slightly irritated impatient voice from the other side of the room.

I jump to and catch up. "Sorry! I'm coming!"

* * *

I kid you not, this actually happened.

To see who would go with who I wrote the six's names on pieces of paper and shuffled and mixed them like crazy. It was also dark (like 1am) so I couldn't see the names without using the moonlight. I kept thinking of Kratos' name for some reason and--big surprise--I drew Kratos' name. Then I thought of how hysterical it would be if I drew Kelsey's name. And I drew Kelsey's name. While I was still laughing about it I drew Lloyd's name. Knowing that this would be the deciding draw (since the last two would go together), I shuffled and shuffled and shuffled and shuffled. When I stopped I had a choice between this curly one and this one that was all by itself. I picked the curly one and got Colette's name.

So then the results were the stereotypical Lloyd-Colette, Genis-Raine, Kratos-OC split-the-party paring.

Beautiful . . .

Chuck Norris wants you to review.


	16. Shattered Ties

Chapter Sixteen: Shattered Ties

_Ptoo!_

An icky substance lands on the newly mopped floor.

The mopping foot soldier whips at the battle mage leaning against the wall and snaps, "Stop that! I just mopped there!"

The mage keeps chewing. "The tobacco has to go somewhere."

"It can go in a trashcan!" shouts the soldier. "Leave my clean floor alone!"

The mage motions around the room. "See a trashcan anywhere?"

"You can go find one and stay there instead of making my job harder!" The Desian turns back to the floor and mutters darkly while he power scrubs the floor. "You're lucky there aren't any cameras around to catch you or you'd be on cleaning duty next time . . ."

I watch as Kratos moves around the back. I stay in the spot he indicated for me to stay. I say "indicated" because when I tried to follow him he gave me the stern glare. You know . . . the kind of stern glare that makes you want to lie down and surrender like a dog.

"You idiot. It's because there aren't any cameras around that I'm doing this. Now keep mopping!"

The Desian's words become more incoherent as he moves away. ". . . grumble grumble . . . will get that . . . grumble grumble . . . then he'll pay when I get that promotion, and then I'll . . . grumble grumble . . . and by that time no one will question me if I . . . grumble grumble . . . and then . . . grumble grumble . . . grumble grumble grumble grumble . . ."

Kratos makes his move.

While the guy was about to make a gloating remark at the lower ranked Desian, he snatches the mage from the side and presses his stiletto against the man's throat. I notice that Kratos doesn't have his hands anywhere near the guy's mouth, not that I blame him. Chewing tobacco is nasty!

Seeing the other guy just standing there in shock, the mage goes, "Hey, aren't you going to do something? He's wide open! Get him!"

The other Desian stares at Kratos for a moment, and then stares at the "weapon" in his hands and glances at Kratos once more. A smirk grows on his face.

"You know . . ." he goes. "I think I'll just leave you here. Yeah, I'll do that. I won't even tell anyone about this!"

"What?!" The guy starts heading for the door. "You can't just leave me here!"

"Watch me," is the last words before the door closes behind him.

I come out of hiding with a smirk on my face (fighting my laughter) and approach the mage.

"Aren't you going to go after him?" Kratos asks me.

I look to the door the Desian left through. "I don't know." I grin wickedly at the captive Desian. "This guy was a bit of an ass."

Kratos gives me the stern glare.

I grab my spear and hurry to the door. "I'm going! I'm going!"

I tail the guy with the mop as soon as the door closes behind me. I creep behind his whistling self and raise my spear up, aiming for his head.

With my greatest effort I swing down, and slam the wooden body of my spear on his head. The Desian goes down in an instant, completely unconscious. I sigh in relief. I didn't have to kill him. It was so hard to keep the others from haunting me, but I could always dismiss them as self-defense cases. For this one, it's obviously not self-defense. He would've haunted me.

I glance around the place. There must be a place to stash this lump. After a few steps deeper into the hall I find another door just peaking out. With deep caution, I skulk to that door and, after taking a bracing breath, I open the electric door.

It's only an armory with no one inside. I huff out my tension in a sigh and move back to the Desian and drag him into the room. I drop him just at the side of the room and move out and close the electric door. If anyone comes in then I'll be long gone at that point.

I return to the door I just left to catch the man . . . and a random thought comes to mind, so I stop and think aloud, "Wait a minute . . . If that's where they keep their weapons then why didn't they have some sort of security in that so that not just anyone can come in and take a weapon?" I think about it for a moment. I don't remember any details about the room (I didn't pay enough attention). Then I just shrug. Desians are either too overconfident for their own good or there are locks on the weapon racks. Oh well. Just makes it easier to avoid leaving some body (dead or alive) out in the hall.

I enter the room I left Kratos in and find the mage face down on the floor not moving. A chair scoots back and I look to see our favorite (and only) mercenary getting out of a seat that I can safely assume he sat in while waiting for me.

"Is that one dead?" I ask.

"No. He wasn't worth the effort to kill," he states while he flashes a keycard. "Let's go."

I follow him out. I hope the others are alright . . .

* * *

"Hello, there."

He looks up from sharpening his sword and finds a female coworker joining him in company. He couldn't help but scan down her lovely and full body while he replies, "Hey. What's got you over in this part of the ranch?"

The woman answers, "This is my break and I thought I would spend it talking to others. Then I found you."

He smiles. "Glad you did. I've been getting a little bored just standing around in guard duty and having nothing to do but sharpen my sword."

"Isn't there anything else you could have done?" she asks. "Or was this mandatory?"

Now he smirks. "Mandatory unless I volunteer to be a part of that trap set at the entrance. Since it doesn't take much to kill a couple of measly humans I figured that enough people would volunteer to where it would've just been boring. What about you?"

"I just don't care," she replies with a flick of her head. "The Chosen is going to die anyway."

"You said it." He starts sharpening his sword, but doesn't take his eyes off of her, or rather her figure. "Forcystus is too soft to do anything about her, especially with that treaty he has with those miserable worms, so I always figured it was either going to be Lord Magnius or Kvar. My money was on Kvar, but you never know. Maybe she and her band of idiots will run all the way to Asgard thinking they're safe from Lord Magnius. Big mistake. He's the cruelest of all the Grand Cardinals. I know a lot say that Rodyle is the cruelest, but he's nothing compared to Kvar's mental torture. He even got to one of Lord Yggdrasill's closest subordinates—and that guy is supposed to be more powerful than any of us, including the Cardinals! Apparently he found his weak point. Kvar is just . . ."

Her eyes grow wide. "That's . . . inconceivable. I can't imagine something like that."

"I know." The sword sounds as the sharpening stone slides down the blade. "If Kvar can get someone as powerful as that then he can get to any body. I don't ever want to transfer out of here . . . Ever."

The woman glances off to the side and suddenly says, "I better get going. It was nice talking to you."

"No problem." The sword sounds off again. "Don't ever transfer to the Asgard ranch. Some things are much worse than death."

She nods acknowledging at him. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

The woman exits the area and walks down the hall a ways before she stops and watches the hallway for a moment. Silence continues to sleep in the passage.

"It's clear," she simply states.

Genis comes out of hiding from a ground air duct as Raine takes off the female Desian helmet. "That was nerving . . . Now that we have the keycard from his pocket let's go meet with the others at the portal."

"Of course," she says. "But first let me change back into my own clothes. I'm surprised I was able to fool him since this armor is two sizes too big on me."

"I'm not," he bites. "I was so tempted to burn that guy to a crisp when he kept staring at you like that . . ."

"But you had the discipline to refrain from attacking him and just pickpocket the keycard anyway," she reminds. "I'm going to go change."

* * *

"So what's the code?" Colette asks as she leans towards the number pad to the captive hold.

Lloyd searches through the file and recites, "Five . . . Nine . . . Zero . . . Six."

As Lloyd lists each number Colette pushes each digit in. The door whooshes open, and they ready their weapons for Desians as they enter . . .

Lloyd looks around the spacious room. No Desians. He eases as he notes, "No Desians. Did we miss the shift?"

Colette gasps, "Lloyd! Look!"

Lloyd and Neil whip to the direction Colette stares in fright at and is taken back in shock. Cells line the darkened walls with glass separating the captives inside from the three. At the very sight of these strangers, the captives crowd the dark glass shouting mutely for attention, demanding freedom, futilely as not a single sound escapes from the confines of the prisons.

Neil scavenges for something and finds another number pad. He calls for the others, "Over here! Look through those files once more. Maybe there are emergency codes to open all the cells."

After fighting to peel his eyes away from the desperate captives and to the files, he flips through each page, commenting, "I . . . I don't think this Desian would have those codes . . ."

"Keep searching," Neil insists. "There has to be some. The Desians can't have overpowered us and not be organized enough to handle every emergency."

But as each page goes by the hopes of any codes to open the cells diminish more and more. There is a heavy air as Lloyd skims through the last page.

Lloyd sighs. "There aren't any . . ." Then he notices small, fine print at the bottom. "I found it! It's seven numbers. One . . . Six . . . Six . . ."

Neil presses the numbers accordingly.

"Two . . . Eight . . . Nine . . ."

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Three . . . Four . . . Five . . . Eight."

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

_Boop-boop. "Emergency release activated."_

Every cell opens at that instant. The captives rush out, cheering and singing and praising their goddess. When they see Lloyd, Colette, and Neil, they flood right to the three and hug them and kiss them, laughing and thanking.

"Assistant Governor-General! You're here! We're being saved!"

"Thank you, boy! Thank you! Thank you! You have no idea what it's like here!"

"Are you the Chosen? You have to be the Chosen! There's no way you can be the Chosen and not be here to save us and vanquish the Desians! It's the Chosen! She saved us!"

Neil shouts, "_Quiet!_" Silence falls upon each captive. Neil turns to Lloyd and Colette. "Thank you for everything. I'll take it from here. The army is arriving any moment now and I'll have each captive brought to safety while the Desians focus on the army. Take care of Magnius, and be careful."

Colette says, "Okay. You be careful too."

They turn to leave, and a small hand tugs on one of Lloyd's white streamers. They turn back to the captives and look down at a small boy with a watery smile.

"What's the matter?" Lloyd asks gently.

The boy reaches into his ratty shirt and pulls out a shiny card—a keycard! "I found this on the floor over there. The Desians treat these things like they're very important. I want you to have it."

As the boy reaches high up to Lloyd, Lloyd kneels down to the kid's level and takes the card from his offering hand. "Thanks. This is just what we needed."

The boy chuckles and runs back into the crowd. With that, Lloyd and Colette leave for the portal to meet with the others.

* * *

Standing next to Kratos while waiting for the others is like standing next to Batman while waiting for the others. They're both just as quiet, just as serious, and just as intimidating as each other. I have a strong feeling that if Kratos and Bruce Wayne ever met (and I'm not ruling any fictional characters' existence out at this point) then they would get along so well that they would be instant best buddies. Sure there would be some things they would disagree on (like how Kratos is the leader of Cruxis) but overall they would probably be like . . . twins or something.

We used the portal to get to the upper level . . . It wasn't my greatest first-time experience for portals. I kept gagging and choking like I was about to barf. It was like my insides twisted upside down and around and then went back to normal all in three seconds. When we reach the Tower of Salvation (_if_ I'm there in the first place) I'll be taking the stairs, thank you. Conveniences are _not_ worth casting my guts up.

Genis and Raine join us. We chat for some time. Nothing special, really. . . . Okay, I'll be honest, I don't remember that conversation. It was just short.

Finally, Lloyd and Colette return with a keycard and no Neil.

"Neil's with the captives?" I guess.

"Yeah." Lloyd flashes a keycard in his hand. "We can use that portal now."

Everyone walks to the portal, with me lagging behind. Why can't there be any emergency stairs we can use. I step onto the portal with the others. Raine gathers the three cards and bends down to the slot just at her feet. She swipes through the first, the second, and then the third. A light circles us, and our surroundings blur.

It takes only two seconds for us to arrive at the other end. It took only half a second for my stomach to twist around like batter in a mixer.

I tumble out of the portal and gag, hunching over prepared to puke. As soon as the feeling gets underhand, I glance about my surroundings . . . and realize that this section is much like the game.

"Don't . . . tell me that . . . there is an entire _system_ to this thing . . . !" I gawk.

Genis looks around and replies, "Yep. There's a system of portals here."

"Why can't it be simple . . . ?!" I carp.

Lloyd goes, "Is anything that the Desians do is simple?"

"This is not right . . . !"

Lloyd scrutinizes each and every portal around us. He points to one and says, "This way!"

Before anyone has a chance to ask him how he would know and to follow the map, Lloyd charges full speed ahead and disappears into the portal.

We all give each other the same horrified look that says "oh shit!" and hurry after him, hoping that there isn't an army of Desians at the other end.

Stomach twist! While I gag more, the others gasp when they see two whip men restraining Lloyd while a mage is figuring what to do with him.

In a flash, Kratos charges and runs one of the whip men through with his sword and slashes the other one dead just before thrusting his sword into the mage's chest. We all pause as we take in the instant reflex the mercenary had. I'm just . . . wow. That was . . . wow. Acting is nothing like reality. Doesn't matter if you see something like Pirates of the Caribbean, the acting those people did during major sword fights is nothing compared to seeing the incredible stunt Kratos just pulled.

Speaking of stunts, Kratos yanks Lloyd up with a fierce glare and smacks him upside the head.

"What the hell was that stunt for?!" Kratos snarls. "You don't know what is on the other side of each portal! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Whoa. Kratos yelling at the top of his lungs? Am I the only one shocked here? Or is this because I'm so used to how Cam Clark portrays Kratos, the level-headed man who keeps his temper cool even he's super angry?

"Calm down," Lloyd grunts. "I knew what I was doing."

"Oh, really?" he growls. "Did you even look at the map Raine handed to you before?"

"No, but I knew which way I was going!"

Kratos just continues to glare at Lloyd. Then he holds out his hand and flatly says, "Give me the map."

"What?" Lloyd gawks.

"Give me the map," the other swordsman repeats.

They start a glaring contest. It goes on for a few seconds before Lloyd just snorts and hands Kratos the folder without relinquishing his glaring.

Kratos turns away and scans over the map in the folder. His eyes narrow a fraction before he moves towards another portal. "This way . . ."

More portals . . . ? Why can't we just rescue Chocolat now and blow up the ranch in Magnius' face?

After losing count of all the portals, I stumble with my upset stomach into each and every level. I don't bother joining in on any fights the others get themselves into. I just fork over the supplies whenever anyone needs them. Then after fights I apply gels whenever someone needs it. It's mainly me forking over orange gels, though, with Raine, Genis, and Kratos casting spells. I swear this stuff goes down more quickly than coffee in a Starbucks.

Then we go through some more portals . . . and I stumble out of that one, choking on my intestines once more . . .

"Chosen One! Kelsey!"

About time . . . I pep myself up out of my stomach ache as everyone else charges in.

"Let her go!" Lloyd shouts as he locks blades with a Desian. Colette flies above Genis and Raine, protecting them from harm from the whip man. Kratos goes after the crossbow wielder, leaving me with the mage guarding Chocolat who's tied down.

I rush in, passing Kratos finishing off the crossbow wielder, and Swipe the over-feathered pompous mage. I dance three lashing combos and end it with a hasty block against the swinging staff.

The mage presses down at me, trying to bring me down to my knees. I push against his staff with all my strength and shove him off to the side and sidestep around to his back.

He lashes around and manages to barely block my thrust. He whirls his staff around me, confusing me as to where he'll strike next, and slugs it down hard on my shoulder.

"GAH!" I cry as I tumble down, scarcely catching myself on my knees. I whip my spear up in a block and flinch when his staff hits. Pushing my strength passed my limits, I shove at the staff, getting myself back up on my feet. When I regain my foot, I summon more strength and heave the mage away.

_Chash!!_

A bolt of lightning crashes down on the mage. He falls without another word face first on the ground. Thank goodness we have Genis around.

I move into the rest of the battle, ready to rush in if any need help.

Colette finish the one whip man off and hurries to keep a look out for Lloyd's guard. Seeing how everyone just watches Lloyd's back and letting him end the battle I just take a step off to the side and let Lloyd by himself and end his combo with Tiger Blade.

"There," he says, "that's it." He turns to Chocolat and his face changes to shock.

With a pit in my stomach, I whip around to Chocolat and find her trapped in the arms of the mage I thought was already dead.

"One step closer to me," he huffs, "and she dies."

He watches the group with a hawk's eye. Lloyd shifts just once, and the Desian twists Chocolat's neck.

"Gah-haaah!" she cries out.

"Damn it . . ." growls Lloyd.

The mage smirks. "Now I'm going to take her to the hold nice and easily, and every one of you are going to just stand and watch. You know what happens if you don't."

I mutter softly to where I'm not sure if I heard myself at all, "God, please don't let me miss . . ." I brace myself as the mage starts walking and stealthily lift up my spear and turn it end-side up and raise it up in the air in a seemingly awkward position. This is the first time I'm doing this and I'm just winging it . . . Please don't let me screw this up, God.

"That's right." The Desian moves towards a portal a few more steps. "Just keep still . . ."

I hurl my spear at him.

The spear flies through the Desian's chest, about where the heart is, and carries its victim with it. Chocolat collapses under the force of the Desian's fall but I can see that she's physically unharmed from my attack. With my nerves spent, I go to my spear and try to remove it without looking directly at the damage done.

Lloyd helps Chocolat up. "Are you alright?"

She struggles with words, "I . . . I-I'm fine. They hit me around a little, but they didn't do too much to me." Then she seems to realize just what happened. "You all came to rescue me?"

Colette replies, "Yup. Are you sure you're alright?"

Chocolat nods, "Yes, I am. Just a little shaken."

I manage to get my bloody spear out at this point.

Then I hear Lloyd scold, "Couldn't you have done something other than throw your spear like that? Chocolat could've gotten killed!"

I snap, "Get off my back! It worked and she's alive." Even still I immediately ask Chocolat, "I didn't hit you, did I?"

"Yes I'm fine," she impatiently answers. "Just don't do something like that again."

I let myself relax. "I won't. . . . You have no idea how glad I am that you're okay."

Chocolat stares at me, almost in disbelief. "They stabbed you to the ground with arrows. I thought you were going to die. We all thought you were dead by now."

I tell her, "If it weren't for them," I motion to Raine and the others, "I would be. I owe them my life."

Chocolat turns to the others. "Thank you, everyone." Then she remembers, "What about everyone else? The rest of the tour, and the other captives!"

"Don't worry," Lloyd assures. "Neil is getting them to safety."

"Neil?" She asks, "Then Dorr finally mobilized his plans?"

Lloyd is taken back, but he masks it. "Y-Yeah. Yeah, he did."

Chocolat hesitates for a moment before she sheepishly says, "It was really brave of you to come here to the ranch to save us."

I don't miss that was said mainly to Lloyd.

Apparently Lloyd doesn't miss that either because he slightly blushes and replies, "Ah, don't mention it."

"There are things we must do," Kratos reminds. "We still haven't found the control room."

Lloyd scowls.

While Raine opens the folder and tries to make sense of the complex portal system, Chocolat asks me, "The control room?"

I know I can't use terms like "computers" and not give myself away, so I just say, "The room where the Desians control everything in the ranch like security and stuff."

"How do you know that?" questions Lloyd.

I playfully jab, "I don't really know. Maybe I got a hint from the word 'control.'"

Chocolat interrupts, "There's this room with strange, sparkling lights and other magical-looking things. The Desians treat that room like it's very important. I'll be that could be the control room."

"Do you know where it is?" Genis inquires.

"Yes! I can lead you to it," she chirps.

Raine comments, "It may be dangerous but we appreciate the help. Lead the way."

"No problem!" she responds. "It's this way!"

She leads us to the other side of the very large room and stops every now and then to wait for us. After the first time she stops, I move myself close to Lloyd and give her a mischievous half-smile. Chocolat narrows her eyes suspiciously at me. She quickly masks it before anyone else notices and comes to me and pulls me away with this fake cheer, "Come on, flake! You're lagging behind!"

I tell her, "You're too easy to tease."

She ignores my comment and drops me by a portal. She motions to it and states, "If you get on this platform I think it takes you to where you want to go."

Lloyd smiles at her. "Thanks."

Although it was just a smile and thank you, I can see that Chocolat is taking it much farther than it would go in reality. Far like wedding bells and a home and kids and happily ever after.

I singsong, "Chocolat~!"

She scowls at me warningly. "Don't . . ."

"Chocolat~!"

"Don't . . . !"

"Like I said," I add as someone pulls me onto the portal. "Too easy to tease."

The portal activates just after Chocolat's feet touch it and the gruesome feelings in my stomach come right back all over again. The control room pops up and I stumble out gagging air out once more. How did the others react on their first times? I'd really like to know because I'm not seeing anyone choke on their stomachs' halfhearted attempts at suicide.

When I recover I see so many large computers lining each wall that I wonder how much programming those things have. Definitely more than what was used on the first launch into outer space (and I don't care if it's the United States in mind or the Soviet Union since it still outdoes them in programming). The Desians can't need _all_ of these computers. Are a lot of them just for show?

"So . . . The forsaken Chosen and her entourage of fools have arrived."

"For . . . saken . . . ?" Kratos words as he tries to understand the logic behind the usage of that particular word for this situation.

In the dumb floating chair comes Magnius and his massive dreadlocks. Just like in the game. He's starting to get on my nerves.

Lloyd counters, "You've got that mixed up, Magnius. You're the one that's forsaken. Your time here is up!"

Magnius smirks. "Heh. Forsaken, am I? I don't think a vermin like you even knows what that word means!"

As if on cue (which I'm suspecting), Desians rush in using the various portals around the control room. I count eight. Yep, definitely not forsaken.

"Every single one of you are going down!" Magnius barks.

"Hah!" Lloyd eggs on, "As if! We'll take care of you and destroy this ranch!"

Magnius jabs, "Big words coming from someone's whose futile actions caused the disaster at Iselia."

Lloyd takes a step back. "T-That was . . ."

Magnius presses a few buttons on the arm of his floating chair. A projector just in front of us turns on and displays a hologram of Neil and the captives in a large room.

"How did Neil get in there?" asks Colette.

Raine explains, "Neil isn't in there. That's a projector designed to display objects from far off. It's a product of magitechnology."

The captives approach the door closest to the exit, only to have it shut on them. Now at the edges of panic, they hurry to the other doors to escape. All those doors close on them too.

"They're trapped!" Genis exclaims.

Lloyd demands, "Let them go!"

"Now," Magnius says, "let's recreate what happened at Iselia and unleash their Exspheres and turn them into monsters! I know that Palmacosta's newest Governor-General is in there along with every vermin with an Exsphere. Think of all the blood and gore that those monsters would do to him and themselves!"

Lloyd panics, "No! _Stop!!_"

"Watch!" He proclaims, "They will all die! Just like that old lady you killed."

Shit!

"Just like Marble! Ahahahahahah!"

Lloyd and Genis flinch but get back to hating Magnius, but then Chocolat's shaky voice goes, "M-Marble? Y-you don't mean . . ."

Shit . . . !

I whip to Chocolat, who stares completely shocked and dumb folded at Magnius. She shakes her head in denial. "N-no. It's just . . . a coincidence. You're just getting to me!"

"It's not just a coincidence, my dear little Chocolat," Magnius jeers. "Dear old granny Marble was sent to the Iselia ranch, where she was killed by Lloyd."

I immediately rush to Chocolat and grasp her arms and keep myself in front of her sight, blocking out Magnius. "Chocolat. Listen to me. _Listen_ to me!" I catch her attention. "He's lying. Can't you tell by his tone?"

"I'm not lying. Just ask those vermin over there," Magnius taunts. "They saw it. They saw Lloyd kill her. Every word I say is right."

"Chocolaaat . . ." I fight for her focus. "Even if he is word for word politically correct, how he portrays this is a _lie_. He makes it seem like cold-blooded murder—"

"And it is."

"_It's not!_" I raise my voice for my turn to speak. "Listen, although I've traveled with this group for just a short amount of time, I can see that none of them would do something as vile as murder. Think of the nature of people capable of slaughter and murder. None of them fit that. Magnius fits that, though. Why listen to him? Listen to me, as your friend. Listen to me!"

"Some friend she is," mocks Magnius. "Just listen to her. She's taking sides!"

I glare at Magnius. "Shut up! You're nothing but an overgrown brat who's got a thing for destroying everything he can get his hands on!" I turn back to Chocolat. "Let's just get you to safety, Chocolat. If you stay here you will die. Let's get you back to Palmacosta."

"Ask him, Chocolat." Magnius points at Lloyd. "Ask him if he killed your granny. He can't lie to you."

When I catch Chocolat's head turning slowly to Lloyd with her wide stunned eyes I immediately say, "Chocolat, you can ask this _later_. What matters now is to get you to safety. Chocolat! Magnius is _using_ you! Can't you tell?"

She doesn't seem to hear me. All she seems to see and know is Lloyd. "Is it . . ." She questions, "Is it true . . . ? Did you really . . . kill her? Did you really kill Grandma Marble . . . ?"

Lloyd can only stare back with this tortured expression. He crumples his face in agony, and chokes on his words . . .

"I'm sorry . . ."

There is a silence as we watch Lloyd, then I feel Chocolat slip out of my grasp. I instantly turn to her and see tears coming down her cheeks.

"No . . ." she goes. "No . . . No . . . !"

I hurry back to her. "Chocolat! Let's just get you out of here! Let's just get out of here back to Palmacosta! We can make sure the captives get free and then make our way back home . . ." I fade off when I see the strange expression on Chocolat's face.

She utters, "You _are_ taking sides . . ."

I can't believe this. "What . . . ?"

She gains a little more momentum. "You _are_ taking sides!" She begins to raise her voice, "Why are you taking sides? Why?! How could you?!"

Chocolat snatches the collar of my shirt and stares at my with these crazed eyes that portray hurt and rage in equal quantity. "You're supposed to be my _friend!_ And here you are taking the side of my grandmother's _murderer!_ How could you?! _How could you betray me like that?! How?!_"

She releases me and stumbles away, still gawking at me. Her tears nearly blind her.

Two of the eight Desians already here come up to her from behind. Not knowing what else to do, I rush up to yank her away from them. "Chocolat!"

Chocolat looks up and sees me coming. She pulls her arm back and—

_SMACK!_

My cheek stings. My legs won't move anymore. I can only look up at her as she glowers down at me. The two Desians behind her snicker as they snatch her arms and carry her away to the portal.

And then they're gone.

"Awww . . ." goes Magnius. "That was so sad. That really pulls at the heartstrings. You miserable vermin really do know how to pull off a nice drama. Ahahahahahah!"

"Shut up . . ."

"What?" he snaps.

I turn to him with hellfire in my eyes. "I said shut up, or is that too hard for you to understand? Here, let me explain that to you, it means close your big fat trap, but I doubt that you could understand _that_ either."

"You miserable little vermin!" he growls. "Do you realize who you're saying that to?!"

"Of course I understand," I bite. "I perfectly understand that I'm saying that to a f**king pig. I'll never regret it. In fact it'll be sweeter when I shove my spear through that shriveled prune of yours that's too pathetic to be called a brain."

"I'll make you regret it!" he shouts.

"Let's see if you can!" I shout back.

* * *

Simon says review.


	17. Magnius the King of Dreadlocks

Chapter Seventeen: Magnius the King of Dreadlocks

I will not regret my trash talking.

I will not regret my trash talking.

I will not regret my trash talking.

Magnius glares down at me with some intense fury. He stabs his fingers at the others and commands, "Deal with them! Leave that female vermin to me! I'll punish her for her words _personally!_"

Well . . . _Maybe_ I'll regret it.

But I really, really, _really_ don't want to regret it.

As six Desians charge at Lloyd and the others, Magnius leaps down from his chair and takes out this HUMONGOUS AX that could easily down a Velocidragon and wields it with little effort.

Okay . . . I still kinda don't regret trash talking him . . . but I'm scared absolutely shitless now. Main objective: don't let him get you with that ax or you will DIE. All clear?

I grab onto my spear and watch Magnius with wired nerves. Which is it going to be, instincts: flight or fight?

Magnius raises his impossible ax high and charges at me with a fierce battle roar, "RRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

SHIT! FLIGHT!

I leap out of Magnius' way and run madly in the opposite direction.

The Desian leader taunts, "Where are your big words now, vermin?"

He charges me again. I yip and flee for my life. His speed is amazing for a giant barbarian wielding an even bigger ax. If Presea could move with that speed with her ax in the game then I would have used her more often.

I race right around the room—and halt when I see the group fighting off four (since it really hasn't been that long since the original six started attacking). I turn to redirect my path and find Magnius closer than I need to do that. New strategy . . . but suicidal . . .

I brace myself and dash towards Magnius, not _at_ Magnius, just towards. Meaning that once he swings his ax horizontally at me I drop to the floor and let my body slide across the tile floor. Now I have Magnius' back exposed to me and my spear.

Damn, that was so cool!

I tear right at Magnius just as he realizes what happened. I snatch at one of his giant dreadlocks and yank it down hard with my spear eagerly awaiting to fulfill my words of "shove my spear through that shriveled prune of yours that's too pathetic to be called a brain."

Magnius rights himself and manages to unwittingly dodge the back attack. With the angle that my spear was at I could only manage to barely scalp that part of his head and stumble away with a huge red dreadlock in my hands. Magnius slaps a hand on the back of his bleeding head and turns to me with this shocked expression as he looks between his blood on his hand and his dreadlock in my hand.

Talk about being caught red-handed.

Magnius' face twists into this hate-filled snarl as a black aura surrounds him.

Oh . . . f**k . . .

"_YOU'RE DEAD!_"

I drop the dreadlock right then and there and start taking off into a dead run. I cry, "_Guys, I could use some HELP!_"

"We're trying!" calls Lloyd as he fights some Desian (and no details this time; I'm too busy not getting killed).

I shout back, "Try fast—AAAHH!"

Magnius' ax slams down on the spot where I was just a fraction of a second ago. In pure instinctual reaction, I whip around and jab my spear at the lower section of one of his arms.

It doesn't even faze him.

I run as soon as his ax is lifted. I didn't faze him? How? I put a pretty big gash in where some good arm muscles should be! I don't think I even missed! And look at it! It's all bloody and gory!

I stop at a wall and find Magnius right behind me. I dodge his next swing and end up behind him again. Without thinking once again, I leap up onto the Desian's shoulders and cling on for dear life.

"_Get off me, you worthless vermin!_"

His hands reach and claw, trying to rip me off. I keep my spear poised like a scorpion's tail and jab at his arms each time he manages to grab onto me. An obvious idea comes to mind and I start striking at his body, which is easier said than done considering that he's flailing his arms at me and trying to throw me off.

"GET OFF ME! GET OFF!"

A hand snatches at my collar and scruffs me. It yanks me off Magnius' back and swings me over his head and slams me down on the computers lining the walls. I slump to the ground with my head resting on the floor and my legs dangling on the computers where I was thrown. Time seems to go slowly as Magnius raises his enormous ax over his head, glaring down at me.

Kaylee . . .

A flash of metal shoots across at Magnius' arms. As he cries out in pain the ax tumbles out of his hands onto the ground. When I see the metallic flash returning back the way it came I realize that they were Colette's chakrams. I struggle up on my feet and flee from Magnius' range. I ignore the sharp pain in my back as I get to a safe distance.

"Are you alright?" asks Lloyd as we group together.

"I'll be fine now," I tell him.

Magnius picks his ax back up and glares at all of us. "What happened to the others? Gah! Those worthless idiots! I'll take care of all of you myself!"

A large spell circle appears around Magnius. A second after that he calls, "Eruption!"

We scatter as gushes of fire burst out of the ground and at us from the center of our grouping. Genis, who wasn't fast enough, got nicked in the heel and flips into the air by the burning rupture. After landing on his back he gets back up with rebounding determination. He instantly starts casting a spell that I'm guessing is Aqua Edge due to the blue spell circle around him.

Magnius advances towards the closest person to him: Lloyd. Swinging his ax down at an angle, the Desian attacks with deadly force. Lloyd dodges the close attack and counterattacks.

"Tiger Blade!" Lloyd leaps up with cutting slashes and falls with his swords slicing at Magnius. He moves into another combo—

"Gah!" he cries when the Desian leader rams him away with a thick arm. Magnius rounds back up on him.

"Hell Ax!"

The giant ax glows with fire rimming the blades. It dives down at Lloyd . . .

"Guardian!" Lloyd shouts. A veil illuminating with a green force surrounds him and buffers the attack.

I wish I learned that during Elvira's training sessions . . . or can humans from Earth even do magic like that? I know that humans in this world aren't supposed to do magic but what do you call techniques like "Guardian," "Healer" (from Regal), or even some of the antigravity moves they can do? Magic has got to be involved somewhere.

Kratos zooms right by me to Magnius, interrupting my chain of thoughts. Magnius swings his ax twice at Kratos who masterfully dodges and blocks—_blocks!_—the attacks. The Desian's combo ends with "Beast." Magnius throws his weight on Kratos in a stun and smacks him away with his ax, followed by a visage of a lion that seems to push Kratos farther away from Magnius.

All Kratos does in response to that is land effortlessly back onto his feet and comes at Magnius again.

"Aqua Edge!"

Discs of water rush along the ground around our feet and trips Magnius. He falls hard on the ground with a cry.

I take advantage of that and run at the fallen enemy. "Downcut!"

I leap into the air and land my spear's side into Magnius' gut. As soon as he grunts in pain from that I get out of his range as soon as I could.

"Sharpness!"

"Huh?" I go when this spell causes red light to line our blades and fades away, leaving a gleaming edge like all our weapons were recently sharpened by a professional.

Oh, yeah, that's one of Raine's spells. Raises our attack.

Lloyd gets excited at the new advantage. "Tempest!"

Lloyd leaps into the air and becomes a red blur lined with blades. I can't describe it any more than that. Lloyd's Tempest move is too bizarre of a sight to accurately describe. Anyway, he spins over Magnius' head and lands just behind him. Blood bursts out of the top of Magnius' head, further ruining his hair.

"Damned little . . ." growls the offended Desian. He instantly starts casting a spell. "FLAME LANCE!"

A spear of fire and only fire rains down at Lloyd. In a wave of power, Lloyd is knocked a long ways and lands on one of the computers. Little sparks of flames bud on his clothes.

"Lloyd!" Genis cries as he dashes to his friend. As soon as he gets there he starts casting Aqua Edge to put out the generating fire.

Raine begins casting another spell, which I'm guessing is First Aid (which I'm hoping is First Aid).

I turn back to Magnius and catch him starting to eye Raine.

Crap! Not the healer!

As soon as Magnius takes a step towards Raine I run up and cry, "Sonic Thrust!"

I zip through Magnius, barely hitting him by a hair. Not that I really care, I'm just a distraction. Hey, I'm used to running from Magnius at this point. I know how he's going to react with me.

When I have his attention I start backing away, directing his attention away from Raine as she calls out "First Aid!"

"You . . ." he growls.

I taunt, "And here's the leader of this branch of the idiot brigade."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

That's when I start running. Trash talking is _so_ going to bite me back in the ass later . . .

"Oww . . ." Lloyd groans.

"Are you alright, Lloyd?" Genis asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just stunned." Lloyd looks around as he gets back up. "Wow, Kelsey's fast."

Genis doesn't look. "Hopefully she'll distract him long enough for us to put together a union attack."

Lloyd jumps up. "Let's get started!"

"_I'll kill you!_"

In the corner of my eye, I see Lloyd regroup with everyone else. They do some quick talking and get into position. They grab my full attention and I hear someone whistle "PHWEEEET!"

Please let this be a trap for Magnius.

I zip right through and lead Magnius into the center of the group. Lloyd calls out, "Ready?"

"Sonic Sword Rain!"

"Sonic Thrust!"

"Pow Hammer!"

"Lightning!"

I follow up with "Swipe!"

"Colette!" Genis calls. "Your hammer!"

Colette raises one of her hammers up and a bolt of lightning crashes down on it and wraps it with a sphere of electricity generating from the hammer itself.

"Go! Thunder fury!" Colette cries out as she tosses the hammer at Magnius. It hits him square on and summons another bolt of lightning to come down and electrocute him along with the charged hammer.

"_Ahhh!_" Magnius wails as his nerves go haywire from the electricity. He falls to the ground momentarily.

Kratos and Raine instantly start casting First Aid. Genis begins to cast another spell, which I'm thinking is Icicle. Colette joins in the casting frenzy and starts a round of Angel Feathers. (keep in mind that this is happening simultaneously somehow)

Because I'm feeling useless, I ask Lloyd, "Need a gel?"

"Got a mélange gel?" he wonders.

I grapple with the gels in my bag. Mélange . . . Mélange . . . Mélange . . .

Lloyd takes the one strawberry-colored gel in my hands. "Thanks."

Oh, that's mélange. "Anytime." I gulp down an apple. Hmm. It really does taste like apples. Well, a little more like apple juice but that's not the key issue at hand.

Magnius gets back up with new determination. Won't the guy just die already?

"VERMIN!"

"He's getting really annoying," Lloyd comments as he and I rush in to save the spell casters.

"Tell me about it," I respond as we block his way from our casters.

Magnius reaches out to me and grabs me. Beads of red light gather in his hand. Uhh . . . damn?

"Hell Hound!"

I fly backwards as burning sensation pierce my skin. I land with an "umph!" and get back up. Yeah, damn.

Kratos and Raine finish casting First Aid and get back into the battle. As Kratos zips right back into the fry, Raine fishes into her bag and pulls out a huge magnifying glass and aims it at Magnius.

"He's almost finished! Keep at it!" she announces.

"Icicle!"

Did he just say "Bicycle"? Ah, hell with it! Get it together, Kelsey!

A huge stalagmite of sharp ice shoots up at Magnius and pierces his flesh.

"Angel Feathers!"

Colette's chakrams fly out and slice at the Desian, leaving behind glowing pink feathers everywhere, each painful for him to touch.

Lloyd rushes up to finish Magnius off. "Tiger Blade!"

The attack slashes up the Desian's body up at his head and slashes down, managing to cut at his face, his clothes, and his giant hair. This time, all Magnius seems to notice is that he was attacked and it did a lot of damage to him.

"Nrrr-Eeerrrrr . . . !" snarls the Cardinal as he lifts his ax up and swings it down.

"Uh-oh . . ." Not having enough time for anything else, Lloyd lifts his swords up for an X-shaped block.

_CHANG!_

The ax miraculously halts in a slam into the block. Lloyd's body quivers under the intense pressure.

_Kree-kr-kr-kr. Kr-kr-kr._

That sound rings out and causes distress for Lloyd. Triumph gleams in Magnius' eyes.

"You're dead now!" Magnius merrily bites. He pushes his ax down into Lloyd's swords.

"_Ray Thrust!_"

A chakram races through . . . and slices Magnius' arm off.

"AAAHHH!" he cries as he accidentally drops his ax. He howls and screams as he looks from his nub and the lifeless thing that used to be his forearm.

Kratos takes advantage of the situation and runs Magnius through with his sword, silencing the cries into a staccato grunt.

"H . . . How?" grunts Magnius. "How could a superior half-elf like me . . ."

Kratos tells him, "You lost because you are nothing but a fool, Magnius. Cruxis has accepted Colette as the Chosen."

What an indirect way to tell him that Cruxis gave no orders to kill the Chosen.

Magnius gawks in shock.

Lloyd joins in, "That's right! Colette is going to regenerate the world. There's no way we're going to lose to someone like you!"

Magnius starts sliding down to the ground. "So . . . And you're . . . Then . . . I was . . . deceived . . ."

His body falls to the tile floor.

With Magnius fallen, Raine gets to business. "I will release the captives from the trap."

Lloyd follows her. "What about Chocolat?"

I start following Raine too. I . . . I need to know what happens now.

Raine finds the computer she was searching for and starts tapping buttons. Her face twitches at something, and she says, "I'm pulling up the projector. You need to see this . . ."

The projector lights up. A group of Desians load a fair amount number of captives into a vessel that looks . . . something like a car and a wagon mixed together and improved with futuristic technology that's still somewhat primitive. Each captive is bond and gagged. Then I spot Chocolat being loaded into the wagon with them, putting up a futile fight.

"Damn it!" Lloyd curses.

Genis notices the cagey way the Desians push the captives into the vessel and how each one keeps looking in a direction with deep anxiety. "What are they worried about?"

Raine answers, "The Palmacosta army is just finishing up the battle in that area. Everything else is finished."

"And Neil and the other captives?" Colette asks.

Raine starts pushing buttons again. "I already released them just before I pulled up the projector. They are already with the army."

Kratos questions, "Then what about the Exspheres implanted in them? Without key crests, it's only a matter of time before they get out of control, and most likely in Palmacosta since that is where most of them will be headed for right now."

"Can't we simply take the Exspheres off of them?" Genis inquires.

Kratos grimaces slightly. "No, it's too dangerous to do something like simply taking an Exsphere without a key crest off. I can only imagine that a dwarf could handle such a thing . . ."

"Then we can ask Dirk to help," Colette suggests.

Lloyd nods in agreement. "Yeah, let's contact my dad. I know he'll help."

Raine keeps pushing buttons. "We can work out the details in Palmacosta with Neil. Right now I'm programming this place to self-destruct." She pushes one last button and poises her finger over another one. "Ready?"

Alarm goes through us. Well, except me. By the looks of things, this is going to end up almost exactly like the game whether or not I'm involved.

"Are you serious?" Lloyd goes. "Self-destruct?"

"I assure you that I am dead serious," Raine states.

Genis frowns. "But Raine, if you do that—"

"At the very least, we'll deal a severe blow to the Desian stranglehold over this continent. At the most, we'll utterly destroy it." Raine instructs, "If we're going to strike them, it should be thorough and decisive."

"But Raine . . ."

Raine places her hand on her brother's head. "Remember, Genis. We're not like them. We're different."

Genis goes silent as Raine starts pressing more buttons.

_WREEER! WREEER! WREEER!_

_SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED! EVACUATE NOW!_

Raine states, "I set the self-destruct timer for thirty minutes. We need to hurry and evacuate."

We all run out.

* * *

SELF-DESTRUCT TIMER AT TEN MINUTES! . . .

Magnius comes to. He drags himself to the projector-communicator and pulls himself up.

"I must . . . inform . . . Forcystus . . . while I still can . . ." he grunts.

He clumsily jabs at the buttons.

_Beep-beep-beep._

"What?" he cries. "Why didn't it—?"

The projector-communicator displays the visage of another one of the Cardinals.

"_I have a minor objection against you contacting Lord Forcystus,_" says the visage. "_Considering that he isn't a blind idiot like you, he'd realize in an instant what I'm trying to do._"

"Rodyle!" roars Magnius. "You . . . deceived me! There was no . . . order to . . . to eliminate the Chosen . . . was there?"

The visage laughs, "_Heheheheheheh! Collecting gald for me, attempting to eliminate the Chosen for me! You've been quite useful, Magnius! Too bad you failed!_"

_SELF-DESTRUCT TIMER AT FIVE MINUTES! . . ._

The visage smirks down at him. "_Farewell, Magnius! I hope you enjoy the afterlife! Heheheheheheh!_"

The projector-communicator turns off.

Magnius falls down to the cold tile floor. "D . . . Dammit . . . ! L-Lord Yggdrasill, glory to . . . the coming Age . . . of Half-elves . . . !"

The Desian releases his last breath.

* * *

We catch up to Neil in Elvira's wagon at the front of the army a ways away from the ranch. I still don't feel safe from the coming explosion.

"Neil!" Lloyd calls out.

Neil looks back at the one who called his name. "Ah! Everyone!"

"We saw the captives in the army," Lloyd tells him. "Some . . . some didn't make it, though. The Desians are taking them somewhere else."

Neil frowns. "That isn't good . . . Is Chocolat among the ones still held captive? I never saw her and she isn't with . . ." Just one look from the group gives him an idea. "Ah . . . I . . . I see . . ."

Kratos reminds, "If she's alright then she can still be rescued."

Genis fidgets. "Raine, are we far enough away from the ranch?"

"Relax, Genis," Raine assures. "We are at a safe distance."

Neil tilts his head in question. "What do you mean?"

I ask, "Didn't you hear an announcement broadcasted throughout the ranch that the self-destruct sequence has been activated?"

Alarm erupts on Neil's face. "I was outside in the fighting! I didn't hear a single thing other than battle! _Are_ we out of range?"

Raine repeats, "Yes, we a—"

_KABOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!_

Pandemonium everywhere. Everyone is screaming and all the horses have gone nuts. Flaming debris soars through the air. Fire spreads throughout the distant dead forest like a feast. Our wagon jerks and twists around as Elvira's Velocidragons panic from the possible danger, taking the efforts of everyone around to restrain the creatures and keep them from trampling things as they try to flee.

Things start settling down as the ranch going into quiet. The people eye the ranch almost expecting much larger explosion to occur and destroy them. The horses fidget as their riders calm them. Elvira uses her best efforts to soothe her dragons along with everyone else trying to keep the pair calm.

Lloyd slumps in the wagon. "I thought I was going to die . . ."

"Everyone is alright, though," Colette exhaustedly points out.

Lloyd readdresses new Governor-General, "Neil, the captives have things called Exspheres embedded in them. It's dangerous to leave them as they are now and dangerous to just take them off. You need to send a letter in my name to a dwarf named Dirk who lives in Iselia. He'll help you get them safely removed."

Neil memorizes, "Dirk, in Iselia, Lloyd, concerning Exspheres. I understand." Then he says, "Please come with us on the way to Palmacosta and get rested up."

"We'll do so," Lloyd replies. Then he turns back in the wagon and ruefully examines one of his swords. "We'll have to anyway . . ."

I climb up next to him and look at his swords. "What happened?"

Lloyd points at a spot at the sword he examines. "See these cracks? That happened when Magnius slammed his ax on my swords when I blocked his attack."

I flinch. "That's what happened? That would explain that cracking sound . . ."

Lloyd scowls at the sword. "Now they're useless. If I go into battle with the way they are now they'll shatter to pieces. I'll have to get them replaced . . ."

"Can't they just be repaired?" I wonder.

I get a gloomy reaction. "Not with the way they are now. They'll have to be completely melted down and remade. Ah, man, I really liked this pair . . ."

* * *

March first ended at the House of Salvation. The army camped out while the captives stayed inside the main hall of the House. We, as the Chosen's group and today's heroes, were almost forced to take a room for each one of us. Neil insisted on sleeping with the militia as he is unofficially the new Governor-General and therefore commander of the entire force and followed through on that.

That night I kept pacing my room trying to remember all the Shakespeare and Greek mythology that I could remember from my mom's Pre-AP English I class that I took while I was in ninth grade. Greek mythology was easy; word-for-word Shakespeare wasn't. Still, at least I remember something.

Some birthday . . .

On March second, we all rested there and decided that we would let the captives stay one more night at the House of Salvation. The captives were eager to leave and see Palmacosta. I don't blame them. After days to years in captivity, I would want to see a city that I was familiar with, too. Some captives, however, were from places like Asgard to even Iselia. Although, the ones from Iselia were captured before Colette was born so that would explain why they didn't recognize her or the others, but there was one that moved from Iselia to Triet that recognized her and Lloyd. The three had a very heartwarming conversation.

It was heart sickening to me. All this reminiscing and none of it involving me. I would have loved to talk to someone from my hometown and say things like "remember when" and "I'm so happy to see you again". I would have loved to . . .

The militia had their own rations and the House of Salvation had food, but it was still difficult to gather enough food to feed all the captives. The newer captives ate as much as they could while the "veterans" filled up very quickly on servings that would amount to scraps for most people. Eventually it came down to soldiers being sent out as hunting parties. Lloyd and Genis, being kids curious about everything, got excited when they heard about the hunts and went out on one as soon as they could. Kratos went along to act as their babysitter. Eventually we were able to feed everyone so it's a happy ending . . . even though some of the things we cooked were actually monsters the parties fought along the way.

At one point of the day, though, Raine called us all together.

"We need to speak to the head priest about the Spiritua Statue," she reminds us.

I keep my face blank while everyone else gets a disgusted look.

Raine frowns irritably. "It's not pleasant for me either."

I pretend that I have no idea what's going on (which I'm not supposed to since I'm supposedly born in Sylvarant). "So what's all this that I don't know about?"

Genis bitterly explains, "This collector at Hakonesia Peak has the Book of Regeneration which these imposters stole. He wants the Spiritua Statue displayed here in exchange for allowing us to _look_ at it."

I scoff. "Yep. That sounds like Koton. Think we could give him a fake?"

"I don't think a fake would fool him . . ." Raine stresses.

"Well, crap," I mutter. "I thought it was worth a shot."

The group approaches the head priest and his assistant.

"Excuse us," Raine says.

The head priest smiles. "What is it, dear children?"

Raine takes a breath. ". . . We need the Spiritua Statue."

The head priest shows his confusion. "You say you need the Spiritua Statue?"

Lloyd steps up. "I know it's a brazen request, but it's for world regeneration."

The assistant asks, "How would the statue be of any help?"

"It's complicated," is the stressed answer.

Colette bows. "Please, Father."

The head priest faces her with an accepting expression. "If the Chosen asks, we will of course not hesitate to lend our aid."

The head priest turns to the fidgeting assistant. "Bring the statue here."

The assistant hesitates. He moves over to the statue and reaches for it. His hands pause and quiver for a moment . . .

"M-my most humble apologies, Father!" he cries.

The assistant faces back to us in distress. "This . . . This Spiritua Statue is a fake I had placed here in replacement of the real Spiritua Statue. I lost the real one during last year's pilgrimage."

"Wait," Lloyd goes. "The Church of Martel's pilgrimages are spiritual training journeys, right? Why would you bring the statue along with you?"

With this dead expression, the head priest explains, "The halo on the head of the Spiritua Statue is made of pure diamond. We always took it with us whenever we go out on pilgrimages in order to protect it from thieves."

The assistant continues, "Last year, I followed that custom as usual and brought it with me to Thoda Island. But . . . I was so moved at seeing the geyser for the first time . . . I accidentally dropped it into the geyser."

Lloyd puts his palm against his forehead. ". . . Of all places to take it, you took it there?"

"I'm so terribly sorry . . ." he responds. "Before I knew it, the statue had fallen onto the rocks on the other side of the geyser. After that I was desperate and paid a visit to a dwarf in Iselia and had him make an exact replica."

Genis adds, "Oh, that's Dirk!"

Raine comments, "It's very good craftsmanship. Just what I'd expect from Dirk."

Lloyd looks between the siblings with this disturbed look on his face and mutters to himself, ". . . Dad, just what kind of jobs are you taking?"

Kratos prompts, "Well, what do we do now? It seems rather doubtful that a fake would fool that old man." Ironic that Kratos is calling someone old, but then again he's eternally young.

Colette thinks aloud, "Um . . . How about if we go get the real one?"

Raine gasps. "Go all the way to Thoda Island and climb into the geyser to get it?"

"It will work, won't it?" Colette says.

Lloyd mentions, "The problem is the geyser. Even I'll pass on getting hit with boiling water."

Raine seems moved. "Oh, Lloyd. You remembered that a geyser erupts with boiling water. I'm so proud!"

She's teasing him again, isn't she? Or is Lloyd such an idiot that this is actually something to celebrate?

Colette cheers, "Lloyd, you're amazing!"

Lloyd grins. "Of course. Everyone knows about geysers."

"I bet you just guessed . . ." Genis adds.

"Sh-shut up . . ." Lloyd desperately hisses.

I chortle while Kratos does his signature snort.

"But we need to somehow stop the geyser," Colette says.

Kratos informs, "I've heard that the eruption cycle of the Thoda Island geyser is quite short."

"Then perhaps we can seal it with something," Raine continues.

Lloyd snaps his fingers. "That's it! Genis can seal it with magic."

Genis looks at him like he's crazy. "And _how_ can I possibly do that?"

"You could cover it in ice or something," Lloyd answers. "I know you can do it."

Genis grins. "Okay, I'll give it a try. You better be grateful."

"Dwarvan Vow number one: Let's all work together for a peaceful world." Lloyd cheers, "We're counting on you, Mr. Genius Magician!"

"Okay!" Genis chirps.

And so that's how that happened.

* * *

I stare out my window, trying to remember Shakespeare lines again. Last night was Romeo and Juliet. Tonight it's Hamlet.

Remembering only snatches, I recite, "'But come, for England! Farewell, dear mother.'" I quote the one addressed, Hamlet's uncle and stepfather, "'Thy loving father, Hamlet.'" Then I remember, "'My mother—father and mother is man and wife, man and wife is one flesh, and so, my mother.'"

Hamlet, cleaver young man and a smartass.

Then I try to remember one of the most famous quotes from the play, "'To be, or not to be—that is the question' . . ." After a memory jog, I mutter, "'Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' . . ." Then, "'Or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them. To die, to sleep—no more—and by a sleep to say we end the heartache, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished' . . ."

I try, "'To die, to sleep—to sleep—perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub . . ."

A pause goes by . . .

". . . I don't remember anything else . . ." I mumble. "Ironic. I mutter a soliloquy of Hamlet contemplating suicide and I have no such thoughts . . ."

_Knock, knock._

I look to the door from the one chair in the room. "Come in."

The door opens and reveals Raine. "I hope I'm not intruding. There's something I need to speak to you about."

I get up from my chair. "You're not intruding. Have a seat; I can sit on the bed."

"This won't take too long," she says as she closes the door.

"Well, you never know," I casually put as I settle on my bed. "So what's the matter?"

Raine sits in the chair I just left and addresses me, "You joined our group to help rescue Chocolat. Now that things have occurred as they have, what will you do now? Are you going to return to Palmacosta with the captives?"

Here it is: my chance to leave the self-insert life. My chance to remove myself civilly from this fate. I can leave. I can finally leave and end this now.

But . . .

I tell her, "I don't think I can just leave Chocolat like that. For one, it was my job to protect her and the rest of the tour. All of them; not just some or just one. Every single one of them. Two, she was my friend. I can't just . . . leave her even after what happened."

"No one will blame you for what happened," Raine informs me. "In fact, they will be most sympathetic and even consider you a hero since you also helped save these captives. Many would say that failing to rescue Chocolat was amended by the rescue of all these captives and the destruction of the ranch."

I notice that she doesn't refer to herself or her own opinions. A teacher's trick for getting students to think about the issue at hand while at the same time keeping the answer or teacher's opinion secret. I should be well familiar with it since both my parents work at a high school.

"Sure, that's what they think." Then I go, "But what about me? Am I going to blame myself? Is their hero-worship going to stop me from feeling guilty each time I look at Cacao and know that I could have done more to save her missing daughter? What they say doesn't matter. Not when I know what really happened."

"So you will leave Palmacosta to save Chocolat," she concludes. "Just how will you do this? You are one girl and the Desians are a fierce organization. Fighting along side us to defeat the ranch will be nothing compared to going alone to save Chocolat and help her escape back home. You don't even know where the Desians are taking her."

I feel like I'm back at school. More specifically, being questioned by my art teacher over how I'm going to work a piece. She always asked questions in such a tone and using the right words to get me thinking about the piece (not that that's bad, but it's just uncomfortable since I felt like I was being scolded).

A pause goes by. ". . . I don't really know." I think aloud, "I could take that approach, but that's more likely to get me killed than to just travel around alone. Then again, nothing's without risks." I frown. ". . . I know this might sound mercenary, but may I stay with this group? The surest way to save Chocolat and everyone captured by the Desians is to regenerate the world, and the Desians will be sealed. They'll all be free again."

Raine's expression doesn't change. "The journey of world regeneration is not absolute."

"I know that." I state, "But then again, it's not doomed to fail. The more help the Chosen has in this journey, the better the chance that she can regenerate the world. Even if I'm just the one passing out gels or carrying stuff, every little bit can count." I take a breath before I continue, "Then I can put this against my other choice of going to each ranch and getting Chocolat out of there. The ranches a huge. I don't think I can easily find Chocolat among all the captives in each ranch, which is a hostile environment. One slip and I die. If I die then I ultimately fail. There are no second chances after that."

Raine notes, "It now sounds to me like you wish to join because it's safer."

"That's not the case," I offset. "I know this journey will be dangerous and will become more dangerous the closer the Chosen is to succeeding. However, if I go into a ranch and just wander around then I will either get killed on the spot or imprisoned like the captives are. If I'm on a rescue mission then I will get killed right then and there as soon as I'm found. Then if I get caught with a captive then I get killed and who knows what they'll do to the captive. It just seems like a counterproductive way to do something."

Raine just watches me. Her gaze unnerves me.

"I made a promise," I add. "I promised that I would rescue Chocolat and if helping Colette is the way to do it then I'll put forth my best effort to help in any way I can. I don't want to be a burden. I want to save my friend. Please, let me come."

Raine just keeps staring at me. Then, silently, she gets up from her seat and walks towards the door. She stops halfway to it and says to me, "Then I will inform the others in the morning of your decision. Good night."

And she leaves.

I sigh out a held breath. Even if I had left I could never bear to look in Cacao's eyes and see her grief and just live my life out in Palmacosta. I would have left for Kvar's ranch and end up staying in Luin so I could search the ranch for her, never really knowing when she'll be sent to the Iselia ranch. Knowing my luck, I would end up witnessing Kvar's attack on Luin and end up narrowly escaping. Then I would have joined Lloyd's group to save the village and defeat Kvar. Life would repeat itself again.

Why not end that cycle and stop delaying the inevitable and just join them now?

* * *

What will Kelsey do when the group tells Cacao that they failed to save her daughter? What will Lloyd's new swords be? How hard will Raine's test be? Will Kelsey finally have to taste the horrors of Raine's cooking? Is it even possible for Kelsey to hide the fact that she's from Earth? How much wood would a wood chuck chuck, if a wood chuck could chuck wood? Review and find out next time on Confessions of a Self Insert!

(i am so sorry. i couldn't refuse. XD)


	18. Goodbye Palmacosta

Chapter Eighteen: Goodbye Palmacosta

". . . and so I would appreciate it very much if you allow me to continue to journey with all of you."

That was the end of the semi-speech I gave officially asking if I can join the group while we munch on breakfast. I felt all empty inside while those words flowed out of my mouth.

I gauge each of their expressions. Raine's is just casual since she already knows and gave her approval last night. Genis seems mildly surprised despite himself; I imagine his sister already told him. Kratos is like the calm sea: you can't tell what he's thinking (of course). Lloyd and Colette share similar expressions of surprise.

Then Lloyd says, "Of course you can join us. After what we have been through together you already seem like a part of this group."

"So now you're officially one of us!" Colette chirps. "It's so neat!"

"Thank you," I respond as I trace my eggs with my fork.

Raine adds, "I must admit that this is rather convenient. Now I can administer that test for my comparative results."

My face goes blank. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember?" Raine reminds, "I wanted to make a comparison between home schooled students and public schooled students and upon my request you have agreed to let me test you."

It takes my best egg-stabbing effort not to pout in my agony. Despite the fact that I have a good excuse not to know anything about Sylvarani history, physics, and chemistry, I can't exactly use that excuse.

Raine: How could you fail this test?!

Me: Well, I'm new to this world so I know nothing about it.

Raine: Don't play games with me!

"I remember now . . ." I tell her.

Raine observes me. "Hmm . . . Perhaps you can take the test while we travel back to Palmacosta."

Lloyd turns to his teacher. "But Professor, we're helping the captives from the ranch move all day long. Is she going to have enough time?"

"Neil and the army are escorting the captives as well," she points out. "Kelsey can take the test in Elvira's wagon."

Lloyd remarks, "You just want your results as soon as possible."

Raine shoots him the evil eye before swatting him across the head.

"Ow!" he grunts. Lloyd rubs his head as he gives me an apologetic look.

It's okay, Lloyd. I'm doomed either which way.

So that was my official orientation. Yippee, the wonderful excitement.

I eat my breakfast in silence as I listen to everyone else, still trying to wake up from my daze. Even then I still add a comment or two.

* * *

After breakfast, we packed our things while the grass is still wet with dew. The army rounds everyone up and we leave. I escape the ride on Elvira's wagon by taking my horse with me. Remember that horse? It was the good horse that saved me after the Desians attacked on the tour I was with. I decided to name him after a quarterback horse that I had horse riding lessons on when I was ten.

My horse veers off to test the taste of Kratos' hair.

I panic, "No, Punky! Don't!" I yank his reins and struggle as I drag his eager head away from the mercenary's feathery hair.

Kratos turns his head to find a horse desperately trying to reach his face with its mouth. In response the mercenary just moves to the other side of Elvira's wagon.

Punky sighs in defeat and heeds my command of moving forward instead of towards the wagon. He _so_ wanted to taste that strange red grass.

I sigh in relief and lean on Punky's gray neck. The last thing I need is _my_ horse munching on _Kratos'_ hair.

A soldier comes up to us on a high horse. It takes me a moment to recognize him as Officer Garrets. He lowers his head to Raine. "Governor-General Neil would like to speak to you. If you would, please follow me."

"Very well." Raine takes out a thin stack of papers and a pencil. She gets up and eases her way up to me on the other side. "May I borrow your horse for a moment?"

Thank you, Neil. Thank you so very much. I sigh, "Alright. . . . And I'm guessing those papers in your hand are the test that you want me to take."

She hands them to me. "Yes. They are the mathematics and science sections of the test that I drafted."

I take the stack and jump from Punky to the wagon. I watch as Raine jumps from the wagon to Punky. I swear, with Exspheres we're a bunch of acrobatics.

She gets Punky into a lope and responds, "Thank you. Officer, please lead me to Neil."

Garrets nods and prompts his horse to go a little faster. With that the two were gone up ahead.

"Man, that sucks," Lloyd expresses. "The Professor is making you do some stupid test on this wagon, and mathematics and science too!"

I open the packet up to the first page. "Actually, I feel kinda secure with the math part, and some over science. It's history that I'm worried about."

_Very_ worried about. The only thing I know is the legend of Mithos.

. . . The Legend of Mithos, ahahahah! He'd be the Princess Mithos who always gets captured by Ganondorf and needs to be saved by the hero Lloyd along with his side kick, who always changes depending on the game. Colette in place of Navi, Yuan for Tatl, Regal as the King of the Red Lions boat from Wind Waker, and Sheena for Midna in Twilight Princes. Ahahahahah!

Okay, back to the test.

Another soldier trots up on his horse to our wagon. He addresses Genis, "So where is your older sister? I usually see her with this group."

Genis conversationally answers, "She's going to talk to Neil about something. Why?"

The soldier doesn't respond. He mutters to himself, "Hmm . . . I'm going to have to tell the others that we'll have to wait until later . . . This is kind of disappointing . . ."

The soldier trots off to a group of men a distance away.

Genis gawks before his face turns red with anger. "They had better not touch my sister!"

Lloyd looks over at the group. "So there are Raine Sage Fan Club members over here too?"

"I thought they were only at Iselia," Colette comments.

"Apparently not," Kratos moans with this exasperated face.

Genis growls, "I'm not going to just tolerate them this time!"

I'm finding the mathematics test easier than I thought. Some struggles here and there as I try to remember formulas but that's just it. I'm good as long as I know the formula.

. . . Okay, I'll confess, it's dead hard with all the bumping the wagon is doing. It's better than horses because the dragons walk so smoothly, but it's still a struggle not to punch a hole in my paper. I'm going to get motion sickness at this rate.

A woman comes up this time who seems to be in her middle ages despite her graying hair. She smiles at us and says, "Thank you for saving us from the ranch. I cannot possibly repay you for what you have done for us."

We've been through this a thousand times. Each one of us glances around to see who will take the turn this time. A wordless signal decides that it's Lloyd's turn now.

"Don't mention it," he says. "It's what anyone would have done really."

The woman shakes her head. "No, it's not. Trust me. If it was then we would've all been saved a long time ago. You're our hero." With that she leaves without another word spoken.

Lloyd turns back to the wagon with a downcast face. "Hero? No, that's . . . If I were then . . . I could've saved Chocolat too . . ."

Genis cuts in, "Lloyd, it's not your fault. Magnius tricked her. If we got the chance to tell her the truth then it would've been different."

"What ifs do not change the past," Kratos states. "Dwelling on that is a waste of energy."

Genis snaps, "How can you just say that?! What happened was . . ." He struggles for the right words. "What happened was . . ."

Kratos continues, "While what happened may have been tragic, focusing on what we could have done will not help us for what we can do in the future."

Genis looks down as Kratos reemphasizes his point. Instead of agreeing, Genis mumbles, "You say it so coldly . . ."

Lloyd puts his hand reassuringly on Genis' shoulder. "It's okay, Genis. I hate to admit it but Kratos is right. I need to focus on how I can save Chocolat for next time instead of wondering on what could have happened if it was different." He pauses for a moment. "I'm never going to forget what happened back there. I'm not going to forget that Marble and the villagers lost their lives because of me. I promised I would save her . . . and I failed. I'm not going to forget."

I speak up, "Don't take all the credit for Chocolat's capture."

Lloyd glances at me with guilty eyes. He opens his mouth to speak . . .

But I interrupt him, "Chocolat _chose_ to react like that. She _chose_ to listen to Magnius instead of listen to you and Genis. She _chose_ not to fight while two Desians carried her away until she saw that thing they were shoving captives on. _She_ chose all that, not you. Chocolat could have listened to me and realized that Magnius was using her to get to you. She could have used her brain to realize that you don't have the heart for cold-blooded murder and see that Magnius was lying to her about that. She could have waited until after the battle to hear what happened to her grandma. But she didn't. Don't take credit for what she chose to do or not to do."

Lloyd sighs.

That ticks me off. "You want someone to blame you? You want some sort of punishment so that you can feel better about yourself?"

Now Lloyd snaps at me, "It's not like that!"

"Oh really?" I go. "Then what is it? Tell me, 'cause I'd like to know."

Lloyd gives no response.

I mutter, mainly to myself, "I thought so."

Genis protests "Ease up! It's really hard on Lloyd. Marble's death . . . It was our fault. Then Chocolat calls him a murderer. She was your friend, too! Doesn't it hurt you too?"

I clutch at the pencil in my fingers. "Hurts? My first friend in a long time outright calls me a traitor and slaps me in face. Of course it hurts! But I'm mainly mad right now. I was her friend, and she was my closest friend. She should've listened to me! Trusted me! She . . . !" I snort out a sigh and turn back to my test. ". . . she's the traitor . . ."

Colette looks between all of us, and says, "But one day we will see her again, and then we can tell her what really happened to Marble. Then she'll understand."

Genis faces Colette and agrees, "Yeah, you're right. It'll take some time, but Chocolat will learn the truth."

"Yeah," Lloyd listlessly agrees.

I don't think Chocolat knows it, but she really has a way with getting words to haunt you.

* * *

We arrived at Palmacosta by sunset. During the time on the road I managed to finish the math part and struggle through the science part of Raine's test. I turned it in with a grimace that should tell her that I don't think I'm going to pass. At all. After I turned it in she let me have Punky back (which she should have done earlier but she insisted on me finishing this part of the test). A lot of time afterwards we finally made it to Palmacosta.

The cheering from the civilians, the captives, and the militia was deafening. The Desian reign over Palmacosta is at a temporary end. Neil invited us to celebrate but we declined for the journey of world regeneration. I could tell from the looks in Lloyd, Colette, and Genis' eyes that they really wanted to celebrate with the city, but first thing's first . . . plus they're pretty tired from the entire trip.

And so, we stabled the Velocidragons as well as my horse and decided to go to Elvira's home, except . . .

"We need to tell Cacao about Chocolat," Colette sadly reminds.

It's true. We need to tell her about what happened to Chocolat. Raine turns to Elvira and says, "We need to take care of this first. We'll meet you at your home tonight."

Elvira nods understandingly. "Very well. I need to retrieve my house key from the person who I charged with caring for my plants anyway."

We leave for the commerce area with Lloyd leading the way. He hides it well this time but it's obvious to me that a dark cloud follows him right now. I know he's imagining that Cacao will react the same way as Chocolat did. I don't do anything to help his mood. I'm not exactly a reassuring person when I myself am buried in shame and resentment over my failure.

I pull off the violet ribbon given to me from Chocolat for my birthday and twine it around my fingers. What am I going to tell Cacao . . . ?

At Marble's door we find Cacao searching in her spot for someone she knew from among the rejoicing captives, whether they be an acquaintance taken from the city or Chocolat. She spots us and waves urgently for us to come to her.

Lloyd hesitates before hurrying to the woman.

When we come close, Cacao sees our faces and her hopeful expression dies. ". . . What happened? What happened to my baby girl?"

Lloyd's head hangs. "She's alive, but the Desians still have her. I'm so sorry. It's . . . It's my fault . . ."

Cacao frowns deeper. "What do you mean?"

"Well . . ." he tries. "We . . . We met Marble and . . ."

Shock dashes across Cacao's face. Her face turns grim and contemplative as she motions towards the item shop's door and says, "Come inside. I can see that there is a lot more to this than the Desians managing to kidnap Chocolat once more."

Lloyd and Genis are the first to follow her in. They explain the details of just what happened in Iselia in grave narratives that adds a new layer of reality to this entire story. When Lloyd would falter in words Genis would pick the story back up and continue retelling the tragic event of when the Desians invaded, and visa versa when Genis would falter in his words. After they finished with Marble's death, Lloyd and Genis moved on to Magnius' words and Chocolat's rejection. The entire thing ended with Lloyd and Genis both taking the blame of everything involving Marble's death and Chocolat's capture, yet Genis is the only one who knew to give the Desians the bulk of the credit.

Cacao shakes as her eyes regard the two calmly, even while they gleam with dew. "I . . . I was prepared for my mother's death the moment she was taken to the ranch. I could never expect something so tragic, but nevertheless, I was prepared for the news that she died even if it would never come." She takes a shaky breath. "But Chocolat . . . Chocolat was very close to Mother. She could never allow herself to even consider that Mother might never come back. I believe this shock was too much for her and struck out against you in retaliation."

I twist the violet ribbon in my hands.

Lloyd says, "I _will_ save her. I promised that I would. Even if I have to go to every ranch on the world I will keep my promise."

Cacao places her aging hand on his hand. "I have no doubts that you would. Just please, do not bear this guilt. I know with all my heart that my mother would never begrudge you for what happened to her. Then I'm relieved that I got any word of my mother at all. I can finally allow her to rest in my memory. And . . . I know this will be difficult, but please, do what you can to save my daughter."

"I will," Lloyd swears.

"Thank you," is the response.

"Kelsey?"

My hands freeze, the violet ribbon tense in my hands.

"I can see you."

My face droops into a guilty frown. "I know. I wasn't hiding."

"Then please . . . Come here."

With no logic or command from my brain guiding me, my legs turn and move to Cacao. I wait for her to speak.

Cacao watches me in silence for a moment. ". . . You fought so hard."

"And I failed," I finish.

Cacao shakes her head. "No. There is still a chance. Chocolat is still alive; she can still be saved. You haven't failed."

My expression tells her that I'm not convinced.

She sighs, "Please, Kelsey. Don't lose yourself in this. Then you lose more than just your second chance to save her. I know that I have not heard what her words to you were, but please, forgive her and move on. I know it isn't nearly as easy as I make it sound."

There is no way I can tell her to her face that Chocolat called me a traitor and slapped me across the face, which is an absolute first for me. I've never been slapped before. Never.

Just one more thing not to tell . . .

* * *

We left Cacao in a dark cloud. Specifically, we were the ones in a dark cloud. Cacao seemed like she kept her emotions hidden, but I suspect that she's still processing the fact that Chocolat wasn't saved.

We met Elvira at apartment ten. She took one glance at us and started walking on to her home with the key in her hand. There is a pause when we reach the door.

". . . What a day . . ." Genis sighs.

"What in the . . . ?"

"What is it?" Colette asks.

Elvira tests the door knob again. "It is already unlocked."

We all look at each other. Elvira turns back to the door with her guard up and cautiously opens the door.

Then we discover a surprise visitor inside.

Nicohlas, Elvira's son, looks ready to smash his mother's head. "Mother! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"It is very nice to see you too, Nicohlas," the fortuneteller responds as if he only said hello.

Nicohlas squawks, "Taking the Velocidragons out and charging the Desian ranch?! Without even my uncle's Exsphere equipped on you?! You are too old for such things!"

Elvira ignores him and pleasantly tells us, "Please, make yourselves at home. I will join you after I speak with my son."

"Don't you dare ignore me like that!"

Elvira starts walking out the door once we clear the way. "Nicohlas, let us speak about this in a more open area. Where we will not disturb our guests or the neighbors."

Nicohlas follows her. "What neighbors? Do you mean the invisible ones that reside in the vacant apartment house just above this one? I am sure they will not mind if I yell at you for your suicidal mission!"

As Elvira closes the door she retorts, "I mean the ones in apartment nine and eleven, as well as seven, eight, twelve, and thirteen."

Then the door blocks the muffled arguing as mother and son leave apartment ten.

Colette smiles knowingly. "I'll bet he was very worried about his mother. He really does love her so much."

"He'll be happy when he hears that Elvira isn't going to go out any time soon," I add.

"She's not going to help us anymore?" Genis asks.

I shake my head. "No more free rides. She's done now."

"In the meantime," Raine says, "we can prepare for our trip to Thoda Dock. Colette, Genis, could you two go get supplies?" After the two nod she turns to the other two, "Lloyd and Kratos, why don't you both go get our weapons checked? Lloyd needs new swords after all."

Then Colette asks, "What are you going to do, Professor?"

There is a split second before she informs, "I will stay here and watch the place."

"What about me?" I wonder, curious about that split second hesitation.

Raine states, "You need to pack whatever belongings you can carry with you from home. This is going to be a long journey after all."

Oh that's easy. I can just put most of my things in a sack and tie that to a stick. "Sure," I respond. "I live here after all since I never had any other place to go. I can just go to my room and grab the few things I have."

There is an observant silence as I enter my room with my bag and shut the door. Conversation continues as I lock that door and get my casual dress (the red and green one from Textures Abundant) and slip that on after changing out of the red tunic and black pants. The others are gone and I hear activity in another room as I unlock my room door. I wonder what Raine is up to . . . I unpack and reorganize my things and then repack. So far I'm taking both necklaces, all my books including my blank journal, all my clothes (excluding the ones from Earth that I still need to discard), my green blanket, my green mug, and the calendar I made up to keep track of what day it is on Earth. I don't think I need that last one for anything but sentimental reasons. Strong sentimental reasons.

I hear more activity in that other room. What in the world is she doing? Oh, well. She's smart. Raine's not going to burn down the city place.

I leave my bare room and sit next to the window and just stare out of it. A long time must've passed because I was still staring out it when I hear everyone come back.

"They're so cool, Lloyd!" Colette admires.

Lloyd's all puffed out in pride. "Yeah, I know! I picked them out myself!"

Genis teases, "Just don't get them broken aga—" He stops as he sniffs the air. ". . . What's that smell?"

Everyone else stops. I sniff the air myself.

"Smells like someone's cooking," I note.

Then it hits me . . .

The group's faces pale.

"So that's why Raine decided to stay behind," Genis concludes.

A voice from the tiny kitchen calls out, "Well _someone_ has to cook today! I figured that it might as well be me!"

"Raine . . ." moans Genis.

I comment, "Well, it can't be that bad." I mean, anime exaggerates a lot for comedy. She can't be that bad in real life.

Their pale expressions aren't reassuring. Even Kratos is pale with dread.

"Dinner is almost done~!" chirps a voice from the tiny kitchen.

Everyone's faces droop as if Raine had said "Doomsday is almost here~!"

They all gather around the table as if they were preparing for their executions. I'm the only one trying to convince myself that this isn't as bad as it's going to be. Anime exaggerates. Anime exaggerates. Anime exaggerates. Anime exaggerates. Anime exaggerates . . .

Raine comes out with a plate of bowls. "For dinner I decided to make kirima soup!"

What's kirima? Oh, it's that weird fruit that Sylvarant has.

Genis stammers, "K-kirima soup?"

Raine starts putting bowls in front of everyone. Colette seems a little relieved about something . . . I know it has something to do with the fact that she can't taste anymore. Then I spot in the corner of my eye that Kratos is subtly messing with the Exsphere on his hand. It gains a slight gleam of blue. I have a feeling that he can't taste anymore either. He better have some good on-the-spot acting skills.

Raine explains, "I was thinking of creating something new. Since there isn't such thing as kirima soup I decided to invent a new recipe! Eat up, everyone~!"

The others turn to me . . . at the same time . . . and stare at me . . .

I snip, "Oh, suuuurrre. Have the new person be the taster."

Raine narrows her eyes. "Is there something wrong with my cooking?"

"Not your cooking, Professor," I inform. "Their behavior."

They keep staring expectantly at me. I look down at the weird soup. It's nothing like I've ever seen. When Raine announced that it's kirima soup I expected something like tomato soup only a different color. This . . . is some strange mix between tomato soup and vegetable soup; only instead of different foods it's just kirima, which is strange to begin with since I've never seen kirima before in my entire life.

I pick up my spoon . . . and feel the anxious anticipation just rolling off of the others. It's like the theme song for this moment is either a combination of the Psycho theme music and Jaws theme music. I bring the spoon up to my lips . . .

As soon as the liquid touches the inside of my mouth, my tongue rebels by sputtering it out. _Augh! Nasty!_ The texture is awkward, the taste is like bitter liquid medicine and soured milk combined, and plus it's a little too hot for my taste buds. Raine's face turns downcast. Another failure.

Now if anyone doesn't believe I'm a nice person then you won't believe the next part . . .

After seeing Raine's severe disappointment I brace myself and force myself to eat the soup. "It's . . . It's not . . . that bad . . ." I grit out between spoonfuls. "The texture just surprised me, that's all . . ."

Raine keeps her expression. "It's alright, Kelsey. You don't need to eat it anymore."

I sigh in relief and drop my spoon, the soup only a sixth gone. I may be nice but I'm not that self-sacrificing.

Genis gets up and announces, "I'm cooking something else to eat. Elvira hasn't come back yet and I don't want our host to eat something like this."

Raine doesn't even twitch. She must be pretty used to her cooking being criticized like this.

I shrug. "Elvira might not come back at all. She might stay with her son to reassure his wife and kid that Grandma Elvira is still alive."

This kinda surprises some people. "She has a grandchild?" goes Lloyd.

I reply, "Yep, though I've never seen her. I only saw Nicohlas and his wife and I only saw his wife one time."

"But haven't you been living here for a while?" Colette asks.

I answer, "Only for a couple of months. For most of the time, Nicohlas was pretty suspicious of me, thinking that I'd rob his mom as soon as she allowed me to stay. It took him a while to warm up to me enough not to treat me like a potential thief."

"I can't imagine you doing something like that," Colette replies.

"It's alright," I respond. "Nicohlas is really protective over his mother in the first place. Anyone she lends her home to is a potential thief in his mind . . ." I sway towards the table. "Why do I feel dizzy all of a sudden?"

Everyone turns pale, and Raine looks ready to crawl under a rock. Genis comes over and gently pushes me down against the table. "Just lie down and breathe slowly and evenly. It will go away in a moment."

"Uuughh . . ."

"It'll go away."

Colette takes Genis' place as the boy walks away towards the kitchen. "Raine, don't take a step in that kitchen."

There is no response from the miserable healer.

Kratos speaks up, "So now that the situation in Palmacosta has been settled, our main priority should be releasing the seals. . . . Which means we will have to go to the Thoda Island to retrieve the Spiritua Statue."

"Is there any way we can cut through the mountains?" Lloyd asks.

Kratos studies the map. "We can go eastward from here and go north after passing the tip of the mountain range and cut through there to the Thoda docks. That will cut our time tremendously."

I lift my feet off the ground and onto the chair, curling myself into a ball. I'm dizzy and now my stomach hurts . . .

"Then we get to sail on a ship! Ha-ha! I can't wait!" cheers Lloyd.

Raine comments, ". . . I don't think the Thoda docks are big enough for a ship. We will at least get a sailboat for the trip."

I add, "Or a . . . a . . . r-rowboat . . . uggh . . ." As I thought earlier: anime exaggerates. The washtubs were added for comic relief. A sane person wouldn't force people to cross any bit of sea with only a washtub.

Then again, people aren't very bright or sane, are they?

Raine shudders from the thought of having to cross the sea in a rowboat. Wait until you see some washtubs, Professor.

"Air . . . !" I gasp. "Fresh air . . . !" I push myself off the chair and stumble to the window. I open it with slight struggle and hang out it, relishing the cool sea breeze of autumn. I feel Colette pull back my red hair as if expecting me to puke any second now.

Which I do.

"Ugh . . . Ooouuaaagh! Kogh! Koaugh! Augh! Auugh!"

Uuugh . . . ! Nasty . . . ! I hang there as I relish the feeling of an empty stomach.

"Did she puke?" I hear Genis ask.

"Are you alright?"

"Don't feel too embarrassed. This happens to us pretty often."

Raine's agony is almost visible even when I'm facing away from her.

"I'm . . ." I try. "I'm . . . fine. Whatever was in me is gone now. I'm fine."

"You should probably get some sleep after that," Lloyd empathetically suggests.

I lean out of the window. "Well I don't exactly want to eat right now . . . Yeah, I'll get to bed . . . After I clean my mouth out . . ."

* * *

Late at night, Elvira returns to her home. She sighs, "Nicohlas will not believe me when I say I can handle myself . . . I wonder who raised him and protected him all those years if that is the case."

She looks into her home and finds a man and two boys slumbering in sleeping bags on her living room floor. With a quick glance she guesses the female half of the Chosen's group is resting in the guest room that will soon be vacant. Careful not to disturb her guests, Elvira silently makes her way to her own bedroom. She closes the door and envelopes herself in soporific darkness.

"Goodbye, dear child."

* * *

"We actually got horses and a wagon!" Lloyd cheerfully exclaims. "We don't have to walk everywhere we go!"

"It was very giving of Neil to provide us with a free team," Raine expresses.

I scoff, "Tch. That's the least he could do when he and Dorr nearly got you all arrested for impersonating the imposter Chosen, dragging all of you into a battle against the Desians, defeating that thing that pretended to be Kilia—"

"We get the point," Raine interrupts. "And besides, you still have a test to finish. Do I need to bring it out right now and have you ride in here while I ride your horse?"

Yes, I kept Punky. Yes, I'm deathly afraid of that history test. Yes, I'm going to keep quiet now.

Anyway, Neil met us at the exit with a team of horses (which is two here) leading a nice wagon. Light but fast. He also gave us top quality supplies and an escort until we reached the mountain range. The people wanted to give us more but Neil wouldn't let them offer their family treasures when we need to travel light in order to endure this journey.

I saw Abercold and Amanada from Textures Abundant waving goodbye with Cacao in their company. They're probably visiting to provide her with support. Then the sailors from the _Seabird_ ship including Reece and Fraiser watched in the crowd as we left. I noticed they kept looking over their shoulders as if expecting their captain to come charging up at them for skipping their shift.

Elvira made her goodbyes as we left her home. It was short and simple . . . Just "Goodbye, dear. Be sure to take care of yourself." I don't know if I would have wanted a big grand speech over how sad it is for me to leave if the rest of the group wasn't there with me. I mean, we both knew that my stay was temporary. I just didn't know that I would leave because joined the Chosen's group.

Scratch that. I always knew I would. I was just too afraid to admit that I was doomed to live the life of a self-insert.

"Hoooooowwwwwwweeeee!"

I turn to the distant sound. "What was that?"

Lloyd gets a big happy grin and announces, "Here comes Noishe!"

At that I glance around to try to find the source.

"I missed Noishe so much!" Colette chirps.

"It's been quite a while since we last saw him," Raine chuckles.

"Let's play with him as soon as we get to the docks!" Genis cheers.

I keep searching the distant area. If Noishe is really hard to miss in an anime-style game then he's got to be impossible to miss in reality. I scan the horizon and—oh!

A giant dog-shaped creature the size of a horse comes bounding towards us. It zips along the way closer and closer at amazing speed. Obviously this isn't going to go over well with the horses. Then Noishe steadily slows down just upon approach and gets down to a happy trot by the time he reaches us.

Boy, Noishe is the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life. Yet. He's dog all around with a long and narrow snout, a long bushy tail, gigantic ears, and that green-spotted white fur. In height he easily reaches passed my horse, especially with those ears. I swear they're almost like Dumbo's giant ears.

"Roe!" he coos. Noishe bounces his front paws up into the wagon and reaches over into it to give Lloyd's face a nice bath in saliva.

"Wheee!" cries Punky.

"Ah!" I go, afraid that the sight of Noishe the strange creature might startle my mild horse.

Noishe turns away from his attempt to bathe Lloyd's face and watches Punky for a moment. He snorts at the horse.

Punky settles down and just watches Noishe a second. He snorts back at Noishe.

With that Noishe turns back to Lloyd and continues his assault. I guess that was a peace agreement of a sort.

"Hey! Noishe!" Lloyd laughingly protests. "I'm glad to see you too but stop licking my face! Ahahahah! Noishe!"

"Whiiieee!" Noishe whines merrily as he retreats his head.

Colette comes up and scratches behind his ear. "I'm so happy to see you again, Noishe! We all missed you!"

"Hoowwee!" Noishe nuzzles her shoulder.

Genis joins in. "You have no idea how much we missed you! You have Lloyd's smarter brain."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Noishe reacts by licking Genis' face.

I keep my distance, remembering that Noishe isn't supposed to be good with strangers.

Lloyd notices me anyway and says to Noishe, "We have a new friend, Noishe. Say hello to Kelsey."

Noishe looks over to me. His ears point towards me, with one cocked slightly towards Lloyd, very much reminding me of a horse regarding something cautiously. My nerves start to twitter. I used to read fan fiction while I was still on Earth. I remember a self-insert where Noishe didn't like the smell of the self-insert character and would snap at the character whenever he got the chance. It would make sense since Earth is the most foreign Noishe could get in regards of scents. If he doesn't like my scent and starts snapping at me and get his teeth under my skin . . . well it won't be good.

I start shaking as Noishe gets close to me with these guarded eyes.

"Why are you shaking, Kelsey?" Lloyd wonders. "He's just a dog."

"Dog . . . right . . ." I reword with a small voice. The "dog" lifts his nose up to my face and sniffs in the air around me in fast, loud sucks. I keep myself still, hoping that my scent doesn't bother him enough to where he'd want to bite a piece of my face off.

Another huff in my face . . . and Noishe turns away pretending that I don't exist. He returns to showering Lloyd, Colette, and Genis with his puppy love.

I didn't get my nose bitten off. What a relief . . .

Colette looks at me in wonder. "Are you afraid of dogs, Kelsey?"

I lean on Punky's neck. "No. Just nervous around giant dogs that can bite my head off in one big chomp."

Colette tells me, "Noishe would never bite anyone! He's sweet and kind and very gentle. He just needs time to warm up to new people."

I try to be as convincing as I can, "Okay. If you say so."

I believe that I fooled her when she smiles at me encouragingly.

We travel more and, I still can't believe it, after an hour and a half we managed to get around the tip end of the Palmacosta Ridge (which is the name of this mountain ridge). I could smell the sea breeze coming in again. It hasn't been a full day and I already miss Palmacosta.

I guess that makes this the second time I was uprooted from my home.

* * *

Readers! For the passed few days this site was plagued with a terrible error that kept a lot of ppl from downloading their documents and chapters! Let's celebrate the end of it by reviewing!

By the way, I planned for an angst scene, but it didn't happen. I should never plan my stories or they'll run away again. T.T


	19. They Really Are Washtubs!

I decided to stop where I did. My mind went "That's enough!" and that was the end of it.

Anyway, you'll like this chapter. ;3

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: They Really Are Washtubs!

I got a random conversation with Lloyd. I guess it could be something of a z-skit.

"Hey, Kelsey!" Lloyd catches my attention. "Take a look at this!"

He points a jeweled ring on his hand towards open space. A ball of fire shoots out and travels a long way before fizzling out.

Okay, I know about the Sorcerer's Ring, but seeing it in real life is totally different from anything else.

"Wow!" I go. "I've never seen anything like it!"

Lloyd's happy grin gets larger. "It's called the Sorcerer's Ring. Normally it shoots these balls of fire when you want it to but it can change elements. This one time it changed to electricity and shot balls of electricity."

"That's so cool!" I keep staring at the ring. "Do it again!"

Lloyd laughs and shoots another ball of fire from the ring.

Genis gets off the wagon and passes us by to the Thoda Dock house. "You're both like little kids."

Considering that I'm in a completely different reality than what I was raised in, can you blame me if I get all excited over stuff like this?

Colette goes after a Dalmatian-esq. dog. "Ooo! This one can be Binky!"

Raine leaves the wagon with her bag in her hands. "You two can play after we get a boat for the island."

"Aw, man," Lloyd moans. "We've been cooped up in that wagon for so long."

"I gotta go put Punky in the stables, anyway," I comment.

Just as I leave for the stables I hear Noishe go up to Lloyd and whine, "Aoe."

"Colette's old flying discs? You want to play fetch?"

"Garm!"

"Alright!"

After I stable Punky (and see that Kratos was stabling the wagon horses as well), I go back outside and watch Lloyd, Colette, and Genis play fetch with Noishe. My most obvious observation is that Colette is the better frisbee thrower of the three.

. . . You know, since I have a blank journal I might as well write in it. I dig in the small bag that contains all my stuff and pull out the journal and a pencil. For the date I put in small print "March 4th, 2009". In bigger print just below it I put the Symphonian date. Then I write _Journal . . . I am now officially a member of the Chosen's group. For my background, I'll explain later. I want to focus on happier things right now. . . ._

"Catch, Noishe!" Colette shouts as she tosses the neon green disc. Noishe bounds out and leaps into the air, reaching for the frisbee. His mouth clamps onto the disc and he lands on the ground before happily returning to the trio.

_From what I can tell, Lloyd Irving is a total Luke Skywalker, only with a developing brain._ Hasn't anyone noticed that Luke Skywalker is not that smart and doesn't necessarily grow in mentality? For Lloyd I have hope. _However, I can clearly see that he has more heart than almost anyone I have ever met. What Chocolat said about him . . . That was terrible of her._

"Look out!"

"Ah!" I cry out as a green disc crashes into me. I pick it up out of my lap and glance back at Lloyd who's coming over.

He stops and holds out his hands like he's ready to catch it. "Sorry about that. Could you give it back?"

I look at him. Then I set my journal down and toss it over Noishe. While they watch it fly I say, "I think I'll give it to Noishe if that's alright."

He remains just as upbeat. "Nice, very nice." He goes back into the game.

I sit back down and write _I'll add that he's a complete dork. Not that recent events have confirmed this, but I can just tell that he's a dork._

I get down to describing Kratos for last (_A complete enigma. I'm still in the dark about him._) Raine comes out and announces, "We have a small boat each for two of us by the docks already that we can use."

Genis notices how pale his sister is. "Raine, are you alright?"

Raine dismissively nods. "Yes, I'm fine. Let's take a look at the small boats we have."

I stuff my journal into my bag and head out to the docks with everyone else. We move onto the long docks and follow Raine as she looks for the small branch that has our boats. We get to the section, and look down onto the water.

". . . You have got to be kidding me," is the first thing I say.

"Why is there a bunch of washtubs here?" Lloyd asks.

"There has to be some mistake." Genis goes around the dock and searches each section. He returns reporting, "No, it's no mistake. Our 'boats' are a bunch of washtubs."

"Hmm . . ." our mercenary thoughtfully responds. He reaches his foot off the dock into a tub and tests its buoyancy. "It seems stable."

"I-I'll stay here and watch over Noishe," we hear Raine notify. "You go ahead without me."

Colette cheerfully encourages, "Come on, Professor! It looks like it could be fun!"

"Yeah, Raine!" Genis agrees. "It'll be like a ride with the waves swinging us around in those washtubs!"

I tell him, "Now you're not helping with my resolve."

Raine insists, "No, I'll stay here. Someone needs to watch over Noishe and the horses."

Genis persists, "But that's the boat dock's job! And Noishe can take care of himself! Come on, sis, don't be a stick-in-the-mud! That's Kratos' job!"

"Humph . . ."

Raine turns paler as she runs out of excuses. "Our . . . Our things need to be guarded!"

Genis counters, "You put them in a locker and we're the only ones with the key!"

"Well, someone could pick the lock!"

Genis snorts. "That ridiculous and you know it, Raine! The only person I know of who can pick a lock is Lloyd!"

I turn to Lloyd, "You can seriously pick locks?"

He looks a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I can. It takes really nimble fingers to pick a lock."

Kratos has this slightly disturbed look on his face. "Why would you need to learn how to pick a lock?"

"I don't exactly want to talk about that right now . . ."

"Raine!" Genis pressures. "Come on! It's just a bunch of washtubs, and you heard Kratos! They're stable!"

Genis hurries up to his sister, grabs her hand, and starts pulling her towards a tub.

"AAAHH!!"

We all freeze and stare. Raine makes a quick glance around us and turns red.

Lloyd regards his teacher. "'Aaahh'? Professor . . . are you afraid of water or something?"

Raine turns even redder. "O-of course not! Don't be daft! How could anyone be afraid of water?"

Our healer marches right passed us and cautiously slips into one of the large tubs. After some struggles with balance ("Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa! _Ah!_") Raine manages to successfully board one of the washtubs without getting a single drop of sea water on her.

Lloyd still shows concern. ". . . Okay. I'll get in with you and help you with the paddle."

Raine makes no comment as he steps in next to her.

Kratos watches the healer for a moment. ". . . Heheh."

After that, Kratos volunteered to pair up with Colette and Genis and I ended up with a washtub to ourselves. After Genis demonstrated how to move the washtub with the paddle (since he catches on much faster than I do) I offered to well . . . paddle this tub (for lack of better words).

"Ahh! Wave!" Colette cries as her tub goes over a wave. She laughs and calls out, "See, Professor? Isn't this fun?"

Raine looks miserable as she clutches onto Lloyd's arm. ". . . Yes . . . Oodles."

Genis comments, "I never thought that I would actually cross the ocean on a bathtub."

I mention, "I never thought that I would cross an ocean on even a rowboat let alone a washtub. How can this be safe? I mean, what if we capsize?"

"Then we climb back in," Genis states. Then he adds with a grin, "Although there might be a problem if there are sea monsters here."

I gag. "Don't . . . ! I don't want to think about that!"

"Hey, Kelsey, have you ever heard of the kraken?"

"I have gone temporarily deaf and also have forgotten that monsters in general exist," I declare. It should be easy to pretend that I'm back on Earth . . . and doing some sort of anime convention/Fear Factor crossover (considering who I'm with and the washtubs).

Several feet away from us, Lloyd yips, "Ow! Professor! Ease up, you're hurting my arm!"

Raine's grip loosens around Lloyd's arm . . . but just a little.

Lloyd asks in honest curiosity, "How come you're so afraid of water?"

Raine denies, "I'm not afraid of water! I'm . . . I just don't like getting wet!"

Lloyd isn't fooled, but he isn't going to press the issue. If his teacher won't tell him then his teacher won't tell him. ". . . Okay, Professor. If you say so."

Raine refuses to look down into the sea. ". . . How are the others doing?"

Lloyd looks over at Genis' washtub. "Genis and Kelsey are fine. Colette and Kratos . . ."

"Ooo! Fish! They're so cute!"

Without even looking, Kratos reaches over at Colette's shirt collar and pulls her back from leaning over the washtub's edge.

"They're fine," Lloyd finishes.

Raine notes, "Kratos seems to have some experience with energetic children."

Lloyd turns to her with a blank face. "Why do you say that?"

"Hi, fish! Sorry, but I don't have any food."

Again without looking, Kratos reaches over at Colette and pulls her in without her attention being diverted or soured.

"Just his air and manner with handling Colette," she answers. "I especially notice it whenever he deals with you."

"Did you just call me childish?" he pouts.

"Tactfully, yes."

I paddle the boat up and catch up with Colette and Kratos. As Colette strikes up a conversation with Genis, I look out onto the far horizon back towards the boat docks. In that distance I see a violet speck in a washtub.

I point out, "What's that violet speck? I can't even tell what it is."

Colette follows my line of sight. After a second she chirps, "Oh! It's Sheena!"

Oh, beautiful.

"Great," Genis carps. "Just what we need. That assassin cornering us at the Thoda geyser."

I know that I know why Sheena's after us, but I'm not supposed to know that yet. "Why would anyone want to assassinate the Chosen, especially since that Chosen so happens to be the big bright ray of sunshine that is Colette?"

Kratos suggests, "It could be that she opposes world regeneration for whatever reason. No matter, all we need to know for right now is that she's a threat."

A medium-sized wave rolls under us.

"Whoa!" I cry out as I try to keep balance.

After the wave is done, Genis states, "I better tell Raine and Lloyd about the assassin." He whistles towards them (which hurt my ears) and got their attention. He points towards Sheena and calls, "It's the assassin!" In response Lloyd looks out and Raine sighs in agitation.

I wonder, "How much farther until we get to the island?"

Colette guesstimates, "Ahh . . . I'd say we're about halfway."

"Ah, goody."

* * *

When we finally get to the island we had to climb up onto the dock, careful not to crash into the rocky shoreline. We tire our boats up and wait as Raine crawls out of her washtub.

"We . . . finally . . . made it," she utters with a spent-nerve tone.

Lloyd offers his hand. "Here, Professor."

"Ah . . ." she goes. "Thank you . . ."

While Lloyd pulls her up I spy on the assassin following us. Now I can see a human shape colored with violet instead of just a violet speck. Not good.

"Hey, guys, we need to hurry up," I announce. "She's getting closer."

They look out at the human shaped colored with violet.

"Right," Lloyd confirms.

We climb up the short trail to the geyser. Upon sight Lloyd, Colette, and Genis rush up to the rope railing. Water shoots up from the gap in the ground high into the air.

"Wow!" Lloyd awes.

Genis sarcastically instructs, "Lloyd, this is a geyser. It's a type of hot spring that periodically erupts with boiling water and vapor."

Lloyd scowls. "I know that!"

Colette looks around, admiring the bubbling water, and stops when she sees something.

I catch up next to her. "What is it?"

She points down to a far corner hugging the railing. "Look! It's the statue!"

We all hurry up to her and lean over to get a good view. I couldn't help but feel crowded with Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Raine squeezing together with me to see the statue. Where's Kratos? He's looking over at the statue in the most spacious and isolated spot he can take. As usual. (Lucky bastard . . .)

"All I have to do is seal it with my magic, right?" Genis checks.

"Yeah," Lloyd confirms. "While it's iced over, I'll go down along the rocky parts and get the statue."

Water boils over and shoots into the sky.

Raine says, "Let's get to a more accessible location." She looks around. "That platform over there with the sign will do."

We walk over to the higher ground platform. Lloyd and Genis scoot close to the railing and undo the rope.

"Lloyd," Genis mentions, "I don't think the ice I make will last longer than thirty seconds—and that's pushing it."

"Okay." Lloyd readies for his jump.

Colette cautions, "Be careful, Lloyd. Don't do anything too dangerous."

"My healing arts have limits, and I will admit that I am not a master," Raine reminds.

Kratos adds, "You have a bad habit of getting cocky. Be careful."

"Alright, alright," he politely dismisses.

Genis takes out his kendema and starts playing with it without looking away from the water. He closes his eyes and puts his full focus and concentration, despite the fact that his kendema is still swinging. His eyes flare open and he shouts, "_Icicle!_"

The entire geyser freezes over. People at the railing cry out and gasp in shock. We automatically get a spotlight.

Lloyd shoots out onto the icy rocks. He lands onto a ledge and carefully, yet hastily, climbs along the ledge to the other side.

Colette sighs in relief. "At least he isn't doing anything reckless."

I comment, "Watch him suddenly do insane acrobatic tricks on that ledge."

"That's not funny," Colette scolds. "He could actually get hurt."

He's the main character in this. I'm sure he'll be fine.

"Hurry, Lloyd," Genis warns.

Lloyd picks up his pace. He hurries along the middle section of the ledge—

"WHOA!!" A piece of the ledge crumbles under his feet, sending him sliding down.

"Lloyd!" Colette cries out.

His hand catches on the other side of the ledge and hangs on. He stabilizes his balance and climbs back up onto the ledge.

"Lloyd! Hurry!" Genis shouts.

_Creeh-Ker-ker-ker . . ._

Our blood drains out of our faces. Lloyd gets the message and starts racing down the ledge as the thick ice starts to crack.

_Ker-ker-ker . . . Sheeeeeee . . ._

Vapor sprays out of the new cracks. Lloyd makes it to the ledge where the Spiritua Statue lays and looks back at us and . . .

He narrows his eyes to focus on an object close to us. "Is that one of those—"

_SHAAAAAA . . . !_

Lloyd snaps to and instantly bolts towards us. Boiling water breaks free from the arctic seal and sputters in every direction. He leaps over the new gap and slips a little as his feet slide on the thin ice layer on the ledge. The tourists gasp and point in horror as Lloyd slides towards the breaking ice, but Lloyd regains his balance and madly dashes along the ledge. He leaps up to the upper ledge where we stand . . .

His hand catches the stone edge and leaves him hanging as the ice shatters and scorching water jets up into the sky. We claw at his clothes and pull him up. Raine takes the Spiritua Statue out of his hands and places it in a safe spot.

"Lloyd! Are you alright?!" Colette fearfully demands.

"Yeah . . ." he pants. "Just strained . . ."

I snap, "Why did you hesitate back there when you got the statue?! A second later and you'd be a boiled idiot!"

"I found a whatchamacallit stone."

I lose my temper in an instant. "A _what_ stone?"

Lloyd details, "You haven't been on this journey very long so I don't think you know of them. At every seal there are these stones that Colette puts her hand on and it opens one of the seals. I just saw one of those stones."

Genis corrects, "It's called an oracle stone."

"You say you found one here?" Raine looks around. She spots the stone sign and goes around it. "Lloyd was right! An oracle stone! This is a seal!"

We all go around the sign.

Lloyd complains, "So we didn't need to get this statue after all!"

"Actually, we still did." I point out, "I don't think we know where the other seals are, unless I'm just the only one who doesn't know where the rest are."

Raine agrees, "Kelsey is right. We still need to trade the Spiritua Statue for a thorough examination of Spiritua's diary."

Lloyd scowls down at the statue.

Raine points at the oracle stone. "Colette, place your hand here. We need to release this seal."

"Yes, ma'am." Colette goes up and places her hand on the oracle stone.

_Cra-kakaka . . ._

We look around for the source.

_Ker-CHAAAaaa!_

A piece of the cliff falls down and tumbles into the boiling geyser. The tourist scream and panic as the water splashes up towards them but still doesn't manage to get a drop close to them. They watch in awe as a bridge of aquatic light forms from the dark hole in the cliff to the platform edge next to us. Colette approaches the bridge and tests the bridge. Her foot finds the light to be solid.

Colette smiles and says, "Come on! We can walk across it!" She starts walking forward up the bridge.

A light gleams in Raine's eyes. "Let's begin the excavation!"

"We're not here to excavate anything," Lloyd reminds.

The rest of us follow Colette up with me bringing up the rear. Even if I didn't remember the game, I would remember that Sheena was starting to gain on us . . .

Speak of the devil, Sheena comes running up to the main area of the geyser and halts in shock when she sees us climbing up the bridge, nearly at the top. She recollects herself and races to the bridge. Wait. If there's no Noishe to block her entrance then who's going to stop her from entering the seal?

I smirk.

With the others already in the temple, I stop on the rocky ledge just before the top of the bridge and swing out my spear. Sheena gets her cards out, ready to blow me away. However, I make a straight stab at her right when she gets close enough, forcing her to leap backwards. We become locked in a tension waiting to see who will attack first.

I stare at her for a moment. ". . . Are you having a nice fall?"

That catches her slightly off guard. "Ah . . . What?"

I repeat, "Are you having a nice fall?"

Her face screws up in slight confusion. "Uhhh . . . It's not the best, but I can't say it's the worst. Are you like the Chosen and her friend?"

I frown in disappointed confusion. "What's wrong with asking if you've had a nice fall?"

"Nothing," she says. "It's just weird because we're supposed to be enemies."

I give her a small smile. "Okay. I just hope you have a nice fall, because it's going to end pretty hot."

Sheena readies her cards. "What do you mean by tha—AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!! UGH!!"

I try not to laugh as the bridge fades away and she falls down into the geyser. Luckily for her, she fell onto one of the sinking boulders that broke from the reopening of the Water Seal. Well . . . lucky for the moment.

_SHAAAAAA . . . !_

Sheena screams again as water bubbles up, preparing for another eruption. The assassin scrambles up the geyser's rock edge as the water begins to pop up towards the sky.

"AAHH!!"

Sheena manages to climb back onto the main ground as the geyser erupts. I wait for it to settle back down before I shout, "You saw with your very own eyes! That woman is after the Chosen! She's an assassin assigned to kill the Chosen of Mana—our only hope for world regeneration!"

Sheena gulps when she sees the people rounding up on her. She carefully backs away as she counts the number of hostile civilian eyes advancing towards her. When she backs into the trail she flees down it and dives into her washtub and quickly makes her getaway just as the tourists flood the docks.

I chuckle evilly, "Heheheheh . . ."

_Da, dah, da-da-da-DA__H!_

"What the hell?" I go at the random music.

_Kelsey gained the title "Manipulator."_

"What . . . the . . . hell . . . ?" Then I shake my head and go into the seal. "Ah, f**k it. I don't even want to question the details of this weird reality."

* * *

The inside of the temple is humid and smells strongly of fish. The lighting is easy on the eye and the colors keep within the cooler pallet of hues. If the zodiac sign for Pisces were something to build a temple over then it would resemble this temple. Then again it may be more of an Aquarius theme.

Lloyd and Kratos meet me in the rocky entrance hall. Everyone else is waiting at the stairs.

"Was the assassin there?" Lloyd asks.

I smirk. "Not anymore. She's not even on the island now."

Kratos shoots an "I-told-you-so" look at Lloyd.

Lloyd snaps, "Yeah, like you're sooo perfect. You'd never screw up."

I pass between them. "Let's leave the bickering at the front door and release the seal."

As soon as I approach the others Genis starts laughing. "Ahahahah! Nice new title, Kelsey!"

I screw my face up in confusion. "How does that system work out?"

He explains, "Sometimes when we do something we get a title. It's like your reputation. It just comes into our heads whenever we get one and if we think about it we remember all our titles. For example, I'm Honor Roll right now and if I concentrate I can change it to something like Brotherly Love."

"So I can change it back to . . . whatever it is right now whenever we go into a village or a city?" I clarify.

"If you want to, yes," is the reply.

Raine adds, "That may be better to prevent people from being suspicious towards you."

I nod. "Yeah. I don't wanna be punished for getting rid of that assassin."

"Sheena," Colette tells. "Her name is Sheena."

"Alright," I go. "Sheena."

Darkness cloaks us as we enter a tunnel descending down deeper into the rocky earth. I concentrate on the hidden stairs before us disguised by the pitch black shadows. Don't trip. Don't trip. Don't trip. Don't trip . . .

"This is kind of dangerous. What if someone trips?" I think that's Colette.

I reply, "If it has to happen then let's hope it's someone in the front so no one else gets knocked over and pray that this flight of stairs is short."

"Please don't jinx us . . ." That would be Genis.

"Hey, everyone! I think I see some light!" Colette.

"I don't see anything." Lloyd.

"B-but . . ." Colette.

"It's alright, Chosen One. I see it too . . . Just barely." Kratos.

"I'm beginning to see some reflections." Raine.

"Ah! Now I see it!" Genis.

". . . Oh! It's like a dark blue!" Me. Yes, I'm seeing it now too. It's a long way down and it's faint, but I see it.

"I still don't see it . . ." Lloyd.

"Do you need to get some glasses, Lloyd?" Genis.

"My eyes are fine. . . . There it is! I can see it! Light!" Lloyd.

"Don't go towards the light at the end of the tunnel! Stay with us! Don't go!" Me.

"You're really obnoxious today, aren't you?" Lloyd.

"Hahahah! I'm just in a better mood than I have been for a while!" Me.

It takes what seems forever to reach that light. When we do, it turns out that it's another set of stairs leading downwards to the right, most likely connecting to the main chamber. The sound of rushing water echoes loudly to us. We reach the turning point in the stairs and face the main chamb—Aaaahhh . . . !

It's almost nothing like the game's version. The entire chamber is composed of a natural system of cavern bridges and platforms suspended over the lower level of moving water warmed by the hot spring the geyser used to be. Water pours in from two channels high above us, filling the lower area of the steaming water. The light, now a light sky blue, radiates from orbs in the corners of the cavern ceiling.

"How is the water not flooding the room?" Lloyd asks.

Genis answers, "There's probably a natural drain at the bottom letting the water escape."

Colette awes, "Look at the lights!"

"Fascinating," Raine mutters. "Absolutely fascinating."

"I could stay here for hours . . ." I mutter.

Lloyd is the complete opposite of that. "It's so humid and moist. Let's get out as soon as we can."

Kratos reminds, "We still need to release the seal."

"I know." Lloyd moves onto the first bridge. "Let's hurry."

"You don't like it here?" Colette questions with innocent wonder.

"It's so humid," he complains. "It's like I'm breathing water."

"Which you basically are," I add as I step to their side on the large bridge.

Lloyd glances about the chamber and directs his attention onto one thing off to the side. "Hey, what's that?"

We all look over. On a small platform connected to a bridge that's indirectly connected to this one is a large balance scale. On one side is a weight and on the other side a jar. Strange. I thought there were only two scales. Then again the main chamber for this seal is almost totally different from this.

Kratos guides, "It may be a part of this seal's test. Let's take a look at it."

That would be a dead giveaway that the scale is a part of this seal's test. Kratos must feel like he's guiding a bunch of idiot kids whenever he helps the Chosen's group through each seal. Think about it, he's had four thousand years worth of guiding Chosens through seals on both worlds (given that he most likely doesn't help each and every one of them). He _has_ to know each seal by heart.

We carefully navigate the spider web bridges and pass several platforms before we reach the scale. It's plated with silver and easily surpasses me in height . . . by about a foot to the top . . . curse my shortness . . .

"Fantastic!" goes Raine. "Look at this craftsmanship! This silver balance scale is in an environment complete surrounded by water and yet there is no sign of tarnishing! Then look at how finely tuned this . . ."

Genis sighs heavily, ". . . There she goes again."

"Are we going to be here for a while?" I ask.

"Probably," is the answer.

I refrain from sighing and turn around to get another good look around. At the other side of the room are two large stone doors twice the size of a typical large house door. The one to my left is up, leaving a wide open space suggesting that there is a door just waiting for the trigger to close it. To my right is a closed door, appearing like an abnormally smooth wall so it's obviously manmade.

_Splash. Tud!_

I glance down, expecting a small creature (judging by how small the sounds themselves were) and get the strangest sight I've seen. Well, strangest I've seen yet.

A large starfish faces me standing on two legs like it has feet.

In the game I hated those starfish _so_ much. Fakes beat them by a landslide but I still hated those starfish. They were so hard to kill and they had the most annoying attacks.

Somehow the fact that this thing is actually real doesn't seem to click. I just stare at it like an idiot. Then, finally, ". . . What is this thing?"

Everyone (save Raine) turns and finds the strange starfish.

"A monster I would assume," Kratos replies.

"It's so cute!" Colette chirps.

Suddenly the "cute" thing scurries right at me and kicks me _HARD_ in the leg.

"OWWW!!" I howl. I lift my leg up and clutch at the bruising spot. While I hop away I wail, "_My leg!! That thing kicked me in the shin!! Ow ow ow!_"

Genis laughs, "Ahahahahahah—AHH! It's coming at me!"

Lloyd shoots at the thing with the Sorcerer's Ring. Water shoots out from the gem and sprays the unfazed starfish down.

Realizing that the Sorcerer's Ring is now rendered useless, Raine whips around and stabs down at the starfish. "Genis! Burn it!"

Genis starts casting Fire Ball. As soon as the fire forms, Raine removes her staff and evades the large fireballs that incinerate the starfish.

"What was that thing?!" Lloyd exclaims.

Raine notes, "Next time we need to have a magic lens ready."

Lloyd holds up the Sorcerer's Ring on his finger. "And why didn't the Sorcerer's Ring work? It only shot out water!"

Raine takes a look at the ring. "Hmm . . . I don't think it necessarily stopped working. Rather, it just changed elements. You said that this happened at that Desian Triet base, right?"

Oh, the "Desian" Triet base. "Desians." Riiiiight. (Sorry, that wasn't needed.)

"Yeah." Lloyd recalls, "It became a ball of electricity. But this time it's just water. It's . . . kind of weak."

"Yes, it is." Raine tells him, "Try using the Sorcerer's Ring again."

Lloyd aims the ring at empty space and a jet of water shoots out of the ring's red gem.

"Fascinating!" Raine expresses. "Perhaps the Sorcerer's Ring adapts its element accordingly to the environment. Try it again, Lloyd."

Lloyd aims the ring at empty space that so happens to be closer to me. I scoot away when I feel the stray droplets land on me. Lloyd notices my movement.

You know when someone is about to do something to you? Just when they get that look in their eye? Lloyd gets that look and homes in the ring right at me.

I back away towards the bridge. "Don't you—"

_SHOOSH!_

Sharp, cold water tackles me, drenching my torso. I turn on Lloyd to gripe at him but instantly decide to make a break for it when I see that mischievous look still residing in his eyes. I immediately start running.

"EEEK!!"

_SHOOSH!_

Colette, Genis, Raine, and Kratos turn back to the balance scale, completely ignoring me and Lloyd as the chase continues.

Colette motions to the jar. "Professor, what's that jar for? Are we supposed to put something in it?"

"Yes, dear," Raine replies. "Noting the change in the Sorcerer's Ring, as well as the fact that we are in the Water Temple, I would rightly assume that this, as well as other scales, are supposed to be filled with water. See the doors over there?" She points at the other end (still completely ignoring the chase) where the two doors are. "From my observations, I conclude that this scale controls which door is open to us and which will be closed. We will need to come back to this spot several times."

Genis adds, "Then we can't do anything until Lloyd comes back with the Sorcerer's Ring."

"Sadly, yes . . ."

Kratos moves towards the bridge. "I'll take care of this."

* * *

And that's where I reached my limit. I know it's a cutted short, but I just couldn't continue no matter how long I waited. Sorry for the lackluster end, guys.

The Demon Arms are having a party tonight! They need you to bring chips and dip and review this fic!


	20. Wet with a Chance of Evil Mermaids

Here's the rest of the Water Seal. Like the title? ^^

* * *

Chapter Twenty: Wet with a Chance of Evil Mermaids

While Kratos drags Lloyd with the Sorcerer's Ring back to the silver balance scale, I tail behind them with my arms wrapped around my chest. I discovered a few things about myself. One, I hate wet shirts as well as wet pants; two, when your spine gets cold then your whole body is cold; three, if I ever uncharacteristically enter a wet T-shirt contest then I will win last place—which is not something a girl ever wants to admit to herself. To add insult to injury, my mind keeps reminding me of Sheena's surprising bust size and compares hers to mine. Yeah, I'm not a happy camper . . .

"About time," Genis scolds. "Now use the Sorcerer's Ring to fill the jar there."

Lloyd scowls. "You have a bad attitude, you know that?"

I snap, "Shut up and just do it or I'll take the Sorcerer's Ring from you and do it myself before taking my sweet revenge on you."

"Alright! Geeze!"

Lloyd approaches the jar on one side of the scale and brings his hand close to the open jar. I don't see much since Lloyd makes very a good wall but I do see the scale tip downward on the jar's side.

_Drrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh . . ._

We turn around to the doors. The one on the right that was open is now sealed shut and the one on the left is now wide open.

"Absolutely fascinating," Raine responds with a gleam in her eye. "So this set of scales controls the doors over there. I wonder what other effects it generates." The gleam becomes more obvious as she marches down the bridges. "Come on, everyone! There is only one way to know how this seal works: RESEARCH!"

"There she goes again . . ." Genis expresses.

We walk over many of the web-like bridges to reach the newly opened door. As soon as we walk in I recognize it. It's the second floor level where the save point is. Well, where the save point would be if this were a game. Besides, most of the area where the save point would be is now collapsed onto the lower level. To our side is a long platform and a stone slab just to the side.

Raine instantly goes to the stone slab. "Interesting . . . These seem to be in the Angelic language." She turns to our Chosen. "Colette, come and translate this, if you would, please."

"Yes, Professor." Colette goes to Raine's side and reads over the slab. "It just says 'Quench our thirst'. Below it are symbols of the sun, a flower, and a fish."

"Then those symbols are what we need to look for. Seeing as that 'quench our thirst' may be referring to filling the jar on the scale, perhaps there are other like scales with the symbols on them. These three symbols are probably three other scales we need to tip unbalanced."

I walk over the long platform while Raine speaks. Each one has a slit from one side to another, like boards or steps. When I walk over to the end and look off the platform and down, I can see why those slits are there.

"Hey!" I call. "Come take a look!"

The others notice and come to my side. They lean down and look off the platform edge.

"Hey, it's a portal!" Lloyd casually notes.

"It's on the lower level on its own platform," Genis observes. "We can't get to it until we solve this seal's riddle."

I'm tempted to add "Thanks for pointing out the obvious," but I don't. I've got better things to do than say somewhat alienating things.

Instead, I point out, "Look at the floor. Why's it like this?"

Raine kneels down and examines the slits in the floor. "Hmm . . . I'm sure it will respond once we solve this riddle. I have a thought of what it will do, but let's keep moving and see more."

Genis turns around and spots something. "Take a look over there! Across from the collapsed area."

We all look. Just a little off from the side, connected to the main platform by a thin strip of floor, is a passageway.

"Let's take a look," Lloyd suggests.

We cross the floor to the passageway, careful about the crumbling strip of platform on the way. I make a strong effort not to look down.

Genis looks down and says, "Wow! It's a long way down! If one of us fell then it would really hurt, especially if they fell on that platform below us."

Colette adds, "Don't look down, everyone."

"You're not supposed to say things like that!" I sob . . . while I happen to glance down.

Now, let me clear something up. It's not heights that I'm afraid of; it's falling from heights and getting a miserable and painful landing. If there was a soft landing below me then I would be fine. Only, there's not.

I freeze up at the sight of the long and painful drop. I mutely whimper as I try to get myself to move so I can sooner get off this crumbling ledge.

"Get moving," growls the only full grown man in our group who so happens to be behind me.

"I'm trying!" I whine.

"Try faster."

"Bully . . ." I curse mutely. I try moving faster. To try to keep myself calm, my mind wanders into random worse case scenarios.

Me: Ah! Help! Someone help me off this cliff!

Kratos: . . . . . . . . *leaves*

Me: No! Don't leave! I'm gonna fall!

That's not helping.

I finally blurt out, "Someone distract me!"

Everyone in the front stops and looks at me. _Ahh! We're not moving! I need to get off this ledge!_

"Distract you?" Lloyd mirrors.

"Don't stop moving!" I exclaim. "Just . . . Get my mind off this stupid height! Talk to each other, ask random questions, I don't care! I just don't want to think about falling of this ledge!"

"Ahhh . . . Okay." Lloyd starts moving forward. "Uh, random question . . ."

Genis asks, "Did the Desians post any wanted posters in Palmacosta?"

Lloyd interrupts, "That's not what she meant, Genis! I'm sure she doesn't want to think about the Desians right now!"

I answer anyway, "Yeah but they usually get torn down. I found them posting one wanted poster some time ago and they kept complaining about how they hated putting up wanted poster after wanted poster when Palmacosta keeps tearing them down. They usually have pretty accurate details about the wanted person."

"'Usually'?" Genis merrily notes.

"Okay! That's enough!" Lloyd rushes. "Hey, Kelsey, where did you learn how to fight with a spear?"

I answer Genis, "Well . . . There was this _one_ wanted poster. It looked like an eight-year-old drew it. I laughed so hard at it . . . I ripped it off and took it home for laughs. I think I lost it sometime ago before I left Palmacosta with Chocolat."

Genis bursts out laughing. Lloyd scowls at the empty space in front of him. I continue to remain clueless as to why the two are acting like this.

I finally get my feet on more stable ground. I sigh as I lean against the sweet wall next to me. No more heights for right now . . .

"Kelsey! Hurry up!"

I open my eyes and realize that the others are already going down the hall. I hurry after them. "Coming!"

It doesn't take too long to get to the other side. It may be a while for someone more used to Earth's definition of time and distance (or rather the United States) but I'm now more accustomed to Sylvarant's definition. Ladies and gentlemen, I present another piece of evidence to the phenomenon of going native.

When the passageway ends we discover a semicircular balcony high above another area of the seal. I finally recognize this area as the other room of the temple aside from the one that leads to the seal room. Before us, instead of a chest containing an orange gel, is another silver scale with a weight on one side and a jar on another. A sun embellishes the center of the scale's balance pole or whatever carries the two plates with the weight and the jar.

"Look, it's a sun!" Lloyd points out.

Genis finishes, "Then Raine's theory was right. 'Quench our thirst' means to fill the jars of three certain scales. After that we should be able to move on into the seal room."

"This sounds a little too easy," I comment.

Genis adds, "Then you should have seen the Fire Seal."

Raine explains, "The Fire Seal was merely testing our strength rather than testing our intellect. For this seal, it seems to be leaning a little more for intellect but I still expect for the guardian to be testing our strength as the guardian for the last seal did."

I conclude, "So I can look forward to a pretty nasty fight with a monster after this."

Lloyd gets this gleam in his eyes and clenches his fist in a cheer, "Alright! Some action! Now we're talking!"

Kratos ushers, "Just fill the jar using the Sorcerer's Ring, already."

Lloyd instantly sours. "Alright, alright."

Lloyd goes over to the scale and reaches his hand over. I hear water splash and the scale tips over to the jar's side.

"That's one down," Genis notes.

Colette glances towards Raine to say something, but stops.

Raine asks, "What is it, Colette?"

"I think I saw something." Colette moves around Raine and peers out. After a fraction of a second she nods with a happy grin and replies, "Yup! I found another scale!"

I move to her side and peer out. I see a platform supported by columns like in the game and a scale just on the far side. I can't tell if it has a symbol or not.

Genis comments, "It's too high for us to reach from the ground."

Then we can't just jump to it without falling down to the very far down lower level and end up either snapping our necks or breaking a leg or two.

Colette offers, "I'll take care of it. May I have the Sorcerer's Ring?"

Lloyd takes the ring off his finger and hands it over. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Colette slips the ring on her finger and unleashes her wings. She climbs up on the stone railing behind the balance scale and takes off.

Now that I'm not about to be killed if I let myself be distracted, I can actually afford to look at Colette's wings and admire them. They're like fairy wings crossed with angel wings with a nice shade of a soft pink and are actually big enough for flight instead of being the size of those chibi butterfly-fairy wings.

. . . On another thought, if the angels really did have those lame chibi butterfly-fairy wings then I could call Kratos, Yuan, and Yggdrasill fairies all I want and be able to get away with it. Kinda.

Colette lands in front of the balance scale. She lifts her hand to it and . . .

_Drrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh . . ._

"That sounds like something closed," Raine observes.

I sigh, "Nothing like a random trick to make it more difficult than it needs to be."

Genis calls out, "Try emptying the jar, Colette!"

Colette nods and turns back to the scale. She grabs the jar and dumps the water out. Nothing changes even when the scale moves to the weight's side. Colette places the jar back on its balance plate.

_Drrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh . . ._

"Sounds like it opened back up," Genis notes.

Lloyd calls, "Come back, Colette! We can do that one later."

Colette flies back and lands on the balcony we stand. When she balances herself on her feet her wings disintegrate into nothing and she's back to regular Colette (not that there was any difference other than the wings).

We go back through the passageway and sidle over the crumbling ledge. I make sure that I'm the very last to go through so I won't have someone (coughKratoscough) behind me to nag me into going faster. After that we go back into the first room with all the water . . . Okay, I'm done explaining every single detail. We just go back into the room with all the natural bridges and head right back to the first scale and have Colette (who still has the Sorcerer's Ring) empty the jar we filled earlier. That opened the door to the left (when we face it) and closed the door to the right. We move along the bridges and step onto one of the platforms—

_Splash. Tud!_

Oh, look. Another starfish to kick my shin.

_Spl-spl-spl-splash!_

Then there were five.

"We can do this," Lloyd says with some doubt in his voice. "I mean, how tough can a bunch of starfish be?"

I feel like I'm about to cry.

The five some charge at us. Lloyd, Colette, and Kratos rush in to them. I meander along due to the trauma from my already-aching leg.

"Ow!" Lloyd yips when one starfish gets him in the ankle. I round up on one at Colette's feet while she's busy with the one that's about to slip by and stab the sucker in its middle. I only manage to crack the exoskeleton. Meanwhile, Kratos swats two away from his feet just at close call. The one that just got Lloyd switches targets and nail's Kratos' foot, causing the mercenary to jump away like a startled cat.

Colette takes out one of her Pow Hammers and slams it down hard on the starfish she was focusing on.

"Colette, move!" Genis orders with a red spell circle surrounding him. "Fire Ball!"

Three balls of fire shoot out and engulf the starfish Colette just cracked open. It dies in a moment into a starfish-shaped charcoal lump.

I continue to stab at my own starfish, wishing that it were big enough more me to use my techniques on.

"OW!" I yelp. I whip around and see a starfish behind me. After I jump away I start counting. Okay . . . One's dead and blackened at Colette's feet . . . I was trying to crack open one and a second came behind me . . . Lloyd's extracting his vengeance on the one that attacked his ankle . . . Kratos is now dealing with one of the two he swat away . . . I don't see the other one that Kratos swat away so I guess—

"Ow!" The starfish that sneaked up on me attacks my leg again. I guess that's the other one that Kratos swat away. It went around us while we were busy and kicked my leg. Little bastard!

I lift my spear up like it's a golf club and swing HARD at the starfish that sneaked up on me. It goes sailing at a distance. _Fore!!_

I jump away when the forgotten starfish attacking me goes at my other leg.

Lloyd stabs at the starfish he was attacking. It goes limp at his sword.

"About time!" Lloyd bites. He yanks his sword out of the starfish and turns away.

"Fire Ball!" Three balls of fire zoom passed Lloyd and engulf the starfish Lloyd just killed.

Lloyd tells Genis, "Unless we're having starfish for supper then I don't see why you would cast Fire Ball at them after I killed them."

Genis informs, "Starfish regenerate, Lloyd! If you cut one in half then you get two!"

"Oh . . ."

Genis calls, "Hang on, Kratos! I've got that one! Fire Ball!"

Kratos leaps away as another set of three fire balls fly through the air and finish off the one he was fighting off away from his feet. After that Kratos starts casting Fire Ball towards the only remaining starfish on the platform.

My attacker kicks at my shin with good force.

"OW!" I cry. "I just have the worst luck with these things!"

"Get out of the way!" Kratos warns. "Fire Ball!"

I see fire balls rush at me and I dive out of the way. They burn at the one I was attacking and finish that one off.

A silence . . .

". . . Is that the last of them?" Lloyd asks.

I count them and answer, "I see four crispy critters. The fifth one either ran off or is trying to get back to us."

"'Crispy critters'?" Genis words.

"Sorry," I amend. "A relative always said 'critters' and it always sounded so weird so I kind of wanted to say that for a while just because it was so weird."

"The fact remains that we still have one left," Kratos reminds.

_Splash! Tud!_

"There it is!" Colette notifies.

The last starfish. It makes a vengeful charge—

Lloyd stomps it down, pinning it to the ground.

"I've got it," Genis states. "Fire Ball!"

Lloyd retreats his foot just a split second before the fire balls land and kill off the last starfish.

"That was exhausting," Lloyd complains.

"It certainly was more trouble than it was worth," Kratos agrees.

Genis comments, "Well, it's not like we needed Raine to cast First Aid on us every second."

Lloyd questions, "Where was the Professor anyway?"

We all turn to Raine. She jots something down in a notebook for a moment, not realizing that five people are staring at her wondering what she was doing during the entire battle (although we do have the answer now considering that we see the notebook). It takes a second for her to notice our staring and then she responds, ". . . Oh. I was observing the starfish and taking notes. It didn't seem like you needed any big help so I just took a step back and worked on some light research. I hope you don't mind."

Lloyd scowls, Colette sighs disapprovingly, Genis groans, Kratos puts his palm against his forehead, and I growl. A little extra help would've been more than just welcome concerning these starfish.

We move on through the other door and encounter a steep flight of stairs. Darkness covers us for only a moment or two before we enter the room where the other silver balance scale is, the one Colette went to earlier. The room looks almost exactly like it does in the game, only bigger. We follow the path to a rocky path and back towards the direction that the upper balcony is with the sun balance scale. In the meantime, I'm noticing a shortage in vocabulary words to describe my surroundings.

Moving on back into the room with the slab and the crumbling platform, we enter the lower floor that holds the same walkway as what it does in the game, only it doesn't bend towards a wall. It keeps going straight and stops with a scale that bears fish engravings. So this is why that measly trap with that one scale is there: to make it more difficult to reach this scale. Some puzzle. It probably got dumbed down by people as time went on. I follow the others as they climb over debris from the collapsed upper platform.

Colette (who still has the Sorcerer's Ring) moves over to it and fills the jar, allowing the scale to tip towards the jar's side.

"There," Colette says. "Now all we need to do is go back to that other scale."

I keep shifting. "This feels too easy. Is there some sort of trick?"

"Calm down," Raine tells me. "As I said before, this seal most likely tests a person's strength. The real trial begins in the seal room."

"Mmmm . . ." I sound off, still not quite sure but not wanting to press the issue.

We return back to the other room with the last scale. Colette takes the Sorcerer's Ring and takes care of that scale. When that shutting sound goes again, I look and see the passage that we just left being closed. Yeah, some puzzle. Is this one of the seals that couldn't retain its original form after four thousand years? I wonder how hard it was back when it was first built.

So you can guess the rest of the story. Pretty much I'm bored of this seal. We walk up those stairs fill the first scale's jar to open the door towards the seal, cross over the natural bridges (while on the lookout for starfish), and enter the area. I take an apathetic glance around and—huh?

"That platform by the slab . . . It's gone," Colette confusedly states.

Genis takes a second before he says, "No. It just lowered. The platform is a set of stairs."

"And that's what the scales were for," I add. Well, at least we can move on now. I'm getting bored.

"So we can finally move on to the seal?" Lloyd asks as we approach the stairs and go down them. On the lower platform tucked into a corner of the room is a small space of floor and a fancy looking portal. I almost groan. I hope this time I don't get the same stomach-twisting side effect as what happened with the Desians' portals.

"Let's leave unnecessary luggage here," Kratos suggests. "We don't want anything to break or get in our way during the battle against this seal's guardian."

Raine is the first one to set her things down. "Kratos has a point. We need to leave our valuables here and take only our weapons and healing supplies." She touches the wing on the Spiritua Statue before gingerly leaving it by her bag.

The rest of us follow suit as we set our bags in a huddle, taking only gels, bottles, magic lenses, and our weapons. We step onto the portal . . .

This time my stomach twists only a little, indicating that this is much higher technology than what the Desians normally have. We step out onto a long pavement island by a magnitude of water, stretching to the far corners of the large room. I examine the width of the pavement with doubt. It's wide enough for us to fight some average monsters on and not ram into each other, but it's pretty narrow if we're about to go up against a seal guardian.

Lloyd looks around at the room and the pavement. His face furrows in suspicion.

Genis stops next to him as Colette moves on to the altar. "What's wrong, Lloyd?"

"I've got a bad feeling about this set up," he answers.

"Why's that?" Genis asks again.

Lloyd shakes his head and goes to catch up with Colette. "I don't know. I just don't like it."

Colette sets her foot on the first step to the altar.

A mass of mana instantly congregates into a powerful accumulation. I tense up, feeling that if I go anywhere near it I would set on fire. My memories of when I first came to this world plague my mind.

"Ah!" Genis cries. "What the—?! It's just like the Fire Seal! There's so much mana!"

The mana turns deep blue and implodes into itself and turns black. With a burst, three figures appear, three mermaid-shaped monsters, and once the mana disappears, the trio jumps into the water.

"Holy crap!" I yell as I whip out my spear. Everyone else exclaims in their own way and takes out their weapons.

"Stay away from the edge!" Kratos shouts. "Keep your eyes on the water!"

I stick my eyes to the water's surface, searching for the shadows of the trio. I start getting a little worried when I don't see them . . .

_Shwash!_

I whip around behind me to find everyone dodging away from a shark-like fish attached to the arm of the largest mermaid. I flinch away and stumble close to the edge behind me.

The shark reaches as far as it can at the angle the mermaid is and snaps uselessly at my face. With incredible speed, it withdraws back into the water, leaving empty space for Lloyd to slash at as he tries to hack at the monster's arm. I get up and hurry away from the edge.

"What is that?!" Genis exclaims.

Raine fishes out a magic lens. She pulls it out and—

"Kyaaah!" cries one of the two smaller mermaids as it emerges and pulls itself up on the platform. Raine aims the magic lens at it while Lloyd and Kratos have at it.

"That one is an amphitra!" she informs. "They are a lesser form of adulocia! They hold a mutual relation with adulocia and restrain prey for them. Don't let it grab onto you!"

Lloyd asks, "What's in it for these guys?"

"Good portions of leftovers from the adulocia's prey," Raine grimly answers.

"Damn it!" he curses as he swings his blades at the surprisingly agile amphitra and misses. "I don't want to end up as fish food!"

Kratos snaps, "Then stop swinging your jaw and start swinging your sword!"

Lloyd reacts by slashing at the amphitra. It attempts to dodge but still gains a bloody gash on its shoulder. The amphitra dives back into the water.

"EEEAAAAHHH!!"

Immediately after the shrill cry, the massive adulocia crashes out of the water onto the walkway and makes a charge at us by dragging herself hastily at us. My heart spazes at the very sight of the charging monster. It's something out of a nightmare you can't wake out of!

"AAH!!" Genis reflexively jumps back and starts casting a random spell, which luckily turns out to _not_ be Aqua Edge. Instead, a red spell circle appears around him.

Kratos charges in, followed by Lloyd who's still unnerved at the sight of the adulocia's charge. The adulocia stops rushing to us and attacks Kratos with a snap of its shark hands. Kratos ducks away from the jaws and hacks at its arm.

Its painful shriek pierces the air, causing us, especially Colette, to plug our ears. Lloyd recovers from the impossible sound and attacks the monster's exposed belly. It shrieks again at that and lashes its tail in response, sending large amounts of water flying every which way.

"Fire Ball!" Genis screams. Three large balls of fire zoom out of his hand and scorch the adulocia's face. It barely seems to notice.

I question, "Can't you cast Lightning on it? It's a water monster, after all."

"Not without electrocuting them!" Genis exclaims. "See all that water it's splashing around? Water conducts electricity! Lloyd and Kratos are drenched in water! I'll end up frying them along with the adulocia!"

"Oh, beautiful!" I whimper to myself.

A hand grabs my ankle.

"ACK!" I cry as the hand pulls me down.

Genis, Raine, and Colette immediately react by rushing down at me and snatching my hands. They grab hold just as my waist goes under the water's surface.

"Nyaaaah!" snarls the amphitra keeping strong hold of my foot.

I whip my face towards the monster. "_Let go of me!_"

The amphitra just pulls harder.

I take my other foot and kick the thing in the face. "_Let go, you abomination!_"

It growls at me with a determined expression.

I turn to the others. "Grab my left hand and give me my spear!"

"But—" Colette argues.

"_Just do it!_"

Colette switches to my left hand and reaches for the spear that I dropped while being pulled down. She hands it to me and I turn back to the amphitra.

I don't shout any cool battle phrases; who in reality has time for that in a situation like this? I just stab it in the face.

The grip around my foot goes completely slack as the amphitra's body drops into lifelessness. The others pull me up onto the walkway and let go.

"That's one down . . ." Genis pants.

"KYAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

The adulocia, riddled and nicked with fresh wounds, dives into the water away from Lloyd and Kratos, their blades dripping with monster blood.

We huddle back up into one group.

"One amphitra is dead," Raine reports.

"At least that's one less than we have to worry about," Lloyd expresses.

Genis carps, "If only I could zap the water itself without getting ourselves."

"We will just have to make due without it," Kratos finishes.

_SPLOOOSSSHHHH!!!_

A wave of water jumps at us and knocks us down to the ground by sheer volume. When my wits return from processing the agonizingly stinging sensation from the wave's slap on my body, I conclude that the adulocia was responsible for that attack.

"AAAHHH!!"

"Genis!" Raine cries as she leaps up and races to the edge where the second amphitra is dragging him off of. She dives at him and catches his hand. Colette and Lloyd follow closely behind, not even as long as a fraction of a second later than Raine. Lloyd keeps a hand on Genis' collar while the rest of us keep firm hold and Kratos watching our backs. He rises one of his swords up into the air and brings it down at the amphitra.

Due to his awkward angle, Lloyd only manages to slice a large part of the amphitra's left arm. It wails as it releases Genis and dives back down, blood trailing behind from its now-useless arm.

"_Get out of the way!_" Kratos shouts.

We whip around and make a break for it. The adulocia charges and lands on the walk way, dividing our group in two. Genis, Raine, and Kratos ended up behind it; Lloyd, Colette, and I ended up in front of it facing its direct line of attack.

The trio behind it hurries away from its lashing tail. Genis starts casting spells while Raine studies the adulocia's status and conditions with a magic lens. Kratos—

"Nyaaah!"

—is now busy with the second amphitra.

Colette takes flight and starts attacking with her chakrams, "Hah! Yah! Ray Thrust!"

The adulocia grapples at Colette with its shark hands but only catches air as Colette keeps dodging and flinging chakrams at it. Finding that effort fruitless, the adulocia turns to Lloyd. Not noticing its change in focus, Lloyd just charges at it.

Oh, boy . . .

I swallow my fear (not an easy thing to do) and dive right in. The adulocia throws a shark hand at him.

"Look out!" I shout at him.

Lloyd jumps away, lucky enough to dodge the shark hand. He slashes at the hand three times and ends the combo with Sword Rain. The hand riddled with gouges, I decide to place the finishing blow on this hand (the right hand).

I swipe at it once horizontally and swing back at it. Then "Sweep!"

With rapid speed and incredible strength (incredible for what I can do), I slash my spear horizontally at the forearm and cut it completely off.

"KYYAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" it cries in agony. The adulocia dives away.

Lloyd turns to me, "New attack?"

I agitatedly answer, "Yes, it's new, now focus on the monster! We don't have time to chitchat!"

He frowns at me before turning back to watch the water. I glance back at the others to see how they are. The second amphitra lies dead at Kratos' feet (who wouldn't expect that?). They rejoin us and we reorganize our positions. From the closest to farthest from the altar, our order goes: Colette, Genis, Lloyd, Raine, me, and Kratos.

Genis asks, "Raine, is there anything else about this monster that we should be careful of?"

Raine reluctantly answers, "I'm not too sure. We can derive our theories from legends and mythology concerning mermaids, but I have nothing absolute as of right now."

I try to remember things from mythology but at the moment I only remember stuff like "The Little Mermaid." That's not any help!

The adulocia surfaces far from our reach. Colette goes higher into the air to reach for it . . .

A song flows through the air.

Talk about déjà vu. Something doesn't—

Mermaids' song. Sailors are lured over by mermaids' beauty and their voices and die at the rocks the mermaids lure them to. Their Greek equivalent would be the sirens.

Uh-oh . . .

Raine seems to have an epiphany at the same time I did because she's panicking while she glances over each one of us, making sure we don't start diving into the water and swimming towards the monster. She looks over Kratos and me—

"AAHH!" she cries. Her hand snatches at my collar and yanks me in.

A sheering pain slices across my back. I yelp and retreat away from the source. With a good amount of space between me and my attacker, I turn and face the new opponent.

Kratos stands before us with his blade out pointed towards us.

Wait . . . Kratos?

Lloyd goes, "Kratos, what are you doing?! Why did you attack Kelsey?! She's on our side!"

No response. His eyes show a vast emptiness even if his set expression is calm yet hostile.

"It's the adulocia's song! It's controlling him!" Raine exclaims. "Colette! Get to the adulocia and attack it! Stop its singing!"

Kratos charges at Raine. She gasps and dodges away from the swipes of his sword. Lloyd goes in and blocks.

"Gah! H-he's strong!" Lloyd struggles to keep his place. "He's much stronger than—_ah!_"

Kratos gradually pushes at Lloyd, gaining foot against him.

"Colette!" Genis calls. "Shut the adulocia up!"

Colette flies away to the monster. While she's busy, I get next to Kratos and switch the end of my spear to where it's end forward. I really, really, _really_ hope Kratos isn't aware of what's going on at all . . .

"Sorry," I utter. I swing my spear back and stab the end into Kratos' side with a lot of force.

"Guh!" he grunts as the dull end digs into his side. His attack falters and Lloyd counterattacks by knocking Kratos away. We keep a safe distance yet stay close, hoping that he'll come to his senses.

"_Kyyyyaaaaaaahhh!!_"

The adulocia shrieks as Colette's attack slices at the connecting area between her neck and her shoulders. With that, the song ends.

"Uuugh . . ." Kratos groans. He shakes his head with his palm pressing against his forehead as if he has a migraine.

Lloyd asks, "Kratos! Are you alright?"

He gives a simple, "I'm fine."

"The adul-thing hypnotized you but Colette attacked it and made it stop. Do you remember anything?" Lloyd asks next.

"Every single detail . . ."

I cringe. I was _really_ hoping he wouldn't . . .

_Splooosssshhh!!!_

The adulocia returns, showering us with water again. Its remaining shark hand snaps and snatches at each one of us, causing us to dodge again and again.

Colette flies away to a safer distance and starts casting Angel Feathers.

The adulocia ignores her and focuses on the rest of us. It snaps at Genis a few times but Raine was always there to yank him out of the way. Eventually it ignores the siblings and focuses on the melee fighters, meaning me, Kratos, and Lloyd.

It snaps at Lloyd but its target jumps away. It switches to Kratos and snaps at him, the end result being a nice new gash on its shark hand, nearly cutting it off. It then turns to the weakest of the three: me.

The adulocia dives in with its jaws wide open, shark teeth lining its mouth. I struggle away—

The teeth clamp around my leg.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" I scream. The pain! The pain! The teeth rip at my flesh the more I struggle. The adulocia lifts me into the air.

"Dammit! No!" I cry out. I take my spear, miraculously still in my hand, and jab it through at the adulocia's chest, guessing where its heart should be.

The teeth instantly release me and I fall and fall and splash into the water. I struggle up to the surface, my injured leg and my equipment and boots weighing me down. I get as far as to the edge, and relax when I feel two pairs of hands grab me and pull me up. I crawl onto the walkway and gasp for air, the sweet essence for my lungs.

"Angel Feathers!" Colette's chakrams race at the adulocia with pink feathers on them and slice at the monster's neck.

It cries out as its neck spews out blood and life. Then it finally falls and becomes no more than a monster corpse floating in the water.

Each of the three monsters bursts into blue specks of mana and gathers back into the altar. The altar activates just like it does in the game, with a silhouette of a strange woman (I'm figuring Undine) appearing and disappearing in just a moment's time.

"Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration. Offer your prayers at the altar."

Unless I'm mistaken, that's Remial's voice. I look to the altar and ignore my throbbing leg.

"Yes, Father," Colette responds as she moves back to the altar. She bows her head in prayer and recites, "Oh, Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength."

Colette releases her wings and allows them to lift her off the ground. A bead of light descends down to the altar and, with a flash of light, Remial appears.

Remial certainly looks the part of an angel. His wings white and coated with light feathers, heavy feathers, long feathers, and feathers that could only be called fluff. His green robes are that of a high priest and his mana just radiates like sunlight light.

His face . . .

When I think of angels, I think of humble and eager servants of God, holy and free from the temptation of sin. In my mind, their faces are pure, peaceful, and kind.

His face is a contradiction.

Remial holds pride, the superior, holier-than-thou pride. When he looks down at Colette I see ambition, and not the kind that is encouraged either. Mortality and sin are evident on his façade even when he hides it well.

"Colette . . ." he begins. "My beloved daughter. The guardian for this seal has fallen and the seal is now released. Your prayers have reached heaven. In the name of Cruxis, I grant you additional powers of the angels."

"Thank you, Father," Colette gratefully and admirably replies.

Remial's face tenses with his "loving" smile when he hears her words.

Colette frowns in confusion. "Ah, Father?"

Her question cuts short when her Cruxis Crystal gleams with a bright light. I sense her mana gather the energy from that before settling down back to normal.

Remial instructs, "The next seal lies north in a land where the gales have no end. Go to that distant land and offer your prayers to that altar."

Colette asks, "Father, have I done something to disappoint you?"

Remial takes on a mortal face as his selfish disapproval shows but is replaced by the false angelic face. ". . . It matters not. What matters is that you become an angel. Do not disappoint me."

With a burst of light, he was gone. Feathers falling, drifting down, are the only sign that he existed in the first place. I raise an eyebrow at the number of abandoned feathers. With that amount, Remial is either a heavy shedder during the feather shedding season or he's really sick right now.

My head starts to get a little fuzzy while Genis gripes, "What's with that attitude? He talks like he's so important!"

Raine snaps, "Genis! That was rude! Apologize to Colette!"

Colette looks down like she has a lot on her mind. "No, it's alright. Father . . . Lord Remial really does talk like that."

Lloyd states, "So now we have to go to the next seal, although he was as confusing as ever."

"Guys . . ." I go. "Someone . . . please cast First Aid. Someone . . ."

Raine looks and hurries over. "Your leg! It's in shreds!"

I utter, "So we all forgot about our wounds when . . . when the angel came?" I glance over at Lloyd. "You've got a nice gash across your arm. Did you get . . . get it when . . . when you were fighting that huge . . . what's it called? Adulocia?"

Now the fuzz clouds my eyes. "If . . . If I faint . . ."

"You won't," I hear Genis say. "You're fine."

"I know I'm fine now . . ." Dizzy . . . "It's just . . . a lot of blood . . . to . . ."

That's when I black out.

* * *

Raine curses, "And I _just_ finished healing her leg! What impeccable timing!"

"She's fine, right?" Lloyd wonders with concern. "I mean, she's not going to die, right?"

"After some rest she will be perfectly fine," Raine states.

"I'll carry her," he offers.

"Let me take care of everyone's wounds first," Raine insists. "Kratos, I might need your help since you can cast First Aid as well."

Once everyone got patched up, they head out to the seal, with Kelsey on Lloyd's back. Grabbing their things along the way, they leave the temple. Although they keep a sharp lookout for monsters, things keep calm after the seal's release.

"Professor," Lloyd asks, "is Colette going to get sick like she did last time?"

Raine replies, "I'm not sure, Lloyd. We will have to wait and see."

Lloyd remains uneasy.

Raine assures, "Lloyd, Colette is strong. She managed to get through the transformation at the last seal; she will manage to get through it again."

"Alright," Lloyd says.

They go up the long flight of stairs at the beginning and pass the entrance hall back out to the geyser. Everything is back to the way they left it, only without the bridge.

"Where did the bridge go?" Lloyd asks.

"Hmmm . . ." Raine examines the area and contemplates the situation for a moment. ". . . Colette, would you please approach the edge of the cliff?"

"Yes, ma'am," a paling yet smiling Colette answers. She steps to the edge and the bridge appears just in time to allow her passage.

"Wow!" Genis goes. "That's so cool!"

Raine concludes, "It's just as I thought. It responds to the Chosen's presence."

Colette leads the way down the bridge of sparkling blueness. Lloyd follows behind her along with the others, and they couldn't do anything but watch as Colette suddenly collapses.

"Colette!" Lloyd cries. He hurries to her side and attempts to lift her, completely forgetting that he was holding another invalid as he feels Kelsey drop to the ground next to him. With Lloyd looking completely lost (_Colette! But I forgot about Kelsey! But I can't just leave Colette here! But Kelsey! Then Colette!_) Genis gets to Colette and lifts her up.

"Raine," Genis calls, "Colette is sick again!"

Raine kneels down next to Colette. "I see that. It seems she enters this state after each seal. For right now I will call the phenomenon 'Angel Toxicosis.'"

"I'm . . ." Colette struggles. "I'm . . . fine. Really. I just need a little rest. That's all. I'm sorry for causing trouble for all of you."

Lloyd announces, "Colette, you're not allowed to apologize anymore. You got that?"

"Heheheh," she giggles. "I'm sorry."

"What did I just say, Colette?" Lloyd asks her. "I said you're not allowed to apologize anymore. It's not your fault that this is happening to you."

Raine states, "What I'm more concerned about is the consistency of this condition. If Colette is going to go into this state each time she releases a seal then this journey is going to be hard on her."

"Time to set up camp, then," Kratos says.

* * *

I wake up with my leg feeling like hell. ". . . Owww . . ."

"Are you alright?"

I look around and sit up. It's nighttime, and camp has been set up. The fire is slowly dying and the stars are bright. The geyser erupts every now and then, interrupting the quiet of the night. I notice that Genis is fast asleep, over to the side Lloyd and Colette hold a quick conversation about something, Kratos is keeping a watch out, and Raine is seated next to me, examining me for any abnormalities.

"I'm fine," I answer. "So what did I miss?"

"Not much," she responds. "Colette came down with . . . a short illness but with a bit of rest and she will be just fine in the morning."

"I bet that sucks," I sympathize, knowing what she means yet not supposed to know what she means. "So I should be getting back to sleep?"

"That would be recommended," Raine implies. "However, one more thing before you get back to sleep."

"What is it?" I ask.

She says, "It isn't much. I just wish to speak to you about something once we get back to the mainland."

It doesn't have to be bad. "Alright. Goodnight."

"Oh, and one last thing," she suddenly adds. "I promise it only is one last thing. Do you have any reading material that you wouldn't mind lending to me? I brought books of my own but I already reread through everything."

I smirk rather than spend the energy to chuckle. I'm too tired already . . . "I have some things. Where's my bag?"

"It's just at your side."

I look to my other side and find my bag. I dig in it before I pull out The Hobbit and hand it to her. Now, before you start calling me crazy, be rest assured that I took precautions to keep my background hidden. As far as anyone can tell from just looking, the book I'm handing to Raine is a beat-up old book that no longer has things such as a cover, copyright pages, title page, author information, all that discriminating jazz. I spent all of one night flinging my books into a wall back at Palmacosta pretty soon after I accepted the fact that I was stuck there for a while.

Raine raises an eyebrow at the book's condition. "It's completely battered . . ."

"It's really old," I tell her. "Don't know how old it is, but it's really old and well-used. Or, if you prefer, well-loved."

"Not even a title page," she observes.

"It's called The Hobbit."

Raine flips through the pages with scrutiny. After seeing that most of the pages are intact, she says, "Thank you. I'll return it after I'm done with it."

"You're welcome," I respond.

With that, I just get back into the sleeping bag (or bed roll as they call them here). What a long day . . .

* * *

I got a call from the president. I'll tell you what he said if you review.


	21. Oh God! It's Professor Kratos!

Like the title? X3 He's not as evil as he seems . . . in my opinion.

On another note, I finally make more obvious foreshadowing to something that I've been hinting for a long time. I don't think anyone caught the foreshadowing since it was a bit too subtle . . .

Oh, and the crabs incident actually happened to my dad when he went camping one time.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One: Oh God! It's Professor Kratos!

To put it simply, I couldn't sleep well.

I never really got comfortable in my bedroll. This part has too much rock underneath, this part is too cold, this part is warm but puts me in an awkward position . . . You name it. Every time I woke up I would see someone else running the night watch (with me and Colette supposedly resting due to wounds and sickness). Kratos, then Raine, then Lloyd, then Genis, then Kratos, then Raine, then . . . well we all wake up since Raine got the last watch. Eventually it got to the point where I thought "Ah, screw it!" and stayed up the rest of the night.

I updated my journal. I still didn't explain my background but I still found writing in it meditating. Every detail that I could remember went into that journal, even my thoughts on Remial—with some censorship on the details of that. I almost feel like keeping a journal is almost begging for someone to read it and find out that I'm from Earth.

That aside, there was one thing about the island that genuinely amused me.

During Kratos' second shift, I finish my journal entry and so happen to tiredly glance at the shore.

Crabs. Crabs as far as the eye can see. Crabs covering the rocky shore just staring at everyone and everything on the island from us to the tourists to the dog Colette named before getting into the seal.

Feeling a little unnerved, I set my journal down for the ink to dry and go grab the group's lantern. After lighting it, I go over and investigate.

The crabs simultaneously scurry from the light. I stop; they stop. Their eyes gleam from the lantern light. I shrug (crabs are just crabs) and turn back to return to bed.

The crabs scurry back to position.

I whip around with the light and they stop. And stare. Creepy little things . . .

"They will leave you alone if you leave them be," Kratos informs.

"How long have they been here?" I ask.

"A while."

By daylight they were gone. I made sure to add those weird crabs to my journal.

Anyway, when deciding on who will go with who on the washtubs, we all paired up using Colette's cards as the deciding factor. It went as Raine and Genis, Lloyd and Kratos, then Colette and me. Lloyd frowned over how he got paired up with Kratos, but I don't think he minds that much anymore. His lessons with Kratos might be giving him a way to vent his frustration out on Kratos and not only get away with it but also put that energy to practical use.

The "boat" ride back was pretty much uneventful. No monsters harassing us, no Sheena around to stalk us, no relapses from Colette's illness, no nothing. Just rowing and talking. When we got back I went to check on Punky while Lloyd checked on Noishe and Kratos to the wagon's horses. Genis and Colette stayed by Raine's side as she recovered from her "seasickness". Since Lloyd was out in the wilderness with Noishe (where the protozoan could fend for himself and not unwittingly scare anyone), I was the last one out after Kratos left to check our livestock out from the stable records. I muttered to Punky all the things that happened. I even murmured my true thoughts with no censorship of my origin, but so softly in his ear that I give little chance of Colette hearing me. It's nice to talk to at least someone with no reserves.

I finally go outside with Punky in tow, ready to leave the Thoda Dock.

Raine, who seems to have recovered quickly, approaches me. "Ah, Kelsey. This is good timing. If you remember, last night I said that I would like to speak to you about something."

I look at her, puzzled, before I go, "Oh, yeah. I remember now. So I should go put Punky back up and follow you?"

"That would be recommended."

I turn back around as I apologetically say, "Sorry, Punky. It'll be just a moment."

Punky just stares at me as if he were asking why I had to do something like this to him.

When I return I wonder, "So where are we going?"

She points, "Just a little ways from here. I wanted to speak to you without the chance of being eavesdropped."

I frown. "What is it that you need to talk to me about?"

She just smiles dismissively. "It's nothing to be nervous about. You will understand once we get out of hearing range."

If I didn't know Raine's nature from the game already then I would be suspicious. I mean, she's pretty much a stranger who's taking me away from any civilization around. Even still, if I'm going to travel with this group then I better learn to trust the people I'm with.

The Thoda Dock's House of Salvation is only a distant building by the time we stop. I scan the area, noting how easily a monster can get to us without anyone else noticing. Thankfully we have our weapons with us.

"This is a little far," I comment. "Is this really important?"

Raine tells me, "Relax. The only reason why the distance is a necessity is because of how confidential this can be."

I look at her with uneasy confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Relax. I just thought that I would offer to give you lessons concerning magic," she states.

I stare at her . . . Then I amusedly scoff, "P-professor! That's ridiculous! Only someone with elvan blood can use magic. Unless you're going to teach me theories and how it can affect me then I don't see why you would."

She shakes her head sympathetically—confusing me more. "Kelsey, you don't need to pretend around me. As you can see we are far from anyone hearing us. Your secret is safe."

"What are you talking about?" I go. "'Pretend'? Pretend what? What do you mean by secret?"

This time, Raine sighs. "Kelsey. You can tell what Genis and I are just as much as we can tell what you are. Surely you sense mana just as we do. Drop the façade and relax. Why would I betray you? Now answer my question: would you like me to teach you how to use magic or not?"

I tell her, "If you can sense mana then you should be able to tell that I'm completely human. I can't use magic! Why would you offer to teach me in the first place?"

Raine shows slight irritation. "I'm offering you these lessons out of generosity. Being what you are, you can learn how to use magic. There is also the fact that you are traveling with us. To refrain from giving you instructions on magic usage during this journey would be a disservice to you. What other reasons should there be?"

"You're forgetting one crucial detail: I'm human!" I persist. "You can easily tell that! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm getting Punky out of the stables."

Raine gives me a stern, leveled stare. "Don't make me state the obvious out loud."

I start walking away. What is she going to do? Finally shout out that I'm human?

"Kelsey Miller! If you are human then why do you have the mana of a half-elf?"

That stops me. I can't say that I didn't feel it coming, but to hear that out loud is just . . . I turn to her with a deep frown, crumpled with confusion as well as frustration.

I oh-so-calmly inform her, "How can I be a half-elf if both my parents are human? It doesn't make any sense."

Raine twitches at that piece of information. She sighs, but her face tells me that she still holds her case. With that, I conclude that she just came up with another "revelation" that she'll have to burst my bubble about. I can just guess what she'll have difficulty telling me next.

Rather than hear her explain how I can have two humans raise me and think they're my parents when I'm a half-elf, I take advantage of the pause and continue walking away. Damaging to my image to her? I don't care. She's crazy if she honestly believes that I'm a half-elf when I'm damn well human.

Unless . . .

Memories of my first exposure to mana come back to me. If the aftereffects of that incident can result in confusing real half-elves like Raine then what the hell did it do to me that day?

* * *

We shoved off just a little after Raine returned (which is a little after I did). She still felt tense towards me but I pretty much ignored her. I have bigger concerns than a pissed off teacher. For example, just what did mana do to me? I can sense mana around me and have been since day one of coming here. Then again I haven't changed in appearance at all. No pointed ears, no elvan angles to my face, no otherworldly airs, and certainly no changed sense of time (since half-elves can live much longer than humans). The only thing about me is my hair color (which is more on the side of stereotypical discrimination) and me sensing mana, which is probably stemmed from the fact that I was never born with mana so I know what it's like to not have it around me twenty-four/seven. What did it do . . . ?

With my thoughts going around in chaotic circles, I slip my foot into the saddle's stirrup to climb on Punky's back.

"Wait a minute."

I stand there for a moment while I watch Raine dig into her bag and pull out a packet of paper and a pencil. Oh, beautiful . . .

I guess, "The wagon for me and Punky for you?"

"That would be the case," she tells me all business-like. "You still have the other half of the test to take."

I refrain from sighing at my doom as I step away from Punky and grab the packet and pencil. I climb up into the wagon and settle into a spot where I can most comfortably face my academic demise. Literature first . . . History second . . . If my pride didn't strictly prohibited me from doing so, I would seriously cry.

Lloyd happily tells me, "Seeing you take that test makes me glad that we don't have a lesson anytime soon."

"Actually, Lloyd, you do have a lesson soon," Raine corrects. "As soon as we get to Palmacosta's House of Salvation and stop for a rest, I will begin the new lesson."

Lloyd gawks, "You're making me study _here_, too?"

"Yes, Lloyd, I am making you study here, too." She lectures, "A scholar must never slack in his studies if he or she is to succeed."

"But I'm not a scholar!" he protests. "I'm just a student!"

Genis informs, "Lloyd, 'scholar' is a synonym for 'student'."

"What's a 'seh-no-nim'?"

I answer the first question in the literacy section of the test. "A synonym is a word with the same meaning as another word. It's like how embarrassed means the same thing as humiliated. The difference could be in degree, like how being humiliated is a lot more than just being embarrassed."

Lloyd persists, "Still, she's making us study when we're on a journey to save the world!"

I cross my legs and adjust my packet and pencil like they were a therapist's notebook and pen and lean forward and say, "And how does that make you feel?"

Lloyd doesn't get the joke (I don't think anyone here does) but he gets that I'm making fun of him.

Lloyd counters, "I just think that we could be doing more useful things than studying."

Ouch!

Genis inserts, "Now you're in for it."

"_More USEFUL things?_" Raine roars. "_How could anything be more useful than bettering your mind?_"

Lloyd cows under her rage.

"_I understand that you are a swordsman but what is a swordsman if he cannot understand strategy? Nothing more than a barbarian!_" she shouts.

Punky starts pawing the ground nervously.

I protest, "Professor, you're scaring my horse! Stop shouting before he bucks you off!"

Raine stops and allows my horse to calm down from his jitters. He still seems uneasy as Raine rides on in a huff, her face pale with indignation over Lloyd dismissing "bettering the mind" as useless. I guess she's either more short tempered than she lets on and found a limit or Lloyd never said anything to her face before. I don't know which is more likely.

I answer my test questions silently so to keep from catching her attention.

Sometime later, Lloyd had to ask, "How long is it until we get to the House of Salvation?"

Kratos replies, "Not too long. We will be there within two hours."

Lloyd gets a glum face.

At this point, I finish the last question on the literacy section. That wasn't so bad, now was it? Now on to the dreaded history section . . .

Colette cheerfully wonders, "So what are you going over today, Professor?"

The teacher answers, "Today I decided to move on to the Maverine Uprising against the Balacruf Empire."

"Aw, man. History."

I hear Raine dig out a book and toss it at Lloyd's head, making a nice hollow clunk before landing on the wagon floor.

"Lloyd, you need to learn how to keep your mouth shut."

While rubbing the sore spot on his head, he inquires, "Professor Sage, is something wrong? You had a lot less strength behind that throw."

Raine mourns, "What is wrong is that I have a student who has no passion to learn . . ."

Lloyd responds, "I . . . I do have passion to learn, Professor! I have it in swordsmanship. Kratos can tell you."

"Don't drag me into this."

Raine rubs her forehead. "I just don't understand how someone can go on for so long without learning a single thing about the world that surrounds him."

I skip another few history questions asking over things I know nothing about.

Genis watches her with concern. "Raine, are you alright? You don't look too well?"

"It's just a headache," she dismisses.

Genis observes, "It looks like more than just a headache. You're all pale and clammy!"

"I said I'm fine," she insists. "Genis, of all people, I would know about my health the most."

"You also push yourself more even when you shouldn't," he points out.

"I'm not sick," she persists.

Interesting . . . I skip another question.

By the time the House of Salvation is at a faint distance, I "finished" the history section of the test—oh, and Raine is obviously sick. She's really pale with a touch of green and is all clammy and sweaty. When she started drooping in the saddle, nearly falling over, we all insisted that she get into the wagon and let Colette ride Punky (since I still hadn't finished the test by that point). She refused to listen to us since we were children and she's a grown woman and a healer so she would know if she's unbearably sick or not, but once Kratos joined in and supported our case she knew that there was no use denying it. I'm also beginning to suspect that her unusual bad temper is due to her being sick. That's good. She'll be distracted on her illness and forget about the outburst we had over my race. I don't need someone hounding me when I've got my own concerns to deal with.

When we finally get to a stop Raine is in agony. Lloyd carries her off as Colette helps Kratos get the horses and the wagon into the stables. Genis tags along behind him out of worried concern for his sister.

"How did she get this?" he worries. "It was so fast!"

I so happened to be passing by with Punky and reply, "One of the tourists at the geyser was probably contagious and got too close to her."

"Wouldn't they have been showing signs?" he questions.

I shrug. "We don't know what this is so the incubation time for this illness could be any length of time or the amount of time a person is contagious could be anything from a few days to several days. We don't know. Then there's the fact that everyone reacts differently to everything. What wouldn't faze one person could seriously affect another."

"I understand that . . ." Genis remarks with a worried frown. He and Lloyd go inside the House of Salvation.

When I get back from stabling Punky, I follow Colette and Kratos out to the House of Salvation. Kratos arranged rooms for us and got four rooms: one for Lloyd and Genis, one for Colette and me, and a separate room each for Raine and himself. After mentioning Raine's sudden illness, the assistant priest nodded solemnly and told us that someone already went up to take care of her. We go to check on Raine and we find Lloyd and Genis banished outside the room looking like lost abandoned puppies. Only not nearly as cute and heartbreaking as the puppies.

"We got kicked out," Genis explains.

"I see," Kratos responds. He hands over a room key. "You two have room one. Colette and Kelsey have room two. Raine has the same room she's in. As for myself, I have room four." He turns to Lloyd with stern eyes and leans over him menacingly. "If I catch you digging in my bags one more time . . ."

Lloyd backs up into the wall. "I'm not!"

Kratos holds up his own room key and points it at Lloyd's face like a threat. "You had better not. If otherwise . . ."

The sentence didn't need to be completed.

With his point made, Kratos turns to leave.

"Uhhh, Kratos?"

Kratos stops and turns to face them with slightly impatient eyes.

Genis hesitantly states, "Raine . . . wanted to speak to you about something."

Kratos nods. "Very well." He opens the door and enters the sick room.

We all wait patiently for Kratos to emerge. The door opens . . . and we all ease in disappointment as an assistant priest walks out. He glances at each one of us (bowing to Colette) before leaving. I notice that he gave me a suspicious and warning glare.

I watch the assistant priest leave and scowl. "What was with that look?"

Lloyd explains, "It's probably your title. You might want to change it in a moment."

Oh, beautiful. Why couldn't I earn something not-so-suspicious instead of "Manipulator"?

The door opens again and Kratos emerges. He has his usual stoic expression on and carries a couple of textbooks and some folders in his arms.

Colette asks, "Why do you have all that, Kratos?"

Kratos glances at all of us before announcing, "Since Raine is unable to teach today's lesson she has requested that I take her place and substitute for her while she is sick and has given me all the necessary materials and her lesson plans. I will meet you at three in the front outside."

Then he promises, "If you attempt to skip I _will_ hunt you down."

No one misses that this was mainly said to Lloyd.

With this threat voiced he leaves.

After a short silence I'm the first one to speak, "Kratos as a substitute teacher. Woooowww."

Colette misinterprets my meaning for a more positive opinion. "Yeah! I wonder how he teaches!"

I chirp, mainly to Lloyd and Genis, "I bet Kratos would be the nicest teacher you could find!"

Horror is written all over Lloyd and Genis' faces.

I start to enter the sickroom. "Anyway, while you three are imagining what today's lesson is going to be like, I'm turning in the second half of this test I got."

With the door partially shut, I wonder where to turn the packet in. My stomach flips at the fact that I couldn't answer any of the questions on the history section. I quietly go up to a resting Raine.

"Professor?"

She opens her eyes and neutrally regards me.

I show her the packet. "Where do I put this?"

"Bedside table," she whispers.

I set it on the small table and turn to leave.

"Kelsey . . ."

I stop and face her.

"Do you really believe that you are human?" From the look on her face, I'm guessing she had to ask. No sarcasm or bitterness; she just had to ask.

With a quiet tone (since it won't be fair to be rude to an honest question), I tell her, "I don't believe I'm human. I _am_ human. You're sick, Professor. Get some rest."

As I leave I hear her sigh sadly.

* * *

Lunch was rather substantial. It consisted of fruit, white stasy (sugar), fruit, small cakes, fruit, and a side dish of fruit. By two, Genis made sandwiches for substance, which I took full advantage of. Out of the fifteen made I took three. The rest went to the others and leftovers to Noishe (which was only one sandwich). They were The Best. Not just "the best" but "_The_ Best". After a taste of one of Genis' sandwiches I can never go back to fast food. That would be treachery and blasphemy.

By three I had a full stomach and a nice spot to read The Lord of the Rings . . . while eavesdropping on Kratos' lesson. I watch from the corner of my eye as Kratos waits a few minutes with only Colette and Genis present before concluding that Lloyd is attempting to skip. With an irked humph, Kratos marches into the House of Salvation and returns five minutes later with Lloyd being dragged behind by the collar. As soon as Lloyd was trapped in the lesson Kratos begins.

"So, Lloyd, since you were the one who thought that you do not need to participate, I conclude that you already know all about the Maverine Uprising. Why don't you start the lesson off by telling us what the Maverine Uprising was?"

Silence.

". . . I cannot begin to tell you how reassuring your stunned silence is."

And it's already starting to get good.

"Since our star student couldn't answer the question, I will give a rough explanation. The Maverine Uprising was an uprising of the peasants and lower ranked nobles against the higher ruling class of the Balacruf Empire . . ."

I tune out Kratos' lecture and only take in bits that I personally find interesting. Every so often he would question the three on what he just said or ask what they think will happen next or explain the significance of certain things. Anyway, after a while, my mind gets drawn back into the lesson as attention is focused on the one problem student.

"Lloyd, you haven't answered a question yet. Enlighten us, if you will."

"Uhhh . . ."

"Weren't you paying attention?"

"No, not really."

Kratos closes his eyes as he rubs his forehead as if he has a tiring headache. He pauses in thought for a moment . . .

"Lloyd," he asks, "how did Dirk teach you the dwarvan vows?"

"Huh? That was random." Lloyd replies, "Well, each time he showed me a new vow he would have me memorize the vow and tell him what it was at dinner. Though he wouldn't let me eat if I couldn't tell him."

If this scene was in the game then Kratos would have that light bulb over his head.

Sensing the mercenary's epiphany moment, Lloyd uneasily goes, "Kratos . . . ?"

Kratos picks up Raine's loaned textbook and hands it to Lloyd. "Lloyd, go study on your own. Then I want you to meet me before dinner and explain the politics of the Maverine Uprising and any questions I may throw at you. If you pass, you get to eat. If you fail, then no dinner for you."

The stunned look on Lloyd's face is just priceless.

Genis comments, "Lloyd's going to starve if you do that."

Kratos reasons, "Then he would have starved a long time ago when Dirk was teaching him the dwarvan vows. This isn't a matter of intellect; it is a matter of applying oneself. If Lloyd puts forth the necessary effort then he'll eat."

Lloyd protests, "That's—!"

"No, Lloyd," Kratos interrupts. "I don't care if you like this or not. You will study and pass if you want dinner. Now stop whining and get to studying."

That got Lloyd to shush. Although grudgingly, he steps aside and cracks open that textbook, determine to do whatever necessary to grab a bite to eat . . . or just convince Kratos that he's studying and schemes a way to sneak leftovers.

With Lloyd off to the side things got settled in the study group. I found that Kratos carries the "I'm-really-twenty-eight" façade well, although I did detect an obscure slip or two with some details that could only be known if you were actually there. That could've just been my imagination, though. Whatever the mind searches for it will find, even if it doesn't exist. For example, I could look for a unicorn and—oh, wait, I would find a unicorn here.

Seeing that my entertainment is over, I turn back to The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo has finally made it to the wood elves. The imagery gives the elves an otherworldly air that would entrance any normal humans with their aura . . .

_. . . why do you have the mana of a half-elf?_

I snap the book shut. I can read it later when I get that out of my mind. A good night's rest will help. If something was up then I would've noticed something a long time ago.

And yet . . .

I go to put the book back in my room. Fantasy books don't exactly appeal to me right now.

* * *

Kratos cooked this time. He made steak: Lloyd's favorite. Genis made some light soup for Raine and I watch him as he scoops the miniscule amount of soup into a bowl and carries it away. I manage to catch a glimpse of Lloyd as Genis passes.

Lloyd watches Kratos pass the slabs of steak around with hunger, envy, and rage steaming just under his skin. Evidently, he failed Kratos' test. Seeing the steak and not getting a slice himself is just pure torture.

I make sure not to look Lloyd directly in the eye as I eat my dinner. I wonder, though . . . Why are we eating outside instead of inside.

After dinner is done, I get my answer.

Kratos gathers our plates and scrapes the bitten leftovers onto one plate. He whistles like he's calling a dog. In an instant, Noishe comes trotting along to Kratos' side.

"Here you go, Noishe," Kratos says as he lays the plate down at Noishe's feet.

Lloyd gawks in dismay as Noishe swallows the remains of dinner.

"Why . . . ?" he gasps.

Kratos turns to him sternly and states, "I won't leave any loose ends for you to take advantage of."

"You're not even our teacher!" he gripes.

Kratos simple informs, "If I say I'm going to do something then I will do it. When I discipline you, whether it's in the swordplay lessons or simply substituting for Raine, I am not going to let you get off easily."

"This isn't fair!" Lloyd complains. "It's pure tyranny!"

Kratos remarks, "Does a tyrant care if something is fair?"

Colette gets up. "Come on, Kelsey. Those two are going to be there for a while."

I follow after her. "Doesn't the arguing ever get on your nerves."

She thinks about it for a moment. "Well . . . It does get pretty old, but they've actually been fighting a lot less lately! So I have hope that Lloyd and Kratos will get along perfectly one day!"

I glance back at the two.

"Why do you always have to boss me around?"

"I have reasons for telling you certain things. Most of the time they concern safety and your recklessness."

"Dammit! I know what I'm doing!"

Those two getting along perfectly will have to be an act of God.

"Don't worry," Colette assures. "They'll get along just fine one day."

Even Colette wasn't entirely sure of herself.

* * *

The cool night air brushes up against my face as I gaze out the room's window. I keep my eyes closed and my mind empty, sensing the flow of mana as I always have since I came to Symphonia. A tool that I have used time and time again, such as when the Desians attacked Chocolat's tour group.

In the other bed in the room, I sense Colette's soft mana. She acts asleep, trying to sleep, but I can tell otherwise. Sometimes I get fooled by the façade but a tale-tell twitch would give her consciousness away. Her mana steadily expands, one half inth at a time, barely noticeable to even mana-hypersensitive me. I can also tell that it even slowly changes as time slowly passes by. Her human mana remains only at the very base.

In a neighboring room, Lloyd's mana is faint to me but nonetheless there. His mana is stronger than a normal human's and I'm guessing that's because of his Exsphere. Everyone's mana is much stronger than normal because of those Exspheres. Next to him in the room, I sense Genis' mana—a half-elf's mana. I know how that mana feels by heart now after the Desians and the sailor Reece and . . .

Raine is in another room. She's recovering nicely, but we will still need to stay one more night. Her mana is just like Genis'—a half-elf's mana. I compare the siblings' mana to mine . . .

Kratos is dead obvious. I don't know how the others don't sense it. The immense power . . . ! It's just . . . Wow! If this is what his mana is like when he's acting as a human mercenary then what will he be like when we get to the Tower of Salvation? I seriously don't want to know . . .

Then my mana. My mana. I can't just change from a human to a half-elf, but just what did mana do to me back at that first moment? That one second took away my home, my family, my friends, my future, almost all evidence of my past, and my own reality. What did it do to me? What did it do to me?

What else is being taken away from me?

* * *

Plsaese Reeviw.


	22. A Series of Miscellaneous Events

This is something like a prelude to Asgard. *shrugs*

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Series of Miscellaneous Events

I lean out the window trying to cool myself in the chilled night air. Winter is definitely coming. Normally I hate the cold, but with my recent panic . . .

What did mana do to me?!

People just don't change races! It's not possible! It's not possible! Sure I can understand me being sensitive to mana because I've never lived with any before arriving at Symphonia but how can it change me that drastically?! It makes just as much sense as an apple suddenly turning into an orange! How is this even scientifically possible?!

I pant, "Guh . . . So hot . . ." I must've overexcited myself and, as a result, got my heart pumping to where it created more heat (just as exercise can do that to people). Then again it all just may be my imagination. Well, the heat part that is. How much I wish all the rest were just some part of my imagination. Too bad it's all real. Talk about cruel irony.

I move over to the door and creek it slightly open so air will move in and out of the room. I'll close it when I simmer down (really don't care if it's just my imagination). Then, out of pure restlessness, I begin to pace back and forth by the door. I notice that my idea for air flow actually works as my skin slowly cools.

Mana couldn't have rearranged my DNA in that very instant. That only happens in cheesy TV shows and science fiction books. Then they usually have an excuse like something being radioactive or atomically charged. However, I have heard of actual cases where people's bodies were drastically changed after nuclear accidents, not like a complete change in a person's genetic make-up. The most extreme I've ever heard of (and HAVE seen evidence to) was this girl who stopped aging at around five-years-old when the accident happened. Call me crazy all you want but I have seen evidence to this. Anyway, my case is way too drastic! I can't be a half-elf just out of the blue.

I stop pacing for a short second in defeated pause before I start pacing again. I'll need help on this. The professor is probably my best bet, especially since I know for a fact that my most likely source of information (Kratos the four thousand-year-old Cruxis leader) isn't going to risk blowing his cover over me. Even if I do end up turning to him for help (again, not likely), I would still have to expose where I'm really from, explain my dilemma, and clarify how I know he could have this information since your typical mercenary is going to be clueless on this and not a good source.

_Not_ going to happen. _Period._

Then again, I would still have to explain to Raine where I'm from and provide her with the evidence. Now this wouldn't be too much of a problem if I hadn't ripped out the copyright pages on my Lord of the Rings books and scrapped at the bottom of my mug where a "Made in China" label and Target store logo were printed on. I can still point at the unique and "professional" quality my mug has and the strange way my books were printed but without the definite proof then all that could be explained away. People tend to have a really bad habit of seeing only what fits into their reality and dismiss everything else as a trick of light or special effects or just a dream.

Even still . . . Am I ready to hand my life over like this to someone who's practically a stranger? I mean, I know Raine discreetly revealed the fact that she and Genis are half-elves but that was because she thought that I was a half-elf too and so obviously knew that they were half-elves as well. She thought she could trust me, not that I'm implying that she can't trust me but that she's trusting me for the wrong reasons. It's just that, it's more believable for this reality that I was a half-elf raised by humans than it would be for a person to be sucked from one reality to another. Hell, both Earth and Symphonia would consider the truth completely ridiculous and fictional! I just . . . can't. I just can't give my life over like that.

Deciding to go out into the hall for a brief moment of thoughtlessness, I walk out the door without changing my pace . . . and instantly regret it as I freeze at the sight of a figure jimmying the lock on Lloyd and Genis's door.

Obviously the figure, a tall man in simple yet efficient armor, sees me too because he freezes and gets caught in a staring contest. Silence that promises hell should either move.

Fortunately, there is a window at the end of the hallway that faces the moon, permitting moonlight into the dark passage. It isn't much light but just enough for me to scan the figure down for any clues as to who this guy is. His armor is advanced for Sylvarant but at the same time a little too simple to be Desian armor even if it does resemble the notorious design a lot. His tall body is built in such a way that, in natural circumstances, he could easily rival Kratos. Then, the last thing I notice, there is a trail of hair tied back along his back with the color, I grimly see, painted blue.

Contemplation number one: this is a Renegade underling that coincidentally has blue hair. There are a lot more than one blue-haired half-elf; then some humans of Tethe'alla have blue hair (remember Regal?).

Contemplation number two: this is a worst-case scenario and I am so out of luck and seriously screwed over in so many hellish degrees that I'll never be able to count them all in my entire lifetime.

Oh, boy, what to do now? I've gotten myself involved in a bad tangle. Knowing the fact that Yuan has switched the Renegades' target from Colette to Lloyd I can hardly consider it a mistake that I find this lone Renegade member trying to jimmy the lock to Lloyd's door—the most silent thing to do since all the windows here have to be forced open and that results in a loud _BANG!_ sound when opened. Anyway, this member probably thought that my pacing was going to continue as it had for the last hour or two and got startled by my sudden-and-without-pause exit. Now here we both are, trying to decide how to remedy our respective disasters.

Option number one: I can scream. Not the most appealing to my pride but at least that'll get everyone out of their beds with their weapons ready. It won't take too much breath on my part as well since I'm used to using whatever air I've already got for some work (due to playing a musical instrument and getting air when fighting).

Option number two: I can fight. I'm in my dress-like pajamas and am completely unarmed. Assuming that this guy is just one of those nameless grunts in the Renegades, he'll still have a weapon on him for emergencies. There's also the fact that even without his Exsphere and with mine on he can still overpower me simply because he has more muscle power than I do. He probably had years of very intense training while I just had a couple months of intense training. Then if we assume he's "worse-case-scenario" Ka-Fai, then we all know that I'm undeniably dead.

Option number three: I can go back to bed and pretend he isn't there. If he unlikely plays along with the charade then he'll just end up getting Lloyd and that will lead to the entire "Kratos-is-your-father" scene happening a little too early for anyone to be able to handle (to state it in the most clinical and detached way). Check mate on our king for us and victory to the Renegades, which isn't good for our team in this case. Then if he doesn't play along with the charade then I'm still dead.

As much as I hate it, I'll have to pick option number one. This Renegade's reaction will either be to flee in an instant or to kill me in order to silence me and then flee in an instant (since that scream will come out anyway). How do I avoid his lunge? . . . Oh. What an obvious question. I just take a few steps back. However, that's not going to work all too well if this particular Renegade is equipped with a full blown Cruxis Crystal. Still . . . I can't take too long to decide . . .

Speaking of taking too long, my eyes spy his hand sneaking to a dirk at his side.

I take a few quick steps and scream "_Kyaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!_"

With a flash I barely see, the Renegade's dirk slashes at my throat and quickly retreats away. My false girl-scream turns into my true scream out of pure shock (which is more of a "nah" than a "kya" and much more short lived). I fall to the ground as Colette, Lloyd, and Kratos (awake, fast reflexes, and fast reflexes) arrive first followed by Genis and Raine (slow reflexes and sick).

Kratos instantly blocks the stranger from the rest of the group and brandishes his weapon. The Renegade dashes to the window at the end of the hallway with Kratos tailing after him like a vicious Rottweiler. With Kratos blocking the view, all I see is the mercenary's back rapidly closing in on the window before I hear shattering glass crashing through the window and out into the dark night.

Lloyd exclaims, "What happened?! Who was that?!"

Raine concludes, "That was most likely a Desian. He probably came here looking for revenge after the destruction of the ranch." She turns to me and Colette. "Are you two alright? Did he manage to get to you?"

Colette reports, "I was asleep in my room, Professor. I'm fine. Kelsey was the one who screamed, though."

I state, "Not an option I'm proud of but my alternates were pretending nothing happened or fighting right then and there."

Raine expresses, "Thank Martel you have common sense. If you attacked then you would have gotten killed."

I mutter, "Like I'm gonna fight someone three times my size without a weapon or even decent clothes."

With a glance at Lloyd, Genis responds, "We've seen things just as stupid."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Kratos rejoins our group. "So Kelsey was the one who screamed?"

"Not something I'm proud of . . ."

He questions, "Did you get a look at his face?"

I shake my head. "No, I'm afraid not. He had a helmet on and it's pretty dark." It's not absolutely certain that the person I saw was Yuan so I'm not going to even give a vague hint towards his direction. Besides, everything will run its course parallel to what the game predicted. No point in giving information when nothing will change anyway.

Kratos's eyes shift down to my neck and hover there for a split second before he impassively approaches me and casts a First Aid on my neck. As he moves away I trace my neck with my fingers and scrutinize at my fingertips through the darkness. I sense a warm liquid thinly spread across the skin of my fingers and I bring them close to smell. A coppery scent comes into my nose: the scent of blood.

"Oh," I conversationally go. "So that knife he had really did knick me. Talk about lucky." The fact over how close I was to dying will sink in some time later when I'm in bed.

"I'd say more than lucky," Lloyd says. "What if he actually got inside you and Colette's room?"

I inform, "He was picking the lock on _your_ door."

Genis concludes, "He probably got confused on which door Colette was in."

"Then again," Raine adds, "if we consider that we just destroyed a ranch then it is possible that this Desian was here for revenge and wouldn't have cared whose room he was sneaking into. Everyone be careful."

After that there were some people checking on us and the head priest had the place secured once he found out that a Desian managed to sneak in. The public was informed of someone sneaking in but we edited the part about him being a Desian (we slept on a different floor than everyone else in the House of Salvation so only my scream was heard) and told them that it was just some creep. No need to get them panicked when no one got hurt, er, seriously hurt.

* * *

Raine's fever broke a little before noon. I was the first one informed since everyone was outside and I was inside updating my journal over the "Desian". I wish I wasn't. Why? Well . . .

Raine leans in and states, "I finished grading your test."

I am so tempted to add "F**k. Raine graded my test" to my journal.

Raine approaches me and stops next to my chair. "Your mathematics is superb . . ."

Ironic.

"Science is below average . . ."

Expected.

"And literature is passable."

Where's the history?

I look up at her for her to finish speaking. Instead of speaking, however, she hands me back the second packet.

"However," she adds, "it seems you forgot to do the history section."

I hesitantly correct, "Actually, Professor, I . . . didn't forget to do it. I just didn't do it."

Not an answer a teacher _ever_ wants to hear. "And why is that?"

I brace myself for the self-imposed shame. "Because . . . I couldn't answer any of the questions."

Raine gives a frustrated sigh. "Yes, you can. You should at least have a basic knowledge of history in your education."

"No . . . I don't."

Raine raises an eyebrow. "So you are telling me that you were never taught history during your home schooling."

"Yes . . ."

If she were sitting in a chair then I'm sure she would slump in it. "How could your parents never find the opportunity to teach their child the history of their world?"

"The answer to that involves a very complicated explanation that I'm not ever going to explain . . ."

Raine sighs again, probably wondering how my parents could let this problem persist for so long. I _could_ explain that I'm from a completely different world so they never saw fit to enroll me into a school that taught Symphonian history (hahahahah!), but I really don't want this discussion to turn into a huge discovery on Raine's part and a huge exposure on mine. As much as I hate it, I would rather my parents be looked down on than compromise my position in this world now that it's established.

Raine concludes, "Then I suppose I shall fill in where your education falls short. I will have to tutor you separately considering how far behind you are in your studies but I know you will catch up in no time."

I mutter, "I'm not like Genis."

"No but you are far from being an idiot," she clarifies. "I feel that you just need the opportunity. We can begin right now as a matter of fact."

"Aren't you sick?" I question.

"Not anymore," she informs. "My fever broke just some time ago."

Good news: our healer is healthy again. Bad news: I now have a new teacher.

Raine goes to get her text books and I'm left with my journal. I push it aside to let the ink dry and miserably drop my head onto the desk.

* * *

By evening I have my first lesson with Professor Sage finished with some homework, Lloyd's understanding pity, and a headache. Oh, let's also add the motion sickness I got while studying history on Punky's back. That was a struggle especially when I had to yank my horse away from the wagon since he not only has a fascination with Kratos's hair but also with Lloyd's hair. I guess their hair styles just look enough like strange grass for Punky to want to taste.

The only thing really distinct about this trip to Hakonesia Peak is that Noishe is now trotting along our side and that Lloyd wanted to learn how to drive the horses. After twenty minutes of Kratos trying to teach him (since Kratos is the one who mainly drives the wagon) Lloyd got bored and went back into the wagon's haul. I could easily detect Kratos's irritation at Lloyd's short attention span.

The sun was slowly setting when we arrive at Hakonesia Peak.

As we approach the collector's home with the Spiritua Statue I notice that Genis is turning a little red with hostility and Raine is starting to stiffen in composure. Not exactly reassuring for me. My nerves get closer and closer to the edge as we enter the house of perverted horrors . . .

We open the door . . . and inside is a disgusting creature with a red blotched nose, cracked glasses, a hunched spine, and hungry eyes that raked everything in sight down. When those eyes lay on the Spiritua Statue Raine carries, I see its mouth open with jagged teeth and cry out, "That's the Spiritua Statue! You really did get it! Give it to me!"

Genis gripes, "A 'thank you' would be nice!"

The collector snaps, "Shaddap or get out! It only takes one person to give me the Spiritua Statue!"

Lloyd interrupts, "We'll give it to you, but in exchange for the Book of Regeneration."

The collector grabs it from Raine's reluctant hands. "I know," he hisses. "Just remember, I'm only letting you look at it."

As soon as he has it he gives it a good rake over with his eyes. His face turns to delight. "This is great! Wonderful! The Spiritua Statue is finally mine! Mine! All mine!" He turns his smile to Raine and Colette. "You may look at the Book of Regeneration as much as you like, misses."

Raine heads for the book while she directs, "Let's start reading it right away. Colette, if you would please."

Colette follows her with a "Yes, ma'am."

Genis practically skips to the book in joy while they open it. "Alright!"

"Hold it!" the collector barks. "Only the ladies may look at it! You, boy! Get away from it!"

Genis ignores the collector as Colette skims through the fragile pages for the seals.

The collector advances at Genis. "I said get away!"

Lloyd and Kratos block the collector. While Lloyd's death glare wasn't something the collector wasn't used to, it was Kratos's death glare that caused the collector to shiver and back slowly away.

Lloyd turns to his best friend, "Genis, you should probably back away from the book. We don't need to be kicked out."

Genis walks away in a huff. "Hmph. Fine."

After a moment, Raine observes, "This is very old style even for Angelic."

Colette keeps flipping the pages until she finds a spot she was looking for. "I found one! 'Raging flames in an ancient city deep within clouds of sand overlook the city, lighting the darkness.'"

Raine states, "That would be the Fire Seal within the Triet ruins."

"Ahhh . . ." Colette flips through another series of pages. ". . . Here's another. 'Pure, flowing water floating, overflowing, in an isolated land becomes a giant pillar and rains down from the sky.'"

Lloyd comments, "Then that's the Water Seal at the Thoda Island, right?"

Raine replies, "Yes, that's right. Please continue, Colette."

Colette flips through more pages. She pauses for a moment at some text and reads, "'Sublime wind, ancient city, the world's . . .' Um, there's a lot of torn parts . . . 'Enshrined in the center of a giant stone seal lurks evil, impersonating a holy force.'"

"That doesn't sound good," Lloyd notes.

"There's some more," Colette adds. "'Shining . . . gazing up at the summit of the gods, giving praise to the pillar of the world . . . from the top of the tower of ancient gods.'"

Colette flips through to the end. "'Two giant . . .' 'Two . . . giant . . .'" She shakes her head. "The rest is too damaged. I can't read the rest."

Genis goes, "But now we don't know how many seals there are left."

"Indeed," Kratos says, "but we can still use Remiel's words as a guide and study the map from there."

Lloyd comments, "Well, we know what the first two were. But what was with that other stuff with the wind and tower stuff?"

Raine concludes, "The Seal of Wind must be . . ." She thinks about it for a second. "It might either be the Asgard ruins or the Balacruf Mausoleum. Considering that Asgard is closer, we should investigate there first."

"Then what about 'gazing up at the summit of the gods'?" Genis asks.

Colette places her fingertips at her lips, something she almost always does whenever she's thinking. "I think that might be the Tower of Mana. You can easily see the mountains around the Tower of Salvation from the top of there."

I add, "So the 'summit of the gods' is probably the Tower of Salvation."

Silence.

"Sorry," I go. I'm always a conversation killer . . .

Lloyd says, "You don't need to apologize. It just got quiet for a moment." He turns to all of us as a group. "So now we know where some of the seals are. Let's get going."

Colette bows to the collector. "Thank you very much."

The collector replies, "You ladies can come back anytime you want to look at the book again." He turns hostile once more. "The males can stay outside."

The blatant rudeness sours everyone's mood as we leave.

As soon as the door closes and Genis is farther outside he declares, "Next time I have to put up with him I'm taking the book right off that pedestal and running off with it!"

"When you do, please be sure to be gentle with it," Raine cautions casually as if Genis's threat were baseless (which it probably is).

I ask him, "But what would you do with it once you do have it?"

He answers, "I'll probably use it to try to learn Angelic and then return it to the church. From what I could see Angelic is really hard to understand."

Colette joins in. "Really? You think it's hard?"

Genis seems to cheer up a little from his indignity. "Yeah. I couldn't understand a single word in the diary. I can read Spiritua's handwriting just fine but it was the words that confused me."

Kratos states, "The Angelic language is the basis for the language of this world. While the words may have changed some for people over time, the grammar isn't different between the two."

Genis starts to pep up. "So if I study hard I can actually learn it?"

Colette smiles wider. "Yep. I can teach you if you want."

Kratos smiles casually. "I can provide some instruction as well."

Genis cheers, "Yay! I'm going to learn Angelic! Can I have my first lesson as soon as possible?"

Colette chirps, "Sure! Maybe the Professor can drive the wagon, too."

I smile momentarily as I walk away to my horse. I kinda wish that I could interact with people like that. I was never able to really mix in that well with others and even when I do it was always temporary. I listen to the sounds around me as Colette, Genis, and Kratos join Raine and Lloyd at the wagon.

"Sis, what are you looking for?"

"Oh, you three. Help me look for our passes."

I hear Lloyd say, "I'm telling you, Professor, we didn't get any passes."

"Passes for what?" Colette asks.

Kratos clarifies, "You need a pass to go through Hakonesia Peak. Lloyd, are you really sure we didn't get any passes?"

"I think we all forgot while the captives were returning to Palmacosta."

Genis climbs up on the wagon. "No, I remember that we got passes from Neil. See? Here's my pass." He holds up a paper slip he fished from his bag.

Raine states, "I was holding some of our passes ever since we got them. Now I can't find them. Check your bags, everyone."

After a count it turns out that Genis, Kratos, and I were the only ones who still have our passes. At this point, Raine is in distress.

"Maybe the guards will understand," Colette suggests.

I glance at my pass, and suddenly remember. "Maybe we don't have to worry at all." That got their attention. I explain, "I have a tour guide's pass. Remember that I was a guard for Chocolat's tour and each tour guide and guard got a tour guide's pass."

Lloyd finishes, "So we can just pretend that we're a Pilgrimage tour and let you use that pass."

I flap my little pass like a fan. "Yep. Good thing I held on to this thing."

Genis wonders, "What if they check all our passes?"

I state, "Tours are usually pretty big, like fifteen on average. They're not going to bother checking every one of us. As long as the tour guide's there then they'll let the tour go."

"I hope you're right," Genis expresses. "Otherwise we'll have to go all the way back to Palmacosta to get some passes from Neil."

Oh, God . . . The number of days that'll take! I demand, "Think positively and it _will_ work!"

Kratos approaches Raine. "Can you drive the wagon for some time?"

Raine nods. "Yes, I can. By the way, I heard you and Colette's offer to teach Genis Angelic. Do you two mind if I add some of my own commentary?"

Colette answers, "No, we don't mind at all. Feel free."

Then Raine adds to Kratos, "Also, this has me wondering, how would a mercenary know much about the Angelic language?"

Kratos answers, "While I was growing up I became close friends with the village priest. He gave me some instruction while I was a child. Although I don't remember everything, I do remember most of what he could teach me."

"I see."

After climbing in we move on to the mountain path's peak to where two guards stood on patrol. I approach them first and show them my pass.

The one soldier on the right (who's the one I'm showing my pass to) comments, "Well, alright, go on ahead. It's such a small tour, though."

I respond, "Private tour."

"I didn't know they did that," replies the soldier on the left.

I answer, "They knew the right people."

When we got a ways off from the soldiers, Genis teases, "'Manipulator,' alright. You certainly deserve that title."

"Shut up, Genis." I nag, "Without me you would be making your way all the way back to Palmacosta."

* * *

The trip is relatively boring, except with listening in on Genis's lesson on Angelic language. I would sometimes mutter some of the words to myself, trying to imitate them like a parrot. When I started to get bored I would try to imitate their voices and tones (muttered so I wouldn't disrupt them). About thirty minutes after the land started getting flat we came across a crossroad with a sign that read "Asgard" with one arrow pointing east and "Asgard House of Salvation" pointing north. We headed east.

Genis is still studying over the vocabulary and notes he took during Colette and Kratos's lecture. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Colette are discussing things such as goals and the future. Colette, I noticed, kept her future pretty much open with statements like "I haven't really thought about it lately," "I don't really know," and "Maybe I'll blah-blah-blah."

Sensing no conversational progress with Colette, Lloyd turns to Kratos, "Hey, Kratos, what do mercenaries do? I know you're guarding Colette but are there other things that they do?"

Kratos just answers, "We are hired soldiers. Sometimes a mercenary could be hired as a bodyguard like I am right now." Then he adds after a pause, "Well, more recently since there hasn't been a war in a while."

"I see," Lloyd responds. "How much money do you usually get?"

I glance at Lloyd with a slight frown. Is this kid that ignorant about what's polite or does he just not know that asking about a person's salary is generally rude?

Kratos regards Lloyd for a moment (probably due to his question) before answering, "It depends on the job. For this one, I received a sizable sum from Phaidra."

Genuine curiosity paints his face. "So how much?"

I quietly groan as I prompt Punky forward, getting tired of the money questions. While it may be rude to ask something like that in the United States, I'm not willing to make a fuss since it may be different for Sylvarant.

". . . Why do you want to know so badly?" Kratos wonders.

Lloyd answers, "I want to know if it pays more to be a mercenary than being a dwarven blacksmith."

Kratos shakes his head. "Who knows? I am hired for my skills and Dirk is hired for his. The two jobs are way too different for comparison. There really isn't much meaning in who is paid more."

Lloyd chirps, "That's true."

An awful realization dawns on Kratos. ". . .You're not thinking about becoming a mercenary, are you?"

Lloyd scowls slightly. "No way. I'm going to study with Dad and improve my skills."

Kratos sighs in relief.

Lloyd continues with glee, "And someday, I'm going to build my own boat and travel around the world."

Kratos smiles. ". . . Good. That is a good dream."

"Heheh! Isn't it?" Then he tilts his head slightly. "Well, the world needs to be at peace for me to do that."

"Hmmm."

Then Lloyd starts thinking aloud. "But if the world is at peace then mercenaries are out of jobs, right?"

Kratos's smile fades a little more. "Yes, well I can still be hired to protect tours from local monsters but I suppose I would be out of work."

Lloyd finishes, "In that case, you can come on the boat that I built."

Kratos smiles a smile of full contentment. "I'll think about that."

"Hold it!"

A single soldier in tin-like armor stops us at the road.

Raine regards him neutrally. "What is it?"

The tin soldier demands, "You can leave all your valuables right here with me and nobody gets hurt."

He can't be alone so I question, "Where are you friends? I know you're not alone."

The soldier smirks. "Right here. Come out guys!"

Three men come out of hiding: a warrior and two archers. Wow. I'm so scared.

. . . Okay, maybe I'm a little unnerved at the archers but after my last encounter with arrows that would make sense (even if these guys aren't Exsphere-equipped Desians).

The soldier laughingly mocks, "Are you scared? Give us everything you own and all your gald and we'll let you leave without harming a hair on your heads."

Genis turns to his sister and begs, "Please, Raine, can I try out that new spell I've been practicing?"

Raine responds, "No, Genis."

"Please, Raine? They're going to attack us anyway," he reasons.

"I said no, Genis."

Genis grabs onto Raine's arm and starts shaking her. "Pleasepleasepleeeeaaassse?"

"I said no!"

The soldier laughs, "Hah! Not like a kid can do much to us anyway!"

Genis gives him a devilish grin. "Just you wait and see."

Raine gently pushes him back into the wagon and addresses the bandits. "We are the Chosen's group and we are armed. Please, step aside."

One of the archers scoffs, "Like we're going to believe you."

Raine turns to Colette. "Colette, if you would, please?"

Colette unleashes her wings and allows herself to levitate a foot off the wagon. The archers and warrior stare in awe at her.

The soldier takes a turn to scoff, "Like you're still able to do anything to us. Just give us your gald and any valuables and nothing will happen to your pretty Chosen."

One of the archers asks, "Are we really that desperate?"

The soldier snaps, "How long has it been since you've eaten a good meal?!"

That gets the other three back in line. The other archer aims his bow at the wagon and goes, "This is your last chance: give us your gald and valuables or else."

Raine reaches over into the wagon and roughly pats Genis on the shoulder.

"_Yes!_" Genis cheers as he starts casting a spell with a brown spell circle.

The archer unleashes his arrow.

"Force Field!" Raine calls just before the arrow shatters on her barrier.

Colette zooms off into the sky as Lloyd and Kratos leap out of the wagon and at the bandits. I debate on whether or not to include Punky since that would be horseback combat, but Genis has that huge spell ready and Punky isn't wearing any armor plus he's a mild horse. No, I don't want to risk him.

As I dismount, Lloyd takes on the soldier as Kratos switches between the warrior and the two archers. Colette decides to help Kratos by picking off one of the archers that's still aiming at Raine. I go around and attack the second archer (leave the huge warrior for Kratos to deal with).

My target sees me coming and shoots an arrow at me. I dodge it easily. I don't know if I really want to kill him so I just beat him around with the pole of my spear. He aims another arrow at me and shoots. I dodge that one two and let it zoom off behind me.

"_Ugh!_"

I gasp as I realize that particular grunt sounds familiar with a touch of Cam Clark. When did he get behind me?!

I slash down on the archer's bow, shattering the thing completely, and do a side kick to his face, shattering his nose completely. While he goes down I hurry to Kratos to make sure he didn't die (or isn't too angry at me).

"Sorry!" I apologize. "Didn't know you were right there!"

Kratos snaps the arrowhead off the arrow. "The only other option you had was to take the arrow. Now just keep _him _off."

"Oh, yeah." I whip around to block the warrior's oncoming attack as Kratos removes the arrow and casts First Aid.

"_Stalagmite!!_"

Everyone scatters as the earth erupts and a giant blade of stone bursts through out of the ground at the bandits. The shaft of rock retreats back into the ground and leaves only rubble and the stunned bandits when its damage was done.

Silence . . .

"_Run for it!!_" cries one of the archers. The warrior and other archer follow closely behind. The soldier stares at all of us for a moment before running after them.

A cruel delight dances in Genis's eyes. "Ahahahah! Take that!"

Lloyd admires, "That was so cool! What spell was that?"

Genis puffs out his chest in pride. "That was Stalagmite, a ground-based spell. There's a lot cooler spells that I'm still learning, though." A fiery gleam burns in his eyes. "Wait till you see Thunder Blade and Eruption. Those are _really_ cool!"

I laughingly comment, "So you like the explosions?"

"Yeah, I do!" he goes. "Just the sheer destructive power of an explosion and knowing that I'm capable of actually causing all that destruction is just _awesome!_"

I'm getting this strong feeling that Genis would be a really big fan of Myth Busters if he doesn't join the crew as soon as he could.

* * *

It really is just a bunch of nearly-random events.

Zombieland rule #22: When in doubt; know your way out.

Zombieland rule #23: When reading, be sure to review.


	23. Aren't We All Just a Bunch of Nuts

I turned up the drama just a tad. Experimenting again.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: Aren't We All Just a Bunch of Nuts

"Muhahahahah! Asgard! The city of ruins! Ahahahahah!"

Genis sighs, "There she goes again."

Raine hurries on ahead of us. "This is paradise! All the research I could obtain! All the history I could explore! Marvelous!"

Lloyd drudges along. "Professor, can't we just go check in to an inn? It's getting late."

"Yeah, Raine," Genis joins in. "You have all day tomorrow to comb through Asgard. Let's just get some sleep tonight since we just came in."

"Hmph!" Raine huffs. "Very well. However, I won't be coming in until late tonight."

"As we can expect," Kratos mutters to himself. He turns to Lloyd. "Lloyd, after we get checked in, I would like you to meet me outside the inn so we can head outside of Asgard for lessons."

Lloyd nods. "Alright. I'll catch you out here."

The inn rooms were delightfully cheap in price so I got my own room. No one objected, but I did get a funny look from Lloyd. Not a bad funny look just a curious funny look.

"If you're wondering where I got this money, I saved it up," I tell him.

He responds, "I wasn't thinking that you stole it, but it's really amazing how you saved up that much money. I mean, three hundred gald isn't something to laugh at."

(By the way, prices here are different than in the game. Room and board at an inn is so much more expensive than alcoholic beverages like potion. It's all realistic.)

I inform him, "Actually, I saved up eighteen hundred gald."

Shock waves through him. "How?!?!"

"It was mainly back at the Desian ranch we blew up," I explain. "While Kratos and I were coming back with a card key, we found a room where they stored some of their gald. It was a fairly large amount so we took what we could carry. After that it was just collecting little bits from bandits or monsters or even a coin or two lost on the ground."

Lloyd seems to be torn between "oh, I see" and "that's stealing!"

I turn away for my room. "You better put your stuff up and go meet with Kratos. I'm sure he won't wait for you forever."

After I set my stuff down, placing objects to make it seem homier, I flop down onto my bed and let my mind wander. Unfortunately it drifted into areas that I need to sort through.

So I'm no longer human, not completely anyway. I still can't believe that I'm a half-elf but mana still altered me. Maybe my body changed as a result to rapidly adapting to mana. Maybe I might have died if I didn't adapt. Back there, I felt like I was on fire. I felt like I was overloaded with a strange intensity and was about to explode from all of it. Then my body rapidly changed to adapt to the new environment around me in order to survive with mana giving it the ability and means to make such a quick change. Maybe something went wrong during such a quick change. Mistakes tend to happen more often during something hastily done.

The question is how do I turn back? How do I regain at least some of what I lost? Sure, being a half-elf might not be so bad, but I was born human, raised human; most of my memories are of being human. I feel that if I regain my humanity then I can regain at least some of what I was before Symphonia. I can regain at least some of my past, my home. I can at least have more than just memories faded by time and little trinkets that can easily be destroyed at any time. Something permanent and irrefutable.

Mana made me this way. If I take it out of the picture, at least a little, then won't I adapt to a full change? Maybe my body didn't completely finish adapting. Maybe I need a second chance.

If I am something of a human and a half-elf at the same time then maybe I can control the mana inside my body. I don't need to push all my mana out—I know that will kill me—but maybe just a little. I don't know what it will do but it's better than doing nothing. It's better than leaving all my options open and continuously thinking "what if".

I clear my mind as I would whenever focusing on sensing the mana around me. Then I center my attention on my mana—mana resembling too much like mana of a half-elf. I list through a series of things I could do to manipulate my mana. Maybe it's like changing my title. I just will it or something.

I imagine my energy (or mana) seeping out of my body, kinda pushed out. I sense no change so I put more of myself into the image or order. Then, slowly I begin to get a little dizzy and weak as the mana around me—but not inside me—starts to steadily increase. So it does work like that! It takes some real effort, though. It's like discovering a new muscle and trying it out.

But each little bit expelled takes a lot out of work from me. It's like my body doesn't want it to go—like it's some addictive drug. I put my whole heart into my struggle—

It was a mass exodus.

Nothing remains.

. . . Crap.

Crap. What did I do? This is bad. I . . . I can't hear anything. I can't feel anything. Yet, I feel warm . . . and cold. Why did it suddenly get dark? Why did it suddenly get quiet?

Crap. I should've seen this coming. I should've known better. This . . . This isn't good . . .

I think . . . I'm dying.

* * *

Genis sets his stuff down as he watches Lloyd hastily drop his things on his bed and walk out with his swords and a few extra gels.

Genis remarks, "If you need gels during a training session with Kratos then doesn't that tell you anything?"

Lloyd replies, "Yeah, it means that Kratos pushes me really hard. His training sessions are really intense!"

"Well, you're used to your own pace during training," Genis states. "Kratos is only twenty-eight and he's this good. He's got to have a much more intense standard than you."

Lloyd comments, "If he was anyone else then that would probably be insulting, but this is Kratos we're talking about. He's crazy good!"

Genis raises an eyebrow. "You're actually admitting that he's better than you?"

Lloyd grimaces. ". . . Yeah, I am. I would have to be blind not to see that he's better than me by a lot. It doesn't mean I like it."

"Well, good luck surviving this lesson," Genis wishes. "If you don't, I promise I will give you a good headstone."

Lloyd frowns irritably at Genis before walking off.

Genis smirks for a moment before playing with his kendema. As he gets into bouncing the ball back and forth he starts trying out some tricks. The ball flies into the air as far as its string will allow it.

A sharp sound pierces Genis's ears even though no physical sound was made.

"Ow!" he yips. Genis rubs his ears as he wonders what the source of that was. "That's weird. How come the mana level here just shot up so sharply?"

He glances around before saying, "Maybe Kelsey sensed it too. It's not like she won't sense mana fluctuating like that like a human won't."

Genis opens the door and heads to the nearby room. Another door next to him opens.

"Genis?" goes Colette. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

Genis dismisses, "It's alright, Colette. I just heard the mana level fluctuate suddenly. So I'm just checking out what it could be."

As he opens the door he hears Colette ask, "What do you mean by 'heard'?"

Genis walks in the room. "Well, people with elvan blood can sense mana through one of the five physical senses. Some can feel it or see it while others like me and Raine can hear it. Kelsey? Are you here?"

Genis gasps. He sees Kelsey's motionless body collapsed onto the wooden floor. Genis rushes to her side and checks for signs of life.

He breathlessly reports, "She's breathing but there's almost no mana left in her! Colette, go get Raine!"

Colette dashes madly out the room. Genis panics as he tries to think of what to do.

"There's no mana left in her!" he frets. "What do I do? I could put mana into her but each person has their own mana signature. Please, don't die! I know we're not that close but you're the first half-elf I've ever gotten to know besides Raine!"

"Calm down, calm down," he orders himself. "This isn't helping at all. Gotta concentrate. Focus . . ."

After a second Genis concludes, "I suppose I can take the mana from the air and move it into her. Mana doesn't get a signature until it enters another person's body, after all. It'll keep her alive for while Raine gets here."

Genis maneuvers the mana around them and transfers it into the lifeless body. There is no response as mana slips into her soul.

Time goes by . . .

Finally, Raine rushes in. "Move, Genis!"

Genis jumps aside and gives his sister the room she needs. Raine kneels down and glances over Kelsey's unresponsive form. Then she performs a simple mana transfer using the surrounding mana. Genis and Colette watch worryingly.

"Professor," Colette hesitantly goes, "is she going to be okay?"

Raine remains silent for a moment during her work. ". . . She will as soon as her mana level returns to normal. What was she doing in the first place? Does she realize she almost got herself killed?!"

Colette asks, "What are we going to do once Lloyd and Kratos come back?"

Raine says, "We will go about our usual business. I do not want them knowing about this incident. It will needlessly worry Lloyd, and Kratos . . ." She narrows her eyes. "I'm not too sure if we can give him much trust."

Genis questions, "What do you mean, Raine?"

Raine shakes her head. "I have some suspicions but they are baseless as of right now. Let me worry about them. Genis, please go and prepare dinner, and Colette, why don't you go help him."

Genis nods as he leaves. "Okay, Raine. Just tell us when you need help."

Colette follows Genis out. "Yes, ma'am."

Raine returns to her work. She continues unmoving from her toil even after time lapses for a long while. When the air grows thin with mana, feeling as if the oxygen were cut off from her, Raine stops and reverts to another method of restoring Kelsey's mana. She takes the orange gels she holds and tips the liquid down her throat. Now that her mana is at a more reasonable level, Raine can be more relaxed in her efforts. When her mana is finally restored, Raine slips the girl into bed and moves out of the room to where everyone is eating.

Genis is the first to notice her. "Raine!"

Raine gives him a subtle look reminding him to keep the incident silent. "Hello, Genis."

Genis flusters for a moment before filling up a bowl for her. "Here, sis."

As Raine takes the bowl, Lloyd pleasantly comments, "Professor, you're here rather early. I thought you were still looking at the ruins."

Raine lies, "Yes, I decided that I would gain better results during daylight. I came back to the inn some time before you did but I just got so absorbed into my studies that I didn't realize how long I was at that desk."

Lloyd neutrally remarks, "You're the only one I can think of who can lose track of time while studying ruins."

Raine sets down her bowl and smacks Lloyd across the top of his head.

_SMACK!_

"OW!"

Genis asides, "You really need to learn when to keep your mouth shut."

Lloyd rubs his head for a moment. He glances around at everyone and lets a second pass by before he comments, "Hey, Kelsey isn't here yet."

Colette and Genis tense up. Raine pretends she didn't hear him.

Lloyd notices the strange tension. "What's wrong?"

Colette laughs, "Heheheh. Kelsey just went to bed early. She said something about a headache and I guess she just didn't wake up in time for dinner."

Lloyd frowns and looks to Genis. "Really?"

Genis puts on his usual expression and accounts, "Yeah, she did. I think she had sinus problems. She had some real dark circles under her eyes and kept rubbing her head."

In confusion, Lloyd comments, "I don't remember that, and wouldn't your sinuses be reacting too?"

Genis shrugs. "I'm used to it and Kelsey lived in Palmacosta for a while so she wouldn't. It all probably hit her pretty bad recently. I guess she won't make it to dinner." Then he grins. "I should probably make some more breakfast since she skipped out on dinner."

Lloyd skeptically regards Genis for a moment, and then he shrugs and says, "Oh, well. More for me~!"

Colette and Genis nearly sigh in relief. At least Lloyd won't find out.

Raine, however, glances at the one member who kept silent and finds him silently observing the rest of the group. Raine frowns and allows herself to wonder about Kratos and his motives. It was rather convenient that he managed to get to the Martel Temple when he did. A little too convenient . . . Not that she isn't grateful that he saved the children's lives, but she can't help but wonder . . . Then there was his interaction with the higher ranking Desians such as the figure Lloyd identified as Botta and the Desian Grand Cardinal Magnius. Botta seemed to know Kratos, and then how Magnius responded to Kratos when they last confronted him was just strange all around. Also, there is the fact that he knows quite a lot about the Angelic language. The Martelan priests generally refrain from teaching others much about the Angelic language, unless the priest that Kratos supposedly befriended during his childhood was more lenient than most priests. Just strange . . .

Kratos feels Raine's gaze and meets her eyes. "What?"

Raine comments, "I was just thinking of how fortunate it was that you made it to Genis, Lloyd, and Colette when you did while they were confronted with Desians at the Martel Temple. Rather dues ex machina if you ask me."

Kratos twitches resentfully at the tactful snide. "I assure you that my timing for that was purely coincidental."

"Hmm . . ." Raine regards him for a moment. "Then how did you come about Iselia in the first place?"

Kratos explains, "I was hired to guard a pilgrimage for certain individuals and was dismissed when they arrived at the Iselia House of Salvation. I left to Iselia to find work and saw the oracle just before arriving. After hearing of the Desians when I made it to the village I promptly went to the temple to see if my services could be of some aid."

"Quite a miraculous coincidence," Raine remarks.

"Yes, it is."

Then Raine asks, "Is there any other reason you would have for traveling with us?"

Kratos shakes his head. "Other than aiding the Chosen, this is just another job to me."

"A rather enriching job," Raine adds. "You could retire for life after this."

"Yes. I find it rather relieving since, _if_ this journey is successful, then I would be out of work for a long while," Kratos comments.

"How fortunate for you," Raine dryly expresses.

* * *

Silence.

I still hear nothing, but I feel cold.

I hate the cold. I hate it so much.

Why am I cold?

It's coming back to me. My foolish, asinine, reckless stunt. Now I know I'm not dead: I can still feel the cold and pain. Neither heaven nor hell would be like that. No, heaven would have no suffering while hell would be much more intense. It would've killed me—should've killed me. I suppose that my body was able to take in enough mana to survive.

I reluctantly open my eyes. Darkness fades into a dimly lighted room. I see that it's finally nighttime. I wonder if the others found me.

I shift and find covers over me. Yes, the others found me. I have a lot to explain now . . . I sigh as I rest back onto my pillow. I better come up with a good story fast before they come back to check on me.

After just some time I hear the door quietly open. A candle peeks in and reveals Raine. She glances at me. I see her eyebrows furrow when she finds me awake. Raine closes the door behind her and approaches me.

"Do you remember anything?" she questions as she sets the candle down and sits next to me on the bed.

Here we go . . . "Yes. Everything."

Raine scolds, "What you did was one of the most foolish things I have ever seen—and I have seen some incredibly idiotic stunts in my life. What were you thinking in the first place?!"

I couldn't meet her eyes.

Raine says, "You look at me when I speak to you." When I reluctantly obey she continues to rebuke, "Where you trying to cast a spell? That is the only reasonable conclusion I can conclude unless you are actually suicidal."

I furiously shake my head. "No! I'm not suicidal!"

Then Raine responds, "Then what is it? What were you trying to do?"

I look down at my hands. "I . . . I wanted proof. Only people with elvan blood can cast spells. If I really could . . . then that proves it. All that this proved was that I can control mana—something only elves and half-elves can do. This . . . This is a big shock. All my life I was human and now I'm something else?"

"A half-elf," Raine dryly corrects.

"Does it matter what?" I demand. "I was one thing, at least in my mind, for all my life and suddenly someone comes and tells me that I'm something else and gives me undeniable proof. The human and half-elf part is just trivial details. Sure they may mean something to you but to me the shock would still be the same even if it were some different race!"

I droop down. "My life . . . What I had before Palmacosta . . . All I have left of it are fading memories and breakable trinkets. Nothing permanent or lasting. All of what I had . . . Gone . . ."

There is a pause. I can sense Raine's uneasiness, unsure of what to say.

Then she finally asks, "What happened to your family? Wouldn't they be in Palmacosta?"

I shake my head. "They . . . traveled. I never lived in Palmacosta before. We always traveled from one place to another, kinda like a caravan only not in trade. Just, one day, I was with them and the next . . . Gone. I can't even begin to grasp what happened."

Raine raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Is there anything that you can describe of the incident?"

I shake my head once more. "I can't . . . I don't even know what happened."

Raine watches me for a moment before she says, "We got off topic. The point still stands that you attempted to manipulate mana and nearly killed yourself by releasing almost all the mana in your body. It is a miracle that you are still alive. Now that we know that you can use mana, I believe there is a necessity for you to learn how to properly control mana."

I timidly suggest, "I can just not use it."

Raine gives me a flat stare. "Kelsey, you know better—or should after all this. You need to discipline yourself and avoiding the problem won't solve anything. You need discipline."

I sigh, "Yes, ma'am."

Raine becomes silent at that. I guess she expected more out of me than a simple surrender.

I ask, ". . . Will I be able to join you tomorrow?"

Raine sighs pityingly, "Yes, I suppose so. After all, we don't want Lloyd knowing about this and worrying exceedingly. You did recover after all and your mana level has returned to normal. Just, please, don't do anything like that again."

I nod. "Uh, what did you tell him? I mean, there's a supposed reason for me being in bed and skipping dinner."

Raine answers, "Genis told him that you had a headache and sinus problems."

I rub the side of my forehead. "Well, that'll happen by tomorrow anyway so that'll be believable. I'll just put up with it more."

"I would appreciate that," she replies. "Now get some rest. You gave us all quite a scare."

* * *

"Muhahahahah! Asgard! The city of ruins! Ahahahahah!"

Genis sighs with a shrug. "She never gets tired of it, does she?"

Lloyd sleepily drudges along. "At least she will be so busy going ruin-mode over everything that she won't give us lessons over the stuff."

I follow closely with my fifth piece of toast. "Don't count on it. She's going to lecture us over every little detail."

Raine pours over her city map and jabs her finger at an upper area of the city shouting, "Come on, everyone! Let's explore the caves first!"

"See what I mean?" I ask him.

I feel a tug on my sleeve. I glance down and find Genis. "Hey, what's up?"

Genis asks, "Are you sure you're alright?"

I look at him puzzled for a moment before I realize what he's inquiring about and reply, "The professor gave the okay. I'm fine now, just a little tired and—heheh—really hungry."

Colette joins in, "Just tell us when you need to stop and rest."

I glance between the two before I respond, "I will. Let me take care of myself and worry when I worry, okay? I'm more careful now."

Genis frowns skeptically at me. "You better be."

"Hurry up!" Raine calls. "The ruins are waiting!"

Lloyd grumbles, "And they will always be waiting. It's not like they're going anywhere."

Raine drags us through a large series of caves with cavern wall paintings and inspects every crumbled piece of stone building from ages long before with us dragged behind her. It was boring, and tiring, and frustrating. I began to lose my patience by the seventh ruin (which is probably generous on my part). Each visit is adorned with a lengthy lecture spoken in an excitable tone over the usage and importance of the target structure. Raine was so detailed in her explanations that nearby tour guides (remember that this city is a tourist site?) would direct their groups' attention over to her for information. Needless to say that our "tour" got a little bigger as other ruin fanatics joined in for the lessons.

However, when we get to a stairway blocked by a closed gate, the additions to our group stop.

"We aren't allowed through there," one states.

Raine pushes the gate open and reasons, "If we are not allowed in then the city would have locked the gate." She goes back into extreme ruin mode, "Muahahahah! Onward to research!"

"But—!"

Too late. Raine is already dashing madly up the stairs.

With a unified sigh, the rest of us go after her.

Upon reaching the top I realize what this place is: the Balacruf Stage. Beautiful. However, I must admire the form that the stage is shaped. Much larger than the game shows, you could definitely perform Hamlet on it with plenty of room. The height of the stage itself is a little over my height if you look at the stage itself. The posts at each corner of the square stage towers over us with elegant sprites perched at the top, watching the stage's center unwaveringly.

"Marvelous!" She snaps to Lloyd. "Lloyd! Tell me the significance of this stage!"

Lloyd does a double take. "Ah, well . . . Let's see . . ."

Genis finishes for him, "It's the temple where Cleo the third held a ritual to offer a sacrifice to the Summon Spirit of Wind in order to quell a storm that had raged for a week."

"Bah!" Raine barks at Lloyd. "Have you learned nothing in these past five years?!"

"Sure I have," Lloyd oh-so-sweetly informs. "P.E. and art and—"

"Bah! Never mind!" Raine turns back to the stage and proceeds with the usual lecture over the ruins with Colette dutifully listening to her teacher.

I hear Kratos wonder, "Perhaps her fascination with ruins is rooted in a childhood event."

"Nah," Lloyd goes. "The professor just really likes ruins."

I shrug. "Or both."

Lloyd gets bored and starts to wander off.

"Wait, Lloyd." Kratos warns, "The cliffs in this area tend to be rather unstable even in the best conditions. Be sure not to do anything reckless."

"Like I'm going to do insane acrobatic tricks on the cliff edges," Lloyd sardonically comments. "Don't worry; I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"I would earnestly hope not."

Lloyd goes around the area exploring the scenery. Although he has almost no interest in history (with past battles and strategy being one of the few things he listens to), Lloyd finds keen interest in the craftsmanship of the stage. He skims around the stage glancing over the form of the stone cuts on the stage.

"So what is this thing again?"

Lloyd stops and looks. He finds a man with red hair covered with a white bandana accompanied by a more timid-looking man with dark hair. At their feet hugging the stage is a strange wooden box with a small machine attached by wires resting on the top.

The redhead sighs, "I told you before, this is my invention, the 'breaker'. It's a bomb that can easily destroy this confounded dais."

"B-but, Harley," staggers the other man. "This is a rare and valuable remnant of the Balacruf Dynasty. We can't destroy it—"

The redhead Harley snaps, "Then what are we going to do?! Sit back and watch as Aisha is killed?! I'm blowing this thing to bits!"

"What's going on?"

The two whip around to him with pale faces of those caught in a heinous act. Lloyd approaches them and stares them down.

Harley goes, "Wh-who are you?! Linar!"

The other, Linar, protests, "I didn't tell anyone we were here! He must be another tourist!"

Harley bickers, "It doesn't matter where he came from! He heard us!"

Linar tries to recover, "It's not what you think! It's not what it looks like!"

"Oh, really?" Lloyd calmly goes.

"Really!" Linar continues. "We weren't trying to destroy the ruin at all!"

Lloyd begins his countdown from three . . .

"_What?!_"

Two . . .

_Thuh-thuh-thuh-thuh-thuh-thuh . . ._

One . . .

Raine leaps over the three with vengeance in her eyes. "_What did you just say?!?!_"

Harley and Linar gasp in horror at the medusa.

Lloyd oh-so-casually informs, "Professor, these two are planning to destroy this stage."

"_And you call yourselves human beings?!_" Raine rushes up on them next to the bomb and leaps up into the air and does a split kick, sending both flying with painful grunts.

Harley gets up and hisses, "I'm a half-elf, not a human!"

_THUK!_ "_Don't change the subject! That has nothing to do with the situation!_"

Raine stands next to the bomb where she begins her "begin the lecture" pose and starts, "You have no idea of the importance of this ruin!"

At "ruin" Raine does a grand fitful gesture that flips the switch on the bomb.

_Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick . . ._

The stomachs of the three others drop into a bottomless pit.

"You say you're going to destroy this fabulous ruin?" she scolds. "Now listen. During the final era of the Balacruf Dynasty, this ruin was—"

Lloyd interrupts, "Professor."

Raine automatically states, "If you have any questions I will take them after the lecture."

"The bomb turned on."

"I said," she irritably repeats, "if you have questions I'll take them after the—"

Raine gasps when Lloyd's words hit. She whirls around at it. "What?! Bomb?!"

Harley exclaims, "Woman! You flipped the switch!"

_THUK!_ "_Don't try to put the blame on someone else! You put the bomb there in the first place!_"

Lloyd shouts, "That doesn't matter now! How do you disarm it?"

Harley gets back up and proudly declares, "There's no way to disarm it!"

_THUK!_ "_Don't act proud of that!_"

Lloyd scowls and mutters, "I'll just have to disarm it myself."

After a quick glance at the mechanisms of the bomb, Lloyd finds the source of the bomb's power and snaps the one wire acting as the machine's artery. The ticking stops.

After a collective sigh of relief, Harley complements, "Hey, you're pretty good to be able to stop the uncontrollable 'breaker'."

Lloyd scowls. "Don't go around building stuff you can't control!"

Raine deduces, "You gained knowledge over mechanisms from Dirk, haven't you?"

Lloyd confirms, "Well, it's kind of required if I want to learn his skills. I mainly learn how things are built and that includes basic machinery since those things are made of metal too."

Raine mutters, "Now if only you will apply that to school."

"I should've known you'd turn it around to school," Lloyd remarks.

"You there! Trespassing in this area is forbidden!"

Harley and Linar gasp.

Linar goes, "Oh, no, it's the Mayor!"

Harley adds, "We'll be in for it if we're caught! Run for it!"

With a quick grab for the "breaker", Harley and Linar make a break for it down the less steep cliff area.

Lloyd tells Raine, "Professor! We need to go! This area was closed up after all!"

Raine laments, "But I didn't get a chance to study the ruin!"

Lloyd jerks his head away from the ruin. "Just come on!"

"I wanted to study it more . . ."

* * *

Well, being forcibly escorted out wasn't very pleasant. Lucky Lloyd and Raine got out without the mayor of Asgard seeing them and they didn't get their ears grinded by the hellfire speech of "trespassing is bad". After Lloyd explained the situation surrounding Harley and Linar, we begin to add the pieces of why the city was so tense in the first place.

"But we still don't know why they wanted to destroy the ruin," Lloyd states.

"Yes! The ruin!" Raine's eyes gleam hotly against the injustice of it all. "We have to stop them from engaging in such blasphemous acts like trying to destroy a ruin! They still have that bomb and can repair it at any time! Let's go, everyone!"

Genis cuts in, "Wait a minute, Rai—"

Too late. Raine is already dashing madly towards the direction she tracked them to. I swear when it comes to ruins, that woman is keener than a bloodhound.

When she zeros in on the one house she rushes right up at the door and starts banging it. "Harley! Linar! I know you ruin-demolishers are in there! Open the door!"

Absolutely horrified, Genis tries to pry his sister away from the door. "Raine! Stop!"

The door opens and Raine, seeing Harley and Linar on the other side at the other end of the room, blindly charges in shouting, "You two! I want you to bring me that 'breaker' and dismantle it before me! Afterwards I will take the pieces and throw them down the cliffs! Maybe then you two will no long have the power to destroy any more ruins!"

A woman's voice at the door cries out, "Linar! Harley! What is with this? What happened?"

Harley accuses, "You're those tourists from earlier!"

Raine spitefully corrects, "I am a scholar!"

"Whatever!" He orders, "Get out!"

"Harley, stop! This is my house!" A woman keenly resembling Linar steps away from the now-closed door. She glances between all of us and orders, "Tell me everything that happened."

After Raine and Harley deck it out with their versions (Raine's on Harley being the absolute reckless villain and Harley's on Raine being an evil crazy chick), Lloyd and Linar interrupt and give their more calm and accurate versions of the incident. After that, the woman nods thoughtfully.

She goes, "So you were the ones that stopped Harley and my brother. Thank you."

Kratos cynically replies, "I'm not sure 'stopped' is the best way to put it."

"You got that right," Harley coldly tells Kratos. "They just got in our way. A minor setback."

Clearly getting a little frustrated, Linar's sister puts, "It doesn't matter what you call it! The point is, the people of this city are the ones that would suffer if that ruin was destroyed."

Harley protests, "But you're going to be sacrificed! Something has to be done!"

I don't know if this makes any sense, but I'm getting a strange feeling of déjà vu. Almost as if I've seen this kind of scenario before (I'm talking about theme not technicalities).

"Sacrificed?" Lloyd repeats.

Linar explains, "It's a ritual in honor of the Summon Spirit of Wind. My sister Aisha was chosen for it, well, the dance on the altar that is."

Harley finishes, "But then this idiot started meddling with the stone dais as part of his research and opened the seal! Now the Summon thing awoke and is demanding sacrifices!"

"Seal?" Raine goes.

Linar gets a little excited. "Yes! I believe that the stone dais has some connection to the Balacruf Mausoleum. That's why I began studying it. On the platform, there is a small indentation that implies it can be opened up and—"

"That's enough!" Harley shouts. "Aisha's about to be sacrificed to the Summon Spirit tonight! We don't need anyone else meddling and making things worse! Get out!"

So forceful was our banishment that we left without another word. Once outside, we begin discussing over it.

"So this place has a connection to the next seal," I state. "Then the thing that opens up must have some sort of clue to where the next seal is or something."

Raine puzzles over this, "Hmm. We need a better look at this situation before we act. We must speak with the mayor. Where could he be right now?"

Kratos suggests, "He is probably still at the dais making sure no more people wander into the area."

"Then let's head there right now," Raine finishes.

So away we went. I'll just skip to where we get there.

As soon as we approach, the mayor narrows his eyes at us. "You were the ones that went up on the dais."

Raine requests, "I am a scholar. May I please have your permission to study this ruin?"

One of the guards next to the mayor huffs, "Not another one."

The mayor adds, "If it weren't for Linar then this city's tourist industry wouldn't be on the verge of collapsing. I refuse to let you pass."

Raine states, "We already got the story from Harley and Linar."

The mayor adds, "The you will understand why I won't let you risk furthering the Summon Spirit of Wind's wrath. Only the Summon Spirit dancer may step upon the stage."

Raine's eyebrow lowers at that. "Then I shall become the dancer."

The mayor snorts, "A fickle declaration."

Raine gives him her teacher glare. "Do I look like the kind of person who would make fickle decisions?"

The mayor hesitates.

Lloyd protests, "But Professor—"

Raine interrupts, "According to the Book of Regeneration, this should be the next seal. If we can meet with the Summon Spirit of Wind then we should be able to tell. The sacrifice that the spirit demands might even be the Chosen of Mana."

Shock goes across the mayor and his guards.

"In that case," the mayor goes, "we need to know more about this. Please, madam, take Aisha's place as the dancer. Perhaps you can bring reason to the spirit. We need the Chosen of Mana. However," he adds, "I will not be held responsible if it costs you your life."

"Thank you, mayor," Raine ends.

The mayor mentions, "Speak with Aisha. She knows the preparations the dancer must undergo before the dance."

* * *

Sunset. The entire city gathered around the dais for the ritual while a small circle of space was allowed for the dancer. The group and Linar, Aisha, and Harley stand by her along with the mayor. Priests (all of them women) check Raine's acolyte outfit to be sure that everything is perfect. Reminds me of maiden sacrifice.

Aisha once again asks, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Raine states, "Absolutely. I am more likely to survive a rough encounter than you are so I would feel a lot safer for you if I were the one going up rather than you."

Colette asks, "Professor, is something wrong?"

Raine asks, "Do you remember what the Book of Regeneration said? 'Enshrined in the center of a giant stone seal lurks evil, impersonating a holy force.' This may be it."

The mayor questions, "So this spirit might not be the Summon Spirit of Wind after all?"

"Correct," Raine confirms. "To me it seems rather strange that the Summon Spirit of Wind would demand sacrifices since the Chosen of Mana must awaken the spirit in order to release the seal. If the spirit would demand sacrifices, especially the Chosen's life, then almost no Chosen would have finished the journey of world regeneration. That is proven wrong by the fact that, should this Chosen succeed, this would be the seventh time the world has been successfully regenerated."

"Then we really need to figure out what this is," Genis states.

Lloyd assures, "Don't worry, Professor. We have your back."

Raine looks at us individually with a thankful expression . . . until she gets to me.

Raine says, "You need to stay with the crowd, Kelsey. Remember what happened yesterday?"

I frown. "I'm helping you and you can't stop me."

Raine narrows her eyes. "I suppose I can't when I'm dancing."

Lloyd asks, "What happened yesterday?"

I dismiss, "Nothing that won't keep me from fighting if something bad happens."

Raine gives me a flat stare before she goes up to the stage and states, "I'm ready."

The civilians lift Raine up on the stage and she walks to the center and positions herself just as she was instructed to do beforehand. The night rises into twilight just as the sun was dying and casting the last luminous rays against everything within high reach while the shadows rest in the valleys and the starlit darkness paints the sky . . .

Raine lifts the ceremonial staff up into the air and she moves to the first circle just in front of her. She taps the ground with the lower end of her staff and gentle green sparks rise up into the air. Raine lifts up her staff again and she shifts gracefully to the circle to the right and repeats the motion with the green sparks rising up once more. Then she passes through the center and to the circle on the left and repeats the same spark-rising motion again, and a last time at the circle closest to Asgard before returning to the center with a bow.

I whisper to Colette, "Why did she move around like that?"

Colette keeps her eyes on Raine, "It's to follow the basic pattern of the Crest."

Wait, she said it like there's a capital letter on "crest" like maybe some Christians would do for "cross" (I think, I've never seen it capitalized like that). "The Crest? Of what?"

Bad question. Very bad question to ask. Colette looks at me with shock as she answers, ". . . The Crest of Cruxis."

I recover, "Oh! Of course! I just flaked out for a moment there!"

She gets her smile back. "Oh. I see."

Lights grow from the spell circle and a large unrecognizable figure forms in the same spot where Raine is. In response to the appearing figure, Raine backs away as it becomes more visible.

A monster with a giant curved guillotine blade for a bottom half. Its head is that of a hairless wolf with horns (very ugly) and the torso of a man and claws for hands and the stubbed wings of a dragon (more like side fins). Oh, and I forgot to mention that its skin is entirely violet, an ugly violet. The head tilts down to view Raine.

"So this is the sacrifice," it a-matter-of-factly states. "Accepted."

Colette shouts, "_That's a demon! Not the Summon Spirit! Run, Professor!_"

Raine dashes away from the demon's grasp. Lloyd, Colette, Kratos, and I are up there in an instant while Genis gets a boost up. The demon whips its head around at us all, unbelieving and raging.

It roars, "_You DARE defy me?! Then feel the wrath of Sylph!_"

To start its wrath, the creature instantly casts Wind Blade and it lands on Lloyd, nicking at his clothes and skin. Kratos zips in just as the spell ends and slashes at the thing's torso. In reaction, the demon claws at Kratos and knocks him away.

Lloyd gets back into the fry and unleashes a combo starting with three consecutive slices and ending in Beast.

The thing loses balance and falls over on its side. It quickly pushes itself back up as I get into the fight (in case you were wondering I was downing an orange gel due to my low mana level because of the "mana crisis" that I went through yesterday). Thinking I could hack off the guillotine tail, I use Downcut and put in a nice gash, but my blade meets metal at the core—its bones are made completely out of metal!

"What the hell?!" I cry out. "Is that thing's bones really made of steel?!"

Taking advantage of the slight pause, the monster whirls around with its tail and slashes Lloyd, Kratos, and me with the blade. We retreat back and bring out apple gels while Raine and Kratos do some quick First Aid casting.

While the First Aid and apple gel applying goes on, Genis and Colette distract it with spells such as Stone Blast and attacks like Ring Whirlwind. However, when we get back to our feet . . .

Lloyd calls out, "Union attack!"

"Ray Satellite!"

"Stalagmite!"

"Lightning!"

"Swipe!"

"Tigerblade!"

At the end of the series, Kratos calls out, "Follow it off!"

Lloyd leaps into the air and slashes down the thing with Kratos's lightning diving down along the blade.

"Lightning Tigerblade!"

The thing stays there, paralyzed as the electricity lashes around and through its body. We all keep our distance so the lightning doesn't branch off to us. It recovers, and a flash of pure fury ignites in its eyes.

The monster spins around like a swinging pendulum, slowly at first but gains fast momentum as it rips across the stage.

We all dive away just in the nick of time (with some of us having our boots sliced open or something).

As a combo attack, it whips out an Air Thrust targeting Lloyd.

Green blades of wind lash at Lloyd, completely trapping him. In reflex, Lloyd summons his Guardian defense, cushioning the blow. However, it doesn't block the attack completely. He grits his teeth, trying to keep his focus on keeping Guardian up, as the wind rips at him. With the spell finished, Lloyd runs to a safer distance with a slight limp.

I zip in and focus on its torso. If I can at least severe the muscles . . . My attempt might not be so brilliant but it's better than nothing. I keep to its side so I won't be in the way of the blade tail as I attack the part of its body where its steel bones don't lie: the stomach.

In the corner of my eye I see something flash by and the next thing I know the monster stumbles away as if disoriented. Kratos lands in front of it and finishes his combo.

The demon recovers and counterattacks by snatching at Kratos and flinging him up into the air in such a way that his land would be in such an awkward position that it would spell at least a broken arm or leg if not a broken neck. Colette rushes in and catches him midair and holds him there long enough for him to get his bearings and she drops him back down to the ground where he lands with a cat's balance.

"Hey, Kelsey!"

Startled, I jump about five feet into the air. I leap away from the monster. "What is it, Lloyd?"

He goes, "You know what to do during a union attack, right?"

I keep my eyes on the thing as I take this chance to down another orange gel. "Pretty much. Why?"

"Let's try one!"

"Cross Thrust?" We both know Sonic Thrust.

"No, a new one," he excitedly says.

I argue, "How about a new one after we—"

"We combine my Tigerblade with your Downcut where I lift you up in the air and slingshot you down to the ground and then you land with a force that sends a shockwave into the enemy that either kills them or blows them away like Beast," he hastily explains.

"What?! No, Lloyd! I didn't even catch everything you—"

"Union attack!" he calls out.

"Lloyd!" I cry out in horror.

Too late. Everyone assumes that he's got his head in the game (which he usually does unless he has some harebrained daredevil scheme like he does now).

"Angle Feathers!"

"Aqua Edge!"

"Sonic Thrust!"

"Tigerblade!"

"D-Downcut!" (The only move I could think of in this fast-paced situation.)

"Alright!" Lloyd grabs my hand.

"_No, Lloyd!!_"

Lloyd leaps in the air, dragging me up there with him. He flings me down at the thing as I try to keep my bearings and orientation. With a dreadful cry I quickly adjust to the demands of the move and happen to be a little to close to the monster.

Good news: my spear impales the monster in the head.

Bad news: I just lost my weapon.

I land.

Good news: not only did I miss the guillotine blade from skewering me but there was also a cool shockwave as Lloyd said there would be that sends the monster back a little as it dies.

Bad news: I think I just sprained my ankle if it isn't broken.

The monster dissolves from its quick death, leaving only my spear and its steel bones behind. I fall to my knees, not really feeling the pain in my left ankle. I stare into space, completely stunned at the amazing miraculous fact that I'm still alive.

The townspeople cheer in triumph at the death of the monster.

As Colette helps me up everyone else climbs off the stage, Raine first.

Linar cheers, "Raine! You and everyone else are fantastic!"

Raine proudly dismisses, "It was hardly a challenging opponent for us."

Speak for yourself . . .

She changes the subject while the rest of us get bombarded by Asgard's loving population, "Now, more importantly, about that stone tablet you acquired . . ."

"Ah, yes," Linar goes. "It's safely at my home. Come with me and I'll show it to you."

"Thank you very much." Then she briefly turns about and gives Lloyd a promising look, and not a good one.

Lloyd is a little taken back. "What's that look for?"

Genis gripes, "Think, Lloyd! You nearly got Kelsey killed!"

Kratos scolds, "Next time you decide to pull off such a stunt, make sure you aren't endangering other lives."

Colette adds, "You need to be more careful."

Lloyd counters, "But it killed the monster! And Kelsey didn't object!"

I growl, "That's cause you weren't listening to me! If you had thrown me a hair closer to that monster then my spear would've been knocked away from the base hitting the head instead of the spearhead and I'd be impaled from that guillotine blade! _Dead!_ Do you know what that means?!"

He takes a step back. "I . . . I'm sorry."

I scowl at him for a moment before I turn away, too irritated to get onto him more.

* * *

When we get back to Linar and Aisha's house, after I was propped up on the sofa with my ankle raised up and a pack of ice slumped across it, Raine pours over the tablet. Her glasses, I couldn't help but note, look like they were grown on her.

"This stone tablet has ancient Balacruf writing inscribed on it . . ." She notes. "Further more, it appears to be a map."

Linar excitedly informs, "I have the necessary materials assembled here. We can decipher it right away!"

"Bring them here right away!"

Meanwhile, Harley lounges next to Genis. "So we get a happy ending with the imposter thing gone, Aisha and Raine alive, and Linar getting a dream come true with getting that tablet translated."

Genis agrees, "Yeah. I bet Raine and Linar will quickly get the tablet deciphered."

Harley nods. "Of course! She's a half-elf after all. You can count on her wisdom."

Terror flashes through Genis. He denies, "N-no! You're wrong! Raine is an elf. I-I'm an elf, too! Can't you tell?"

Harley frowns. "Huh? But I couldn't mistaken my own—"

Genis gives him a pleading look.

Harley pauses in understanding before he turns cheerful again, "Haha! Sorry. I guess I was wrong. You two really are pureblooded elves. Mustn't have been paying attention."

"Hey, Genis!"

Lloyd walks up and informs, "We're going to an inn. This old guy offered to let us stay in his for free and the rooms are better there than they are in the other inn."

"What?!" I squawk. "You're moving me after getting me settled?"

Raine clinically advises, "Keep rubbing apple gel on the swollen area, apply an ice pack, and keep your foot reclined. Afterwards, get plenty of rest. Follow those instructions and you should be fine in the morning."

I respectfully go, "Yes, Doctor Sage." (A trick of the tone and I've got a subtly rude comment.)

Harley whispers, "So I guess that girl there is an elf, too?"

Genis mutters, "Human . . ."

Harley murmurs to himself, "Man, I'm either way out of it today or I'm just one of the more devil-may-care half-elves."

* * *

Yes, Lloyd would know a lot about craftsmanship. He does, after all, want to inherit Dirk's skills (or as much as he can) so of course he'll be knowledgable in this area. (Lloyd and knowledgable in the same sentence. I've achieved the impossible.)

Screw the intrinsic benefits! I'm doing this for the reviews! :D


	24. Luin

Some of the OCs that I'm introducing here will be important for the Asgard section of the story.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four: Luin

The feeling as if I am an outsider isn't new to me.

I will admit, for the longest time I did it to myself. The world outside never really interested me as a child so I often withdrew into myself, ignoring everything around me. As a result I knew who I was as a person while my peers were still learning who they are. However, my peers became so used to me being closed off and silent that things would become awkward whenever I opened up.

When I finally peeked out of my shell I knew so little about the society I live in that I could be called an anthropologist for my own culture, to put it softly. I finally wanted to learn about the world and took genuine interest in everyone, but the world was so firmly settled in the roles we took during childhood that my new role couldn't fit. My words were met in silence; people my age seemed alien to me; my world grew but my social skills seldom developed. I tried to slowly ease myself into social life but all remained oblivious to me just as I have to them in the past. Perhaps this isolation is karma. Perhaps this is punishment. Perhaps this is just as I deserve no matter if my ignorance to their childhood attempts to reach out to me were not purposeful.

And so an outsider I become; an outsider I remain.

* * *

Best news: The beds are soooooo wonderful . . .

Good news: My ankle fully recovered just as Raine said it would.

Bad news: I'm still in a bad mood.

As we go back to Linar's house (because Raine didn't come back from there during the night), Lloyd tries to get me back from the unusual huff.

"You're alive now, right?" he tries at the end. "That's what counts."

I narrow my eyes at him and calmly tell him, "You're going to pay. Somehow, someway, you're going to pay."

"Wow, you're so scary. I'm shaking."

"You should take me seriously," I warn. "My biggest flaw is my vengeful streak."

"Sure it is." While he does feel sorry for putting me in such a dangerous situation without thinking, he's not the least bit intimidated by me.

I turn to Genis. "Are there laxatives here?"

Genis answers, "Yeah. Down at the pharmacy." Then he realizes what I could do with it. "That's evil!"

Lloyd furrows his eyebrows. "What?"

I ominously go, "You best be mindful of your food. Who knows when I'll slip some extra laxatives in your dinner?"

He finally gets it and gulps.

I keep my face neutral, trying to convince him of my bluff. While I may be over all the irritation and anger from my near-death experience (I'm just in a bad mood in general) I actually just want to mess with Lloyd for a little bit for some payback.

When we arrive at Linar's we see Raine still at the table we left her at. However, she's cleaning up the table and putting away the equipment with some help from Linar. She looks up at the door and smiles.

"Good timing," she says. "I just finished deciphering it."

Linar beams, "Professor Sage is amazing! She deciphered the complex Balacruf writing in no time at all!"

Genis smirks. "Heh. One more for the Professor Raine Fan Club."

Lloyd remarks, "She's quite the catch, huh?"

"Uh-huh!"

Raine reaches over and smacks both over the head. She turns back to Linar as if nothing happened, "It would appear that the monster was the cause of the calamity that afflicted the ancient Balacruf Empire."

Linar continues, "It seems that the summoner at the time used Sylph, the Summon Spirit of Wind, to seal it away, and then built this stone dais to suppress the calamity."

Considering that Mithos still has his pact with Sylph, I'm guessing that the "summoner at the time" was Mithos (he just used his normal form instead of big bad Cruxis leader form). I glance at Kratos, guessing that maybe he was there at the time. He seems bored, as if he heard this about a thousand times already.

Raine goes on, "In preparation for the day when this calamity might reawaken, he left this map in order for the people to be able to locate the Summon Spirit of Wind."

Linar picks it up, "After a great many years, people eventually confused the calamity with the Summon Spirit of Wind."

Genis guesses, "So now we know where the Summon Spirit is?"

"Of course." Raine points at the old stone map at a large island just east of here. "The location of the Summon Spirit is the location of the next seal: the Balacruf Mausoleum."

"Cool!" Lloyd hoots. "I wonder what the Summon Spirit of Wind is like! I can't wait!"

Colette smiles, "Now we can get back to the journey of world regeneration!"

Aisha frowns in contemplation. "'Journey of world regeneration'? Now that I think about it, what was your purpose for coming to this city? You don't look like ordinary tourists and travelers in the least."

I speak up, "So we're heading off?"

Kratos moves towards the door. "Yes. Since we know our next destination, we should be on our way at once."

Raine nods. "Yes. It's likely that the seal is inside the Balacruf Mausoleum itself."

Lloyd goes towards the door. "Then let's get going. It was nice to meet all of you."

Aisha goes, "Ah, um . . ."

Colette is the last one out, "Please take care."

* * *

It took half a day to get across to the other side where the wooden bridge to the island is (which means two in the afternoon). As Genis passes out sandwiches, I notice that Lloyd keeps watching me suspiciously as he tests his sandwich for any secret additives.

I tell him, "Genis cooked, not me. I've been on this horse the entire time he was cooking. No, when I slip that laxative in your food it's going to be when you least suspect it."

Lloyd hunches over his sandwich. "Like I'll ever let you near my food."

"Can't avoid me forever," I point out.

"Yes I can."

Genis rolls his eyes. He already questioned me earlier on whether or not I was serious. I told him no but I want to see him squirm as payback for putting me through that "unison attack" stunt.

I ask, "So this wooden bridge that we're going to cross. Does anyone know what it looks like?"

Colette looks over to Kratos (Raine is driving this time). "Kratos, you're a traveling mercenary, right? Have you seen it?"

Kratos considers the question for a split second before answering, "I have only seen it once when I was escorting priests to and from the Mausoleum. It is a huge bridge constructed by the Balacruf Empire during a period when cut stone was low in supply. Because of the shortage, they used timber to construct the entire bridge. It was built with very elaborate design and décor, even for the technologies of a flourishing period. The bridge was quite an accomplishment, albeit a very pricy accomplishment to the environment. Everything from Asgard to Hakonesia to the bridge used to be dense forest before the project."

Genis tilts his head in slight confusion. "How did you know about the forest part?"

"The priests that I accompanied told me."

"Oh."

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

I glance back at the empty field we just passed. "'Used to be dense forest'? Wow. That was a pure definition of the word 'deforestation'."

Lloyd asks, "What does that mean?"

I remark, "It means you need to study your vocabulary more."

Genis answers in place of me, "It means to remove the forest. It's pretty bad to the environment. Game disappears, timber is used and lost, a lot of beneficial forest animals die, food that used to grow in there vanishes, the topsoil erodes away . . . Imagine if the Iselia forest was chopped down into nothing."

Lloyd grimaces. "That would hurt the lifestyle that Dad and I lived for years."

I casually add, "It's all about conservation and moderation." For Earth, I have worries. For here, this world is going to way outlive Earth by a long shot.

"Conservation and moderation . . ." Lloyd asks, "Would school be applied to that?"

I hear Raine mutter, "I have a bad feeling about this . . ."

Lloyd continues, "So it would be a good idea to do less schoolwork, right?"

I dryly tell, "No, Lloyd, school doesn't work like that."

"But can't there be too much studying?" he debates.

I counter, "For the professor, that would be a concern. For you, absolutely not. Your problem is that you don't study nearly enough. In fact, you don't study at all."

"I do study some," he admits. "I study the skills Dirk teaches me."

I predict, "So in the end you'll become a highly skilled blacksmith, albeit a very stupid one."

"Do you want to tell me what you mean by that?" he challenges.

I remark, "I'm sorry, I thought that was self-explanatory. Need me to translate that into Idiot?"

"Okay, that's enough," Raine inserts.

Colette points out, "Look! I think that's the bridge!"

We all peer out at the long faint line connecting between two land masses.

"That's quite a ways away," Genis comments.

"We will be there in no time," Raine states. "It isn't nearly as far as it looks."

Sure enough, it wasn't too close to six in the afternoon by the time we reach the entrance of the bridge.

"Wooowww!" Colette awes.

Raine expresses, "I must admit, the bridge certainly exceeds my expectations."

I'm absolutely speechless. Although the bridge itself isn't the longest bridge I've ever known of, it certainly is the longest I've ever seen. It is massive in height and great in road width and the skill required would be something that would have my entire world hunting for craftsman for a long time (well, Earth hasn't handled projects like this with wood in ages).

Lloyd is thunderstruck. "Wow . . . I wish Dad were here. He would have loved to see this."

I walk to the rim and peer down to the surging sea. "I wonder how they keep the supports from rotting in the sea."

Genis replies, "The same way they would with dock supports only on a larger scale, I suppose."

Colette continues to admire, "It's such a grand bridge!"

"We need to keep moving," Raine reminds. "We need to cross on to the other side by nightfall."

Genis asks, "Think they still keep a blueprint for the bridge?"

Raine answers, "Of course. In order to maintain this bridge they would need a copy of the original blueprint. I intend to ask the church for a copy as soon as possible."

There seems to be no end to the bridge as we move on and on. The more I kept looking at it, the more I realize just how complex in design the bridge is. On every post there is a symbol of Cruxis (or Crest of Cruxis or Derris Emblem as I now recall) engraved high on the post for everyone to see and the crest for the Balacruf Empire some under it. Then the railing between the large posts is a simple yet complex design of curves that someone from Earth might see on railings or benches at the finer parks and gardens.

Then, in the faded distance, figures come into the limits of our sight. As we come closer and closer to the faded group their figures grow more distinct. First, we see that they are working men; next we see that they slave over a difficult project; then we see that the difficult project concerns the bridge . . .

Last, we realize that the bridge is broken and the men have hit a road block in fixing it. Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, we continue on towards the group.

When the workers notice our coming they get a face that reads "oh no, not another group."

As we meet at the center of the distance that separates us I take in the damage on the bridge behind the workers. By the looks of things, we're not going to be able to cross even if we walk.

One worker approaches us and states, "Parts of the bridge collapsed. I'm afraid your pilgrimage will have to be cut short until further notice."

Lloyd replies, "We don't have a choice. We have to get across somehow."

The worker goes, "Then you'll have to get a boat 'cause there's no other—"

"Wait a minute, Boss!" another worker hurries up. "They look like they can handle monsters and bandits. We can send them instead of risking some of the others."

The first worker—the construction boss—considers this new option, "That might work . . ." He pauses in thought before he bargains, "Listen, because of an incident we ran out of some necessary supplies. If you really are that desperate to get across then you can help us by getting my order in to Luin. We can work with what we have with our full staff and get the supplies at the same time. Faster, eh? So what do you say?"

Colette goes, "I say we help them."

Kratos notes, "This will take a few days between traveling to Luin and waiting on the supplies to be built. Are you sure you don't have enough?"

"It's nails," the boss states. "Some of the nail buckets got blown away because of the weather and fell into the sea. We can work with the remaining but eventually we'll have to send someone down to Luin and get some more."

Lloyd asks, "Why not get some from Asgard?"

The construction boss answers, "I have a discount deal with the blacksmith in Luin over tools and supplies since I get my stuff from him so often. Besides, I like how he works."

"So we're heading toward Luin?" I ask.

Lloyd nods. "Yeah. Let's get back to the mainland, everyone."

* * *

Although it was night a little after we got off the bridge, we decided to drag ourselves all the way to the Asgard House of Salvation. It was late at night, around eleven I'm guessing, by the time we wearily checked in. Luckily, no monsters found us during the hunt and decided to finish us off and have us for a late dinner.

But I had to open my big fat mouth when Colette and I were settling in for the night.

"You don't look the least bit tired," I note to her.

She jumps as if startled and turns laughingly to me, "Heheheheh! I guess it hasn't hit me yet."

Unthinkingly, I suggest, "Try laying down, being still, and being quiet. My dad always told me to do that whenever he caught me up."

Colette assures, "I'll try in a little bit."

"It's usually a good idea to try as soon as you can," I gently advise. "After all, we came in pretty late and we have a long trip to Luin ahead of us."

"Okay," she quickly dismisses. Suddenly, she changes the subject, "So, Kelsey, I was wondering, when is your birthday? None of us thought to ask with everything that was going on."

Then it hits me. Oh, yeah. Colette CAN'T sleep, you big dummy! How could you forget?!

Oh, and she also asked you an honest question. When is your birthday? Let's do the calculations. Hmm . . . March first and add this, transfer that, calculate something . . .

I sleepily answer, "Minarin the twenty-first."

Colette frowns. "But . . . It's now Minarin the thirtieth. Why didn't you tell us?"

I give her an apologetic face. "Colette, that was the day when Dorr died, Clara got out of Palmacosta, Chocolat got kidnapped by the Desians a second time, and when we had to fight Magnius. Why would I tell anyone my birthday amidst all that?"

"Still," she persists, "you should have told us. I mean, we're traveling together and all."

I shrug. "No one asked, and all our thoughts were plagued by Chocolat and Clara. Anyway, we need to get some rest. Goodnight."

After I settle, I hear Colette mutter, "It would've been nice to know . . ."

* * *

What I will remember in the future over that first trip to Luin, with my diary as a guide, is that the road to Luin was long and tiring. Each day we either had to fight bandits or monsters or walk for so long that we all got exhausted whether or not we were in the wagon. Everyone was just so bushed that we just rolled out the bed rolls and dropped inside. There wasn't even enough strength for any additional lessons on swordsmanship (for Lloyd), school, or the Angelic language (for Genis). All we could afford to spend energy on was all of us pitching in just to make a single meal. I felt so sorry for the horses since they were the ones who did all the work. Eventually we had to put Noishe to work to give the horses pulling the wagon a break and just lead those horses using Punky. When we started to approach Luin, however, I could hear a collective sigh from the two horses as we harnessed the wagon back on them. Poor things.

March eleventh.

Luin has an air of settled peace that Palmacosta doesn't have. It didn't have Palmacosta's hustle bustle and commerce but it held an atmosphere filled with promise. Palmacosta is the city you go to for gaining a lasting profit; Luin is the village you go to for raising a lasting family. Not to say that either is better or worse, but I felt as if I could live in Luin and finally be able to overcome my personal demons from losing my entire life. This is the village of rebirth.

However, I couldn't help but note how dark the northern skies appear.

Lloyd takes in all the sights with marvel. "This village . . . I don't know what it is about this place but . . . it seems so . . . I don't know."

Colette helps, "It feels hopeful."

Lloyd smiles. "That's it. It's like everyone here has hope for the future."

"It _is_ a lovely village," Raine merrily comments. "Almost . . . a little more cheerful than Iselia."

I curiously ask, "So who's the blacksmith that the order is for?"

"Aahhh . . ." Lloyd digs in his large pocket and pulls out an envelope. He slips the order out and reads it over before replying, "It looks like it's for this Tyson Hermann. Let's ask around and see where we can find him."

After going over directions with nearby people, we are led over to this large workshop that had my Symphonian natives group amazed at (although it isn't such a big deal to an Earthen like me).

"What kind of project would a blacksmith need such a big workshop for?" Genis asks. "Dirk just had the metal stove in his house."

Raine states, "Dirk takes smaller projects from fewer customers. This blacksmith is most likely called on by many more customers and so takes a larger quantity of projects that may require this size. Also, this building appears to be older. It may have been built when Luin needed a larger workforce for this area."

Lloyd casually points at the door. "So let's go in. We can place the order when we see someone."

As soon as we reach the door, however, we hear a man close by call out, "Wait a minute! Shop's closed to customers for today."

Lloyd insists, "But we need to get this order in! It's from the big bridge near the Balacruf Massless."

"Mausoleum," Raine and Genis correct.

The man, most likely one of the workers in the smithy, slurs, "I don't care. It can wait until tomorrow. Hermann is working with several others on a project right now anyway."

Genis scoffs, "So this blacksmith places a guard at the door during off days?"

The worker snaps, "Don't insult the boss like that, kid! I'm no guard! I'm just taking my lunch break and waiting on a few buddies. The scenery here is nice to look at."

I glance around to weigh the truth in his words and comment, "It really is a nice view."

Lloyd persists, "But—"

Kratos interrupts, "It can wait one more day, Lloyd. Besides, we should stock up on supplies since we just got into Luin."

Lloyd reluctantly gives in. "Alright . . ."

So we kinda wandered off from each other after that. Colette and I got a little talky so we decided to explore the market together. We got into expressing our love for dogs (and I'm a fan of big dogs! Labradors! Great Danes! Rottweilers! German Shepherds! Dobermans! Big dogs!). Kratos just lingered to keep an eye out for Lloyd (probably suspicious of Lloyd's easy surrender). Raine and Genis went to get our rooms checked in. Lloyd just meandered around the smithy a little before deciding what to do . . .

"Wait! Connor, wait!"

Lloyd glances around until his eyes land on a brown-haired young man seemingly a little older than himself chasing after an older man with sandy hair. He catches up to the man and yanks his arm back.

"Please, Connor!" pleads the youth. "Don't tell Dad!"

"Don't tell him what?" the man named Connor snips. "That you lost your younger sister? You searched for goddess-knows-long before asking me for help! Who knows where she is now!"

"I'm sure she just wandered off!"

"I'm positive of that!" Connor advances to the smithy.

"Wait!" The youth cuts Connor's path off once more. "Let's just search a little more! Just don't tell Dad! He'll kill me!"

Connor comments, "If I were you I would be more afraid of your mother."

Connor tries to move around the youth again. The younger one just cuts him off again, and again, and again.

Finally Connor stops and carps, "James—"

He stops and catches sight of someone, shock going through him. The youth, James, looks and finds no one noticeable. Out of curiosity, Lloyd looks down Connor's path of sight as well and only sees people with Kratos being the only one Lloyd recognizes.

Connor regains his composure and surrenders, "Fine. Let's try again, but we're coming back here in fifteen minutes and you're telling Tyson how you just looked away for a second to chat with a friend and lost her."

James sighs in relief. "Thanks, Connor."

"You had better find her," Connor warns before hurrying away.

James pauses a moment before glancing around and finds Lloyd. He considers the other for a second and approaches him.

"Hey, uhh . . ." he hesitantly starts. "You haven't seen a girl with brown-blond hair and a white dress, have you?"

Lloyd regards James as he answers, "No I haven't. I just got here."

"Ah, okay . . ." A thought comes to James and he considers it before he goes, "I know Luin like the back of my hand. Since you got into the village I can give you a hand or two around here. Is there anything you need help on? If you help me find my sister then I can repay you."

Lloyd blinks at the sudden offer. "Sure, I can help. I was going to offer my help anyway since I heard everything."

After he hesitates at the notion that his pleading to Connor was heard, James insists, "There's got to be something." Then he mutters for only himself, "I mean, I don't like taking charity . . ."

Lloyd states, "Alright. I don't think you can really help with my problem but I need to get an urgent order to the blacksmith that works over there, Tyson Hermann. The people repairing the bridge near the Balacruf Mauso-thing close to Asgard need this pretty quickly."

James guesses, "But the shop is closed to customers today so you can't get it in and must wait for at least one or two days. I can help you easily there. They'll let me in."

Lloyd agrees, "Okay, then let's help each other out. What does your sister look like?"

James describes, "She has light brown hair, almost blond, and is wearing a white dress. She's about this tall and six years old. Her name is Rachel. I already checked everything but the fountain so I was heading there before Connor caught me."

Lloyd goes, "I'll check there. You go double check everywhere else and see if you missed her."

"'Kay. Meet me back here in fifteen minutes," he adds before he hurries away.

Lloyd goes off searching for the fountain. After some minutes of exploring, he finds an area close to the western exit of Luin where a large fountain hugs the earth of the island it rests on. Next to the fountain is a ring of children just standing there by themselves as if waiting.

Lloyd approaches the children. "What are all of you doing? Are you waiting for someone?"

One little boy answers, "We're playing hide-and-seek. Wanna play with us on the next round?"

The offer tempts his childish heart, however . . . "I'd love to but I'm looking for someone. Have any of you seen a girl named Rachel? Her brother is looking for her."

"James is looking for Rachel?" The boy turns into the group and calls, "Rachel! James is looking for you!"

Children shift out of the way as a small girl wiggles her way through her friends to him. Her hair, brown, is so golden that it could almost be blond and her dress, white, is so dirty at the hem from play that the skirt almost looked brown. She peers up at Lloyd with chestnut brown eyes that seem to belong to someone much older.

"You're not James," she simply states.

Lloyd says, "No but I'm helping him find you. He's looking everywhere."

Rachel replies, "I told him I was gonna go play with Sheena and the other big kids."

Lloyd blinks. "Sheena?"

"Kyaaah!"

As if on cue, the infamous assassin strolls up to the group with a squalling child held upside-down in her arms. The giggling and laughing captive struggles hard for freedom but Sheena's grasp proves too strong.

"Hey!" After a fierce kick from the child she warns, "Fight any harder and I might accidentally drop you on your head! I already caught all of you anyway! Game over."

While she sets the last hider down the children happily lament and complain that the game was already over and how Sheena always won.

The assassin defends, "You all picked me for it, remember?"

One girl counters, "That's because we can't ever find you when you're not it!"

Sheena changes the subject, "So one more game?"

The group cheers in delight.

Rachel, however, announces, "I've gotta go. James is looking for me."

Sheena's sudden tension at the sight of Lloyd goes wholly unnoticed as the children say their goodbyes. Unable to contain herself, she blurts out, "What are you doing here?" Sheena blushes when all eyes turn to her.

Lloyd takes a second before answering, "I'm just helping someone out. Don't mind me."

Sheena just stands there awkwardly as a chorus of "Not it!" rings out. After it ends a little hand tugs at the tiny skirt of Sheena's strange outfit. The child states, "You're it, Sheena!"

Sheena snaps to, "Huh? What?"

The child repeats, "You're it!"

Sheena switches between the children's faces and Lloyd's friendly face. Then she sighs and says, "Okay, okay! I'll be it again."

"Yay! Everybody hide!"

The children flee the fountain as Sheena faces the tamed water with her eyes covered with her left hand. She points with her right hand towards Lloyd and reminds, "Don't forget that I'm still your enemy!"

Lloyd shrugs. "Okay."

It was easier to navigate the village now that Lloyd is more familiar with his surroundings. When he arrives back at the smithy, coincidence had it that James would return from another direction, perhaps thinking to turn off into a different path before seeing Rachel with Lloyd.

"Ray!" he cries out as he catches up to the two. "You scared me! Don't wander off like that again!" As he takes Rachel to his side he faces towards Lloyd. "Thanks. Now that order that you need taken in?"

Lloyd takes it out and hands it over. "Here."

James pockets the order and expresses, "Thanks, I still really owe you. Where can I meet you to tell you when the order is in?"

Lloyd opens his mouth to reply . . . before realizing that he doesn't know what inn the others are checking in to. "Ah . . . Well . . . What inns are in Luin?"

James answers, "The only one here is the Phoenix Inn. So I can meet you there—ACK!!"

Lloyd jumps a couple inches at James's sudden outburst. "What?!"

"My mom!" James cries in horror. "She's coming! If she finds out about Rachel wandering off then she'll keep me from going to Hima! Then it's not like I can just avoid her—she'll use force to keep me from going! Quick! Pretend we just met! I'm James Hermann and you're . . . ?"

"Lloyd Irving," is the reply.

James flusters a little, "Okay—AH! Hi, Mom!"

An older woman with long chestnut brown hair regards James with suspicion, as if already knowing what he's covering. ". . . Hello, James." Her expression turns welcoming when turning towards Lloyd. "And who is this?"

James introduces, "This is Lloyd! We just met! He's a traveling around with a group!"

As Rachel silently hugs her mother's skirts, the woman goes, "Ah, traveling, hm? What a coincidence that you and James would meet. You see, James wishes to travel around the world and wishes to start at Hima to learn how to defend himself against monsters."

Then the woman smiles sweetly. "However, if he loses Rachel again that trip will be cut off."

James goes pale.

The woman speaks to Lloyd once more, "I apologize for any trouble James caused you. He means well, I assure you."

Lloyd assures, "There wasn't any trouble. Rachel was just playing with some of the other kids."

"Such a relief." The woman suddenly frowns and goes, "Where are my manners? My name is Elizabeth Hermann. Is there anything I can do to repay you for your efforts?"

James waves the order. "I've got that covered, Mother."

Elizabeth raises an eyebrow. "An order for Tyson? Give him word while you're in there. No! Don't give me that look! You march right in that smithy and tell your father what happened and leave nothing out! If I have to tell him myself—"

"I'm going!" James interrupts as he heads for the smithy.

Lloyd notes, "He seems really hounded by people a lot."

Elizabeth shakes her head, "Don't allow yourself to think that. You just caught him at a bad time." She changes her tune, "So you are a traveler? A pilgrimage, perhaps?"

Lloyd answers, "Something like that. It's really complicated."

"All things are complicated, but it is your business." Then she asks, "From where did you come from? Palmacosta?"

Lloyd corrects, "Iselia."

Elizabeth raises her eyebrow in surprise. "Iselia? I'm impressed. You traveled quite a long ways."

Lloyd adds, "It's a lot longer than you imagine."

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth turns and the two find the man Connor approaching. Connor casually comments, "I didn't expect you to come around here anytime soon."

Elizabeth states, "Kathleen saw James rushing around without Rachel so I came to investigate."

Connor glances away for a split second. "Ah. Okay. Everything turned out fine, I see. Hi, Rachel!"

Rachel switches from clinging on Elizabeth's legs to Connor's legs.

Connor speaks to Elizabeth, "Lizzy . . . I need to talk to you. There's some news."

Elizabeth nods, "Very well. May I introduce you to the person who found Rachel for a moment before?"

Connor shifts his attention to Lloyd. "You found Rachel? We can't thank you enough. What's your name?"

Lloyd says, "My name is Lloyd. I found Rachel playing with some of the older kids."

Connor does a half smirk. "So that's what happened. James was just chatting with someone and Rachel saw some other kids going off to play and quietly followed them. Thanks for the help, Lloyd No-Last-Name."

Lloyd couldn't tell if he thought the slight tease at the end to be slightly annoying or slightly amusing. "Lloyd Irving."

Elizabeth takes a sharp breath. Noticing that before Lloyd, Connor speaks to cover her reaction, "Irving? That's a common last name in more populated areas. Does it bring any trouble to you?"

While Elizabeth tries to control herself, Lloyd accounts, "Hmm . . . There was this one time in Triet that someone traveling in a pilgrimage heard my name and mistook me for someone else, but really nothing happened."

"Really? I suppose it's one of those things where it's worse in the imagination than anything else," he states while hoisting Rachel up in his arms. "Come on, Lizzy. I need to talk to you."

Elizabeth watches Lloyd for a moment . . . and she steps away. "A-alright. What is it?"

As they walk away, Connor reports, "You-know-who is back."

"Connor, I know of three you-know-who's on the top of my head. Which one?"

"The impossible you-know-who."

"Alright, that rules out the worse case scenario, but that still leaves two. Who is it? . . ."

The conversation fades out.

Lloyd watches them for a moment before moving away to where an inn should be.

* * *

"I've got some good news, everyone!" Lloyd announces.

Genis goes, "What? You finally grew a brain?"

Lloyd considers making a retort back before dismissing Genis's remark and states, "I got the order in! A family member of that blacksmith offered to get it in."

Colette chirps, "That's so nice of them! Now we can get the supplies those workers need sooner!"

I add, "We'll at least be able to get across the bridge sooner."

Raine states, "We can speak with Hermann tomorrow and discuss the details of the order. In the meantime we can rest."

"The poor horses deserve a break—and some extra treats," I express.

Colette states, "I bought carrots and sugar cubes for that exact reason. They'll be so happy!"

Kratos addresses Lloyd, "Even though we just came into Luin, I will still hold a lesson tonight."

Lloyd grouses, "But you know how tired we all are."

Kratos crosses his arms and gives Lloyd The Glare. "Are you complaining?"

"No, but—"

"No buts. Are you complaining?"

Lloyd scratches his head. "Yeah, I am. I'll meet you at the usual time."

Kratos grunts, "Humph. That's better."

"Excuse me."

We turn and find an older woman (that I'm guessing is pushing fifty) with this chestnut brown hair that seems a little familiar to me. Clearly distraught, the woman keeps one hand close to her heart as if needing something to do yet unsure of what to do. I notice that she keeps her pleading eyes on Lloyd.

Despite her emotional turmoil, she speaks in a calm voice, "You said your name is Lloyd Irving, yes?"

Lloyd's uneasiness is almost tangible to me. I can sense that he's never been in a situation even close to this and how confused he is at what to do, then frustrated with himself because he doesn't know what to do. All he could think to do is just reply, "Yeah, but what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

The woman doesn't answer. Instead she pauses, and asks, "And you traveled . . . from Iselia . . . right?"

Lloyd goes, "Yeah but that doesn't matter. What's wrong Elizabeth?"

The woman, Elizabeth, clasps both her hands together as if in prayer. "I . . . I must know. I must know. What is your mother's name?"

Then it hits me. Is this woman—

"My mom's name was Anna," he answers, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

Elizabeth's eyes go wide and mist over. With a quiet voice, she states, "Anna was . . . my sister!"

Lloyd gasps in shock and is rendered speechless.

Elizabeth continues in that quiet tone, "My sister's name was Anna. She had a son named Lloyd. With her husband and son, she traveled all across the world for reasons I will not say here. The last . . . The last I heard of her . . . she died somewhere in Iselia."

Colette looks to Lloyd, saying, "That sounds just like . . ."

Raine questions, "Do you mean to say that you and Lloyd are related?"

Elizabeth keeps her eyes on Lloyd as she nods.

Raine glances around the inn's common room. Then she ushers, "We should move this to one of the rooms. I'm sure you don't want eavesdroppers."

Elizabeth starts as if awakened from her shocked state and gowns an air of sharp calm, similar to Raine whenever she was calculating a matter. "Yes, of course," she says. "Although most of Luin's notorious gossips would never willingly wish us any harm, I wouldn't trust where their gossiping reaches. Please lead the way."

Raine leads us all to the largest room checked out to us (Colette's due to a visiting priest recognizing her). While Colette fishes the key out of her pocket, Elizabeth asks Lloyd, "Do you want to speak with me alone or with your friends at your side?"

Lloyd looks at each one of us before answering, "I want everyone with me."

Colette unlocks the door and permits everyone in. When Kratos and Elizabeth take their turns stepping to the door, they halt and remain there for a moment, refusing to look at one another. Kratos takes a step back, still not quite allowing his eyes to glance at her, and Elizabeth moves inside, not acknowledging Kratos' presence.

When inside, Colette pulls up a chair and offers it to Elizabeth, "Here, you can sit in this chair."

Elizabeth waves her hand in soft refusal. "No thank you, dear. If I can use my legs then I will stand."

There is a pause . . .

Finally, Lloyd asks, "You and Mom were sisters?"

Elizabeth replies, "Yes. She was my younger sister by five years."

"How did you know who I was?" he absently questions.

Elizabeth informs, "It was learning your full name. 'Lloyd' and 'Irving' are common names separately but I have never heard of the two combined aside from how Anna named you. After that it was just recognizing your resemblance to your parents." She shifts her eyes to Lloyd's hair and reminisces, "You have the same color hair as Anna did."

Lloyd glances away. "Do . . . Do you know how Mom died?"

Elizabeth turns downcast. "I never heard the details. What I know is that . . . Anna had something the Desians wanted. While she was in Luin after she escaped the ranch, there wasn't an urgent rush. I suppose they thought they could get her at any time since she was so close. When she left Luin, however, that changed. The Desians started to pursue her. They cornered her at Iselia and . . ." Her words trail off into silence.

Lloyd meets his aunt's eyes. "Who could have told you? Mom was dead, and I was in Iselia." Then he goes, "It was my dad, wasn't it? He survived!"

One of Elizabeth's hands clutch into a fist before she quickly says, "Yes, he did. He did survive and he did tell me. But Lloyd . . . He isn't someone you want to see right now. So much of him died along with Anna. The last I saw of him, he was a mere shadow of what he was before the incident. Even if he is still alive, you wouldn't want to see him right now."

Lloyd takes a step closer to Elizabeth. "But, Elizabeth, he's my dad."

"I'm sorry," she sadly denies, "but no. You wouldn't recognize him."

A silence cloaks over us all. I fight the temptation to gauge the expressions of the others, namely Kratos. This has to be something close to hell for him, for those wounds to be reopened and Anna's sister openly referring to him like this. I wonder if Elizabeth knows who—or rather what—Kratos really is. I'm sure she suspects something because here he is, right here in front of her, the same as he has always been for the past fourteen or so years.

Then what this is like for Lloyd . . .

Lloyd toils over everything he's just been told, but he gives it up for later and asks out of need, "Is there any other family I have? I now know that there's you and James and Rachel."

Elizabeth eases from the change in subject. She accounts, "There is also my husband, Tyson. He is the blacksmith that you sent that order to. He will be very happy to see you alive and well."

Lloyd gives her an innocent questioning look. Elizabeth answers the unsaid question by saying, "Lloyd, we all thought that you were dead. Now we know otherwise. This is the best news I have heard in years!"

Lloyd recollects, "I always wondered if Mom had any family other than my dad and me."

"And you do," Elizabeth assures. "You met me, and my children, and will soon meet Tyson. Then there is Connor; he isn't related but he _is_ a very close friend of the family. I remember that he used to be so timid at first . . ."

Lloyd remembers the first he saw of Connor. "Him? Timid?"

Elizabeth states, "Time changes a lot of things. Some things more than others."

Getting more life in his mood, Lloyd shoots, "Who else is there? What about Mom's parents? Did she have any other siblings?"

Elizabeth's head lowers as if unsure of how to say something. "Our father, your grandfather, died of old age just two years ago. He was very old."

"Oh . . ."

Then she adds, "But there is one more. My brother, Ephraim. He traveled with your mother and father during those hard years until an injury in Hima prevented him from continuing on. Even after he recovered he still wouldn't leave Hima. I think it had something to do with receiving word of Anna's death and . . . I don't know."

Lloyd wonders, "And how is he?"

At this, Elizabeth's face shrouds in concern. "I don't know. It's been three months and I haven't heard of him—and he is a regular correspondent. No news of him has come from there and I hear that the monsters in that area are getting stronger. Although I know he can take care of himself despite his age, I can't help but worry. Others say that I am just fretting over nothing."

Lloyd offers, "When I go down to Hima I can go find him. I'm sure everything's fine."

Elizabeth smiles at him. "I certainly hope so." Then, tears well up in her eyes. "Oh, Lloyd! You're alive! That's what matters right now! Lloyd!"

Without any warning, Elizabeth reaches out to Lloyd and hugs him tightly. "You're alive!" she whispers desperately. "You're alive!"

Startled for just a brief moment, Lloyd slowly places his arms around her and hugs her back. "Aunt Elizabeth . . ."

"We missed you so much," she tells him. "But now you're back! Thank heaven . . . ! Oh, Lloyd! We missed you!"

* * *

By the power within me, I order yee to review!


	25. My Two Faces

At first I didn't know where to take this so I came up with a bunch of ideas . . . however, the chapter took a turn I didn't predict.

**Edit: . . . Well, due to my gullible self, I fell for something rather stupid concerning water on acid and acid on water. Thanks, Regal Bryant Lover, I really appreciate the correction. (now if only i can remember which does what)**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five: My Two Faces

Elizabeth practically demanded that we all visit her home. Although we turned down using her home to stay in, we didn't stop her when she easily took out the money to pay for our rooms and any services the inn provides. When she escorted us to her home, I could sense everyone's surprise at the house's size. Well, they're not going to be living in a small house if the man bringing home the bacon is a skilled blacksmith as well as the only established blacksmith in Luin. Although, it seemed clear to me that the home was more of an old family house handed down from a couple generations after a good examination of the building. But I must say, this family of four keeps this old house well in shape.

Elizabeth must have sent a message for James to come home soon because not long after we settled in with a snack James came home to receive some news from his mother.

"So Lloyd is my cousin?!" James gawks in shock. "You mean, my late aunt's son?!"

"That's right," Elizabeth says. "I sent a note to your father. He should be here soon."

James turns to gawk at Lloyd. "And you lived in _Iselia_ all this time?!"

"Yeah," he goes. "Well, close to Iselia, but yeah."

James says, "I've got a million questions running through my head!"

Elizabeth inserts, "And you can ask them in a timely rate. I'm sure Lloyd has just as many questions."

Lloyd adds, "I just don't know what to ask first."

James chatters, "Same here! I've had no one my own age to talk to for forever! There's my uncle in Hima but he's getting old and we haven't heard anything from him in months and there's Connor but he's old too even if he looks like he's about to hit thirty. The only person my age that actually talked to me now and then was this girl named Sheena, but I haven't seen her in a long time."

Raine raises an eyebrow. "Sheena?"

James states, "Yeah, Sheena. Wears this weird purple outfit. It's pretty neat of her to play with the kids when she does come in the village."

"Yes, it is nice of her!" Elizabeth laughingly agrees. "In fact, I wouldn't know what I would do if she weren't watching Rachel when you lost her!"

James loses his cheery mood and turns somber and wary. I suppose his mother's authority over him is something of a sword of Damocles. One wrong move . . .

As the others consider this conflicting account of the assassin, I wonder, "Wouldn't James have a lot of people his age? He's pretty sociable."

Elizabeth explains, "There is a conflict between him and his friends—"

"It doesn't matter," James stiffly says. "If they can't accept someone for what they are then they don't matter. You might as well be fighting with a brick wall."

Lloyd frowns in confusion. "What's wrong?"

James gives him a sharp look. "You don't have any problems with half-elves, do you?"

I can feel the tension and anticipation just rolling off of Genis who's sitting next to me.

Lloyd shakes his head and goes, "No! I don't care if someone's a human or a half-elf."

James gets his light mood back. "Then there's no problem."

Genis' tension is replaced with relief.

James continues, "What's Iselia like? I've only heard of it."

Lloyd frowns in thought as his mind first wanders to the most recent events concerning Iselia.

I stand up. "I'm going outside."

Colette blinks. "Why?"

I head for the door. "It's a little too hot for me in here."

Colette smiles. "Oh, of course!"

Genis questions, "But wouldn't you want to stay inside? The weather's getting colder as winter gets closer. It's got to be about forty degrees outside."

Sylvarant doesn't go by Celsius or Fahrenheit, by the way. Anyway, although the weather _is_ getting cold, I can't stay in here much longer.

While Colette seems to ponder about something, I just smile and say, "I just need some space." Then I leave.

* * *

I'm just warning you: I like to philosophize.

In the Old Testament in the Bible, one of the Ten Commandments says "Thou shall not covet." Covet is just a fancy word for envy. It's a very strong jealousy that can consume someone like greed and hatred can.

Now I know firsthand why that Commandment is in the Bible.

I can feel it, the envy inside me. It eats me from the inside out and has me think nasty, horrible thoughts filled with jealousy and petty resentment. It's like a cancer just spreading from my heart to the rest of my body. It consumes my mind like nothing else I've ever felt. This . . . nagging, spiteful feeling.

Why? Why couldn't _I_ be the one to find my family? Why can't _I_ get back what was lost and—No. No, I didn't _lose_ anything. I had things _taken away_ from me. Everything and everyone I had was _taken_ from me, just as I was taken away from them. I know the people that I lost; Lloyd never got that chance. His pain over losing his family is now just a dull series of what ifs and unanswerable questions. Mine is this sharp hole in my heart that can never be filled unless I have what was taken from me returned. Why can't the person enjoying an aunt's company be me? Why can't _I_ be the one having an awkward but happy reunion with long lost relations? Why? Why can't that be _me?!_

_Shame._ _Shame_ on you. Be happy for Lloyd. It's better that this happen to _someone_ than _no one_ at all. You know that he wondered who his family was for a long time. Be happy for him. Be happy, damn it!

But it's so hard when I have that yearning ache deep inside me. I hate this. I hate this ugly thing causing those horrible thoughts. I hate that the next time I see Lloyd I'm going to be embarrassed at myself and ashamed for the thoughts thankfully left unsaid. I hate that by the time I return inside Elizabeth's home that I'll be going through the same sickening ride all over again. I have nothing personal against Lloyd; it's just . . . _this._ This whole situation of someone else getting what I've been longing to get back and I still have nothing. I would have felt the same way if I saw Raine and Genis meet their mother, or Zelos make his peace with his sister, or Sheena seeing with her own eyes that her grandfather finally woke up from that long-lasting coma. I would have thought the same things and felt the same wretchedness.

Nothing like feeling as if you're the most selfish person in the world . . .

I shiver. It must be around thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit out here. I'm going back inside; I can't stand the cold for long. I look back to the Hermann family home.

A man with a muscular body goes up to the home and pauses for a moment. He peers into the window before bracing himself against something and enters through the front door. My mind suspecting things, I pace myself up to the house and enter soon after he did.

My first sight into the home is Elizabeth giving the man a quick peck on the lips. She leans away and says, "Welcome home, Tyson."

Ooooohhhhh. That's her husband. Why was he looking in the window before coming in, though?

Tyson looks up from Elizabeth to each and every one of the group (besides me since I'm behind him), but I notice that he skips Kratos. Huh. Maybe Elizabeth warned him about Kratos and he looked through the window just to be sure. I mean, Tyson has had to have met Kratos before since they're brother-in-laws or something. James is just a little older than Lloyd and Elizabeth sounds like she was pretty close to her sister. Tyson and Kratos probably met at least once. Also, it's not like Tyson can just up and say "Hey, Kratos. Whassup? It's been fourteen years, fool."

I bite my tongue at the imagery of that last statement. Mustn't. Laugh.

Tyson turns back to Elizabeth and asks, "Lizabeth, that note you sent me, is it true?"

Elizabeth steps to the side so Lloyd is in full view and goes, "Yes, Lloyd is alive. He's right here."

Tyson's eyes slowly grow wide. ". . . Lloyd?"

Lloyd goes through a relapse of astonishment and awe at finding a long-lost relative. "Are you . . . my uncle?"

"Oh my . . ." Tyson loses his words. "You survived . . . ! Where have you been all this time?"

Lloyd answers, "Iselia. There's a dwarf who lives near the village who found me and Mom and took care of me."

Tyson wishfully asks, "And your mother? . . ."

Lloyd sadly shakes his head. "She died. The Desians killed her."

Elizabeth looks away. Tyson reaches to her and rests his hand on the back of her head comfortingly. Tyson says to Lloyd, "You're alive. That's what matters now." Then the blacksmith smiles welcomingly. "It's good to have you back."

Lloyd perks back up from the old sorrow from Anna's fate. Even though the pain of losing his mother will never go away, he now has found her family that he can share pieces of his life with.

To covet is to slowly be eaten from the inside.

Tyson changes his tone to casual and goes, "A dwarf raised you? Who is he?"

Lloyd answers, "His name is Dirk. He's a blacksmith who lives in the Iselia forest."

James asks, "He's a blacksmith? Does he have you help him with work sometimes?"

Lloyd recalls, "Whenever he feels like I can handle the project."

James comments, "That's not very often, is it? You would have bigger muscles if it was."

"Nah," I suddenly go. I walk around Tyson and approach Lloyd. "Lloyd's just scrawny."

"Speak for yourself," Lloyd remarks. "You're practically a twig."

"Yeah," I agree. "But then again I'm not the son of a dwarvan blacksmith, twig."

I gently push him three times to set him a little off balance; once on "son", once on "dwarvan", and last on "twig". He wavers a little in balance before recovering by taking a step back.

"As I said," he repeats. "Speak for yourself." He emphasizes his point by gently pushing me, causing me to land on my butt.

"You'd be nothing without your Exsphere," I counter.

To further prove me wrong, Lloyd takes off his Exsphere and easily picks me up and tosses me safely onto the wooden sofa.

"Got anything else to say?" he challenges as he replaces his Exsphere.

I adjust my seat and pout.

Tyson guesses, "Another one of your group?" Well, as far as he's seen this random girl comes into his home and teases his nephew and no one's treating her like some stranger. What's he going to think and assume?

"Yeah," Lloyd confirms. "Let me introduce you to everyone. That's Colette, Genis, Raine, Kratos . . ." He points at me. "Then that's Twig. I'm afraid that's really her name."

"My name is Kelsey," I state, forcing my tone to remain civil (but partially failing). Maybe I should take up on my bluff of putting laxatives in his food.

Elizabeth gets up. "I should be getting dinner started."

Raine gets up. "I'll help."

The room goes tense and apprehensive.

I immediately go, "Hey, Professor, can you help me on my history homework?"

Raine is about halfway to the kitchen. "Can it wait?"

"No not really," I hurriedly tell her. "I reeeeeaaaally need this help."

Raine gives in, "Oh, alright. What do you specifically need help on?"

There is a collective sigh of relief.

So while dinner is being made and Raine is helping me with history homework, Lloyd and Tyson hold a casual conversation over comparing the human techniques of smith work and dwarvan techniques of smith work. They really get into it. Eventually someone asks about the order that they had James send in and it actually became a big convenience. Tyson likes to have his students warm up by making simple tools and nails before working on any of the bigger projects that he has around and he's already got part of the order finished. Although his few students won't be too happy, they can certainly make enough nails to fill the order in a timely rate.

"If you want," Tyson offers, "you can help out."

"Really?" Lloyd smiles widely. "Cool! I'll show you the skills that Dad taught me!"

Tyson notices his son eyeing the two and laughs, "Ahahah! Feeling lonely, James? You know you don't need an invitation. Just walk in and get to work."

James brightens. "I'll get to the smithy early morning! I'll help you open up."

I focus on my work, ignoring the gnawing feeling inside my heart as images of my own cousins and aunts and uncles flash in my mind. No wonder envy is described to have a sting . . .

Unknown to everyone, Elizabeth left the kitchen while waiting for dinner to cook a little on its own. She stealthily moves to a tiny store room and digs out a box. Her hand sorts through the old documents of letters she wrote over the years and pulls out a tied stack of envelopes addressed to her. After taking the old letters out and replacing the box, Elizabeth goes to the small writing desk in her bedroom. She draws out a sheet of paper and writes a small note on it. With that, she slips the note into the letters and heads back towards the kitchen.

As if by accident, Elizabeth drops the letters on Kratos' shoulder as she passes. Kratos takes the tied stack and notices the note at the top, reading _They were from her._

Kratos silently, unseen by everyone, moves out of the chattering group. To where, we can only guess, but we can guess well since, the next morning, Elizabeth will wake up with the same stack of envelopes at her writing desk with the note she left bearing new text. She would then read _They were your mementos of her by right._

* * *

"Ow . . . ow . . . ow . . . ow . . ."

I look up at Lloyd returning from early morning training. "So how was that make-up lesson from Kratos?"

Due to the fact that none of us could really do much but travel during the trip from Asgard to Luin, Kratos decided to make up for all of those lesson-less nights by hosting some during the morning.

Lloyd grimaces with each limp. "We got into an argument and I challenged him to give me his best effort if he was so tough."

"And he kicked you ass," I sweetly guess.

"Pretty much."

I snicker. "You're gonna be sooooo sooooorrreee!"

"Shut up . . ."

I add, "And you promised your uncle and cousin that you'll be there at the smithy today."

Lloyd points out, "I've been helping Dad with blacksmith work almost all my life. I can easily take that."

I mention, "While Kratos handing you back your ass after giving him cheek is another thing entirely."

Lloyd retorts, "I don't see you practicing your spear!"

"Give me a break!" I counter. "I just got back from lessons from Raine! I'll practice in a moment."

Lloyd deducts, "History?"

"Yeah." That was a lie. She was finishing up teaching me how to manipulate my mana correctly for a spell. I almost have Fire Ball ready for casting. Since I've been doing this more than regularly all I have to do now is try it out. As for why I can't exactly tell Lloyd, I would have to explain how a human could cast a spell and I haven't come up with a good explanation for that yet. I may copy off of Kratos and say that I have a parent who's a half-elf.

Lloyd presumes, "So I'm actually better than you at school."

I ask, "Lloyd, what's twelve times nine?"

That gets him. "Ahh—"

"And what's the difference between putting water on acid and acid on water?"

"Uh, well—"

"And why didn't the Balacruf Empire conquer the area around Hima?"

"Um—"

"See what I mean?" I point out.

"I bet you don't even know the answers to all that!" he challenges.

I shoot off, "Twelve times nine is one hundred eight; if you put water in acid then there's a chance of the acid splashing back on you and acid on water minimizes that chance; and Hima was too far of a reach for the Balacruf Empire to successfully send enough men and supplies down to Hima for complete take over against the rebellious natives."

Lloyd goes into silence.

"Everyone has their weak points, Lloyd," I inform him. "You were just ahead of me in history until recently."

Lloyd salvages, "But I'm a lot better at swordsmanship and crafting."

"I would hope so," I go. "I've never picked up any crafting tools and you've had years of practice in crafting and blacksmith stuff. Then for fighting I've only had some months of intensive training while you've had years of practice. If _I'm_ better than you in those areas then there's a problem."

"You've got a point," he says as he scratches his head. "I'll see you around. I'm going to . . . to Uncle Tyson's smithy."

I inquire, "I've been meaning to ask: is it awkward calling these people who are, technically, strangers your aunt or uncle? I mean, you just found out that they're related after years of not knowing that they even existed."

"Hmmm . . ." He glances upward for a second of thought. "Yeah, it is kind of awkward, but they really do make me feel welcome and a part of things instead of just an extra. I think that feeling of awkwardness is going to go away once I get to know them."

I smile. "Go have fun."

"I will!" Lloyd smiles back and waves bye as he heads down.

Behind his back, my smile fades into a lonely frown. ". . . Go enjoy their company while you still can. Even consistent things in your life can be taken away in an instant."

* * *

As soon as Tyson saw Lloyd, the blacksmith gave a warm welcome. "Lloyd! James is just over in that direction. Do you need an explanation of things?"

"No," Lloyd says. "I just need the tools and supplies."

Tyson states, "That's good. James already set aside tools for you and can explain just what the order demands. I will just lead you to him and you can get started."

"Cool! Thanks!"

Tyson stops at an oven and anvil with James working over long heavy-duty nails. "You're welcome. Just be careful, understand? The two of you should be sure to watch each other."

"Will do," James immediately assures in his work.

"We will," Lloyd confirms.

Tyson nods with satisfaction—

"_Boss!!_"

Tyson hurries off to the other side of the smithy where a huge project is struggled over.

While Lloyd slips on the safety equipment he asks, "Is everything going to be okay over there?"

James looks up from his work and judges, "Yeah, looks like it. They just need an extra pair of hands. See? They already have everything under control now that Dad is giving them that bit of help."

Lloyd observes, "He's much stronger than he looks."

"Dad?" James answers, "That's because he has an Exsphere." Then James immediately pinches his lips together in a grimace as if regretting what he just said.

Curious, Lloyd asks as he starts working, "How did he get an Exsphere? From what I heard, mostly Desians have them."

James glances around for anyone in hearing range. He tells Lloyd, "It's a long story. I'm actually not allowed to tell it to anyone. I guess it'll be alright to tell you since you're family."

Lloyd watches James urging him to continue (while keeping an eye on his work).

James says, "You're from Iselia so I don't think you've heard, but twenty years ago there was this group that people started calling the 'Human Ranch Infiltration Team'. Dad, Uncle Ephraim, and Connor are actually that very same group. They're pretty famous for being able to get in the ranch and back out several times for a few years. Then a few years later after they stopped, it somehow got out that a secret to their success is that they made a map of the ranch north of here so they knew where all the security and stuff was."

Lloyd's eyes go wide in shock. "They were able to get in and out of a human ranch without getting caught? That's amazing! Were they trying to rescue the captives?"

James shakes his head while he keeps his face to his work. "They were only trying to save one captive: Aunt Anna."

Lloyd goes silent to listen.

James continues, "When I heard this story, I called Dad and Uncle Ephraim and Connor heroes. They told me to never call them heroes ever again, saying that if they were really heroes then not only would they've gotten Aunt Anna out that first year but they would've kept breaking other captives out."

"But Mom got out," Lloyd points out.

James replies, "From what I heard, she got out on her own, which is even more amazing. I think she encouraged a lot of people after that because I'm hearing a lot of rumors of people from the ranches escaping more. That's great, don't get me wrong, but now the Desians have been attacking more frequently and Dad and Connor are more suspicious of strangers because they claim that the Desians are sending spies to find out what's going on. Connor's been really jumpy lately, too. So getting the captives back is kinda like a trade-off: we get the captives back and the Desians attack us more. I guess that's what the village was afraid of at first when the Infiltration Team started out."

"But they still went in," Lloyd states. "And now they can do even more. Think they're helping some of the escaped captives?"

James shakes his head again. "No, Dad isn't involved and Connor's retired. Uncle Ephraim . . . I don't even know if he's alive or not since he hasn't contacted us for a couple of months. It may be him, but we would've seen him around here if it was. I know that _someone's_ helping them escape since it's a lot harder for a captive to escape now, but I don't know who."

There is a pause as the two get back to working. It was about twelve long nails when Lloyd wonders, "What ever happened to that map that they had?"

"Uhhhh . . ." James ponders the issue over a nail. "I really don't know, actually. Uncle Ephraim was the one who drew it so I think he took it with him to Hima, but it's been about twenty years since they retired so they could've burned it because it's absolute proof connecting them to the break-ins and that'll get everyone in the family in trouble. Then if that map was taken by someone then Luin could be in some serious trouble. I think it's more likely that they burned it."

Lloyd watches them for a moment before saying, "I don't get it. There are so many people trapped in that ranch. Why don't they help them?"

James toils over a long nail. "They don't because they don't want to risk losing family and Luin. If they go out to the ranch one more time then that'll be the last straw. Just saving one captive will bring the entire ranch down at us."

Lloyd cringes at the example, remembering the disaster at Iselia. ". . . Okay, I get what you're saying."

James expresses, "None of us are happy about it. We all wish we could do more than what we are doing but we don't have the strength to face the Desians. We don't have a militia like Palmacosta or a peace treaty to keep them at bay like Iselia or even an area where we would have some advantage like Asgard with their high cliffs and Hima with that mountainous land. All we can do right now is wait for the Chosen to regenerate the world."

Lloyd shakes his head. "I don't like that. There has to be something, some other way."

"Not right now, there isn't," James responds.

Silence . . . . . .

James asks, "Can we talk about something else? Something more cheerful?"

Lloyd pauses before thinking. "I don't know about cheerful, but it doesn't focus on the Desians if that's what you're looking for."

James waves his hand to prompt him. "Go on."

Lloyd questions, "Do you know someone named Aifred? I've got a letter from this girl named Lyla from Izooid that I promised to deliver."

James whistles a long single note. "Aifred? You're already screwed. Aifred left a long time ago."

"Aw, man! Are you sure?" Lloyd goes.

James promises, "Positive. He and Connor know each other and don't get a long at all. Something about a pearl necklace that used to belong to Connor's mother. I always know when Aifred left because Connor relaxes a bit more about where his belongings are and doesn't fuss over his mother's pearl necklace as much."

"But Aifred isn't a thief, is he?" Lloyd says.

James clarifies, "Aifred isn't just a thief. He's a pirate. The only reason why you'd find him here in this landlocked village is for sentimental reasons."

Lloyd groans, "I can't believe we missed him."

"Hey, you were traveling," James points out.

Lloyd replies, "Yeah, so I guess I can't complain much."

Out in the distance, the assistant foreman shouts out, "Lunch break! First shift lunch break!"

Lloyd looks up.

James states, "That's for first shift, which means not us. We're third shift."

Lloyd allows himself to grumble a second before getting back to the nails.

* * *

"Does that taste good, Punky?" I coo as I feed my horse a nice long carrot. "Fresh carrots usually give me hiccups so I'm willing to bet you like these better than I ever will."

Punky gives me adoring eyes as he munches that carrot down.

I pet his nose while I speak over the loud crunching, "Lucky you gets to be lazy all day long. Too bad we have to go back out once we get those nails. You'll probably have to carry them."

The poor horse only understands my loving tone and nothing about the words foreshadowing the work ahead. He nudges my face with his muzzle affectionately.

I pull out the last carrot I have to offer him. "Here's the last one for today. Better enjoy it."

Punky pulls it out of my fingers and greedily chows down on it. It's gone in about seven seconds.

"Well, that's all for today. I'll see you later." I pat Punky's nose three times—a habit that I've gained for whenever I'm about to stop giving attention to an animal. I turn around and leave—and a muzzle pushes against my back.

I laugh, "Punky! I gotta go!"

Punky gives me "The Look." The Look that says "don't you dare leave me alone!"

I laugh again, "Ahahahah! I can't spoil you forever, horse! I'm leaving and that's that! Besides, I'll come and check on you later."

Punky watches me dejectedly as I leave the inn stables. I almost feel guilty leaving him but I know for a fact that he's being taken good care of. That, and I know that Colette is spoiling him more than I am. I exit the inn stables into the bright cold sunlight. I shiver in the growing cold. I need to buy a coat soon. In fact, I'll buy one right now. I have about . . . nineteen hundred thirty-three gald. I know for sure that I can get myself a good coat for the winter.

I walk down the ways to the commerce area of Luin and search around for anyone selling clothing. As soon as I find the small shop for textiles and clothes, I enter the shop and search for a nice coat. Since the cloth coats aren't nearly as warm here as they are in Earth, I'll probably have to settle for an expensive fur coat. Damn. I not only lose money but I also end up supporting fur trade. Then again, Sylvarant can't afford to waste anything, especially not parts of animals they hunt (not meaning to sound vulgar but that's the gist of it). Besides, if it keeps me warm then it doesn't have to be a vain waste. Even still, I'm searching through the cloth coats for a nicer alternate.

As it turns out, there wasn't a good alternate in cloths, but I did get lucky and find a nice wool coat. Then I did find good cloth gloves (no fingerless gloves during winter for me thank you) and a really nice dark blue scarf made of cloth. Satisfied with my find, I go up to the merchant's counter to pay for my purchases.

A man walks up behind me and addresses the merchant, "I'm here for a package that I ordered."

I look up at the man. Seemingly around his early thirties, this man is slightly taller than average and holds a mature look that contrasts with his youthful sandy hair. He looks as if he's seen too much in his life, which is a possibility since there's a Desian ranch just a stone throw away up north.

The merchant asks, "What package?"

"The 'DNI' package," the man answers.

"Ooooh. That one." The merchant exchanges my gald with the coat, gloves, and mittens that I bought and turns away towards the back and pulls out a floppy package that seems to have some clothes in it. He hands it to the man without any gald exchanged. "Give my regards, will you, Connor?"

"I will. Be safe," the man replies.

"You too," the merchant wishes as the man leaves.

I watch in curiosity as I bundle up into my new coat, gloves, and scarf, making sure each piece of clothing is nice and tight and bundled. Hmmm, so that's Connor. Maybe I should tell him where Lloyd is. I mean, I remember something about Elizabeth saying that Connor really wanted to meet Lloyd but was having some important work in the way. Yeah, I should go tell him. That way, Connor can actually meet him. I'm sure both Lloyd and Connor would like that. I hurry out to catch up with him.

Outside, I search the area for the sandy haired man. When I find him I follow him off a ways. To my surprise, his pace is a little fast for me. Although it certainly isn't panicked, it definitely says that he's in a hurry. Eventually he stops at a house outside of the commerce section of Luin. Just as he's about to reach the door another man meets him from behind.

"Hey, Connor, are those for DNI?"

"What do you think?" Connor casually responds.

"I think they are." The man switches the topic, "By the way, have you heard from P in Hima?"

"There hasn't been any word from Hima ever since the ogres moved eastward closer to the village," Connor states.

"Ah, okay. I've been wanting to know how he's doing since he didn't seem really well when he left for Hima."

Connor goes, "No one 'seems really well' when they get out of a place like that."

"I meant more than usual."

While my brain registers everything that was just said, I move forward to speak to Connor.

Hands grab me from behind and pull me back into the darkness.

"Mmm-M!" I struggle.

"Shhhhh," hisses a voice.

"Mmmm!" I growl through the restraining hands.

"Quiet!" bites a subdued voice.

I try to bite his hand. In reaction, the man pushes my jaws up into a tight shut. With how my neck is angled any sound I make becomes a muted mangle.

". . . got stuff for DNI. They'll like it."

"Do you have it?"

"It's at home."

"Then come back at the right time when you have it. Right now, you need to leave. Things are at risk right now and I don't want to take any chances. Everyone is in line if my suspicions are true."

". . . Alright. I'll come back later. If you hear word from Hima, let me know."

"Thank you. I will."

After the door shuts and a set of footsteps trails off, a silence descends down upon the area.

I claw at my captor's hands. "Nnngh!"

"Just keep quiet."

The binding hands release me and I tumble away mutely gasping for air. (Remember that my neck was bent in a funny angle?) I turn around and hiss, "Are you crazy?! You didn't have to go that far! I knew who you were when you first spoke!"

Kratos doesn't show any hint of regret (of course). Instead he looks down at me as if I were missing something obvious and asks, "You were about to break their conversation by plodding obliviously up to them. Didn't you see anything remotely strange about that activity?"

"Fine!" I quietly snap. "I'll admit that I was being an obtuse idiot. From what I can guess, DNI and P are people involved in something rather risky—a place I'm guessing. Then DNI are a number of people, judging from the fact that they're referred to as 'they' rather than 'he' or 'she'."

Kratos stares at me like he's saying "Go on."

"Then . . ." I think for a second. ". . . the risky place that would put a lot of people on the line . . ." My words trail off as I realize what's going on. The ranch up north. "They're smuggling captives out of the ranch up north?"

Kratos stops the prompting stare and starts moving away from the area. I get the feeling that I just hit the mark.

I follow him and guess, "There's nothing that we can do without risking their exposure further, is there?"

"No," he answers. "There is nothing we can do in this situation."

"So," I go, "you followed Connor because you saw him acting a little suspicious and decided to see what was going on."

"Obviously."

I get the feeling that Kratos doesn't place a lot on neither my intellect nor my observation skills.

After a little more walking, Kratos stops and says, "I have been meaning to ask . . ."

I stop when I sense that he's not going to walk and talk at the same time.

"Where are you really from?"

I turn my head slightly towards him without moving my position. "I told you and everyone else. My family traveled around and I ended up in Palmacosta."

Kratos watches me, his eyes indecipherable. "Out of all my travels around this world, never have I seen or heard of a family that traveled just to travel. Never."

I shrug. "Is it really my fault that you haven't heard of that?" Damn. How am I going to get out of this one?

"Why haven't we encountered them by now?" Kratos questions. "If your family really did travel about then surely we would have met them by now."

Don't waver. Don't falter. "I don't know!" I gripe. "I'm sure we just kept missing them! They're probably searching Palmacosta right now!" That's it. Keep the ruse. The ruse is the only thing anyone will believe more than the actual insane truth.

"Strange," Kratos frigidly comments. "You were in Palmacosta for quite some time. I would have thought that they would have found you well before you met us."

I bitterly reply, "Palmacosta is a big crowded place. Sometimes a person can search high and low in a place like that and not find the person they're looking for." Nice. Very f**king nice. Like _he's_ one to talk! How much of the Iselia forest did _he_ search for Anna and Lloyd before giving up?

"Yes, I can agree on that." Then he argues, "However, with how long you stayed in Palmacosta and how long they were searching, they should have found you by now. Your story doesn't have much base."

I blurt out, "What do you want from me?! Do you want me to tell you something that you'll believe? How about, I'm a spoiled little brat who was bored with her life and ran away to Palmacosta to search for some adventure. How's that?!"

Calm down, Kelsey. This isn't someone you want to square off to.

Kratos' eyes turn icy at my sarcasm. "What I want is the truth. Who are you and where did you come from?"

Running out of backups, I hiss, "What about you? There's a lot you don't tell this group that you probably should."

"I don't consider my life something that should be shared to the open," Kratos counters. "All that I am is a mercenary hired by the church to protect the Chosen and that is all that really matters with me. With _you_, _you_ have been hiding something about yourself and you guard it as if it were something incriminating. As far as any of us knows, this secret could be something dangerous to us or it may be something harmless. However, none of us might not ever know until it is too late—and _that_ is what is the most dangerous about hidden information."

I glare at him, pausing while I gather more for my defense, and finally go, "Wow. You must really place a lot on me. To think that my life could be so dangerous, so influential, that this so-called 'secret' might endanger the lives of everyone around me."

"Sarcasm doesn't become you," Kratos snips.

I finally lose it. "Would you like me to ask some of those questions to _you_?! Who are _you_? Where are _you_ from? What happened to _your_ family?"

"That's none of your concern," Kratos growls.

I bite, "And that same information about me is none of yours!"

Kratos circles around me, but still keeping me pinned here. This is probably his alternate for actually coming at me with this mounting temper. "You are a liability and have little hold on this group. Because of that, any secrets you may have are an additional risk. There is very little that keeps you from harming this journey or from refraining your mouth should the Desians use you."

What an insult! "And what keeps your lips shut, _mercenary_?" I spat. "Just a few gald coins? At least I would never willingly betray everyone to the Desians. What keeps you from switching to the next paying job is the nice amount of gald that the church is giving you. What if someone with a fatter pocket or a better deal should come along—"

_BANG!_

Finally reaching a limit, Kratos plants his fist into the brick wall next to him, seemingly oblivious to the fact that it left a slight indention. He glares death and hell at me, as if I had just uttered the foulest of heresies. I tremble. I tremble where I stand, realizing that I had gone too far. If Kratos' discipline were lesser, undeveloped, then the strength vented out on that brick wall would have been unleashed on me.

Right now, it doesn't matter if this man is a hypocrite or justified in his case. It doesn't matter if I'm in the right or wrong. He has the power to destroy—and _that_ is what makes his word paramount.

His temper now reigned, Kratos removes his fist from the injured wall and returns to his steady poise. He again looks like the same man who I've been traveling with ever since I left Palmacosta, the same quiet and distant man who would observe even dire situations and reacted with remarkable composition. However, reality has shown another side that cannot be taken back. The strength gained from four thousand years is brought back to my memories and I feel every second and every moment with this powerful being. A surreal moment that reminds me of my fragile mortality.

Cautiously, I state, "My life . . . is not for free telling. I'm not just going to tell you anything no matter what you do. If you want to find out then you'll have to put the pieces together yourself."

Kratos regards me, his eyes once again unreadable, except that I can sense the vast control inside him. ". . . Is that so?" He approaches me. I hear a _shaaa _and a dim glare of light reflects into my eyes. "What if I threaten to kill you? What would you do then?"

Although I tremble harder, I keep my expression the same as it has been during this argument. I will not allow my face to expose my fear. "Then . . . Then I guess I'm dead."

A pause . . . . . I hear another _shaaa_ and the glaring light disappears. He coolly warns, "You have until tomorrow to decide whether or not what you are hiding is going to risk the others. Should you come and I deem it too hazardous then your life is forfeit if you choose to resist leaving immediately. Whatever I search for, I find. I guarantee you that."

With that, he leaves me there, alone with the dented brick wall. After some time passed without Kratos' presence, I walk over to the fist print in the brick and trace the dimensions.

"The only one whom the knowledge of my origins could harm is me."

* * *

I made a quote that I'm rather proud of. ^^ It's not a happy quote but it can work.

Story + Review = Happy Writer! ^^


	26. This is Definitely a Fantasy Game

This is going to be fun. Muahahahahah!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six: This Is Definitely a Fantasy Game

March thirteenth.

We all decided to wake up during the early morning grey to get an early start so that we could get to the bridge sooner with the finished and filled order. There wasn't any need to pay for it since the builder boss's wife covered the expenses. Tyson was willing to make it free of charge since he found Lloyd because of this order but she wouldn't listen to him. Then the nails were carefully filled in these two container boxes that were secured inside the wagon. I observe the two boxes with doubt while Kratos buckles the two horses Copper and Stripe (Colette named them) onto the wagon.

I wonder, "Wouldn't it be easier to strap those two boxes onto Punky?"

"Not if we want to keep from overburdening him," he replies. Hmmm, now that I think about it, he's actually right. Putting that direct weight on Punky's back would overburden him.

I feed Punky another carrot and climb up on his back and watch the scenery while waiting for the others.

"So you are coming?"

I glance at Kratos. "Yes."

"Then that is your decision."

I look away from him. "Yes."

There is a pause . . . "Then I hope for your sake that whatever you're hiding isn't nearly as precarious as it might be."

Let's see him try to wrap his little mind around something beyond his accepted reality.

The door opens and I spy Raine ushering Lloyd, Colette, and Genis out. With the exception of Colette, they appear a little disheveled like they just rolled out of bed and live in a half daze. There are dark circles under their eyes and their manner telltales of grouchy moods.

Perfect game.

I trot Punky up to Lloyd and chirp, "Good morning, star shine! The earth says hello!"

"Not before my morning coffee, Kelsey . . ."

"But what's more wonderful than waking up during the _ungodly_ early hours of the morning bright and shining before the sun rises?" I cheerfully ask.

"Sleeping in . . ." he groggily answers.

"Look on the _bright_ side!" I cheep. "Now you can watch the sun come _gloriously_ over the horizon as you ride along in a jumpy horse-drawn wagon!"

Genis groans, "Kelsey. Stop. We're too tired for this."

I sing, "Al~ways look on the briiiiight side of life~!"

"Kelseeeyyyy . . ." Genis carps.

I continue, "Al~ways look on the briiiiight side of—OW! Ahahahahahah!"

My hand reflexively catches the apple Lloyd tossed at my head. I hand it back to him happily saying, "Now, now. Is that any way to treat such a marvelous piece of fruit? Look at this apple! It's such a _beau_tiful color of red!"

Lloyd snatches it out of my hand and threatens, "I'll chunk it at your head again! This time I'll throw harder!"

I send Punky into a trot towards the wagon away from Lloyd. "Uh-oh! Retreat! Retreat!"

Lloyd rubs the side of his head, grumbling, "This is going to be a looong day . . ."

Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Raine climb up into the wagon with Kratos driving the horses this time. Colette nestles into her seat and waits for the rest of us to get settled. Genis leans on his sister's arm as she finishes the last pages of one of my Lord of the Rings books (The Two Towers book). Lloyd slumps against the front of the wagon and starts to doze.

"Wait!"

We all crack our eyes open to find Elizabeth hurrying to us. When she makes it to us she stops and pants for a winded second before getting her composure back together.

"I was almost afraid that I wouldn't catch you," she expresses. She hands a medium sized bag over. "Here, this is from all of us. I know you already have a lot of supplies but too much is better than not enough."

Lloyd reaches out and takes the bag. "Thanks, Aunt Elizabeth."

Elizabeth says, "The others wanted to see you off too but it's just so early. We will all see you again the next time you come around."

Raine assures, "It will only be a week at the least until we return. Don't worry, we will return."

Elizabeth smiles and adds, "Connor sends his regards too. He is really put off that he never really got the chance to meet you."

Genis asks, "So why didn't he come with you?"

Elizabeth explains, "There was a situation at Luin's west exit concerning a cockatrice last night. Since the incident took a lot out of him, I didn't bother waking him up this morning. He isn't going to be happy with me when he wakes up, not that I really care. He can gripe all he wants."

Colette promises, "We will be back. Connor can meet us then."

"Alright, then." Elizabeth bids, "Be safe."

"We will," Lloyd goes. "Goodbye."

Elizabeth waves us goodbye as we head out of Luin. The village becomes merely a speck by the time the sun starts rising.

* * *

Lloyd was still sleeping by the time we stopped for lunch. I watch him as Kratos takes his turn to cook.

I ask, "Think he's going to wake up at the smell of food?"

Genis replies, "I wouldn't put it passed him."

"How about you go sneak some food from Kratos' cooking?" I suggest.

"Why don't you do it?" he questions.

I state, "I'm not even sneaky when I'm trying. I know I can't do it."

Genis considers his options and goes to snatch a small plate of food from Kratos. He returns with scraps from the cooking and climbs into the wagon and holds the plate right under Lloyd's nose.

"Uuuuhhhh . . ." Lloyd's eyes reluctantly flicker open. "Is it breakfast time already?"

"Nope," Genis goes. "It's lunch."

Lloyd blinks. "Lunch?"

"Hey, sleepy."

Lloyd looks at the plate. "So it's lunchtime already?" He spots me just after saying that and backs away from the plate. "Uh-uh! I'm not touching that!"

I give him a flat stare. "I didn't poison it with laxatives yet, Lloyd. I'm not trying that stunt with Kratos keeping watch."

Lloyd demands, "Why don't you just get over what happened with the unison attack already? I said I was sorry and your ankle is better! There's no reason why you would hold something like that against me."

I remind, "I told you I'm grudging."

Genis rolls his eyes. We go over this every time before we start eating.

Lloyd bargains, "Look, why don't we work out the kinks. That way the next time we try that unison attack out we don't get killed."

Genis agrees, "He does have a point."

I frown. "We're not going to try it out on monsters yet."

"Of course not," Lloyd reassures.

I pause and let the tension build for a moment. I watch his hopeful expression begging me to practice the new unison attack with him. Finally, I mock sigh, "Alright. Let's get that unison attack straightened out."

Lloyd grins. "Great! We can work on it after lunch!"

After he goes off I ask myself, "Am I getting in over my head?"

Genis answers my question with a shrug. "Maybe, since he's an extrovert and you're usually pretty introverted. Still practicing that attack is better than nothing."

"True," I agree. "I would rather break my ankle during practice than while fighting monsters."

Genis snips, "Give Lloyd some credit. He's really trying."

Oh, so I went too far. "Alright," I go. "I'll stop."

"Hey, you two!" Lloyd calls. "Seafood stew!"

_Please let it be something good . . ._ I think to myself. I'm pretty so-so with fish.

We mainly ate freshwater fish since our freshest source of fish is Luin, a freshwater community. Palmacosta is ages ago. It certainly feels ages ago to me now, and if Palmacosta feels ages ago then Earth feels . . . ancient. I almost feel a century older when I think about how much happened to me between the time when I was doing (what was I doing again?) . . . Spanish homework in my bedroom to now. As I pick at my fish I wonder about everyone else. What about Lloyd? He was just going to school and the next thing he knows the world regeneration journey started and he's getting kicked out of Iselia. With Genis it's sort of the same thing since most of his memories are of Iselia. Colette always had the regeneration journey over her head but in Iselia it was always going to be later and later and later; now it's going on and the end is getting closer and closer and closer. Raine was born in Heimdall, banished from the village along with her parents, chased all around Tethe'alla, dropped into a wintry sea during that chase, sent to Sylvarant at a young age with only Genis as a newborn, and traveled around Sylvarant trying to figure out what she's going to do then, and then Iselia and the world regeneration journey. Kratos . . . I'm not even going to try. I'm surprised he's not yet a basket case (if he already is then that would explain some things).

Colette leans around to me and asks, "Are you alright?"

I snap to. "Hm?"

She repeats, "Are you okay? You don't look too cheery."

I smile. "It's alright, Colette. I was just zoning out."

She still looks concerned. "Were you thinking of something sad?"

I shake my head for no while keeping that smile. "Nah. I just somehow look a little sad when I'm just zoning out." Which is the truth. "I'm a little homesick but that's just it."

Colette smiles. "Don't worry. Once the world is regenerated and Chocolat is saved then you can go back home to Palmacosta."

I busy myself with my stew. "Yeah. Home. To Palmacosta." Home as in not going back to Earth ever again.

Genis joins in, "What's wrong? You can return home whenever you want. Lloyd and I . . . We don't have that luxury."

I glance at Lloyd. He's being nagged at by Raine since she noticed that he's not doing his homework. Again. Good. He's too busy to join in. I tell Genis, "Having a home in Palmacosta to return to isn't my problem. It's that right now there's a lot of internal stuff for me to sort out and I'll need to do that when this is all over. I need time to think about some things."

"Like what?" he inquires.

I look down at my food. ". . . That's really difficult for me to explain."

Colette and Genis go silent. One of the nice things about this group is knowing when it's better just to leave touchy subjects alone.

Noishe bolts up and whips to a direction to the west. His ears twitch like a radar searching for whatever it is that disturbed his calm.

"YIP! YIP! YIP! YIP! YIP! YIP!" he panics.

"Noishe! What's wrong?!" Lloyd cries out.

"YIP! YIP! YIP! YIP! YIP!" Noishe jumps up and bounds away, knocking over Lloyd and Kratos along with all of our food. His frightful sprint sends the three horses into alarm.

The group's first priority is to get the horses calm without getting trampled. Lloyd, Raine, and Kratos dash to the two horses attached to the wagon while Colette and Genis help me with Punky. My horse rears up and backs away from us, blind with fear. Punky rears up against us again and turns in a direction we haven't covered.

And my horse gallops away.

"WAIT! STOP! PUNKY!" I cry. It's far too late. The horse is already out of my sight and far beyond my reach.

When the two horses leading the wagon settle into an uneasy silence we start cleaning up our unfinished lunch. I continuously mutter incoherent curses of how the next time I see Noishe I'm going to skin him, kill him, shave him completely bald, set his fluffy tail on fire . . . you know, all those kind of malicious and vengeful things.

Lloyd, however, was close enough at one point to hear me. He gives me this aghast look and asks, "You're not really going to do all those things to Noishe, are you?"

I truthfully tell him, "I don't have the heart to do that to anyone. I just wanna steam for a bit and get over this before he comes back."

Raine picks up the spilled cooking pot. "He probably smelled some nearby monsters."

Genis retrieves a few of the cooking tools. "So monsters are about to come at us?"

Lloyd states, "For Noishe they don't even have to be charging us. They just have to be around. For all we know they could just be passing by."

"Beautiful . . ."

Colette suggests, "Why don't we use a holy bottle and that way the monsters won't come around us for sure!"

Raine says, "I wouldn't recommend using a holy bottle in this situation."

Genis goes, "Is it because Noishe wouldn't come back then? That's what happened when we used it at Triet."

"What's with that?" I question. "Holy bottles repel monsters. Is Noishe technically a monster?"

Lloyd denies, "No! Noishe is a dog!"

Raine frowns as if she were about to do a bothersome chore. "That isn't what I mean. Holy bottles are actually bottles of water mixed with monster pheromones for claiming territory. If we use a holy bottle here then the last two horses with us will run away just as Punky did."

"Wait a minute." I halt in my cleaning as a dawning realization comes upon me. "'Monster pheromones for claiming territory'? Does that mean that holy bottles are actually monster piss?"

Raine gives me a flat stare. "You feel strongly enough over this fact that you would use foul language?"

Lloyd joins in, "So what we put on our shoes at Triet is actually monster piss?! That's nasty!"

Kratos makes a curious face. "You never knew what it was all this time?"

"No!" Lloyd goes. "I thought it was like holy water for vampires!"

Because I need something to direct my attention away from the piss bottles, I correct Lloyd, "Holy water doesn't repel vampires. You're thinking of garlic."

Lloyd goes on in his horror. "No wonder Genis wouldn't touch that stuff!"

Genis makes that signature side flat look. "I was wondering if you really knew what that stuff was. Go figure you wouldn't know."

I raise my hand. "All in favor for selling the stuff as soon as we get the chance say I."

"I!" Lloyd, Genis, and Colette call off.

Raine moans, "Colette, not you too."

Colette makes this innocent expression and calmly states, "Professor, I don't really want to put monster pee on my shoes ever again. It's really gross."

"Sorry, sis," Genis unapologetically says. "It's four to two; unless Kratos doesn't care then it's four to one."

"Five to one," Kratos corrects. "That mixture is going to be a burden should one of the bottles crack. We do not need our horses suddenly bolting away."

Raine snorts, "Hmph! I'm sorry that I bought some in Asgard! It doesn't hurt to be prepared should something happen!"

The horses whine at something to the west. We turn, expecting a monster, and find . . .

. . . A giant green chicken.

"_That's_ what Noishe smelled," Lloyd figures.

"A cockatrice," Kratos growled.

"I was afraid of that," Raine expresses.

The giant chicken starts trotting determinedly in our direction.

"This isn't good," Raine states. "We need to get the horses away!"

Colette jumps up onto the driver's seat of the wagon and declares, "I'll get the horses far from here! I'll check up on you when they're in a safe place!"

"Be careful, Colette," Genis bids.

"I will. Yah!" Colette lashes the reins and drives the horses with the wagon quickly away.

Genis pulls out a monster lens. "Its strength is the wind element and it can turn you to stone by pecking at you. Structurally it's just like a chicken so we should probably go for the neck."

I pull out my spear. "Are cockatrices edible? If so then it can make up for the seafood stew Noishe spilled all over the place."

"Who has the panacea bottles?" Raine calls out.

"I do," Kratos answers.

Lloyd questions, "What's a panacea bottle going to do if we turn to stone?"

"Cure us. What else?" I go.

The cockatrice comes upon us.

The giant chicken dives its beak at us. We dodge away in reflex as the beak scourges the air and digs into the ground, turning the grass there into stone. Raine and Genis leap to the back, out of the chicken's way, and start casting spells. Genis sticks to fire-based and lightning-based spells while Raine concentrates on whatever is needed. Kratos switches back and forth between attacking the bird, distracting the bird, and casting spells from Lightning to First Aid. He's a busy man. Lloyd concentrates on not getting pecked to death since the cockatrice somehow decided that Lloyd looks tasty today. Hey, lots of dark meat, easier to get at, and not nearly as good in defense as the other human with lots of dark meat (Kratos, if you're dense). Me? Well I'm a scrawny thing that only has a speed advantage. I'm not even a mouthful.

I'm just giving no mercy to this thing! I charge at the monster and use all my strength in every attack I use. I don't even hesitate in attacking. However, my "give-it-all-you-got" strategy becomes a hit-and-run strategy. Even then I'm still giving it all I got. Suddenly, while Raine casts Barrier on Lloyd, I get the urge to test something out.

Kratos dives in and snatches Lloyd away before he becomes a chicken beak shish kabob. The two whip around to the back of the monster as I ignite a small flame in my hand. It goes out, and I light it again. With each time the flame flutters out I light it with more vigor. Finally, I get a good fire burning in my hand and I streak it across the blade of my spear. I charge at the cockatrice with my spear aflame.

"Horizon!" My spear sweeps horizontally with a line of fire tailing it. A nasty smell of burning hair wafts up as my spearhead burns through the feathers and flesh of the monster. I leap back as the cockatrice cries out in pain.

Sweep plus Fire Ball equals Horizon (as in the synonym for sunrise). I can remember that.

When the cockatrice gets done panicking over the fire it lashes its head at me and dashes in my direction with all intentions of hurting me.

"_Yikee!_" I yip as I dive away. The grass on the spot where I was turns into spiky concrete.

Lloyd races to my aid and attacks the cockatrice. "Fierce Demon Fang!"

The monster yips in pain and turns its ugly head on Lloyd.

Lloyd leaps away—

_Thuk!_

"Gah!" Lloyd tries the other way—

_Thuk!_

"Gah!" Trapped with little time, all Lloyd could do was stare as the cockatrice rears its head up for the final strike.

"Lloyd!" Kratos lunges in and shoves Lloyd away as the beak comes falling down, leaving no time for a traveling mercenary to dodge away. There's tons of time for a Cruxis Seraphim to dodge this attack, but not so for a mere human traveling mercenary.

In other words, he's forced to take one to keep his façade.

The cockatrice dashes Kratos in the shoulder, leaving a gash in his flesh and a stone statue of Kratos grimacing in pain. I lift Lloyd up from the ground and pinch his neck to get him out of the shock of seeing Kratos getting knocked out.

"Ow!" Lloyd yips. "Kratos is out!"

"Yeah," I snip. "So are we if we don't keep moving!"

"Alright! Spread!" A giant pillar of water rises magically (no duh) from the earth and sends the chicken flying. By some miracle, the cockatrice misses landing right on the Kratos statue by a mere yard.

While Raine smacks Genis over the head for nearly causing the untimely death of Kratos Aurion, Lloyd orders, "You get on the far side in that direction and prepare to do a unison attack. I'll lure it away from Kratos and towards you so that our unison attacks don't hit him."

I add, "So that we don't end up smashing him to a million pieces like Genis almost did?"

"Yeah . . ."

As I raced over to the far end of the battle field, I couldn't help but think of how our chances of survival dropped now that our powerful mercenary is out of the action. I guess I can take this to be a test to see how well we do without him around. Lloyd is definitely taking more hits than usual and Raine now has a larger work load now that she doesn't have someone else to help her with healing. Then I'm a little more on edge. Huh. I guess Kratos really is a huge part of our little group.

Lloyd lures the cockatrice away to me. Once the monster is a ways away from Kratos, he calls out, "Unison attack!"

"Tigerblade!"

"Spread!"

"Ray Thrust!" When did Colette magically get here? I mustn't have noticed . . .

"Downcut!"

Lloyd grabs my hand. I utter, "I hope you know what you're doing . . ."

"Trust me," he confidently says. He leaps up into the air with me. I brace myself as he begins to swing me around for the throw.

"Yah!" Lloyd flings me down to the ground. I dive down, trying to keep my bearings, as my spear slams onto the ground. I land on my feet without breaking anything but definitely in pain from the blow and a shockwave sends the cockatrice down but not defeated.

"Owwww!" I moan.

"Are you alright?" Lloyd asks.

Colette flies at the cockatrice and finishes the monster off with Pow Hammer. The battle has ended.

_Da, dah, da-da-da-DA__H!_

"What the . . ." I mutter.

_Kelsey gained the title "Thorough Attacker."_

As I check the title (it's for those who "attack with no hesitancy" and use all their might) to make sure I don't have anything weird like "Manipulator" (and immediately change for the newer one), Colette asks, "What happened? I just got here."

"Well . . ." Genis goes. We all turn to Kratos. His pain, etched in his frozen face, is visible for us to see.

". . . That happened," Genis finishes.

Lloyd says, "But the Professor can heal so it's no big deal, right?"

Raine states, "Petrify is a condition that I haven't yet been able to fully study. Let me study his condition for the rest of tonight and I will get a grasp. In the end, however, it may be safer or surer for us to go to the Asgard House of Salvation and have the priests treat him there. Even still, we can't stay here. Colette, would you please bring the horses back?"

Colette goes, "But can't we just use a panacea bottle?"

Silence.

Genis says, "Colette, the panacea bottles are all in Kratos' bag. They turned to stone along with him."

Silence.

Colette responds with a pale, "Well . . . this . . . isn't a very good situation."

Raine heaves a sigh. "No. It's not. Please get the horses back here. We will have to secure him in the wagon."

While Colette flies away with this pale, dazed face, I guess, "Meaning tying him up to the wagon with ropes?"

"Probably."

I stare at the mercenary. You know, the irony behind this is actually pretty funny. If this situation weren't so dire (meaning that anything could crack and kill our Kratos statue) then it would be funny as hell.

Lloyd waves his hand in front of Kratos' face. "Can he hear us or see what's going on?"

Raine dejectedly goes, "I don't know, Lloyd. You will have to ask him once he is cured."

I shake my head pityingly. "Heheheh. Bummer of a situation. Heheheheh."

* * *

With a great heave-ho, we all managed to struggle the unwieldy statue of Kratos into the wagon and secured him with ropes and ties. As we moved to the nearest haven we know of, I couldn't help but laugh each time I looked at the poor mercenary. Although the laughing earned me a few disapproving looks from Lloyd and Colette plus I'm fraught with worry over Punky, I couldn't help but let a few chortles go. It's poetic justice for the harassment I got from Kratos back in Luin. With this I'm willing to believe that karma exists. Karma as in "do good things and good thing will happen to you." Kratos gave me hell in Luin so in turn he gets turned to stone. Works perfectly fine to me.

When Noishe returned I gave him a few rewarding glares for my missing horse. He ignores me and tries continuously to wake Kratos up. After a while, I get fed up with him.

"Go away, Noishe!" I nag. "He turned to stone! Pushing at him isn't going to help!"

"Rerrrrr," he irritably whines at my tone.

I snap, "If you have a problem with me then bring Punky back! You were the one who scared him and who knows _where_ he is now! A monster could've eaten him by now."

"Calm down," Lloyd goes. "You don't need to get on to Noishe. I'm sure Punky's fine. He'll come back soon."

"Hm," I stubbornly huff. That horse means a lot to me. I poured my entire heart out to that horse. I haven't even done that with my journal, which is because I suspect that one day someone might take a peek in it and discover my background without believing any of it. I really want Punky back . . .

"Oh, look." Genis points out, "Noishe is running off!"

Colette says, "He's bringing Punky back."

That mutt had better bring back my horse.

Sure enough, three hours later, we find Noishe leading a horse to our wagon. I only allow myself to get excited when I confirm that this horse is indeed my horse.

"Punky!" I cry out as I hug my horse's head.

Colette chirps, "See? Noishe brought Punky back!"

I make no response other than loving my horse.

With that my worries are gone. Well, currently gone since I still have Kratos' threat over my head (the bastard), but since he's turned to stone he can't exactly act on that right now. In fact, he can't act in any way right now.

. . . Yeah, I hear all ya perverted fan girls giggling out there. As a warning, if you want to kidnap him, tie him to your beds, and rape him then I suggest doing so in your own fan fiction reality. Stay out of mine. I don't want the complications of playing therapist to a four-thousand-year-old Cruxis leader. Period.

That night, we struggle to get Kratos out of the wagon and onto the ground. Raine stands over him with this concentrated face.

"It was a rather hasty study but I know the Recover spell for petrify," Raine uneasily announces.

I ask, "Can't you just cast Recover and he'd be back to normal?"

"That, sadly, isn't the case." Raine explains, "Recover and Dispel are two healing spells that must be slightly altered in order to cure a specific ailment or combination. For example, if I cast Recover for poison the spell would not only be useless but it would also waste energies spent on trying Recover for petrify. I haven't encountered petrify before this so my experience is mainly theoretical. It's one thing to actually have direct experience in healing and another from just reading about it."

The rest of us are rendered silent as we uneasily watch Raine utter the healing spell. Then she calls, "Recover!"

A pale light illuminates from the tip of Raine's staff and the edges of the statue. The light fades away and reveals the results.

Good news: the spell worked.

Bad news: . . . . . .

Kratos gets up with a groan and places his hand against his face like he has a migraine.

Raine is pale. "K-Kratos. Are you alright?"

Kratos nods. "Yes, I'm fine."

"How . . . How much do you remember?" she hesitantly questions.

"Most of it," he answers. "I apologize that my condition was such a burden."

Lloyd shakily waves off, "I-it's no big deal. Really. It wasn't a big deal."

I mutter, "Oh, God, how are we going to fix this?"

Kratos freezes. "What went wrong?"

Silence.

"What . . . went . . . wrong?" he emphasizes.

Colette quietly fishes out her handheld mirror and faces it towards Kratos. With a single glance, Kratos discovers just what went wrong.

While Kratos can still move freely, anything that can be labeled as flesh and is attached to his flesh like clothes is still stone. Kratos is literally a living statue.

"How damn well convenient," Kratos sarcastically bites.

"I'm sorry, Kratos," Raine apologizes. "I did my best but this was the first time I had ever encountered petrify."

"I don't blame you," Kratos assures albeit rather grumpily.

"Is his bag back to normal?" Genis wonders.

Lloyd cranes his neck around and regretfully reports, "No, it's not. We can't get to the panacea bottles."

"Then we have to get to the House of Salvation after all," Colette sadly concludes.

I state, "Well, there's nothing we can do right now. We'll have to rest for tonight and leave early in the morning."

Raine says, "I agree. Let's settle down for the night and get as much rest as we can."

Early the next morning, we shoved off with Kratos safely tucked in the secure areas of the wagon, subtly padded at Raine and Colette's insistence since none of us want to take the chance of his statue body cracking horribly. I'm keeping watch on Punky making sure that there aren't any monsters or bandits coming around to attack us while one of our members is at this vulnerable state. Meanwhile, I'm having a really hard time keeping my chortles and snickers at a mute minimum. Anything more than just glancing at Kratos and his living statue misery and I'll be falling off my saddle laughing my ass off. Apparently I'm not the only one who's having trouble. Lloyd struggles in faint spasms and Genis looks like he's about to crack. Just one more thing . . .

Noishe stops and lowers himself to the ground. "Whieeeee . . ." He searches the area and sniffs around the ground. He retreats close to the wagon, almost as if trapped, and whines again.

"What is it, Noishe?" Lloyd asks.

"NOW!"

Flaps of the ground fly up and reveal the bandits hiding underneath. Five soldiers, three heavy warriors, two sorcerers, and an archer completely surround us. Trapped.

The leader, one of the heavy warriors, warns, "Give us all your things and no one gets hurt!" Then he spots Raine and licks his lips with this self-satisfied smirk. "You can also give us that woman in the bargain and you can keep your gald."

Raine takes a step back away from the leader. Genis turns bright red with fury and dives for the guy's throat, but his violent plan is cut short when Lloyd and Colette restrain him to the wagon. To make up for that, Genis shouts profanities at the bandit leader of such a colorful variety that it genuinely stuns me. Lloyd covers Genis' mouth to keep any more foul language from antagonizing the bandits. In case you're wondering, among those profanities include things such as "f**k a duck," "ass-wipe bastard," and "damn p*ssy."

Judging by the look on Raine's face (aside from her obvious indignity over the bandit leader), someone's going to get a nasty bar of soap shoved in his mouth very soon.

The leader narrows his eyes in wicked delight. "So you're all going to resist? Okay by us! We get all your stuff, all your gald, and all the women."

Lloyd and Kratos ready their swords for battle. Attention is finally brought to Kratos, the moving slab of stone.

"_AAAHHH!! It's a living statue!!_"

"_It's alive! It's gonna kill us all!_"

"_It's possessed! POSSESSED!!_"

"_Martel, save us!!_"

"_I'm never stealing again!!_"

"_Forget all of you!! I'm outta here!!_"

"_Right behind you!!_"

"_RUN AWAY!!_"

"_RUN for your LIVES!!_"

"_Don't leave me behind!!_"

All the bandits flee in terror from the possessed killer moving demon statue. Everyone is stunned into silence. Kratos' expression is fixed on absolute shock.

Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and I burst into laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH . . . !!!"

Genis clutches his gut and falls over, keeping one hand attached to Lloyd for support. Colette is doubled over. Lloyd is leaning on the side of the wagon blinded by his laughing tears. I lost complete orientation and fell off from my saddle onto the ground, laughing over my klutziness and the bandits' reactions to Kratos.

Kratos steals control of the reins from Raine and prompts the horses into moving along. Realizing that the wagon is leaving whether or not I finish laughing, I crawl up onto Punky's back and send him into a trot to catch up with the others.

Raine, however, bears more hostile emotions.

"_Genis Sage!_" she barks.

Genis sputters to a halt in his laughing, "Ha. Ha-ha. Ha. What's wrong, Raine?"

She shouts, "I _cannot believe_ such _foul language_ came out of _your mouth!_ You should be _ashamed_ of yourself!"

Genis staggers in stun. "B-but, sis! They were—"

"I don't CARE what they were saying about me!" Raine bellows. "That kind of language is NOT the kind that I would justly expect from a twelve-year-old child prodigy who can enroll into the Palmacosta Academy! I cannot believe that I am resorting to this punishment!"

Genis pleads, "No, Raine! Not a nasty bar of soap!"

"That's right!" she affirms. "But first you will tell me who taught you those words! A twelve-year-old is too young to learn those words on his own! You must have heard those words from _someone_. Who was it?!"

Genis makes an incoherent squeak.

"_Who was it?!_"

None of us, especially not Raine, misses Lloyd trying to make himself less noticeable.

"_Lloyd Irving!_"

Lloyd cringes at the sound of his name. Raine is just seething with rage, her cheeks puffed and her face deep red.

"Professor, please!" Lloyd begs. "I swear I didn't know he heard those from me! I didn't tell him on purpose!"

"No excuses!" she snaps. "You will receive the same punishment!"

"No!" Lloyd cowers.

Raine tackles Lloyd down and pins him down with one hand like a kick-ass karate master would. With the other hand she reaches into one of the bags and pulls out the infamous crusty bar of soap that the guys use whenever washing their dirty laundry. Raine adjusts herself to where she sits on Lloyd's back using her weight to pin him down. Using her newly freed hand, Raine takes out her canister of water and sprinkles some on the nasty, dirty, nearly black-and-brown soap bar and rubs the water in to make the bar nice and wet with a side of soggy on the outer edges. Then Raine pulls Lloyd up and pushes him against the wagon's rims. She forces his mouth open and shoves the bar deep inside Lloyd's mouth.

As Lloyd gags and sputters over the atrocious bar, Raine warns, "If you spit that out then I promise you that I will shove it right back into your mouth after I dragged it through the dirt." With that, Raine turns on Genis.

Genis could only manage two retreating steps before Raine snatches him and lifts his small body high into the air and lands him roughly by another bag that she fishes yet another bar of soap from. Fortunately for Genis, this bar of soap is not quite as filthy as the one Lloyd's currently shuddering over, but still considerably grimy. It took much less effort from Raine to restrain her little brother and jab that nasty soap bar down his throat.

With the two sitting grimly with their respective bars of soap, Raine issues, "As I told Lloyd, spit those bars out before my say and I will drag it through the dirt and stick it back in your mouths. I hope you both learn something from this."

I look away to keep myself from laughing, but then, over Lloyd and Genis' defeated moans, I hear . . .

". . . Heheh . . . Heh. Heheheheh . . ."

I turn my eyes to the source and find Kratos efficiently restraining his laughter into muted chortles. I avert my eyes since the sight of a chuckling statue is going to send me into laughter again.

Ah, how we all love getting the last laugh.

* * *

This was a fun chapter to write! ^^ Hopefully it was fun to read.

I have the next chapter dangling in front of you just beyond your reach. If you want it then you can review.


	27. A Case of Murphy's Law

I entered a small writing contest and signed up in the high school student division. I entered a short story over Beauty and the Beast (the French fairy tale not the Disney movie, thank you) and did it with Beast's point of view of the beginning when he got cursed.

I got first place. ^^

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Case of Murphy's Law

It started snowing by the time we arrived at the House of Salvation. It was perfect for focusing my attention on rather than fighting not to laugh as Raine presented our "problem" to the head priest. My efforts were all in vain after Kratos lowered his cloak's hood.

"GREAT GODDESS!!" The priest then clutched at his chest and collapsed in a dead faint. After Raine confirmed that the old priest was fine the rest of us (minus Kratos) howled with laughter.

It turned out that we were in luck concerning curing Kratos. There was a traveler that specialized in healing spells whom the priests thought to be an elf. Although he looked completely elvan with his fine features, his iridescent raven black hair, and a merry personality that strikingly reminded me of the elves in The Hobbit, his mana sang out that he was a half-elf. I noticed, though, that race didn't seem like a factor to his life—almost as if the concept of races didn't exist to him. In Tales of Symphonia, a lot of the half-elves and elves held humans in contempt and grudging regard. However, this man paid no heed to the fact that he was casting Recover on a human; he gave no scorn to Raine, who disguises herself as an elf, and the fact that she was the one who unsuccessfully attempted to cure Kratos' petrify; he laughed with Lloyd and Colette and attempted to coax Genis out of the hesitancy that he gains around elvan-blooded who can sense the truth about him. It was almost like he was an otherworldly being, like an angel or a kindhearted spirit. After he helped us out he spoke with us a little while longer and welcomed anyone and everyone in to speak with us. No matter who surrounded him, this man could sense the true heart in a person and bring the light of it out to shine. Even Kratos was unusually bright and social. A strange man . . .

Then he left a few hours later for Palmacosta, "searching for relations" as he said, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just witnessed a small piece of someone else's story. When I wrote that feeling down in my journal that night, I scolded myself of my narrow mindedness. Just because the regeneration journey is the biggest story going on and the one I so happen to participate in, doesn't mean that it's the only story going on right now. Other people are experiencing their own epic tales of searching for what was lost, for falling in love, for learning about the surrounding world, for growing up into adulthood, and a large manner of other plots. Since Sylvarant is much, much, much smaller than Earth it makes it way more likely for me to encounter other people's tales.

The world does not consist of us and background.

_

* * *

_

Dear Journal . . .

_I woke up this morning willing to skin Lloyd Irving alive._

"Hey! Kelsey! Wake up!"

I groggily shift in my bed trying to ignore the voice disturbing my sleep.

"Wake up! We have to practice that unison attack!"

My brain reluctantly functions enough for me to groan, "Go away! Let me sleep! . . ."

A force slams into the edge of the bed and completely ruins my daze. I sit up and grouch, "We can practice later! Let me get back to sleep!"

Lloyd gets up from the edge of the bed he dropped his weight on. He looks down at me and gives me his stubborn glare. "It's now or never and I'm not giving you a choice."

I give him a tired flat stare . . . and flop back into my bed.

Lloyd huffs before scooping me up out of the bed and carries me out.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Put me down! Put me DOWN!!"

_Thank God he grabbed my travel clothes for me to change in on the way out._

Changed into non-pajama clothes and armed, I gripe, "We woke up so many people on the way out."

"You were the one that was yelling," he points out.

"That's because you grabbed me and tossed me out!" I bicker.

"We have to practice!" he nags. "Let's come up with a name for it, first."

I wait as he comes up with something. My brain doesn't work until it wakes up.

". . . I know!" He suggests, "How about 'Grand Slam'?"

"No," I go. "It sounds like a cheesy line." Specifically, it sounds like a dish I ate for breakfast at Ihop.

"It sounds cool!" he insists.

"No."

"But—"

"Knock-knock-who's-there? _No._"

Lloyd stubbornly declares, "Well, I do most of the work so I'm calling it that."

I argue, "I do the dangerous part!"

"So? Without me you just have a jump," he counters.

I grumble incoherently. I don't wanna argue with him this early in the morning.

_The life lesson I learned is to never argue with stubborn idiots. There's no changing their mind once it's set._

And so began the series of Lloyd jumping up in the air and throwing me down and me landing like a rag doll.

"Ugh!" I grunt as I land awkwardly after a particularly unsuccessful attempt.

"Sorry," he goes. "That was my fault."

I just get up again and we try once more . . . and anyone who's been in marching band knows that "once more" or "one more time" actually means "five or six more times and see if we get it right." Oh, how right that statement is here . . .

"OW!" I landed wrong.

"Gah!" Lloyd threw me too hard.

"Buh!" I didn't orientate myself fast enough.

"Kegh!" Lloyd accidentally dropped me.

"Doe!" I landed flat on my butt.

_As if that wasn't enough, we gathered a crowd to watch. They liked to groan and hiss sympathetically at me each time the attack failed . . . which was often. Even the others joined in to watch._

"OWW!!"

"I give that dive a score of eight out of ten," Genis comments as he watches.

"Be careful!" Colette calls.

Raine regards the two before walking back inside saying, "I'm going to make breakfast . . ."

"HUH!"

Genis shouts out, "You almost snapped her neck!"

"I know! I know what to do now!"

"Then do it right before you kill me!"

Colette watches with a touch of disappointment. "They're not getting along very well."

Genis reassures, "They'll be in a better mood once they get something to eat."

Kratos comes outside and joins Colette and Genis. After observing the two of us for a moment he lowers down to Genis and whispers, "Go stop Raine before she finishes cooking breakfast. She will listen to you better than she did to me."

Horror flashes across Genis' face and he bolts inside the House of Salvation.

Kratos surveys another more successful attempt (with a lot of kinks still in it). He walks out of the ring of spectators and approaches us. We stop when his presence catches out attention. Lloyd knows what's going to happen next since his face shows his reluctance to listen but he pays attention anyway since we're not entirely successful so far.

Kratos addresses Lloyd first, "Lloyd, you need to pay more attention to where you're aiming and soften the strength of your throw. Don't forget that you are the one setting how the attack starts. If you help Kelsey orientate herself for the attack then this takes not only some of the work off of her but also lessens the risk to her life."

"Got it," Lloyd reports with a nod.

Then he turns to me, "Lloyd can't do all the work himself. You must learn how to land properly so that it minimizes injury to yourself and know where Lloyd is aiming you so you can better predict the attack. To know how this attack will flow means to sooner orientate yourself for the gist of the attack."

I nod. "'Kay."

He asks me, "Do you know how to land after a fall?"

I nod again. "Yeah."

"Then use that position." He faces Lloyd. "Let me demonstrate to you what I mean."

Lloyd steps aside and gives Kratos the needed space. Kratos turns to me and offers an indifferent hand with a face that says "I'm waiting very patiently despite the fact that I really want to get this over with."

Any good mood I had building up is automatically doused. So we have that stick back up our ass again, don't we?

I just-as-indifferently grab his hand and pray to God that he's not going to vent his anger he has over my secrecy during this. He leaps up into the air, taking me along with him, and throws me down to the ground. I sense a difference immediately as I get my bearings sooner and land efficiently and painlessly. Or as painlessly as Kratos allowed it to be since my lower legs are hurting from the aftershock of the land and it travels up through my entire body.

Owwwww . . .

"I get it now," Lloyd states. "But didn't you throw her a little too hard?"

"Humph. I suppose I did."

Okay, don't give some cop-out excuse about angelic strength. I _know_ for a fact that he could've done that more gently. He has four damn thousand years of practicing covering his strength!

"Now both of you try it," Kratos directs.

_After Kratos' instructions, the attack improved. We started making more adjustments to it and decided after a while that we should practice it on a monster next and go get breakfast._

"Thank you," I tell Kratos. (Hey, his instructions prompted the change that spares my legs.)

"Humph."

Lloyd goes, "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

I smile and pleasantly say, "Are you an outright sexist, or just a pedophile with little boy fetishes?"

_. . . Okay, as much as I may exasperatingly daydream about saying that, I'm not that stupid. I never said that with the sexist or pedophile or anything really. I just huffed and walked away hoping that someone cooked a good breakfast. Hey, mouthing off to Magnius made him mad, which made him stupid. Mouthing off to Kratos, however . . . I'm not risking that._

Turns out that Raine was attempting to cook breakfast. Fortunately for all of us, Genis saved the day. Today, since we finally have some fresh meat from the House of Salvation, it's bacon, eggs, ham, toast, and fresh fruit. I didn't touch the ham or toast but I did get lots of the other stuff. I had to fight Lloyd for the last piece of bacon. Needless to say it turned into something of a wrestling contest for that last strip. Now, I have a weight of a little under one hundred ten pounds at five feet and two inches. Lloyd weighs one hundred forty-two pounds at five feet and eight inches. I think we all know who won.

During the meal I noticed that Kratos was giving me a calculating stare. I'm taking a good guess that he's making good on his promise that he'll figure out what I'm hiding. Ha. Like he's going to figure _that _out.

My thoughts must've been on my face because his expression changes to something that reads "Oh, I'll figure it out. One way or another I'm going to find out."

My face changes to "Let's see you try."

_

* * *

_

March fifteenth, two thousand nine.

_Wow, I'm tired. We got the nails to the workers at the bridge just in time and decided to help out. The workers refused to let Genis or us girls work since, well, this is "men's work and women and children shouldn't have to do this." Not that I really object but I just wanted to do some of the minor things like bring needed tools over or something more than just sitting around doing nothing. Raine got us to a different kind of work instead: SCHOOL WORK! I say school! You say work! School! . . . . . School! . . . . . School! . . . . . Yeah, it was not fun. Taxed my brain and energy level so much. After a while I just started zoning out, taking the learned lesson I got from my dad of how to look like you're busy or paying attention in school when you're really not. Good news is that it doesn't seem like actual school that I'm used to so I actually enjoy it a little more. It doesn't feel nearly as tedious or monotonous but I suppose that's because it's a different teaching style than sitting at a desk and watching the teacher talk about things you really have no interest in. Oh, that's right, I'm home schooled._

_March sixteenth, screw the year._

_Tired. Last touches will be done in the morning. Lloyd and Kratos collapsed since they were working with the other "manly men" on the bridge. Had a near crisis when Lloyd tried to reach in a tight spot and nearly fell over. If it weren't for Colette flying in then he'd be fish food. Raine screamed herself hoarse at him for him not being careful enough. Although Lloyd wasn't feeling too peachy about getting screamed at, the rest of us could tell that at the core Raine is actually happy and relieved that her student is still alive to be screamed at. To escape another academic lesson I went out and practiced my magic. I've got Fire Ball down and Wind Blade is coming easily to me. I think my main elements are fire and wind, but we'll see. Maybe I can be like a magic spearman like how Kratos is a magic swordsman. Seems like a good balance between blade and spells to me. About to fall asleep several times on journal. Bed now._

_March seventeenth . . ._

The bridge was completed enough to where we could finally cross over. By midday we reached the Balacruf Mausoleum with no monster attacks coming our way. Just . . . hints of . . . giant spiders and . . . horrible things like that.

Giant spiders. If anything is going to make me prone to panic attacks then that will be it. When we passed the first cobweb, though, I wasn't the only one who freaked.

"Oh, Goddess!" Genis cries. "Giant arachnids live over here too?!"

"We can handle a few measly spiders," Lloyd confidently declares.

Genis hotly argues, "You weren't the one who nearly got carried off by a giant arachnid back at the Martel Temple!"

Lloyd keeps his happy cool, "It's going to be okay, Genis. I'm not going to let any spiders get you."

Genis' fear shows through as he quivers. "I really hope so, Lloyd."

"Hey, what am I here for?" Lloyd assures.

I murmur, "The itsy-bitsy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again."

At the parting of the trees, a huge pyramid towers over us, revealing all its glory. Its structure reminds me of the Aztec pyramids minus any stairs on the outside. Not to worry, though! I'm sure there's at least one ridiculously long stairway just waiting for us on the inside! However, I'll freely confess that I'm just as captivated as the others over this impressive and imposing structure.

"Marvelous!" Raine awes as she cranes her neck up.

Lloyd goes, "So this is the Messoleum."

"Mausoleum," Kratos corrects.

Genis quakes in his spot. "And the spiders are most likely in there . . ."

I murmur, "The itsy . . . bitsy . . . spider . . ."

Colette wraps her arms around Genis in a comforting hug. "Don't worry, Genis. None of us will let any spiders get to you."

I'm very much on the verge of visibly panicking. I hate spiders and have a slight phobia on wasps. Then I have a feeling that, once this seal is over with, I'm going to be afraid of the living dead too.

When we finally get to the base we find that the area is crowded with camping tourists. I identify the crowd as two independent pilgrimages, two groups of adventurers, a single traveler, and one Asgard Pilgrimage Tour group. As soon as someone points out the new people they all crowd around us in a rush.

"Is the bridge fixed?"

"Can we finally leave?"

"We're running out of supplies!"

"_Quiet!_" Raine shouts. The tourists quiet themselves. Raine continues, "Yes, the bridge is fixed but it cannot take large groups at once. We had to trend carefully and quickly so not to disturb what was already fixed. I recommend to the tour groups that they divide themselves into smaller groups and cross one at a time."

A sigh of relief overcomes the entire crowd with choruses of "Finally!", "We can leave," and "Now let's get out of here!" Some decide to wait out the traffic and stay just a little while longer. I watch as the two independent pilgrimages, one of the two adventurer groups, and the Asgard Pilgrimage Tour group pass.

"Excuse me." I look down from my horse and find one of the tour guides addressing me. "The last I heard of Palmacosta a lot was going on and I couldn't make sense of it. Can you tell me what happened?"

I really don't know what to say, so I just start stating facts as if I were just an observer, "The Palmacosta militia moved against the Desians and attacked them. They defeated the Desians and Magnius and now the ranch is destroyed. The Desian hold on Palmacosta is gone now."

The tour guide gasps. She cries out, "Really?! Wow!" Then something comes to her mind. "Um . . . I know someone else who works as a tour guide. Do you know anything about Chocolat? She's supposed to guide a tour that goes after mine."

I look down and act as if I'm thinking about it. Then I shake my head and say, "I don't know who that is. Sorry."

The tour guide just appears a little disappointed. "Oh. That's okay. I can check when I get back to Palmacosta. Take care."

"You too," I bid as she leaves. I look up to find the others a little ahead of me, and Colette watching me with sad eyes. I know for a fact that she heard me deny my knowledge of Chocolat despite the din that the departing groups are making. I shake my head dismissively at her and dismount from my horse and join the others. We all wait until the leaving groups are gone before we head over to the sealed entrance of the Mausoleum.

"Hey, it's blocked!" Lloyd observes. "How are we going to get in?"

I look at the pedestal at the center of the entrance and point at the incision shaped like the base of the map. "Hey, Professor?"

Raine immediately gets it. "I see." She takes out the map and inserts it into the opening. A moment passes before we discover an oracle stone fading into existence.

"This really is one of the seals!" Lloyd chirps. "Alright! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

Kratos foreshadows, "You will be exhausted before we even make it halfway in."

Lloyd persists, "Have more faith in me! I'll make it through this dungeon without getting bored!"

Raine states, "This isn't a dungeon, Lloyd. This is a tomb."

"A tomb?" Lloyd shivers for a moment . . . then I realize that it was a shiver of excitement. "Cool! Zombies and skeletons! Maybe even some ghosts! Let's go!" Lloyd fidgets as Colette sloooowwwlllyyy maaaakeeessss heeerrr waaayyy tooo theee oracle stooonne annnd plaaaacesss heeerrr haaannnd onnn theee stoooonnnne . . . He rushes right in when the door opens before anyone can stop him.

Kratos chases after him as Genis goes, "Wait a minute. If this is the Balacruf Mausoleum then there's going to be traps for grave robbers, right?"

The rest of us go pale at the notion and hurry on inside.

Inside the main crypt hallway, Kratos admonishes Lloyd as the youth rubs the front of his neck as if his white streamers were yanked back to stop him.

". . . rushed right into one of the traps intended for grave robbers and . . ."

Lloyd gives us a pleading look, begging for escape from Kratos' berating.

". . . gotten yourself killed because you were too dense to think that . . ."

Raine shakes her head, signaling him that she's not going to get him out of this. She would give him a scolding anyway if Kratos wasn't.

". . . were we going to tell Dirk afterwards? That you didn't think enough to . . ."

I glance around while ignoring Kratos and Lloyd and mutter, "Can't see . . ." Raine hears me and, in response, lights the end of her staff for us all to clearly see.

". . . be honest, Lloyd, I don't know what to do with you. If you don't have the sense to be aware of new surroundings then—"

"I GET THE POINT!" Lloyd shouts. Kratos seems slightly affronted at Lloyd's bark but takes it as an opportunity to get back to the world regeneration journey.

"Fascinating!" Raine awes as she inspects the area. "This entire tomb is built like a maze and the only way we can navigate this maze to the end is if we use the riddles inscribed on each passage."

Lloyd blinks. "How did you figure that?"

Raine motions to the inscription at the wall in front of us she's currently studying. "Instead of listing the high ranked people and their accomplishments here, like most beginning inscriptions in a tomb would, this inscription is a riddle about the tomb itself. All that needs to be done is solve the riddle and understand the directions it provides us to certain places. If we use these riddles then we can navigate our way to the seal room."

Oh I get it. In Sylvarant, whenever people build tombs intended for multiple people they place something like a summary of all things at the front and place the person-specific inscription detailing about the dead at each tomb. Here, though, there is a riddle that acts something like a map for those that know the Balacruf language and intend to visit the grave whereas grave robbers would ignore or not understand the riddle and get lost.

Lloyd asks, "So you can understand the riddle, right?"

Raine nods, "Yes, but let me copy it down in my notes and translate it so we don't get lost." We wait patiently as Raine copies the inscription down (with Genis holding her staff so she can use both hands). After a little time she snaps her notebook closed and goes, "Let's begin!"

"So which way?" Genis inquires.

Raine glances about the area with a critical eye before directing, "That way!"

We follow her down the long corridor, keeping our eyes sharp for anything suspicious. Whenever she found another inscription, Raine would stop and copy it down and study it for a moment before directing us down the intended direction. Everything is quiet . . . still . . . and utterly creepy . . .

Lloyd heaves a heavy sigh.

"Getting bored already?" Genis wonders.

"No!" Lloyd protests. Then he back tracts, "Ah, actually, not that much, uh, maybe a little . . . Yeah, I'm getting bored. Why aren't there any zombies coming after us?"

I go, "You actually want zombies coming after us?"

"Well, yeah. Don't you? It's pretty dull in here."

I sigh, "Lloyd, I don't want any zombies _or_ skeletons _or_ ghosts coming after us. If there are any spiders in here, which I doubt there are since they wouldn't be able to survive in here for long, then that will be enough for me."

"_Please_ don't remind me about the spiders," Genis quivers.

Colette happily points out, "There's still the seal guardian to defeat."

Lloyd states, "That's the only bright side to this."

"The _only_ bright side?" Raine's eyes start to gleam hotly. "We are in a well-preserved tomb of the Balacruf Empire. There are countless pieces of history buried here! Who knows of all the knowledge we could obtain here!"

Lloyd yawns as he leans on the wall.

_Click!_

"What was—_YAAH!!_" The walls quickly turn and separate Lloyd from us.

"Lloyd!" Genis cries out.

I sigh, "Thank you, Murphy."

"Who's Murphy?" Colette asks.

I state, "Murphy's Law: anything bad that can happen will happen at the worst possible time."

"I don't believe that. Lloyd will be fine," Colette insists. She turns to the wall and shouts, "Lloyd! Can you hear me?"

Silence . . .

Raine assures, "He should be fine as long as he trends carefully and doesn't touch anything."

"What will touching something do?" I wonder.

Raine grimly replies, "It will probably trigger some sort of defense mechanism."

"We need to hurry!" Kratos impatiently calls from . . . all the way at the end of this tunnel. When did he get there? "Lloyd has a bad habit of getting into the worst possible trouble!"

Raine shouts to the wall Lloyd just disappeared through, "Lloyd! If you can hear me, _stay where you are!_ Don't touch anything! Don't move anywhere! We are coming to get you!" Then she mutters to herself, "I really hope he stays there. He could end up getting lost."

I really hope that stuff like the traps in Indiana Jones isn't really real. But if it is . . . then go figure.

We hurry down the corridor and try to find the room where Lloyd fell into. As we go I start mutely humming the Indiana Jones theme song. After a few turns and some long stairs going both up and down we pass an entrance to a room. We take a peek inside before concluding that, no, our idiot isn't inside. We did find four skeletons, though. One was laid just ahead of three skeletons that seemed to collapse just behind the first. The ax of the second skeleton rests inside the first skeleton's cranium.

Raine kneels next to them. "Interesting. This skeleton in the front is relatively younger than the three in the back. Judging by the equipment of all four, I would say that the first is a grave robber and the other three are the animated skeletons of dead guards set to secure this particular tomb."

Noting the glittering jewelry in the hands of the first skeleton, Genis ghastly concludes, "So if one of us really does touch something then the skeleton guards are going to come to life to kill us."

Colette hears something and looks down the hall. She reports, "Kratos is at the other end of the hall tapping his foot. He's scowling at us."

I respond, "Ignore Mother Hen. He can wait on us." Although my inner Oyako fan is going _Awww, Kratos is worried about Lloyd! Kawaii!_ the rest of me is thinking _Sheesh. We're going as fast as we can, oya-baka._ For the record, I'm more exasperated at Kratos than anything else. How many grey hairs is he going to get today?

We start going forward down the tunnel . . .

_Clatter . . . Clutter . . . Clatter . . . Clutter . . ._

My stomach drops as I see Kratos hurrying _towards_ us rather than down the hall. I turn around with the others and find, to my utmost horror, four walking living skeletons making their way to us with their weapons brandished.

I hate you, Murphy. I hate you and your damn law so much.

Genis immediately starts casting spells. Colette attacks the skeletons with her chakrams and causes little effect. Raine begins a spell—

"Yes! Photon!"

Circles of light orbit around the skeletons and crush them. Their remains only that of struggling bones. Mere seconds after the light spell's particles settle on these bones, the remains finally settle back into death.

Raine starts walking away, "Now we can move on and find Lloyd and ask him what in the name of Martel he touched."

I weakly ask, "Are there other skeletons?"

"Most likely there are," Raine replies. "Lloyd is probably getting more than his ideal share."

We descend another long set of stairs before we start hearing sounds of metal against metal and shouting. Our pace gets faster and faster as the mental image of Lloyd all bloodied up gets stronger and stronger in our minds. Finally, close to the end, we see a figure of red burst through an entrance to some catacomb with bones trailing off from him. Raine immediately starts casting Photon, Kratos and Colette zip right in, and Genis begins an onslaught of spells. I inch my way up to the chaos, feeling uneasy over the whole undead thing. Luckily for me, I didn't need to do a thing. The others handled the animated skeletons perfectly well without my involvement. We all gather around Lloyd to make sure he's still in one piece . . .

He has a punctured lung, one arm off, another arm hanging on by just a sliver of skin, blood all over, a nice gash on his head, and he's limping on his right leg.

Or not and I'm just messing with you. He's perfectly fine albeit a little beat up.

As she rubs apple gels on his wounds, Raine gripes, "Lloyd, to protect against grave robbers, mages of the Balacruf Empire placed a spell on the treasure to where the skeletons of guards would become animated and attack any intruders should the treasure be touched. What did you touch?"

"I didn't take anything!" he insists.

"I didn't say 'take.' I said 'touch.' What did you touch?" she repeats.

Lloyd accounts, "I didn't do anything bad. I just accidentally knocked over this metal vase and put it back where I knocked it down from."

Raine shakes her head exasperatedly. "Lloyd, that was enough to trigger the spell. Now we have animated skeletons out for our blood!"

Lloyd holds up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I said it was an accident! Besides, wouldn't they stop when we release this seal?"

"That isn't a guaranteed thing, Lloyd," Raine reminds. "We can only hope and see."

After that we continued walking around, killing random groups of skeletons and other undead (excluding ghosts to my infinite relief). It was mainly fending them off as Raine read and translated the riddles directing us to the seal room. However, this place is so crazy with mazes that eventually the universe said "f**k this, I'm tired of sending skeletons!" and decided to take a break and give us a long, eerie hiatus of nothing. Lloyd starts on every little sound; Genis got tired and Colette volunteered to carry him while he slept (must be nice to be a kid); Kratos is watching Lloyd making sure the idiot doesn't run off and get himself lost or stuck in some other part of this labyrinth again; Raine is still guiding us; and I'm trying my best not to collapse into a mess of spent nerves. It's so freaky in here . . .

Lloyd complains to himself, "My feet hurt. I wish Noishe were here instead of watching the entrance outside."

"I don't," I flatly state (again, distracting myself from my fear of the skeletons). "It would be nonstop yip yip yip yip yip yip yip. With all the monsters here, you know it would be. He'd be running all over the place. Besides, he's safer outside."

Lloyd goes, "Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't want Noishe to get hurt."

Raine looks up at a large wall just before us. "I think I found the entrance to the seal room." Raine holds up her lit staff to display the wall, which is now revealed to be a large door with the Cruxis emblem engraved on the entire surface.

"I don't see an oracle stone or any way to open it," Lloyd states.

"There's an oracle stone," I tell him. I walk up to the wall and point to an engraved spot resembling the surfaces on the oracle stones. "It's right here on the wall."

"I'll open it," Colette says. "Could someone hold Genis for a moment?"

I hesitantly volunteer, "I will." Seventy-six pounds on my back isn't going to be great but I have an Exsphere on me so it should be alright.

Colette shifts Genis over to me and, with a subtle struggle, we manage to free Colette of the slumped sleeper and place a new burden on me. I listen to him snore soundly while I adjust Genis comfortably on my back. "He's a sound sleeper," I note. He's also just six inches shorter than me which means that he's taking up my entire back.

. . . Okay, my real thought on his height is that, since he's six inches shorter than me at the age of twelve, I know for sure that he'll get way taller than me once he hits his growth spurt. Another person who'll be taller than me. Sobsobsob . . .

Colette places her hand on the oracle stone and the entire Cruxis symbol lights up in a quick flash and the entire stone fades away. Light shines through from a high stairway down to us.

"So this seal was about navigating through this entire maze and not get killed or lost?" I go.

Raine nods. "Yes. It was about intelligence."

"Took forever."

As we get up the stairs into the air outside, the sunlight disturbs Genis' sleep. He stirs and mutters, "Wha's going on?"

I state, "We're at the seal."

"Hm?" He wakes up a little more. "Kelsey? I thought I was on Colette's back . . ."

"You were," I tell him. "She just needed both her hands for a moment so we traded you."

"Hmmm . . . I can walk from here . . ." I let Genis down on his feet, feeling physical relief at the loss of the extra seventy pounds on my back.

We climb higher and higher up the stairs until we reach blue skies, shining sun, and clean winds. Aaahhhhhh . . . . . Such a fresh relief.

Lloyd takes a deep breath and sighs in bliss. "Just smelling fresh air again gave me back my energy. I was so tired back there."

Kratos grumbles, "I knew you would get tired halfway."

Genis yawns. He pulls out his kendema and sleepily goes, "I'm ready. Where's th' monster? . . ."

Raine instructs, "Go sit off to the side, Genis, and rest.

"Nah, I can do it." He starts blinking to make himself feel more awake and tries to pull it off after that.

Raine gently, yet firmly, repeats, "Genis, go to the side and rest. We will be fine."

Genis ignores her and follows us as we approach the altar. The altar sparks green lights just like the Water Seal did with blue lights and everything begins the same as last time only with a larger amount of mana. I instinctually back away from the source.

A giant green and blue bird with talons built for walking on land soars up out of the massed green mana and dives down at us. We all dive away just as it swoops at us and narrowly misses. Raine fetches a magic lens and announces, "It's called an Iapyx! No wind or lightning spells! Try for fire! If you can, ground it!"

Genis immediately starts casting spells and Colette keeps searching for an opening only she could get as she is the only one of us who can fly. The rest of us are kind of on stand by waiting for the thing to land or even get close enough for us to slice up.

It glides around and aims right at us again. We prepare to dodge until we see that it's about to hover over the ground.

"Fire Ball!" Genis shouts out.

Three large fiery orbs streak with amazing speed onto the Iapyx's body and causes it to lose enough balance for it to lose air and fall to the ground. We all rush in and attack. While Lloyd goes for the neck I go for the wings. I know we're not going to win this sooner until the wings are down. Apparently what I'm doing is the same thing on Kratos' agenda since he's currently slicing away some vital muscles in the other wing. Instead of copying him, I do my own thing. Don't look at me like that, I don't copy. I imitate. There's a clear difference that I'd explain if this weren't such a dire situati—

_FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!_

Although now it can't get too high or two far, the monster can still go up into the air and hover above us. It lingers around us flapping its bleeding wings and flaps harder and harder and harder . . .

"EEAAAAA!" it cries out with a final flap of its wings. The wind gathers at its feathers and soars out with a green glow to them, almost as if they were blades. Instead of blowing us away, the green gusts cut and snare at us, slicing bits of whatever it touches. We instinctually shield our faces as the attack snips light slivers into our bodies.

"Owwww . . ." I hiss as I realize how much of me got sliced.

"Here it comes again!" Raine shouts.

The Iapyx drops to the ground and waddles to us. It rears its head back and dives its beak at the area around Lloyd and Raine. The two dodge away and the beak digs into the large stone bricks of the floor. The stone crumbles down as the monster retrieves its beak.

"Ahh!" Raine cries. "The ruin! You will pay!" It doesn't surprise me as Raine begins to cast Photon.

. . . I see that the Overlimit status doesn't exist here. What a letdown.

"Fire Ball!"

Another three balls of fire from Genis slams into the monster but doesn't cause it to collapse this time. Instead, the Iapyx recovers from the flames and turns its attention on Genis.

Colette gasps and cries out, "Pow Hammer!" The hammers land with a cute squeak and barely faze it. She immediately begins casting Angel Feathers, rapidly chanting the spell so to beat the monster before it attacks.

The Iapyx hisses something of a bird hiss and starts an onslaught of pecks at the cluster around Genis. Genis and I go flying into the air by the force of the attack and Lloyd and Kratos dodge away and hack at the legs, trying to get it back down to where they can reach the rest of its body. The Iapyx leaps away and lands close to Genis and swipes at him with a talon. Fortunately, it narrowly misses so he isn't dead. Unfortunately, it narrowly missed so it actually hit. Genis goes flying back and lands near the altar and quickly gets up, only to be a touch too slow.

"REEAAH!" the Iapyx screeches as it gains on him, ready to finish off this pest before taking out the others.

"Photon!"

A ring of light forms around the Iapyx's head and bursts, creating painful shards that pierce through the monster's feathers. A part of the monster's left eye begins to bleed.

The Iapyx rises up into the sheltering winds and labors its wings into gathering that gentle wind into harsh green blades. It flaps its wings one more time and the transparent blades go shooting out at us. Some of us try to dodge while some of us tried to weather it out. Either which way we still got a lot of cuts. It rises into the shelter of the air.

"Angel Feathers!" Colette's chakrams race through the air and slice at the bird's wings. The Iapyx collapses back to the ground and we rush at it once more.

"Lloyd!" Raine calls. "Do Tempest on my word!"

"Alright!" He shouts out, "Unison Attack!"

I go first, "Horizon!"

"Ring Whirlwind!"

"Double Demon Fang!"

"Stalagmite!"

After the bird's body goes up into the air after Stalagmite, Lloyd prepares to do Tempest.

"Now!" Raine cries out.

"Tempest!" Lloyd leaps into the air and does that dizzy spinning attack that always left my guts feeling twisted. Raine's Photon spell rings around Lloyd's blades and leaves a trail of light shards implanted where Lloyd sliced at the Iapyx, which so happens to be at the skull.

. . . Well, that was quick. Exciting, but still quick.

The Iapyx makes no dying cry (seeing as how its brain is now destroyed) as it slowly falls to the ground. Its body dissipates into green bits of light and soars into the altar. Light streams from above.

". . . Chosen of Regeneration . . . You have done well in reaching this far. Now, offer your prayers at the altar."

Colette enthusiastically (despite her cuts and wounds) replies, "Yes!" She approaches the altar and kneels just as she did at the Seal of Water. She prays, "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"

Since I'm aiding the world regeneration journey and yet Christian, what does this make me? I really do want to know . . . I'm a little scared of my own answer.

Colette's wings flare out and lift her from the ground as if they had a mind of their own. The green mana at the altar dissipates unto the heavens and an orb of light descends and Remiel appears.

Remiel still has the face of a mortal.

"This is the third seal," he states. "You have done well reaching this far, Chosen One . . . Colette."

Colette suddenly remembers something and, for just a moment, she turns a little downcast and quickly hides it with a humble, ". . . Thank you."

Remiel smiles that ambitious smile and says, "Receive this blessing, the gift of angelic power from Cruxis."

Colette stumbles her words out, ". . . Y-yes . . . Father. Thank you."

Colette's Cruxis Crystal glows with multicolored lights and fades out.

Remiel directs, "The next seal lies far northwest, in a place that gazes upon the center of the world. Offer your prayers at the altar in that distant land."

Colette glances down as if she's pondering something, and then looks up and affirms, "I shall do as you say . . . Lord Remiel."

Remiel nods. "However, there is just one thing I must warn you of."

We all look up at this. Remiel? Warning us of something?

Remiel cautions, "Near the seal is a port for blasphemers and misguided coming from an island close by. Should one from that such come in your midst take care not to lose faith as the last Chosen did. Do not allow them to sway you, Chosen One."

Colette stares with wide eyes and quickly shakes her head. "I won't!"

Remiel feigns relief. "Then I shall see you at the next seal, Colette . . . My daughter."

A bright light replaces Remiel and soars high into the sky.

"The end of your journey is close. Hurry and become a true angel. Do not disappoint me . . ."

Colette descends down with confusion and thought. Her mind is too occupied for words.

"What did Remiel mean by 'blasphemers and misguided'?" Lloyd asks.

Raine informs, "There is an island that has a rather difficult terrain that is the home of a very old culture that doesn't believe in the Goddess Martel. Although most believe that this culture died out long ago, some say that they still live on. Apparently, they're still alive to this day."

"'Blasphemers and misguided'?" Genis goes. "I don't get it. How could anyone not believe in Martel? I know Chocolat was sort of between things and wasn't sure, but outright not believe in her existence? It doesn't make any sense! What do they think the Chosen is for?"

"You have to understand," I tell him. "To them, those who believe in Martel are the blasphemers and misguided."

Genis narrows his eyes. "You talk as if you don't believe in Martel."

I narrow my own eyes and calmly reply, "And what if I don't?" I let that ring for a moment before continuing. "It wouldn't matter, would it? All the debating and arguments would never work. You could never change my faith. The same would go for these people and the rest of us. With force, neither side would accomplish anything other than hostility. All we can do to each other is to kill with kindness."

Genis eases, sensing my message. "So Remiel was just—"

"Yeah," I interrupt. "He was just telling her to remember her faith if she ever meets one. I doubt it'll come to any dark ritual or human sacrifice or violence." I start walking towards the stairs. "Anyway, let's get out of here. The sooner we get out the sooner we get away from the un_dead_." No, that was not my voice breaking at the word "dead." No. It wasn't. I'm not scared. Really. I'm not.

We enter the labyrinth once more and find the stone torches lit with green mana, showing us the way out.

"This is convenient," Lloyd notes.

"This is probably due to the releasing of this seal," Raine hypothesizes. "Now that we solved the puzzle of this seal there is no need to solve it again once the seal is released."

"Let's just hope it goes for the undead," I rush.

"What's wrong, Kelsey?" Genis taunts. "Are you scared of the big bad ghosts?"

"Shuddup!" I quickly snap. "I heard a lot of bad ghost stories when I was little . . ."

"Once there was this little girl who had—"

"_Shuddup!_"

"—a little doll that—"

"_Shuddup!!_"

That continued on for a good five minutes down the lighted path until . . .

". . . Maaa~ry! I'm on the sixth stee~ep!" Genis goes with a haunting voice, STILL telling ghost stories. "Maaa~ry! I'm coming for yoo—"

"Shuddup!" I cry. "Shuddup! Just stop!"

"_BOTH of you stop!_" Lloyd, Raine, and Kratos shout in unison.

Silence . . .

". . . That's better," Raine huffs.

Yes, it did get that annoying for them.

I'll skip to the action ten minutes later when I see familiar walls . . .

"Is that the exit?" I ask. "Is that really the exit?"

"Yes, it is," Kratos confirms.

"FINALLY!" I shout. "Sayonara, creepy tomb! Ahahahahah . . . !"

As I run off, Lloyd asks, "What does 'sigh-yoh-naw-rah' mean?"

"I don't know . . ." Raine goes.

I continue laughing down the way. I'm almost there! I'm almost there! I'm almost— "GAH!"

I fall to the ground as the hidden ninja uses my back as a springboard and lands on a secure upper level. The assassin turns back to me and snaps, "That's for last time at the hot spring!"

Sheena turns her attention to the rest. "This day has finally come. This ancient ruin shall be your grave."

Colette calls to me, "Kelsey, are you okay?"

". . . Recovering . . ."

Colette sighs in relief and speaks to Sheena, "You're here, too! Let's talk! Maybe we can come to an understanding."

Sheena takes a step back. "Stay back! Don't move! Don't touch anything! And you!" She points at me. "You stay back, too! No freaky traps or stupid puns!"

I growl as Lloyd goes, "Freaky traps?"

Genis adds in question, "Stupid puns?"

I dismiss, "Forget about it. She's exaggerating it."

Colette goes on, "Now that we're finally friends, why do we have to fight?"

She either has some sort of instinctual premonition sense . . . or she's that dense.

Sheena looses her guard. "Since when were we . . . ?" She slips a single paper out of her pocket and holds it up. "For the last time, I have no intention of befriending you! . . . Prepare yourselves!"

Sheena slaps the card on the air in front of her as if there were a wall. Smoke forms in front of the card, not exploding but just forming, and solidifies into a humanoid bird of a blue hide and a Zodiac disc at its back, only of the eight elements of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant instead of the Chinese Zodiac. Sheena holds up her hands as if they hold the power to control the monster. The summoned bird imitates her.

. . . This isn't going to be good.

"What is she doing?" Lloyd questions. "Last time it just fought along side her."

Sheena raises her hand as if she were about to slash the air with her nails. The bird raises its talon arms in the same manner.

"Move!" Raine shouts. "She's controlling it!"

Sheena rips her hands down.

We cry out as the bird flings us back, some of us with serious gashes. Colette slams into the wall with a gash on her shoulder. The bird approaches Colette.

"No!" Lloyd cries. "Tempest!"

Lloyd flies through the air and slashes at the bird. Sheena holds her arms up as if to block and Lloyd's attack causes minimal damage—

"Beast!"

The bird is blown away and collapses, but quickly gets up. I look up at Sheena to try to guess the next move.

That card . . .

Kratos connected the dots long before I did and rushes at Sheena and her floating card. He leaps into the air . . .

The bird whips around and, with Sheena's direction, snatches Kratos out of the air and sends him rolling like a bowling ball down the corridors. I suppose the bird was just a touch too fast.

Although I'm much lighter than Kratos . . .

I dash at Sheena and leap into the air . . . and land just as she realizes that I'm here.

"Corrine!" she calls.

"GAH!" I fall back with a force knocking me back and off the ledge. I land on the floor on my back. I see a tiny, cat-sized brown fox with nine blue tails on my chest.

. . . You hate animals and anything that looks like an animal. You will happily harm anything cute and fuzzy. You will not be heartbroken as this cute, fluffy summon spirit is flung against the wall.

My moment of hesitancy due to my soft heart towards anything cute and fuzzy allows Corrine the necessary time to escape me. He leaps back onto the ledge and hisses at me. I'm going to freakin' bring that little rat _DOWN!_ . . . At least I hope I can despite my conflict with my soft spot towards anything cute and fuzzy . . .

In the corner of my eye I see Kratos charge at Sheena once more and get snatched by the bird again and flung down onto the ground hard and momentarily stunned. Raine heals the gash on Colette. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Genis are guarding the two from the bird. Seeing Sheena momentarily distracted by Kratos, I leap up at her again.

_Thud!_ "Ugh!"

I fall down once more and find Corrine the cause of this failure once more. He growls at me and leaps back up on the upper level.

It's on, rat . . .

"Raaaaaahhhhh!!!" I roar as I leap up and begin a ping-pong struggle of falling and leaping against Corrine. On my fifth try I leap up from a different angle and use my spear to sweep Corrine off the level. My spear hits the fox-thing and sends him flying off. I round up against Sheena.

"Hah!" Sheena shouts as she blocks my spear. In the background I hear the summoned bird moving just as Sheena is, blocking an invisible attacker. I also hear Lloyd, Colette, and Genis cheering me on.

Sheena blocks another attack and counters with a vicious side kick, sending me not only back down but seriously winded.

"GUH!" I cry as I feel the intense pain of Sheena's foot deep in my gut. I collapse down and stay down for a much longer moment.

Sheena shudders. "She feels like anything could break her in half."

"Sheena! She's recovering!" Corrine exclaims. "I can't keep holding her back for much longer! Do something! Sheena! She's getting up!"

"She could die!" Sheena protests.

"Pretend she's Zelos and you're paying him back for everything he's ever done!"

Oh, shit.

A furious gleam in her eye burns and Sheena roar madly. "AAUUUGGHHH!!"

"Oh, shit!" I start running.

"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!" Sheena uses the bird to snatch Lloyd from the ground. Lloyd struggles with all his might, but Sheena's blind rage is stronger. She pulls her arm back and aims for me. I run faster . . .

"AAAARRRRR!!" Sheena flings Lloyd out. Lloyd screams. I scream. We all scream for our dear lives.

"UGH!" We both grunt in agony as Lloyd collides into me. We hit the wall behind us, Lloyd stunned and me completely knocked out.

Zelos Wilder, what the hell did you do to her?

Colette cries out, "NO!" She dashes to Lloyd and me, and suddenly her run becomes dizzy and disoriented. She whispers, "No, not now!" And she collapses.

All attention is brought to Colette. Seeing that even Sheena got distracted, Kratos takes advantage of that and leaps up into the air and slashes the card in half.

The summoned bird makes no sound other than a loud rip down the middle and disintegrates into nothing.

Sheena jumps, startled at what just happened. Her hands quiver as they catch and hold the ripped slip of paper dearly, like a close friend lost in battle. Kratos holds his sword aloft at Sheena's throat.

"Leave," he orders.

Sheena takes a step back. "I'll be back. Everyone back home is counting on me."

Colette weakly gasps for air. "What . . . What do you . . . mean? If I . . . regenerate . . . the world . . . everyone will be saved . . . right?"

Colette's frail state unnerves Sheena. She backs away more and more and finally snaps.

"_This_ world will be saved!"

Sheena flings down one of those smoke bombs.

"Stop!" Raine demands.

_PWOOSH!_ Smoke cloaks the area.

"Who are you?!"

The smoke begins to clear.

"You're not alone?!"

Sheena is already gone.

* * *

Colette stares off into the stars, confused and worried. Lloyd, who was merely stunned when he collided into me, stands over her with deep concern. Raine tends to me, now conscious, and Genis fusses over Colette along with Lloyd. I notice that Kratos' eyes gleam with forbidden knowledge as he rests against Noishe's offered back.

"Does it hurt, Colette?" Genis anxiously asks.

Colette comes to from her conflicting thoughts and laughs, "Heheheh. A little." Lloyd frowns at Colette's fake laugh. Colette senses Lloyd's notice and adds, "It doesn't hurt nearly as much as it did earlier."

Genis goes on, "The angel transformation really isn't pretty. It looks like sheer torture! Look at you! You're sweating!"

Lloyd puts his hand on Colette's shoulder. "If you're hurting, you should tell us. We may have missed something." He finishes his sentence with a slight squeeze at Colette's shoulder.

Colette's only response is a "Heheheh. I'm fine, Lloyd. I'm made of much tougher stuff than you think. Think of how many times I fall down."

Lloyd's hand twitches. He slowly brings it right back. He smiles, "Yeah. I tend to forget that a lot."

Colette diverts the attention, "Is Kelsey alright, though?"

I hear her and answer, "I hurt a lot and intend to pay her back for every bit of pain that she gave me."

Lloyd goes, "If Kelsey is growling and complaining then she's fine. She just needs to rest."

Colette makes a true laugh, "Heheheh! She'll forgive Sheena. I know for sure that she has a good reason to fight us."

Raine looks around at the remaining tourists that still haven't crossed the bridge. "We can discuss about Sheena tomorrow while we're on the road. Our next destination will be Luin since that is in the same direction as the next seal. We can search for a lead there. Right now we need to rest."

"Yes, ma'am."

Genis fell asleep first. Raine forced me into bed. Lloyd volunteered to take the first shift in case of monsters (since this area still has spiders). Kratos rested comfortably against Noishe (although I suspect that his rest didn't include sleep). Raine drifted off.

Colette continued to gaze upon the stars.

Late into the first shift, Lloyd picks up two mugs and makes coffee. He goes up to Colette with them and pleasantly asks, "Want to take a walk? You seem a little restless."

Colette looks at him and smiles. "Sure. Maybe a walk will clear my head."

Lloyd smiles back and leads her away. They go a little distance and climb up on a sloped path. Lloyd stops there, a good distance away from the fire and any tourists. He gazes up at the stars before turning to Colette and offers the mug that Colette always uses whenever drinking. "Here, it's hot coffee."

Colette takes it. "Thanks." She looks down at it as if contemplating something. She looks back at Lloyd and finds him watching the stars once more.

"You always liked star gazing," Colette remembers. "It's the only thing that you ever studied."

"Yeah," Lloyd goes. "It's actually because I have an old childhood memory of it. Ever since I met Aunt Elizabeth and her family I started thinking about it more and more, trying to remember anything about my parents. In the end, that memory is the only thing I remember right now." He lowers his head and takes a sip of his drink. He flinches back and goes, "Wow."

"Hot?" Colette merrily says. "I'm waiting for mine to cool. Even the mug is hot."

Lloyd glances at Colette and forces his eyes back on the coffee with a grimace. "Actually, it's just really strong. It's iced coffee."

Colette blinks. "What?"

"I made ice coffee," he tells her.

Colette giggles, "Heheheh. How silly of me. Of course it's cold!"

Lloyd's eyes go wide with creeping shock. He stares at Colette with a silence that unnerves Colette.

"Lloyd?" Colette goes. "What's wrong?"

Lloyd utters, "I lied. The coffee isn't that strong at all. I really did burn my tongue. That's hot coffee."

Colette drops her mug with a muffled clatter. She watches Lloyd with fear and shame, her hands shaking from it all.

Lloyd concludes, "You didn't . . . You didn't feel if the coffee was hot or if it was cold. Earlier, when your shoulder wound from Sheena's monster was healed, it should've still been hurting. You didn't even notice me squeeze it. You can't . . ."

". . . You can't feel anything at all, can you?"

Colette steps back. "Th-that's not true!" She turns away and waves her hand up to the sky. "It's getting really cold! It's probably going to snow very soon!"

"Then how come you can't feel my hand on your shoulder?"

Colette whirls around and finds Lloyd's hand retreating away from her. She looks as if she's about to cry, but can't.

Lloyd asks, "How long have you been like this? How long have you been unable to feel hot or cold or pain or . . . anything?" He lowers his head in thought. "Come to think of it . . . I don't think I've seen you sleep since . . ." His eyes go wide as he looks up at her. ". . . since the Water Seal. Then . . . Then you . . . you haven't really eaten since Triet. Colette . . . Colette, what's going on?"

Colette violently shakes her head in denial. "Nothing! Lloyd, go back to bed. You might be sick."

Lloyd goes, "You're lying. I can tell when you're lying, Colette! If nothing's going on then why aren't you eating? Why aren't you sleeping? Why didn't you feel anything during the Angel Toxicosis or after Professor Sage healed you?! That wound was so bad! It should've hurt like crazy!"

"It did hurt!" Colette insists.

Lloyd accuses, "You're lying to me. Again! Colette, why can't you tell me anything? Why can't . . . Why can't you trust me?"

Colette flinches as if truly in pain. She sees it now. Everything that she's been hiding upset him, but not nearly as much as the fact that she had been lying to him and hiding what was really going on from him. It was the lack of faith she had in Lloyd that hurt and upset him the most.

"Lloyd . . . !" she chokes. "It's not that I can't trust you! It's that . . . It's that . . . I don't want anyone to worry over me or . . . or . . ." She shakes her head and places her face in her hands.

"I . . . I don't know what's going on," she admits. "Things first got strange when I released the Fire Seal. I suddenly didn't want to eat anything anymore. Even when I did, it didn't have any taste."

"No . . . No taste?" Lloyd goes in confusion.

Colette explains, "I can't hold anything down when I force myself . . . so, I haven't been eating. I never get hungry." She glances back at Lloyd, expecting the worst, but she judged too harshly and just sees that Lloyd is just trying to comprehend the strange phenomenon that she's telling him. "Then at the Water Seal, I stopped getting sleepy. I close my eyes, and I really do try, but I can't sleep. I haven't slept at all since then. Now . . . Now with this seal . . . I can't feel anything."

She looks up to the sky. "I . . . I can't feel the wind anymore. I know there's a breeze since I can see things blowing in it, but I can't feel it. I couldn't tell if that coffee was hot or cold. I couldn't even feel any pain after I started getting sick. I can't feel anything anymore . . ."

Lloyd watches her in horror, realizing what he blindly missed, realizing that Colette suffered all by herself and he let her. "Why? Why didn't you say anything? To any of us?!"

Colette looks down and shrugs. "I figured that this is just what it means to be an angel. Other Chosens have gone through it and succeeded. I shouldn't let it get to me and keep going."

Lloyd softly grasps her shoulders with both hands. "_This_ is what it means to become an angel?! Not eating anymore, not sleeping anymore, not feeling anything anymore?!"

Colette tries to amend, "But my eyes have actually gotten better! I can see really far away now! And my hearing, too! I can hear even the faintest sounds really well. It's so neat! I can hear them so well that . . ." She instantly realizes that she took the wrong diversion. ". . . that . . . it's kind of painful sometimes."

Tears bud in Lloyd's eyes as he slowly shakes his head in denial. He pulls her to him and hugs her close. "Colette . . . I am _so_ sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't realize anything at all. Gah! I was so stupid! I'm sorry, Colette!"

Colette begs, "Please, Lloyd. Don't tell the others."

Lloyd continues to hold her while he gasps, "Why? They need to know!"

Colette reasons, "No they don't! I mean, we're all on this trip together and I want it to be as much fun as it can. Sometimes the fun parts are really hard to come by so I don't want to add any other worries. I also don't want you to worry about me either. Now that you know, it's such a relief. I really had no idea how much of a relief it would be for me to have somebody know and have somebody to talk to about this. I'm okay now, so don't worry about me anymore, Lloyd."

Lloyd holds her tighter as tears finally fall from his eyes. He scolds, "You're so stupid! You should've said something sooner!"

Colette apologizes, "I'm sorry, Lloyd. Even though you're crying for me, and I'm happy, so happy I want to cry too . . . but I can't anymore. I'm sorry!"

"I told you to stop apologizing a long time ago. Remember?" he reminds through his sobs.

"I remember, Lloyd," she assures. "I'm sorry for not remembering."

"Stop apologizing," he feebly orders. "You shouldn't be apologizing. Not when you're the one who's been suffering all alone all this time."

* * *

Wow. I made it this far in my fic already? Huh. Oh, and fun fact: this story gets just as many hits and visitors as my fic Protesting Against Late Night Writers. Now I get more reviews in this than that (especially since only ShadowVDP and tiger002 are the only ones who reviewed as of yet).

All of you know what's coming up next . . .

If you wish to place a comment on this chapter then call 1-800-REVIEW.


	28. Calm before the Storm

I had The Logical Song remix stuck in my head during this entire chapter. Which remix? All of them.

I decided to play around with imagery at the end of this chapter.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Calm before the Storm

March twentieth. The midnight hour between the twentieth to the twenty-first.

The engine of the rheaird rattles as it sucks up the last of the emergency mana charge. Sheena curses at it. Why, why?! Why did it have to consume this much mana so fast?! She supposes _this_ is what caused magitechnology to fail so gloriously during the declining eras. Just . . . why _now_ of all times?!

Corrine wiggles out of the front of Sheena's tiny kimono, his bell collar jingling along with him. He looks up at Sheena and deduces, "So we're staying at Luin tonight?"

Sheena grudgingly nods. "That's right. Ugh! Why couldn't I just use the rheaird whenever I can?! If I didn't have to wait for days for this world's Chosen to clear out then I could at least set up a decent ambush instead of wasting precious time and energy waiting for her and then suddenly making up an attack up on the spot!"

"But, Sheena!" Corrine reminds, "You remember what that Botta guy said! Cruxis sent a spy to watch over her and we have to be careful not to allow them to think that the Renegades or Tethe'alla have anything to do with this. If we mess up then Cruxis might send another Spiritua the Angel of Retribution!"

"I know!" Sheena proclaims as she lowers the rheaird to the ground. "I just wish that I knew where this spy is and what he looks like, that way I can take him out. It's so much harder and much more dangerous when you can't even recognize your enemy!"

Corrine sighs in discouragement and faces forward. He notices something strange about how the light in Luin is unusually bright and turns towards it.

"Sheena! Look!"

Sheena snaps her head in the indicated direction and gasps.

"No! The Desians are attacking Luin!"

* * *

March eighteenth. Early morning.

I reread The Hobbit since I finished The Two Towers and Raine is hogging The Return of the King. Mom used to teach The Hobbit to her English class and this particular copy in my hands was one that came from her classroom with the added bonus of J.R.R. Tolkien's signature. A signature clearly forged since the autograph on the page is nothing like the author's actual handwriting. It wasn't on the cover or a page like the copy right page so I was able to save it and keep it in, thank God. I don't know how much of my past that I can destroy without going insane.

I hear someone get up and move towards me. The figure kneels down to my level and examines the book. Yes, I know exactly who this is. I've been in marching band since freshman year and one of the first things you learn how to do is to look through your peripheral vision (which is seeing using the side of your eyesight) so you can see if you're in line or what the drum major (student conductor) is conducting or if you're about to crash into someone.

I decide to speak first. "Soooo . . . Does this new fascination have anything to do with the book in my hand? Or does it have to deal with my so-called dangerous secrets?"

"Originally, my motives for speaking to you on this occasion had nothing to do with the past you keep hiding jealously. Now that you mention it, however, do you feel any sudden guilt that would stir you into confessing everything you are withholding?"

I know he's not serious right now. He's just reminding me that he's still on to me. Either that or he's teasing me. "Guilt? I didn't know I was supposed to be feeling guilt."

Tense, awkward pause.

I finally look up at Kratos from my book and gripe, "If you're trying to unnerve me into speaking then you have epically _failed_. My jaw doesn't slacken out of fear; it tightens up along with the rest of my body and freezes. Now what do you want?"

Kratos switches his attention to the book in my hand. "Raine said many commending things about this . . . 'Lord of the Rings' series. Do you mind if I take a look out of curiosity's sake?"

I sigh just for show and nonchalantly hand him the book. He takes it from my hands and flips through it with a critical expert eye. He notes, "A lot of these pages seem unnaturally beaten up. This book doesn't seem as old as it probably should."

I shrug. "These things happen."

"The first few and last few pages are destroyed and some pages in the middle are stained, but the content is relatively intact and legible," he observes. "An old book would have pages on the inside damaged and illegible. It's as if this damage was made on purpose."

Damn. He caught that. I dismissively put, "Well, enjoy it. I'm going to go practice now that I'm awake."

Kratos watches me leave with an eyebrow raised suspiciously. Although I can certainly feel his gaze piercing my back, I ignore him and continue on as if he didn't exist. When I reach an appropriate distance away from camp, I swing my spear off my back and decide to work on connecting my attacks so they flow. First I've gotta have a set pace . . . I decide on the upbeat pace of a remix of this song called "The Logical Song." I don't really know why that but it just popped in my head.

I whisper, "When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful, a miracle, oh, it was beautiful, magical. And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily, so joyfully, oh playfully watching me."

With the song's melody playing in my head so I can keep tempo, I start a series of basic combos and link it with special techniques like Downcut and Horizon. Whenever I got off beat I would start over, always with that song playing in my head.

Hopefully this will actually help me.

* * *

Sheena races with all her might, Corrine perched on her shoulders since her speed is faster than his, to the red fires casting dark shadows upon the white snow. Her panic chokes her as she remembers all the people she met during the short two times she visited the kind village of Luin. This had to be the work of Desians. There is just no other reason for this kind of destruction!

She dashes into the village over one of the few bridges remaining and screeches to a halt when her eyes catch a villager _not_ running for his or her life. Sheena snaps her attention to the person and recognizes Elizabeth Hermann, one of the first of Luin to welcome her during that first time.

Sheena grasps onto the dazed woman's shoulders and shouts, "Elizabeth Hermann!"

Elizabeth gasps as if suddenly awakened. Her head immediately switches not to Sheena but to her right and seems almost disappointed. Then she shakes her head as if scolding her self and focuses her attention right to Sheena. "What is going on?!" she demands.

Sheena hesitates for a second, wondering just what came over the older woman, and points at the fires. "The Desians are attacking! What do you think it could be?! Get somewhere safe right now!"

Elizabeth nods with a few glances at where she looked previously, but then she stops and shouts over the chaos, "Go find Connor! His home was once my brother's before he left for Hima! It has a basement where locals can hide in! My brother, husband, and Connor dug it out for that reason while they were still infiltrating the ranch!"

"Is it sound?!" Sheena shouts back.

"Yes! Make sure James and Rachel are in there!" she requests. "Although you may have to tie James or knock him unconscious to make sure he _stays_ in there! He'll want to fight along side with his father!"

Sheena assures, "I promise they'll be safe! Go there yourself and make sure no one sees you!" The ninja runs off while sending Corrine out to scout.

Elizabeth watches her leave before turning away. She whispers for only her ears to hear, "Anna . . . That dark place where I was trapped in . . . and that hand squeezing my hand comfortingly just as you used to do . . . Was that you telling me that the Desians will capture me, but that everything will be alright in the end?" Elizabeth rubs her right hand as she looks up at the smoky sky. ". . . I trust you, sis."

Sheena makes it to where Desians were congregating with captives. One particular group struggles with a rebelling captive, and painful screams go high into the air as the armed captive slashes through them and escapes. The proud half-elf Connor rounds back onto his captors with an enraged aura of desperateness. Sheena beats him to them by using his shoulders as a boost to not only get him out of the way but to also slap some of her emergency cards onto the attacking Desians. She uses the last Desian she slapped a card onto to leap onto the rooftop of a yet-to-burn building. Sheena makes a first hand incantation, a second, and the third.

_Boom! Boom! Boom!_ Desian screams pierce the air as the cards explode, killing them instantly. Sheena leaps down and joins Connor in battle against the remaining Desians who weren't in Sheena's path of destruction.

After quickly dispatching those last few, Sheena yells, "Can you get them to that safe place you and Tyson and Elizabeth's brother made?!"

"So Elizabeth told you about that?!" he yells back. "I'll bring them there but I'm coming right back!"

Sheena dashes deeper into the fry as Connor rounds the rescued villagers and leads them away.

* * *

March nineteenth. Midday.

It's cold, wet from snow still falling, and silent (if you exclude the complaining about the cold). Concerning Kratos and the speculation that I narrowly escaped, I now see him watching me with that cold calculating glance every once in a while. He would turn a page in the book he borrowed from me and skim over it for looks and go back to crossing out possibilities of where I'm from. After a few pages into The Hobbit, though, I noticed that his face smoothed over to interest and his eyes wouldn't leave the book. I suppose that even a Cruxis Seraphim would be charmed by The Lord of the Rings series. I do appreciate the fact that it keeps him quiet and off my back for right now.

We're just on the road right now. We passed the Asgard House of Salvation just a few hours ago and, by the looks of things, Genis was using it as a landmark telling him that we're no longer in range of any spiders. He's a lot more relaxed than he was while we were at the seal. To be honest, I calmed down long before we left since I haven't seen any spiders whatsoever. I'm thinking that the next time we come close we're going to see some spiders.

During this trip, Lloyd, Genis, and I got really close.

"Lloyd!" Genis gripes. "You're hogging the only blanket we have! Share some!"

"We're _all_ cold, dammit!" I nag.

"I'm sharing as much as I can!" Lloyd defends.

Meaning we're pressing out backs together sharing the only blanket we're allowed. It's our only defense against the cold.

Raine is bundled in two layers of her own clothes while Colette has the other blanket that the group brought although she doesn't look the least bit cold and seems to be contemplating on whether or not to give us the blanket. Where's the green blanket that I bought on the day I saw a Desian kill a man who cheated him out of money? It's the one Lloyd, Genis, and I are wrapped in. Then, you might wonder, where is Punky since I'm not riding him? Since Raine is driving and Colette is settled where she is, Kratos volunteered to ride the horse. However, it's stirring some jealousy out of another member of our group.

"Whieeeee!" Noishe whimpers.

"Don't scare the horse," Kratos warns.

"Grrrrrrrrrr . . . !"

Punky's ears angle down to Noishe as the horse trots away, closer to the wagon.

"Noishe!" Kratos warns.

Noishe stops growling and snorts. He walks away in a huff and goes around to the other side of the wagon where Lloyd is.

"S-sorry, Nnnoishe," Lloyd stutters through his shivering. "I'm nnot m-moving."

"Whieeee . . ."

The wind blows with a whistle.

The three of us instantly get closer and deeper into the strained blanket.

Colette chirps, "You three are like a bunch of puppies with how close you are."

Genis goes, "We're only like this because we're so cold! You're lucky, Colette. You don't seem nearly as cold as we are."

Colette staggers against that as she tries to come up with something to say.

Lloyd saves the day, "I-it's b-because she's not thinking about the cold! Mind over matter, right, Colette?"

Colette nods in agreement enthusiastically. "Y-yeah! I wasn't thinking about the cold at all!"

"Although, Kelsey here has . . ." Genis tries to remember but asks, "How many layers of clothes do you have on?"

Let's see . . . Excluding my underwear I have . . .

"Three layers of clothes," I state.

"That's insane," Lloyd tells. "Do you really need that much on?"

"I _hate_ the cold," I emphasize. "Besides, I have no body fat to speak of to help me with temperature."

Lloyd notes, "But then I don't have any body fat myself and you don't see me with three layers of clothes."

"That's because you have muscle to help you and I don't care at all if I look like a big baby."

"Well, yeah, you are a big baby."

"Like I said, I don't care."

Brr. Brr. Brr. Brr. Brr. . . .

Colette notices something and looks up. She cheeps, "Look, everyone! It's snowing again!"

Genis suggests, "Let's lean our heads together and tighten the blanket so no snow gets in."

Lloyd and I follow Genis' suggestion. Awkward? Well, a little, yeah. Do we care? Hell no.

Raine glances at us with no pity. "It won't be too long before we reach Luin and get to a fireplace."

"Luin," Genis states, "which we'll reach in three days."

"Watch us drag slowly on to Luin in the longest three days of our lives yet," I comment.

"It's not going to be that long," Kratos says.

"You have a book."

He ignores me.

And so cold boredom continues. I wish I had my ipod back.

* * *

"No! No!"

"Shut up, James! The Desians might hear you!"

"At least _then_ I can fight them! Let me go!"

It wasn't too hard for Corrine to find James and Rachel. James was sneaking her away from the northern entrance of Luin where the Desians were flooding in. His motives were to hide her in the basement under Connor's home and get back into the fight. Sheena caught him when he was leaving the home and tried to persuade him into staying in the basement with the others hiding down there. Needless to say, Sheena had to result to force to keep her promise to Elizabeth that her daughter _and_ son would be safely hidden.

Sheena pins James down to the dirt floor of the hidden cellar and ties his hands together with a piece of rope she brought from home for any needy purposes. Then she leaves for the ladder leading to the main floor. She points down at James and commands the others hiding with them, "Don't let him escape and get himself killed! I promised Elizabeth Hermann that _both_ her children would be safe."

"No! Let me go! I _want_ to _fight!_"

Sheena climbs up the trap door and secures it shut. The Desians won't be able to find it now. The ninja runs out of the house and into the chaos.

"Sheena!" Corrine warns with deep concern. "Don't take too many on your own!"

"I won't!" Sheena reassures. "But I'm not going to let the Desians just walk all over us and Luin!"

"I didn't say that," Corrine adds.

"I know, Corrine." Sheena runs faster towards the northern entrance.

Her first sight of the northern exit is that of people and Luin soldiers fleeing the area, chased down by only a few Desians. She deems the soldiers cowards until she sees that the Desians stop in their pursuit and turn back to the direction they were running from with confident smirks and dooming grins. Perplexity replaces her condemning.

"Tyson! Nurse!"

"Damn you! You will pay for everything! Just wait until I get up!"

There was just too much confusing her. Sheena climbs up on the roof of a more stable building and scrutinizes the sights below. Then she understands.

The people were running away, not from the Desians, but from something worse. The Desians that seemed to chase them down were only hurrying out of the way so they could give whatever they found so amusing enough space for them to observe safely. The two who were shouting are Tyson and Connor locked in battle against a single Desian. The one Desian they battle is one of a high rank that Sheena, who was born and raised in the flourishing world, couldn't know for sure who this was. However, the Renegades gave her enough information to do more than make an educated guess . . .

The Desian Grand Cardinal Kvar has come to Luin.

"I'm surprised that you think you can last for even ten minutes," the feared Grand Cardinal expresses. "Here you are, gasping for air, and this hasn't even lasted for four minutes. Frankly, I'm disappointed."

Tyson sighs.

Connor exclaims, "Tyson! Don't you dare give up!"

"Let's face it, Connor," Tyson says. "We are not going to last long."

Connor scowls at Tyson with disgust and horror. To think he would hear those words from Tyson, the man he long fought along side with for many years.

"However . . ."

Connor's eyes widen as Tyson gets his wind back and smirks challengingly at Kvar.

"Let's rip off a good chunk of his ass before we die!" Tyson enthusiastically shouts.

Connor laughs, "Ahahah! That's the Tyson I know! Let's push for at least fifteen minutes!"

Kvar gives them a bored expression. "I highly doubt you will."

The three return to the battle, Tyson and Connor struggling to dodge the onslaught of lightning bolts and Kvar seeming too bored to give it his all. The Cardinal's attitude snubs Sheena's pride and the temptation to wipe that expression off the Desian's face becomes too irresistible. She leaps down with Corrine left on the roof. The ninja speeds right at Kvar with her cards whipped out and lashes out on him.

"Power Seal!"

The first attack gets halfway blocked, causing a slight stagger.

"Pyre Seal!"

The second attack sends Kvar flying back. He lands just a few feet back and quickly gets up.

"Reinforcement?" Kvar notes. His slit eyes size Sheena up. "Pitiful."

Sheena snaps, "It was enough to send you flying!"

"The element of surprise was all you had," Kvar remarks.

Kvar rushes at her. Sheena sidesteps the Desian and unleashes a combo. A first hit, a second hit, a third hit, then Power Seal—

_THUK!_

Sheena goes tumbling down on her back. She flips in evasive maneuver and lands on her feet, narrowly missing the rest of Kvar's counterattack. Unfortunately, Kvar wasn't done yet.

Kvar slashes his bladed rod in a three-strike combo that causes slits on Sheena, barely armored against by the protective leather under her kimono. The Desian leader ends it with a spell.

"Lightning Strike!"

A line of lightning bolts clash down from in front of Kvar. Sheena attempts to dodge away—but the last one dives through her shoulder and leaves her nerves on her entire left side fried and numb. This energy. It's just like—

"Sheena!" Corrine cries. "Watch out!"

Since Sheena wasn't able to use her left side, dodging was out of the question. Kvar slams the flat side of his staff to club the ninja to the ground. Sheena yelps in pain as she collapses to the side. Kvar raises his staff to finish her off.

Corrine tackles at Kvar's face and uses his back claws to rip at his flesh.

"RAT!" Kvar tears Corrine off and flings him out into a distance. He turns back to Sheena—

_THUNK!_

Kvar falls to the ground after having a fist backed by a blacksmith's strength crash into his jaw. Tyson blocks Kvar's path to Sheena while Connor drops to his knees next to her and casts First Aid.

Connor sees Sheena's eyes filled with horror and dazed with memories. He snaps his fingers in front of her face and exclaims, "Sheena! Wake up!"

Sheena jumps as she's brought back to the present. She snaps her eyes around to regain her situation and whips out her cards. "Sorry," she goes. "I'm up, now."

As Kvar gets back up, Tyson replies, "Then now that you're up, let's give Kvar a real fight."

Sheena gets to her feet. "Bring it on!"

* * *

March twentieth. Twilight.

The snow continues to fall. It's pretty and all, especially how the snow seems to light everything up in its own way, but I want to see the stars right now. Then again, I'll have to ignore the downside of not being able to find Orion's Belt or Ursa Major (aka the Big Dipper). It's rather . . . unsettling when you can't find the constellations that you grew up with your entire life.

Since we weren't in such a hurry to get to Luin, we decided to stop at Lake Umacy. That's right, the lake where the pretty unicorn is. Getting serious, though, I wonder what kind of effect a unicorn is going to have on the surrounding area. It made the air and the lake water pure and the life around the lake was in flourishing abundance, but that was in a spring/summer environment (plus it's probably a lot simpler in the game than it would be in real life). Now that it's winter . . .

The snow seems to illuminate light off from its gleaming powdery surface. All the colors of everything shine with a white cover. The tree bark sheds a deep brown with a touch of cream white; large stones reflect grays with a milky touch; even the sky seems to coordinate with the scenery (but I suspect that's because of my fanciful imagination). Colors haven't been washed away but they have been merely painted with a layer of white pastel paints. Just . . . beautiful . . .

We travel through this pastel landscape with our eyes filled with wonder. The colors whiten more and more as we come closer to the lake. When we get to the lake itself . . .

"Aaahhh . . . !" Lloyd awes.

"It's so beautiful!" Colette gasps.

"There is definitely something powerful inside the lake," Raine manages to say through her marvel.

The water, so crystal clear and yet so opaque with the glowing light, illuminates with the white from deep within its depths. I walk to it, my eyes never leaving the dazzling sight, and kneel down with my hand reaching out to skim the water's surface. My fingers dust over the water—

"Nn!" My hand jerks back as if burned. The mana level is way over the top! If I get in would it be like that first day I came to this world?

Genis approaches the water and dips his hand completely in. Rather than being burned by the insane amount of mana flowing deep inside the water, his frame relaxes as mana seeps into his arm and into his body. He lowers his arm deeper into the water.

"It's warm!" Genis observes, his voice filled with amazement. "It's like the lake itself is alive! There's just so much mana!" After that report he rubs one of his ears with his dry hand.

I pull my hand further back from the water.

"The air smells so clean and crisp . . ." Raine utters.

Colette kneels before the lake's surface. "What could be doing this?"

Raine peers down into the lake. "It's very hard to tell since we cannot see the source. All we can do is guess."

"So pretty lake aside," I guess, "we're going to set up camp here for tonight."

"Yes," Raine answers. "We will be leaving for Luin in the morning."

"Next time I see James, I'll tell him about this lake," Lloyd says. "Since he wants to travel then this can be the first place he's ever gone."

I chuckle. "Lloyd, just because James wants to travel a lot doesn't mean that he's never been anywhere other than Luin. He might have gone to the Tower of Mana or down to Hima or even to Asgard. But yeah, I think he'll love to hear about this place."

Lloyd gets up with a smile, and then he suddenly frowns with slight puzzlement and looks to the west. His frown deepens but he comes to no conclusion.

Colette frowns with concern. "Lloyd, what's wrong?"

Lloyd pauses before he replies, "I don't know. I feel like something's about to happen. I just suddenly feel restless. Can we get to Luin as soon as possible?"

Raine reassures, "Of course, Lloyd, but I wouldn't allow myself worry too much if I were you, though. Sometimes people become overcome with worry and anxiety for no reason that they can tell. Most of the time these feelings turn out to be baseless."

"Still," Lloyd calmly persists, "I just feel that something is wrong . . ."

Kratos suggests, "It may be your instincts telling you something."

I know what's going on. I stand with a composed face and add, "Maybe it's his instincts, but still that anxiety is a feeling. And feelings are nothing but bubbles in a stream: they come and they go no matter how strong they may be at the moment. We'll go to Luin first thing in the morning, but don't let yourself fret all night long and lose needed sleep over this." He'll severely need it by tomorrow.

Lloyd sighs. "Yeah, you're right. You're all right. I still can't quite . . . shake this feeling."

* * *

"Spark Wave!"

A sphere of electricity surrounds the three just as they were about to renew their attack for the fifth time. They scream in pain as the electricity pierces through them and sends them down to the ground. Kvar approaches the fallen trio with an expression full of contempt. The Desian stands over Tyson.

"You honestly have no concern for your dear family?" questions Kvar. "Such pointless rebellions are likely to become a death sentence."

". . . Go to hell!" Tyson grunts through his pain.

"Not before I finish the Angelus Project your sister-in-law temporarily crippled," Kvar remarks. "However, it seems I can find a decent replacement for the promising results I got from that damned female host body."

Tyson scrutinizes Kvar's words before his eyes grow wide. "No . . . No! Don't you dare—!"

"Lord Kvar! We brought her just as you ordered!"

Kvar spares a glance back at the reporting Desian. "Good. Bring her here so this human's old eyes can see her and her pain clearly."

Tyson loses all color as two Desians drag a woman with her chestnut hair ragged and tossed around from all her struggles. He watches with horror as the woman is brought to Kvar and shoved into a submissive bow. She pants as her efforts are rendered useless.

Elizabeth brings her face up to glare hell at Kvar.

Kvar ignores her as he fishes out a dull dark gray orb to display for Tyson. "See this, human? This is an Exsphere in its undeveloped form, something that Anna hid from you and the rest of her parasitic family. She was an Exsphere host and stole the one she had."

Elizabeth hisses, "She would have gladly given it back in exchange for her peace!"

Kvar continues, "But now that the pathetic human is dead and the precious Exsphere's location is still uncertain, I will have to make due with a replacement."

Elizabeth wrenches back. "Then why didn't you replace my sister when she first died?! Why not then instead of waiting all these years?!"

"It takes years to prepare an Exsphere for the Angelus Project," Kvar states as he turns towards Elizabeth. "Now I can place the Exsphere on the appropriate host any time I wish. Of course . . . there is always a risk that it will fail at first contact."

"What do you mean?!" Tyson rushes.

"There is always a chance that the new host's mana might tip out of balance," Kvar clinically explains. "A few of the many reactions to that include death and violent mutation. However, since your wife _is_ a direct relation to the successful host body A012 then I'm sure the risk is minimal."

"No!" Tyson protests as he struggles to get up. "NO! _Elizabeth!_"

Kvar ignores him and approaches frantic Elizabeth with the Exsphere.

"No!" Tyson cries out. "Stop! Stop! I beg of you!"

Kvar stops and gazes impassively down at the first sign of submission. "You _beg_ of me?"

Tyson chokes as he bows his head down. His pride gladly tattered to bits for the sake of at least delaying his wife's doom.

Kvar chortles at the sight of Tyson Hermann's very first surrender to the Grand Cardinal. He silently motions for others to come and take the blacksmith away and dismisses the Desians restraining a now-sobbing Elizabeth. Another two are summoned with a single finger pointed down at the glowering half-elf at his feet.

Sheena manages to sneak her last guardian summon card out despite her condition . . .

Kvar instantly spies the ninja's attempt and bashes her with his staff. "Lightning Strike!"

All five bolts clash down onto Sheena's body and sends her into convulsions.

Two Desians along with others eager to see this particular half-elf restrained hoist Connor up to almost meet Kvar in the eye. For the first time, Kvar shows all his hatred against Connor.

"You filthy traitor," Kvar spats. "How could you betray your own race?"

Connor slurs, "I wasn't aware that 'Desian' was a race. Though I assure you that I don't have a single drop of 'Desian' blood. Just half human and half elf."

Kvar's hand snatches Connor's throat into a tight strangle. Over Connor's chokes, Kvar snarls, "For six years you have snuck captives out and sabotaged valuable equipment within my ranch. Six years! After such luck I consider it unfortunate for you that a simple bribe was able to make a turncoat out of one of your human allies. You would have succeeded if you had remembered the malicious nature of humans to begin with."

Connor grits out, "Why don't . . . you just . . . kill me then?"

"Not until I get the secrets to the success that your 'Human Ranch Infiltration Team' had," Kvar tells him. "I know there was more to this than just a damn map and a few security loopholes that were found out of dumb luck. I also want every name involved in your exploits."

"Bribes . . . aren't going to—work with . . . me . . . !" Connor bites.

"I have more ways than just mere bribery," Kvar reminds as he releases his death grip on Connor's throat.

Connor gasps for breath and coughs the instant Kvar's hand leaves his neck, relishing the relief in his lungs—

_THUK!_

With a single hard blow to the head, Kvar lashes his staff against Connor's head, knocking him completely unconscious, and commands that the half-elf be sent away. With the entire group dragging Connor away, Kvar turns to the last of the—

"PYRE SEAL!!"

Kvar is sent down on his back and reflexively gets up in time to block Sheena's renewed attack.

"Lightning Strike!"

Sheena dodges the line of bolts and slaps her cards against the Grand Cardinal. "Mirage Seal—Pyre Seal!!"

Kvar flies back in a twirling wheel barrel roll and lands awkwardly on his feet. He leaps back as Sheena lashes her combos again and again, some missing and some landing a hit. Kvar counters with consecutive swings of his staff and sends Sheena flying back. He ends the combo with a single spell.

"Thunderblade!" he cries out.

Sheena jumps back in panic as a white sword of animated lightning dives down into the ground and forms a spell circle that, while she dodged the giant blade, catches Sheena in the electric torture.

"NYA-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AAAHHH!" she wails as the bolts whip through her body. Sheena falls to her knees, desperately trying to get her body to respond faster as Kvar closes in to finish his attack.

"_No! Sheena!_"

Corrine leaps in and lands on Kvar's face. Corrine claws at Kvar's smooth, pale face as he tears through the Desian leader's flaxen hair with his clamped fangs. Red lines slice through Kvar's face as the Desian struggles to rip Corrine off his head—stubborn hand against a stubborn clasp.

Kvar finally manages to rip Corrine off his face and flings the fox-shaped creature against the nearest building and effectively puts Corrine out of consciousness. He turns back to Sheena.

He gains on her and, with all his strength, bashes his staff against her and sends her tumbling backwards. He comes at her again and slams his staff into her again. Kvar turns his staff point down and lunges it for a finishing stab.

Sheena rolls away in an evasion against Kvar's attack. The staff end catches an end of the large pink bow tying her tiny kimono together and completely unravels, leaving Sheena's outfit drooping and exposing her body.

Vulgar whistles and cat calls and mocking laughter ring out at her. Sheena's face reddens with fury and humiliation as she tries to close her kimono back up and get away at the same time. Kvar takes advantage of the situation and crashes his staff into her.

The ninja goes flying and lands a good distance away against the edge of a crumbling building. She goes still and unresponsive as snow gently falls upon her.

Kvar snorts. "Finally. We have done all that we came to do. My last orders are for any survivors to be taken to the ranch. I will meet you all there by the time you return."

Then, amidst all the fire, snow, and blood, Kvar makes his leave from Luin, the City of Devastation.

* * *

March twenty-first. Midday.

White. White everywhere. A blank pallet, if you will. There is something to admire about a clean pallet. There are so many possibilities of what could be painted on it. So many ways to decorate a pallet and so many colors to sweep across its surface.

The pallet of Luin is painted with different shades of white—and then stained with red and black.

The buildings are painted with all sorts of different blacks. Ebony black, midnight black, charcoal black . . . There's some black on the white landscape, too.

Then there is the red . . .

Crimson red in the white snow. Passion red smeared on the black buildings. Rose red on the ashen cheeks of those draped in cold, soft caskets of white. Scarlet lake red splattered on limp clothes powdered with frosty sugar. Sorrel red on those lying there in the light quilts of white, red, and black that are deep in this eternal sleep.

Lloyd trembles there in shock and horror with the rest of us. His face is dyed with the hue of clean bone. He falls to his knees and stares in shock at the painting of black, red, and white before us.

The painting of blood red on snow white.

* * *

There will be more details on discovering Luin in the next chapter when I'm focusing on drama.

Please review.


	29. Luin the Village of Devastation

If there's one commenting then there are others who didn't. The song that Kelsey sang at the beginning of the last chapter is called The Logical Song and, from what I heard, the original song is by this band called Supertramp (apparently). One of the more well-known or official remixes is by this other band called Scooter. Other remixes are scattered across YouTube.

I'm trying to make Kvar look even worse than he looks in the game.

This chapter was also a pain to write. A complete struggle.

I don't like my OC at the end of this. I can't blame her but I don't exactly like her now.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Luin the Village of Devastation

"No . . . No . . . No . . ." Lloyd murmurs in a fit of shock. He lies kneeled in the snow as the devastation before him confirms the fears that sharply increased over the last few hours. He hung desperately onto hope when we saw the ruined village from afar, but now it's almost all dashed.

Kratos is the only one who still has his wits, although a glance tells me that he's just as shaken as the rest of us. He moves towards Lloyd and tries to get him to do something other than just sit there repeatedly muttering "no." Kratos lifts one arm and uses it to hoist Lloyd up enough to where Lloyd would be prompted to get up on his own.

"Lloyd," Kratos says when he fails to get Lloyd to move, "we need to find any survivors. If we just stay here then those that need help won't get it in time to make a difference. Lloyd, get up _now_."

I start thinking that Lloyd can't hear Kratos through his shock. However, I begin to think differently when Lloyd suddenly jerks as if waking up to a sudden realization. He quickly stands and turns towards us. No, wait . . . Passed us . . .

"Noishe!" he calls.

Noishe instantly comes to Lloyd's side. Lloyd swings onto Noishe's back and, without even a word or move from him, Noishe races away. My first thought was noting the communication that the two have; my second thought guessed where he was going and what he'll be doing when he finds what's left of his aunt's home. Either way, I doubt Lloyd will come back anytime soon today.

The rest of us are left with the devastation.

Kratos turns an urgent expression to us. "We need to search for survivors!"

That one statement broke our shock.

As I look over the sight as the others and I begin to dig bodies out of the snow and search the fallen structures for anyone who managed to take shelter, I can just tell that today is going to be the longest day of my life . . . as of yet, as I should remember. There are still more terrible days to come. But still . . .

Each time I dig someone out of the snow a piece of my heart breaks. At the second person that I help dig out, I do my best to keep from crying by dismissing these people as not real people but realistic props in a set. Needless to say that I fail. My sobs choke out and fears drip reluctantly out of my eyes. Colette is near hysterics herself and Genis is still in shock, mindlessly following the directions of anyone who speaks to him. Raine is shaking rather than crying and every once in a while she would shudder as if she were fighting to keep herself calm too. Kratos . . . is just grim. He sighs out of sorrow and is even more distant and quiet than usual, practically isolating himself. There is still no sign of Lloyd.

We did find the occasional Desian body. Some were slain by sword wounds while some in one specific area seemed to die from burns as if something exploded on them. Those bodies didn't get farther into Luin than the northern entrance and we just dragged them to another location separate from the native villagers. The victimizers who fell to their own petard shouldn't receive the same treatment as the innocents who fell by their blades.

When we search through another part of the northern section of Luin, still combing out more dead victims, I found a small lump in the snow two sizes bigger than Genis. My heart instantly drops, identifying the age of this victim. Reluctantly, I approach this victim and pull the small body out of the snow. I see a little girl with dark brown hair, her coat stained with her blood and her eyes still slightly open while her face is frozen in terror. I would guess that she's just turning twelve, the same age as my sister Kaylee.

I drop the limp body and weep right then and there. Everything that I've been holding back erupts out of my agonizing heart. I can't even see anymore with all the tears in my eyes.

I feel someone touch my shoulders and through my loud cries I hear, "Go sit down over there for a moment."

I wordlessly obey Raine and take shelter leaning against the side of a building where the snow slumps down into shallow dips. I allow myself to wail for the first time since I told myself in Palmacosta not to cry over things anymore (in an attempt to keep myself from breaking down from losing everything). This is just . . . just terrible . . . ! Just terrible . . . !

I lean my head down on my knees, facing right since I'm resting my left cheek on my knees. Through my blurry, tear-stained sight I see something colorful and tan lying still in the snow next to me. I would think it a cat but a cat doesn't have multiple sky blue tails. I pull the creature to me, the bell collar jingling along with this movement, and rest it in my lap. My fingers skim its body for wounds and find a large lump on the back of its skull. I pull out an apple gel and dip a finger in and scoop out enough to rub the gel against the lump. After that I check the creature's pulse since I forgot to do that first out of my mindlessness. Obviously still alive but its pulse is a little slow. I open my coat up and slip the kitsume-esq. creature into my clothes and keep it there so it can warm up.

If Corrine is here then Sheena can't be too far.

With a mission in mind that doesn't involve digging up dead bodies, I abandon my spot and search the immediate area for anything that resembles Sheena or just anything violet in general. My eyes catch something violet kneeling in the snow. I snap my attention right to it—and I turn away. Just Kratos. Even with his winter clothes he chose to wear violet. Why is he so attached to that color, anyway?

I continue to search for black hair, violet kimono, and huge pink ribbon. I feel something cold stir against my chest and I desperately hope that Corrine isn't going to be like a frozen snake against a bosom and bite me when he warms up. I trudge through the snow, kicking up the white stuff along with whatever debris that stubs my toes. My feet catch something that flows with it. I bend down and pull it out of the powdery ice and the color pink, more like fuchsia, greets me. Sheena's giant bow.

That's not exactly a good sign. Seeing as how her giant bow, the same bow that keeps her skimpy kimono tied together, is out here all by itself, it means that Sheena is either naked and unconscious (since she wouldn't leave Corrine in this state if otherwise) or she's almost naked and unconscious. Either which way, she's exposed to the cold in clothes meant for spring and summer. What was she thinking wearing clothes like that in the first place? Is it summer in Tethe'alla or something? Idiot . . .

Corrine stirs, moans, and, after a moment, begins to wiggle free from my coat. His little fox head pops out and the first words out of his mouth are "You're not Sheena!"

Beautiful. "I think I know that."

Corrine struggles free from my coat. "Where's Sheena? What have you done to Sheena?"

I flatly state (and wince whenever his claws scratch me in his effort for freedom), "Nothing. I'm just looking for her. If you want to blame someone, blame the Desians."

Corrine suddenly freezes, then he fights even harder, crying out, "Sheena! Sheena! She's in trouble! I have to find her!"

I finally give up my charitable cause and let Corrine out of my coat into the cold. He sniffs the snow and continuously investigates everything. I follow him from a distance for a few paces until he snaps his attention to the left towards a fallen building. In reaction to what he sees, Corrine cries out, "_Sheena!_" He dashes madly to the left.

My eyes follow and find the infamous ninja slumped against the wall of the fallen building. Snow peppers her body, which is exposed to the cold and snow due to the fact that her kimono is unraveled from the lack of the big pink ribbon that currently hangs in my hand. I note that she uses hard leather as light protection against attacks, stating that she relies on agility in battle rather than attack and defense. I approach her with my hand fishing out an apple gel. Hey, I may be angry with her for taking out everything that Zelos has ever done to her out on me (which I might remind you was an extreme way for venting things that an ass does), but I'm not going to leave someone in this condition.

Corrine whips around at me upon my approach and growls in warning. I hold up the apple gel in my hand and state, "Considering that _I'm_ the one with the apple gels, you can stop growling."

Corrine stops but his fur remains bristled. He jumps to the side, allowing me room to apply the gel, and warns, "If you hurt her . . ."

"You'll rip out my throat," I finish as I kneel down. "I get it." The first thing I do is check her head and spine for anything that may hinder my efforts to help her. Satisfied that there's nothing serious, I lift her with her arms and drag her inside the fallen building where she's at least out of the snow and sheltered from the wind. I sit down and, with apple gels in hand, I treat her wounds. For those that remained after I ran out of gels, I bandaged them up (required to know how to at this point). Then, after much deliberation, I brace myself for the cold and drape my coat over her. I can suffer in my two remaining layers of clothes while she has my coat. As the first chill slaps against my skin, I remind myself that I'm doing this so that Sheena can actually survive. I know for a fact that one day Sheena and I are going to be jaunting around Tethe'alla to get Colette back her soul, get Presea a key crest, make pacts with all the summon spirits, cure Colette of that funky Crystallus Innoficium, and then go to the Tower of Salvation for the final showdown against Cruxis. I can at least be considerate right now since we'll go through all of that with the rest of the group of eight—oh, wait, nine including me.

. . . Besides, my conscious won't allow me to just ditch her. I'd feel horrible and guilty if I did.

"What are you doing?"

That demand came from behind me so I know it's not Corrine. Speaking of Corrine, he decided to growl at the person who exclaimed that statement. I ignore him as I face my confronter.

"Professor," I state, "she's the only one I found who's actually _alive_."

Raine questions, "Did you forget that assassin has been continuously after our lives especially Colette's life? Did you even forget the hair line fracture on your skull, the four broken ribs, and your dislocated arm inflicted upon you after she used that monster to throw Lloyd at you?"

I narrow my eyes at the memory. "Of course I haven't forgotten. But Sheena is the only survivor found as of yet—unless you and the others found other survivors. As far as I know, Sheena is the only one who can give us a detailed account and I feel that we should, at the very least, make sure she lives so she can tell us what was going on."

Raine sighs. "I know. It's just hard to ignore everything she has done before and help treat her. Here . . . Let me finish what you started."

As Raine approaches, I give her a mildly surprised look. "Professor . . ."

"I'm only doing this for the people of Luin," she states. "The more we know about what happened, the better we can plan our actions."

Ignoring Corrine's increased growling, I frown in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we will be moving against the Desians," she clarifies. "The others and I have already discussed this. What happened here is much worse than what Iselia suffered under. I refuse to turn a blind eye to this."

As soon as she begins casting "First Aid," I notice that Corrine stopped growling.

After a moment, I hesitantly ask, ". . . Has anyone seen Lloyd yet?"

Raine sighs. "No. To be honest, the situation isn't looking too good for his aunt's family. This . . . This is just . . . To finally meet his mother's long lost family and . . . now . . ."

Corrine speaks up, "I know where some survivors hid."

Raine jumps in shock. "It can talk!"

Corrine bickers, "Of course I can talk! I'm a summon spirit, not a dumb animal! And I'm a 'he' not an 'it'!"

Raine flusters, "O-of course! My apologies. Now, what did you say about survivors? Can you lead us to them?"

Corrine looks to Sheena first, but confirmed that she's now safe, Corrine turns back to us and assures, "Yes. Follow me!"

Raine and I follow Corrine through the thick snow, struggling since our feet dive deep into the white powdery ice. Corrine would every now and then stop and wait patiently for us to catch up. Eventually we come upon a house that caved in through the destruction. After a squint, I recognize it to be the same house that Connor resided in. After a scan through the destruction, Raine and I exchange worried glances. However, Corrine doesn't seem too worried so I cling on to hope.

Corrine enters the half-collapsed house and starts rummaging through the debris searching for something on the floor. He announces, "There's a hidden cellar below the first floor! There should be some survivors! Hello? Is anyone down there?"

We catch up to Corrine as he continuously claws and scratches at the wooden floor. I notice that he's scratching away at the tiny spaces between the boards.

"Kelsey," Raine addresses, "wedge your spear between the spaces in the floor."

"Huh?" I go. "Why?"

Raine answers, "I suspect that . . . our friend is trying to get a scent."

Corrine hears me get my spear out and moves out of the way. I jab my spear into the floor and wedge a decent hole for Corrine to poke his nose through. Corrine fills in when I move back and starts sucking up air from the hidden room.

"I don't smell blood—or anything," Corrine announces. "It's like they're gone! Hello? Anyone? James! Rachel! Anyone! Answer me!"

Raine and I exchange surprised glances at that. Okay, maybe Sheena met James and Rachel Hermann but it's really doubtful that they'd be on first name basis. Raine begins to ask, "How do you know those names?"

Corrine goes, "Sheena can explain everything later. We have to get down into that cellar, though!" Corrine leaps and zips around to a spot where a roof support rests and points himself at a spot just underneath the support. "A trap door into the cellar is just under this support!"

I glance at Raine and sense her suspicion. Since it's still hard for her to trust Corrine and Sheena after what they've done, I decide to make the first move. I go up to the support and try to lift it.

". . . Ugh! _Gah!_ Oh, God—_Augh!_ Hauh . . . !" I release the support that I couldn't even budge. "It's going to take _all_ of us to lift this thing!" Feeling blood rush into my head from the effort, I let myself fall flat on my butt and wait as the blood rush calms down.

"Professor!"

We shift our attention to outside the ruined building. Colette, pale and somber, approaches Raine. "Professor, have you found anyone? Genis and I found Sheena inside a building—"

"We know that," I insert. "We tended to her wounds."

Silence.

"Sorry," I amend for interrupting.

Colette dismisses it by continuing, "But Sheena's the only one any of us found. Kratos and Genis are with her waiting for her to wake up. I came to find you two."

"Any news from Lloyd?" Raine inquires.

Colette shakes her head. "No. We would see him racing around the village on Noishe but he never even glanced at us. He . . . He had this wild look in his eyes. I could tell that he's desperate. Professor . . . none of us found Elizabeth or her family in the snow . . . but . . . but I'm scared that . . . If . . . If they are . . . then . . . I don't know how I'm going to . . ."

Raine places her hand on Colette's shoulder. "There is still hope, Colette. If we can't find them amongst the dead then they could have been the survivors that either fled or have been captured by the Desians. As long as they and the rest of Luin are alive then there is still hope."

Colette nods absently. Her worries still persist. Suddenly, she snaps to and whirls around to somewhere distant. Raine follows her direction.

"Lloyd!" Colette cries out as she runs to him.

Lloyd returns with the image of a melancholy soldier trudging back from a lost battle. Noishe plods next to him, pressing his nose against Lloyd's elbow, whining in a sort of way as if trying to be encouraging but severely failing. He barely even glances up at Colette when she comes his way with Raine and me just behind her.

"Lloyd!" Colette goes as she halts at him. "Lloyd, did you find them? Did you find anyone?"

Lloyd continues to plod is way along for a moment before he utters, "No . . . I couldn't find them. I couldn't find _anyone_. They're all dead. Everyone I found is all dead. I didn't . . . I didn't find Aunt Elizabeth or the others amongst them . . . but I didn't find anyone alive . . ."

Raine informs, "We found one person. We found the assassin . . . Sheena . . . alive. The last I checked she was unconscious but she can tell us what happened. Don't give up hope, Lloyd. The Desians took any survivors to the ranch so there is still a chance that we can rescue them along with the rest of Luin."

Lloyd glances up. "Sheena?"

I take my turn, "Yes, Lloyd. Sheena's here and alive. Let's go and see if she's awake now. Maybe she can tell us what happened."

Lloyd nods. "Yeah . . ."

We all head back, with Corrine determinedly leading the way, and find Kratos and Genis practically standing guard over Sheena, now waking up and practically a "prisoner."

"_Sheena!_" Corrine shrills as he zooms right to the ninja. He leaps into Sheena's arms and trembles there. "I was so worried!"

Sheena looks down at him, coming back to her full senses. "C-Corrine . . . You're alright!" She looks up as we approach. Her bewilderment is obvious. "I . . . I had a really bad number did to me when . . . I was last awake. Now those wounds are gone. Why did you save me?"

Raine suggests, "Perhaps for the same reason you fought against the Desians while they attacked. Tell us what happened."

Sheena watches us for a second or two. ". . . Alright. I guess I owe you at least that. . . . The Desians attacked Luin . . . yesterday, I suppose. Look around. Everything is destroyed. They were destroying everything and killing almost everyone in sight. Their orders must have changed to capturing anyone left alive after I was knocked out since it doesn't look like anyone else is left. Nothing remains . . ."

"But why?" Lloyd questions. "Why did they do this? Luin was a quiet village! They didn't even have a militia like Palmacosta!"

Sheena regards Lloyd before stating, "There's a half-elf named Connor who was sneaking captives from the ranch and hiding them. I think he had a huge system that involved a lot of members of the village in order to keep the captives hidden and safe."

_This_ is a shock. In the game it says that the people of the village were hiding some people, but an entire system of busting captives out of that place and hiding them? Wow. That's just wow.

Then she adds, "Apparently Connor did a really good job keeping the identities of everyone involved hidden since the entire village was overtaken rather than just the involved individuals being assassinated. They could only find out that it was a huge system and couldn't squeeze any details out. From what I heard yesterday—yesterday, right?—he's been pulling this whole thing off for six years."

Another shocker.

"_Six years_?" Genis exclaims. "Connor's been getting captives out of that ranch for _six years_?

"Connor?" Lloyd asks, "Is this the same Connor who knows the blacksmith Tyson Hermann?"

Sheena furrows an eyebrow in confusion. ". . . Yeah, those two know each other. They were fighting together against this ranch's Desian Grand Cardinal. How do you . . . ?"

Lloyd steps up to her, a desperate gleam in his eyes. "What happened to them? Do you know?"

Sheena leans back a little as she recalls, "They . . . We didn't stand a chance. Kvar—Asgard's Desian Grand Cardinal—he had all the advantages over us. They used Elizabeth, Tyson's wife, against him to put him in submission and carried them both off. With Connor, they're keeping him alive at the ranch to get all the information that they can out of him."

Lloyd clarifies, "So they're at the ranch. They're alive."

Sheena nods. "Yeah. How do you know them?"

Lloyd states, "Elizabeth is my aunt."

Sheena shows obvious shock. "Of all places . . ." Then she turns downcast. "I-I'm sorry. I did the best I could but . . . nothing I did was enough." Then something lights in her eyes. She suddenly stands (sending Corrine off her lap and onto the ground), saying with more vigor, "But Tyson and Elizabeth's kids! They're in a safe place along with others! They're . . . !" She wobbles.

Lloyd grabs onto her arm and steadies her. "Careful. You lost a lot of blood."

"I made a promise to Elizabeth that they would be safe!" Sheena explains. "Then Connor led other villagers to the hidden cellar in his home that—"

"Sheena," Corrine informs, "the house collapsed onto the first floor. There's a roof support blocking the trap door. Then the cellar smells as if they just disappeared! There wasn't any blood but they're just not in there!"

Sheena instantly pales.

I reassure, "But we're not going to know anything for sure until we actually remove that support and get inside."

Lloyd says, "Let's go. Someone may actually be in there."

Lloyd was so determined that no one wanted to mention any worse case scenarios that are probably more likely. Corrine led us right to the support that's blocking the way and moved as Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Kratos, Raine, I, and Sheena lift the beam up from the ground. I notice an instant change with all of us moving it with a lot more ease than I did when I was by myself. We drop it at the side as Lloyd yanks the trap door open and he along with Corrine and Colette rush down to investigate. All I hear for a moment is Sheena's panting (she spent some recovered strength lifting the support) and the movement downstairs. Then we hear Colette's disappointed "No one's down here. No one."

Corrine interrupts, "No! They just moved! They all started moving towards . . ."

"A crate?" Lloyd finishes in confusion.

A pause . . . ". . . There's a small cave entrance behind this!"

"What the . . . ?" I go.

Raine calls, "Of course! There are natural caves underneath the lake branching out all over! When this cellar was dug up, they must have found one of the cave branches!"

"That's where they went!" Sheena concludes. "When this building started collapsing, they all moved inside the caves!"

We rush down and pull back the large crate. Sure enough, there's a giant hole that will allow a child to walk in easily. While Genis had to duck at first before walking through with ease, the rest of us were either just a touch too short (me and Colette) or way too tall (Kratos) and so those of us older than a thirteen-year-old had to crawl in . . . at the time. As we got deeper and deeper into the catacombs, the cavern corridors became larger and larger. At one point, Lloyd decided to stand (along with Genis, Colette, and me).

"Ow!" he yips as his head collides with the roof of the cave. Then he utters, "What the? . . . What's this?"

"What is it?" Colette asks.

"I just hit my head against something metal," Lloyd comments.

A gleam overcomes Raine's eyes. She pushes Lloyd aside and feels around the area. She gasps in excitement before grabbing hold on the object and starts yanking it down. After a few good tugs, Raine unearths this large metal box. She begins laughing.

"Oh, ho ho ho ho! I don't believe it! A preservation box!"

Because I had to move so that I could make way for Raine, I got in close enough range for me to be able to hear Kratos mutter, "We don't have enough f**king time for this bull shit . . ."

Wow. Someone's angry.

Lloyd gripes, "Professor Sage! Can you go ruin mode _after_ we take care of things here?"

There is a stunned silence. Lloyd slumps a little but stands his ground.

Raine calms down. "I apologize, Lloyd. I got too carried away. Yes, of course I can examine this later. Let's continue. Kelsey, could you hold this for right now?"

I take the large metal box. "Sure, Professor."

We go on. It must've been just an hour or two before we find anything else, but it felt like forever. However, when we start to see light other than what's emitting from Raine's staff . . .

"I told you! The Desians are gone! There's nothing left to do but leave."

"What if they're just hiding out waiting for us?"

"The Desians don't know about that cellar. They would've found us if they did."

"Quiet! I hear something!"

Absolute silence comes over us. Lloyd shouts out, "Anyone there? Hello? James? Rachel?"

"Wait, that's . . . Lloyd?"

"Who?"

"My cousin!"

Lloyd rushes up to meet his cousin as the rest of the survivors hurry to us since we're the first living things they've seen since the attack. They all chatter to us getting as much information as they can about what happened to Luin in the end. During this I manage to catch one of them inspect Lloyd in study as he says to himself, "Cousin, huh? So that brother of Elizabeth's actually had a kid, or is this some other relative coming out of the woods?"

Okay, who's this brother of Elizabeth's and Anna's in the first place? I _really_ want to know now since he's being mentioned quite a few times.

Sheena approaches James and gets narrowed eyes as a greeting.

"You really owe me for tying me up back there," James informs.

"No I don't," Sheena counters. "If I didn't then you would've gone right back out and gotten yourself killed."

"I'm a good fighter!" James insists.

"That wasn't going to be enough!" Sheena snaps. "Kvar beat both Tyson and Connor and took your mother captive! He even knocked me unconscious and left me for dead! If he beat us then he was definitely going to beat you!"

"I could have made a difference!" James argues.

"No you wouldn't have!" Sheena tells him, "We were all outnumbered and overpowered. We're lucky to even be alive!"

"That's—"

"That's the truth."

A man with this world weary look in his eyes approaches. He has two little girls clinging on to his legs. "Your father and Connor knew there was a huge chance of getting killed the moment they went out into battle. They needed you here protecting your sister."

James looks back at the man. "Daniel . . . Both my parents are in the ranch."

The man, Daniel, states, "The most that they can ask for now is that you and your sister live outside that ranch. Believe me when I say this: it is pure hell to have your children suffering through the same horrors that you suffer through. I . . ." Daniel lowers his head as he recalls from his memories. "I went through that hell as I suffered along with Nell and Iris. I would have slept much better if I had the hope that my two girls were safe and sound outside that ranch."

As the message sinks in, I look down at the two little girls Nell and Iris clutching onto their father Daniel's legs and realize that the three are recent escapees from the ranch. What sort of hell did Daniel, Nell, and Iris . . . . . Daniel, Nell, and Iris. DNI. So those three are DNI, the captives that Connor had most recently freed.

James still struggles with his thoughts. Lloyd encouragingly places his hand on his cousin's shoulders. "James," Lloyd tells him, "I'm going to the ranch and freeing everyone there. This is more than just a promise. I will do this."

James gains a determined gleam in his eyes. "Then I'm going with you! You can't do this alone!"

"I'm not going to be alone," Lloyd states. "I've got my friends with me and we've been in a ranch before. We can do this."

"And I'm with them too!" Sheena declares. Then she shies a little as she adds, "If . . . If you'll let me. Luin gave me food and shelter. I can't turn a blind eye to this after all that!"

Lloyd nods. "Of course! This is something that I'm not going to tolerate!"

Before James renews his argument, Daniel points out, "We found another exit out of the caves just in that direction. We can all go out through there."

Raine approaches Daniel. "Daniel, before we part company, I have a few questions about how you managed to escape the ranch."

Daniel replies, "Alright. I will answer to the best I can but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to answer all of your questions."

* * *

The Desians must've loaded the captives up in the same type of vehicle that the Desians at Palmacosta did with Chocolat and the captives there. It took us half a day to reach the ranch on horseback with only necessities on us and at a sane pace the trip should've taken us two days and a half to reach on foot. We only ate bread and cheese and whatever was already cooked or could be eaten raw during meals and only stopped the horses when we needed to. Finally, we stopped the horses in a safe location and bid Noishe to protect them. We knew the horses were doomed if a monster came along so we untied their knots so they could escape. We know that they won't just wander off since they've always come back whenever they were set loose. Plus we know that we're their only dependable food source during these travels. Those horses are a bit dependant too on us for them just to run off and never return.

By the time we reached the ranch it was nightfall. According to Daniel, Connor led him and his daughters through a hole in security in the northern section. If I consider the geological structure of the landscape (there's the sea hugging the ranch just north of it) then security shouldn't be a big issue in the northern section.

But this . . . this . . .

"A meter wide gap between the cords," Genis bewilderedly observes.

"No wonder Connor could get out so easily," Lloyd comments.

"This is too easy," Sheena states. "There has to be a catch."

I scan through my memories of the Desian ranches. Let's see . . . The game . . . is actually a little fuzzy. Strange. Hmm . . . In the beginning, Forcystus had his men check the gate surveillance to identify Lloyd and Genis . . . In reality and in the game, Magnius had a projector that displayed other rooms and so did Rodyle . . . So considering all that, there have got to be security cameras in this area. I ease my way to the wall and scan through the entire area. I see . . . three cameras.

"Take a look," I point out. "Those things are watching this area."

Everyone crowds in to my view point. I hear Kratos correct, "There are eight. See? There, there, there, there, and there."

"So let's just take them out," Lloyd says.

"It's not that easy. It's not those things that we have to worry about. It's what's watching us through them," I inform.

"As I said, let's just take them out," he repeats.

Raine clarifies, "Those are actually like the projectors in Magnius' ranch. They are part of the surveillance system. As soon as we are in sight of those cameras then security will know we are here. Then destroying them will definitely alert the Desians to our presence."

"Couldn't we just disguise ourselves as Desians and sneak in?" Lloyd asks.

I put, "We'll be caught as soon as they ask for identity. The only reason why we were able to get in to Magnius' ranch was, one, he set a trap so he was expecting us and, two, we had Dorr's pass code to get inside a back door. As you may realize, neither of those conditions are in place at this time."

As Lloyd groans in frustration, Kratos slips through the meter wide gap and presses himself against a wall, apparently hidden from the cameras. "Don't follow me until I give a signal," he instructs. He waits . . . waits . . .

Kratos bolts across the grass to the building on the other side of the snow. He holds up his hand, poised for signaling us across, and waits . . . In the meantime, Lloyd and Sheena slip through and wait for the signal.

Kratos makes the motion and the two dash across and meet him there. Kratos directs them to a door he spotted and they safely enter the ranch without immediate detection. After several minutes, the rest of us run across and make it inside.

"We need to get to a computer to access the main data frame," Raine states as soon as we're together.

"We need to rescue the captives and destroy this ranch," Lloyd reminds.

"I know that," Raine tells him, "but we need to know the layout of the ranch before we do anything else."

"I can send Corrine out to scout," Sheena states. "He can find a computer room without detection."

Raine raises an eyebrow at Corrine with his flamboyant tail and the noisy bell collar. "Are you certain that this will work?"

"I'll show you!" Corrine challenges. "I'll find a computer without the Desians seeing me! Sheena, hold my collar, please."

"Of course." Sheena holds the collar as Corrine wiggles and wedges his head out of it. As soon as the collar came off Corrine leaps off of Sheena's shoulders and zips away so silently that I wondered if the ranch's heating system was drowning it out. Sheena pockets the bell collar with a look daring Raine to doubt any further.

A few minutes later, Corrine returns with the report. "Sheena, I found a computer room just down the hallway and through a room but the patrol for this area just finished the rounds two minutes ago. No one's coming back for another thirty minutes."

Sheena gives Raine an "I-told-you-so" look. Raine gives Sheena a stern stare.

"Then let's go! We don't have all night!" Lloyd replies to Corrine and he follows the miniature kitsune immediately.

Raine and Sheena's little duel is cut off as Lloyd and Corrine run down the hall. The rest of us tail behind the two. Some distance passes us by for a bit of time before Corrine makes a sharp left down another corridor. We turn that corner and find it to be a short hallway leading to a single door. Lloyd swings the door open and he and Corrine slip in.

"Is he crazy?" Genis gripes. "What if there's someone in there?"

We all hurry in and catch Lloyd going through another door on the other side. Colette dashes after him first and—

"Oh!" Colette goes as she trips. She gets up and untangles her feet from the cords that litter the floor. Now that I'm actually looking around, this seems like the place where they store the cords being used for the huge computer next door system. Doesn't make sense that these power cords would just be left exposed but this isn't a main computer that we're going for in the first place.

As the others wait impatiently at the other door (Sheena and Genis already went in the other room after Lloyd while Kratos is keeping the door open and watching both rooms), I help Colette untangle the cords around her feet. "Careful. Those cords will get ya."

Colette chuckles, "Hehehe. Yeah."

Once her feet were freed, the rest of us join Lloyd, Genis, Sheena, and Corrine. The computer room has a large amount of space along with other machines probably attached to the computer at the end of the room where Corrine sits triumphantly next to the key pads. There isn't an inclined area like there is in the computer room in the game that leads to an Exsphere storage room or something but there are two other doors in the room: one next to the computer and the other on the same wall on the other side that has a large window overlooking a spacious area. I can't tell what it looks like from here since I'm not at that window yet. Anyway, I'm guessing this particular computer is in charge of controlling this particular area of the ranch.

"See?" Corrine confidently declares. "Didn't I tell you I could find a computer without the Desians seeing me?"

Raine goes right to the computer and hesitantly replies, "Yes, you did. Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Corrine chirps as he hops right back to Sheena's shoulders.

Raine taps at the key pads and toils away there for a moment. Meanwhile, Lloyd goes over to the window and peers down into the spacious room next to us.

"What are they doing here?" Lloyd asks. "This entire room looks like some sort of weird factory, and they're making the captives do the work."

The rest of us minus Raine go up to the window. Instead of two large conveyer belts shipping people-sized containers away and Desians walking around in their armor, I see captives slaving away making the said people-sized containers and other parts depending on which slow-moving conveyer belt they're at. I search the room and only find four conveyer belts where the captives struggle to make ends meet with several Desians in a non-armor uniform of form fitting cloth and their weapons at their side. Obviously the supervising Desians don't see any need to wear armor when the captives are so beaten down into submission. I guess it's only when they actually see some risk of injury that they wear armor, like when the Palmacosta army is coming to visit (which I have little doubt that Dorr informed Magnius of the attack before either died) or when Luin is in need of a devastating raid.

Raine's voice grimly announces, "I just pulled up the ranch wide map. From what I can tell of the labels on each room, it looks as if this is a factory."

"Making what?" Lloyd dubiously asks. "It just looks like a bunch of busy work meant to torment everyone caught here."

Raine answers, "This human ranch is actually an Exsphere factory. Look: over here is a 'dormant Exsphere storage room,' here is an 'Exsphere processing room' . . . No, this . . . This doesn't look good."

Genis points out, "But why would they need those huge boxes in the first place? It doesn't look like they're meant for anything as small as an Exsphere."

I peer down at the containers. "Is anyone else getting a gut-wrenching feeling that we just stumbled across something really, really sick and horrible?"

Sheena joins me at the window and looks down and shivers. "I get what you're saying. I have a really bad feeling about what we just saw . . ."

Colette looks over to a door and shushes, "Shhh! I hear something!"

Genis comments, "I don't hear anything."

Lloyd places his hand on one of his swords. "We gotta be careful anyway."

Silence . . . and then we hear muffled running. The door close to the computer swishes open and three figures dive into the room with us. The first figure halts at the sight of all of us and the second stumbles to a halt after he looks forward from glancing back with paranoia. The third one just pants as he leans against the now closed door, completely oblivious to everything around him for right now.

"Hauh . . . That was a close one," pants the third one, dressed in simple armor resembling the Desian armor but not quite.

"Jack . . ." the second one cautiously goes.

"Are we really going to have to abandon this mission now?" Jack, the third figure, asks. "I mean, we're so close to getting the necessary amount!"

"Jack . . ."

"What?" Jack finally replies.

"Turn around."

Jack turns around and freezes at the sight of us. "Oh," he goes. "This seems rather convenient in a way. We could finish two missions in one shot."

Here's our situation in a nutshell: we broke into a Desian ranch with one of the cruelest douche bags in existence ruling it and three Renegade members just stumbled across us with the said douche bag chasing after them as of right now. Yup, this is the part where we meet Botta again and get chased down by Kvar because the Renegades ran into us by accident and we were tastier pray to go after than a few Exsphere thieves.

Botta, the first figure that hasn't spoken yet, is quite a bit like his anime self, other than the fact that his hair isn't nearly exaggerated. He has these sharp black eyes and a pretty big pointed nose (not anywhere near like the potato-shaped noses that a person might see). I can tell you that he's tall, like a little over six feet, but then again telling you that someone's tall isn't much since I'm a little passed five feet. Something else that I also note is that Botta isn't wearing that stately outfit that you always see him in. He's wearing typical Renegade armor, perhaps to keep himself from being distinguishable during this mission (not like that helps when a Desian Grand Cardinal is after him).

Jack taps at Botta's arm. "Lord Botta, this is the perfect chance! If we can't finish this mission then we can at least finish the most important one."

The unnamed thug (alright, he doesn't look like a thug but let's just call him that) argues, "We don't have _time_ for _anything_! We've wasted enough time just standing around here already! Lord Botta, let's go!"

"But this'll be quick! We can do this before Kvar catches up to us!" Jack insists.

Kvar's name snaps Botta out of his warily-watching-Kratos'-moves occupation. "No! We need to leave now! Our lives are more important right now."

Well, what do you know, Botta really does have a slight British accent.

Botta hurries the other two around us and shoos them out the same exit that we just came in through. He spares us a glance and advises, "I recommend that you leave right now if you wish to keep your lives." With that he leaves in an instant.

Sheena asks, "Did they say that they have _Kvar_ chasing after them? Did I hear them right?"

"You heard them right," Lloyd confirms. "Who's Kvar?"

Sheena pales. "Kvar is the Desian Grand Cardinal for the Asgard human ranch."

Raine and Corrine immediately flee the computer and regroup with us. We hurry to the other door—

_Shaaah!_

We all whip around to the electric door that just opened. There stands a pale-faced man with blond hair so fine that it could pass for bleach blond and imperial clothing colored blue and gold. In his gloved hand is a staff with a circular blade at the end that gleams hungrily. Cruel and critical eyes scan over us.

"Well," comments Kvar's civil voice, "this is a surprise. When I heard there were some rats I naturally expected to only find the Renegade Botta, instead I find you."

Lloyd, who was shocked at Kvar's manner, so drastically different from the other Grand Cardinals he's seen, blurts out, "Who are you?"

Kvar shakes his head. "Tsk, tsk. Really, now? You actually have the nerve to barge into _my_ ranch and demand _my_ name?" His spiteful eyes focus on Lloyd, causing the boy to mentally shudder. "Why don't you at least first identify yourselves?"

"That's Kvar," Kratos answers to Lloyd, "the Desian Grand Cardinal of the Asgard human ranch."

Kvar responds coldly, "Ahh, a familiar face. Tell me, how is your wife?"

Kratos instantly bristles in hate.

Lloyd decides to intervene, "What have you done to the people of Luin? What do you gain by destroying the entire village?"

Kvar scrutinizes Lloyd for a moment, and then he questions, "That Exsphere . . . Where did you get it?"

"None of your business!" Lloyd spats.

Kvar slowly readies for a strike. "Since you were the ones who invaded my ranch, I believe you owe me whatever answers I demand."

Kvar swiftly overtakes Lloyd and lashes out for a critical blow.

_Clash!_

In a flash, Kratos blocks Kvar and locks blades with him. Kratos leans forward and pushes Kvar back and holds him there. Whenever Kvar tries to break his staff away, Kratos would just outmaneuver him and keep the blades locked.

"Go! Now!" Kratos shouts.

Sheena snaps to the door we just came through and opens it with a press of a button. She cries out in alarm at the sight of Desians coming at us from that direction. She jabs the button, prompting the door shut, and smashes the mechanisms to keep the door blocked. Sheena announces, "We have to go through the factory room!"

"_Go already!_" Kratos shouts.

Kvar snarls, "Resorting to spite, human?"

"'Spite'?" Kratos bites. "Who was the one who resorted to spite? You had other options available to you—and we both know you have enough wit to devise a few! Yet you _had_ to kill her. You _had_ to kill her!"

Raine and Sheena bolt through the door.

"I don't allow thieves to get away without being punished!" Kvar snaps.

Genis and Colette bolt through the door.

"That was your death sentence," Kratos promises.

I try to push Lloyd out the door.

Kvar slights, "I still seem to be alive."

Lloyd cries out, "Kratos! Let's go!" I shove Lloyd out the door with a tackle.

Kratos remains silent as he knocks Kvar away and bolts out the door. Sheena closes the door behind him and shatters the controls on opening and closing the door, blocking Kvar out. Also something to note, some Desians down supervising spotted the excitement we caused by running out the door and started alerting each other. Some stayed to keep the captives working while the others are after us.

_WREE! WREE! WREE!_

Oh, and one went for the alarm.

Lloyd states, "We just have to fight our way through and get somewhere safe!"

I back up further with the window at my side and exasperatedly exclaim, "Yeah, like that's going to be as simple as it sounds!"

_CLUK!_

"NYAAAHH!" I scream as Kvar uses all his force to test the durability of the glass for a nice weak point, lunging out against the glass like something out of a horror film.

"Let's go, already!" Lloyd commands.

We all race down and across, knocking away any Desians that get in our way. While Lloyd does lead the way, Kratos keeps close to him and manages to ward off any and all Desians coming at Lloyd before the youth gets a chance. Colette uses her wings to gain an advantage over the Desians to ward them off from the entire group. Meanwhile, Sheena guards the rear with her insane spell cards, doing incredible damage for someone who fights with decks of paper.

_CRAAASSSHHH!_

Kvar shatters the window and leaps across the machinery to close the rapidly decreasing distance. Without even uttering an incantation, Kvar casts Lightning with thoughtless ease and zaps Colette down. Lloyd instantly backtracks and lifts Colette up and makes a break for it back to us. Kvar cuts us off and lands just in front of us while armored Desians pour in and surround us. We back into each other.

"D-damn it!" Lloyd curses.

Kvar gives one last scrutinizing glance over before declaring, "It's just as Forcystus said. That Exsphere is without a doubt the same Exsphere stolen from _my_ Angelus Project!"

Lloyd hackles in his defense.

Kvar demands, "Give it back! Right now!"

"_No!_" Lloyd shouts. "This Exsphere is my mom's memento! I'm not letting you Desians take it!"

"That Exsphere," Kvar snarls, "is the product of years of research. After numerous failures, that one is the first true success this project has produced, only to be stolen by that filthy female host body! I _will_ have it returned."

Lloyd sputters in anger, "Wh-what? 'Filthy female host body'? _Shut up!_ And no! You Desians _killed_ her! Why would I just give it to you?"

Kvar's face darkens before fading into contemplation. "Killed her? It was your . . ." Then he smirks this evil smirk, calm and condescending rather than maniacal, that sends chills up my spine. "You don't know anything, do you? You were never told what happened to that host?" He chortles darkly. "So _that_ is what Forcystus meant when he told me about you, Lloyd Irving."

"I know everything about how Mom died!" Lloyd accuses, "You Desians chased her and my family down and killed her for the Exsphere!"

Kvar just keeps that civil façade. I imagine that on the inside he's full of fury, but his discipline keeps him from becoming just sound and fury, giving him a terrifying air. "A pity that _I_ am the one to tell you this. Your aunt Elizabeth Hermann should have at least told you what really happened since I imagine she would have been privy to the story." He tells, "That Exsphere was cultivated on host body A012; human name: Anna. Your mother. She took it when she escaped from the ranch and was able to evade us for quite some time. It wasn't until we cornered her in the Iselia region when she was given a rather ironic just desserts for her crime."

Lloyd turns red in the face. "_You_ were the one who killed my—"

Kvar corrects, "Now, now. Don't assume. _I_ didn't kill her. Your father did."

"_Liar!_" Lloyd spats.

Kvar's eyes turn glacial as he raises his chin up patronizingly. "I have no reason to lie about this. Absolutely _no_ reason to. After I removed the Exsphere from her body, Anna turned into a monster—and your father killed her. Pathetic, isn't it?"

"Liar!" Lloyd cries out. "Liar! Liar!"

Raine, paler than I've ever seen her, questions, "You called Anna a 'host body' and that you 'removed the Exsphere from her body,' and yet this ranch is actually an Exsphere manufacturing plant. Does this mean that Exspheres are in reality made from . . . _human bodies_?"

Everyone goes silent in shock at Raine's deduction.

Kvar flatly replies, "To say that Exspheres are 'made' from human bodies is such a simpleton manner. Exspheres are dormant when first mined and need fresh nutrients and energy to grow and awaken. The dwarves originally created a painfully slow method to save the user from becoming a host; however, production is much faster without the key crest attached."

Genis stammers, "Tha-that can't be . . . That's just . . . !"

Sheena bites, "That is just _sick!_ That is so _sick!_"

Colette exclaims, "That's so cruel!"

Kvar replies, "Do you think I care about the lives of you inferior beings?"

"Not all of us are naïve enough to think you care," announces a voice from high up.

Everyone in the room looks up to the machine running the conveyer belts that towers over us all. A man with sandy hair in battle-torn clothes stands in the maintenance balcony for the machine, keeping a quick entry and exit out of the large room. I try to think of where I saw him before, but then I remember: Connor.

Kvar demands, "How did _he_ get out?"

None of the Desians come up with an intelligible answer.

As Connor digs in his pockets, he chatters, "Hi, Lloyd. It's nice to finally meet you. You might have heard of me from Lizzy, er, your aunt Elizabeth."

Lloyd watches Connor in slight confusion. Then he goes, "So . . . you're Connor?"

Connor nods as he pulls out a black package with a string hanging off of it. "That's right. For further commentary, I consider it a fortunate thing that the Desians chased the captives out of the room so they wouldn't be encouraged to resist. By the way, I recommend that you duck for cover."

As Connor bites the string short and fetches something else in his pocket, Kvar shouts out, "_Clear the way!_"

Connor lights the string and drops it into the machine's core.

The only three who understood Connor's warning (Raine, Kratos, and Sheena) knock the rest of us down.

_CHA—DOOOOOMMM!_

The primitive bomb wasn't enough to send us all flying skyward but it was certainly enough to destroy the conveyer belt machine and send smaller pieces soaring out. The Desians went scattering, trying to get some injured from the bits of metal sent shooting out to the infirmary wing of the ranch while some are trying to get at Connor and the rest are trying to get out of the way before Connor comes up with something else. The ones in our group that are in a stunned stupor over the explosion (Lloyd, Colette, and Genis) get pulled up by Raine, Kratos, and Sheena. I'm up at my feet now, wondering why Connor just risked blowing us up to pieces just to get at the Desians.

Connor returns to the blackened maintenance balcony and growls at us, "Run already! I can't keep them busy all night!" Then he smirks at Kvar. "But I can certainly try. Maybe you can use your men to save the machines I planted other black powder bombs in."

Kvar accuses, "You bluff!"

Connor makes a serious, unwavering cold stare. "Does it look like I'm bluffing?"

Kvar immediately starts shouting orders at his men. Connor flees right then and there while the rest of us take advantage of the opportunity Connor just gave us to escape. We don't begin talking while we run until we put several rooms between us and Kvar.

"Professor, is all that really true?" Lloyd desperately questions. "Are Exspheres really—"

"We can discuss the Exspheres later when we are safely out of this ranch," Raine interrupts. "But . . . yes. From what I have observed from that map and what Kvar just told us, Exspheres are really made by cruel sacrifice of human lives."

"Let's focus on a different question," I chime in, "like 'how are we going to get out of here' or 'how did Connor conveniently start destroying Desian machines'?"

"We are still thinking about how to escape," Raine states.

Sheena comments, "Though, about Connor, I'd say he has a really good poker face. If he was captured by the Desians then, as the leader of a group sneaking captives out and sabotaging equipment, he would definitely be under tight security. I think that one bomb he just dropped was the only one he could make."

"But hear about us?" Genis adds.

Kratos answers, "Connor could have already been planning to destroy that machine already since he managed to escape in this section. Then he spotted us in this room and decided to buy us some time."

Genis comments, "You sound like you know him."

"That's not the case. People are just fairly predictable."

Then I wonder, "Wouldn't Kvar have known that Connor was bluffing?"

Raine states, "I suspect he knows Connor's bluff but I doubt he can afford to call Connor out on it. It is either secure his machines and discover Connor's bluff or treat Connor's declaration as a bluff and discover that it wasn't a bluff when the bombs explode."

I'm really wishing that I knew the details of Connor's exploit here that resulted in him buying us time to escape. I'm sure it'd be one heck of a story.

Our running shows just who is the fastest in the group: Lloyd first, Kratos second, Sheena third, me fourth, Colette fifth, Raine sixth, and Genis seventh (wow, there's already seven people in the group). Poor Genis struggles to keep up with us. Although he's running faster than he's ever had with more determination, the pace is still leaving him gasping. Sensing his distress, Sheena breaks out from third and becomes last as she scoops the twelve-year-old up on her back and races back up to the group.

_WREE! WREE! WREE!_

The lights go dark and angry voices echo from everywhere, confusing us on which direction the actual Desians are coming from. I don't know about everyone else, but I start running faster.

"We have to find somewhere to hide!"

"Where? We don't even know the layout to this ranch!"

"We still have to find someplace!"

"Let's just stop somewhere and figure out where we are first!"

So we stop and—

_SHEEAAAH! KUD!_

I feel the blood in my face drain out of my head. I hear Lloyd and Kratos exclaiming right next to me but the voices of Colette, Genis, Raine, and Sheena are muffled even though they're practically shouting at the top of their lungs.

We just got separated by one of those impossibly thick electronic doors, the ones that come down like garage doors.

"Colette! Genis! Professor!" Lloyd cries.

"Lloyd! Kelsey! Just find somewhere safe and don't attract attention!" instructs Raine's shouting voice. "We'll catch up to you when things calm down!"

"Professor!"

"Do as your teacher says!" Raine demands. "Kratos! I'm leaving them in your care!"

"Don't worry about us!" Kratos calls back to her. "Just find somewhere to hide!" He turns to us and commands, "Keep moving!"

Lloyd and I tail after Kratos, trying to make sure we don't get lost. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Kvar is obviously trying to contain us, herding us to one spot where he can get Lloyd in one nice spot where he can swoop down and snatch his Exsphere up. Kratos keeps trying to outmaneuver the continuously closing doors and would suddenly take sharp turns that send the two of us skidding across the floor and sliding around just before taking off to catch up to the speeding man. Alas, no matter how many times we tried going down impossible corridors, Kvar had complete control over where we go.

Finally, we stumble into a tiny, narrow room with no way out. Kvar had finally caged us in.

"_No!_" Kratos exclaims in protest. "No, no, NO! _Raaaugh!_"

The mercenary roars as he unleashes his façade's full strength and then some against the door ahead and the door behind us, continuously switching between the two whenever he thought to set his rage on the other door. Now caged into a box where his hated enemy has complete control, long gone is the man whose impossible self-control reined in the Cruxis seraphim's strength and replacing him is a beast of fury.

Over the room intercom, Kvar's voice states, "I recommend you stop before you shatter your sword over the doors. I guarantee that the only way you will be leaving that room is when my men drag your body out."

"KVAAARRR!" Kratos roars.

"Here, let me do you a favor by at least turning on the lights." The lights come on. "Is that better?"

I take a nice look around and find the room much narrower than I first thought. At the end we just came in through is a thick, steel door that shows no distinction other than the fact that it's not going to break down any time soon. The other end is pretty much the same save for the little round window. Kratos immediately goes to that round window and starts banging on the glass with the hilt of his sword. He growls after his sword leaves no mark, taking me utterly by surprise. Desian technology really is a whole lot more advanced than Earth's for decades, or even centuries, to come. What else is that glass made of?

"Let me try!" Lloyd rushes up at the door and shouts out, "BEAST!" According to the results, or lack there of, his attack might as well have never even happened.

_Hhhiiiiiiiissssssssssss . . ._

I look up and find holes in the ceiling that resemble something like the holes in shower heads. A pale smoke seeps out of it.

"Aaauuuhhh!" I cry out in terror and panic. "They have everything!"

Kvar herded us into a gas chamber.

* * *

Colette, Genis, Raine, and Sheena race down the halls, blindly racing around in the dark hallways. There were doors that would randomly shut on them and block their path but they always found another path to take. Desian voices echo from more and more directions and more groups and patrols of them seem to be appearing everywhere. At this point there is no doubt that the Desians are just now closing in on them.

Finally, they back into the commons area for the ranch personnel. Desians chase after them from every entry.

"We're trapped!" Genis exclaims in horror. "There's no way out!"

"We can't help Lloyd, Kratos, and Kelsey and the people of Luin if we get captured!" Colette cries.

"We must think of a way out!" Raine pushes. "Our lives are forfeit if we get captured."

Sheena trembles where she stands. Her eyes close as her hand sneaks into one of her small belt bags and pulls out a single card. She holds it up and whispers to it, "I'm using the last one, Grandpa . . ."

Sheena slaps the card in the air. "I summon the Guardian of Light!"

The card glows a bright yellow and dissipates, leaving the card dead gray.

Desian foot soldiers and guards flood into the room.

A guardian shaped as a humanoid bird appears with golden feathers.

The flood rushes to the desperate group of four.

The guardian fades into an orb of light.

Desians clash against the orb and retreat away as their attack proves futile. Soldiers stare and gawk at this wonder.

The orb fades out and disappears as if it and the group of four had never existed.

A hushed silence stills the entire room.

* * *

"Hold your breath! Both of you!" Kratos frantically orders.

Screw being labeled a half-elf! I begin casting Wind Blade to hold the gas at bay. No wonder Kvar turned on the lights. He wanted us to see the gas coming!

Kratos uses his efforts to break the glass window. Lloyd is using the wind-element crystals we got at the Wind Seal to help keep the steadily approaching gas. Despite our efforts, the gas still comes and comes, and overtakes us. Now, it doesn't matter how many times I cast Wind Blade or Lloyd throws those crystals. Without fresh air, it's useless. I keep my snout covered, for moral support I suppose since my clothes aren't going to do a lick of good when I gasp for air after holding my breath.

"GAHAAH!" Lloyd wheezes after some time. He begins coughing.

"No, Lloyd! No!" Kratos frenetically cries. "Don't give up! Kogh! Kough!"

Lloyd tries, he really does try, but it was already too late. His coughing slows into nothing as his eyes roll back and he collapses into a faint.

"No!" Kratos cries. "No—Kaugh! Cogh! Kah—kah!"

Kratos' struggle is really something to see. I couldn't help but be at awe at his pure stubbornness to stay conscious. What's keeping me from dropping down I guess is the fact that my body is calm. My mind is in a panic but my system is calm so I'm using a lot less air and energy than both Kratos and Lloyd have used. Who could blame them, though? Lloyd is panicked over the mysterious gas that he can't fight off. Kratos is panicking over the safety of his only child.

Kratos crashes the hilt of his sword against the glass with all his strength. He strikes once and leaves obvious and terrible cracks. He strikes a second time and manages to nearly destroy the frame and leaves a chip loose. He moves to make a third and final strike . . .

"Kough! Kough . . . ! Haauh . . ." Kratos falls into a heap at the floor.

Okay, _now_ I'm panicking.

"Hhhhhhhhh . . . !" I whine as I realize that I'm really on my own this time. No one's here to save me. No one's here to protect me. No one's here that I can trust that can find a workable solution to get us out of this mess. I'm completely alone.

It's just like the day I first came to this world, only I'm in real danger of dying.

God! Oh, God! I'm just a girl from Earth—and not just from anywhere! I'm a spoiled American girl who never went hungry or had to go without electricity or running hot water or even air conditioning! I can't do this! Please, please get me out of this! I don't care if I lose a leg or end up scarred! Please, God! I can't do this!

My instincts take over and I start finishing where Kratos left off. I crash the end of my spear against the window with all my strength. After countless strikes, I finally manage a decent hole. I begin bashing into the rest of the window. Something must've worked because the window twice the size of my head ends up being nothing but jagged glass lining the window ceils. The pale gas trails off through it.

I snatch one of the remaining wind crystals in Lloyd's pockets and shatter it against the door. Fresh wind sails around my face and I relish the blissful air by gasping in as much as I can through my coughs. When I reach my limit in breath again I take another crystal and smash that one too. I continue to use this pattern for what seems like forever.

. . . After a long period of time, squares in the ceiling open up and the gas starts dissipating and rising up into it. Through my foggy head I conclude that those are the vents that finally opened after all this hell. My numb mind allows my body to fall to its knees and savor the fresh air being blown into the tiny room. To think I survived for this long.

I barely even noticed the electric door with the shattered window open. I did process in my brain that someone snatched at the back of my collar and tossed me out of the room and out of the way, but I didn't have enough in me to care. I did have enough in myself to grasp weakly onto my spear when that got tossed at me.

As Kvar summons Desians to come and do whatever it is that he wants done (I only heard his voice but not his words nor their meaning), the remaining Desians give me a cold glare. I slowly get up to my feet, my head killing me and my mind completely fuzzed, and stare at them blankly, not quite expecting anything or caring what they do.

One spats, "Get out of our sight, blood traitor, before we kill you. If we even _see_ you again you won't ever be seeing the light of day again."

My intelligence is gone; only my instincts remain. I stagger my way out, my heart aching and crying for a reason that my brain can't fathom at the moment, and plod away from everything. My mind clears with every tiny piece to tiny piece for every twenty steps I take. I don't know how long it was until I finally reached the end of my strength and endurance in a strange room filled with all sorts of boxes. My eyes drift and find a large cardboard box. I don't really care right now what it is. I just need to fade out of existence and into oblivion. My legs carry me to the box and my hands drop my spear behind a stack of nearby boxes. I slip under the box and curl up into fetal position. My fingers claw at my scalp, agonizing over the dull pain that prevents any intellectual power. As I slip into sweet oblivion, however, my scattered conscience reminds me of who I just left behind and how my actions resemble that of a dying animal.

How wonderful. Salt to a wound.

* * *

Please identify any scientific errors that may have occurred during the last chapter. I would greatly appreciate it.

Surroundings will be clearly identified when Kelsey is out of that stupor.

Please review.


	30. This is a Complete Mess Alright

This is chapter will have some fun and have some drama. It's a mix.

* * *

Chapter Thirty: This is a Complete Mess Alright

Coward.

That single word thumped in my head over and over, singing along with my ruthless pulse. Oh, and how I deserve it! When Lloyd and Kratos got captured by the Desians after being knocked out with gas I turned tail and ran. Yup, real heroic.

I crawl from under the cardboard box that was conveniently there when I found it and take a glance around the room. With my head clear and cleanse from the gas that did Lloyd and Kratos in, I can actually tell what my surroundings are. Boxes, boxes, and more boxes fill the large room. Obviously I dragged myself into a storage room. Then somewhere around this particular cardboard box is my spear. How convenient it is that I don't remember where I put it.

I search the immediate area, craning over this crate and circling around this box, gaining no satisfying results. After a bit I start searching crates. On the third crate I managed to pry open I find a lot of old spears stored together.

"Close but not what I'm looking for," I whisper to myself. Then I notice something about them . . . They're all of a similar design to the spear I have. In fact, they look a lot like . . .

Wait . . . My spear and Exsphere were originally Elvira's brother's. Ahhh, Jaren was his name, I think. Just where did he get a good quality spear and an Exsphere? When I put two and two together, I groan in reaction.

Jaren was once a Desian.

Oh, Elvira, you have a lot of questions to answer about your brother when I get out of this hellhole.

I close the crate and start searching for my spear again. I go around some crates . . . oh . . . Found it. I pick it up and start feeling a little stupid. How could I have missed it? Oh well. I've got it. Now for the problem of hunting down Lloyd and Kratos without getting detected. As I think, I glance down at my spear. My Desian spear . . .

My Desian spear.

My _Desian_ spear.

Perhaps, with enough luck, I can sneak around here disguised as a Desian.

If I found other Desian spears in yonder crates then maybe I can find some discarded Desian armor here as well. Someone must've outgrown their armor and tossed it in here (I mean, I found some teens my size working as Magnius' Desian spearmen). If I scavenge thoroughly enough then I'm sure I'll find some armor that could fit me somewhat. Then I can pretend that I'm scared that Connor will come out and blow me to smithereens along with whatever machine he was aiming for, and so wearing the armor as sort of a security blanket. I can come and go in most areas as I please. I just have to walk like this is home (despite the fact that this is basically a Nazi death camp).

I scrounge through as many crates and boxes as I can and eventually _do_ find a nice set of female Desian armor that doesn't fall off when I try to wear it. Wow! My luck! At this rate I'll walk out the front gate with Lloyd and Kratos in tow!

After placing my Exsphere (uuugh, the peel feeling it makes!) on my left hand, I walk out nice and easily with Desian armor on. Needless to say, these skimpy things are making me feel kinda trashy and super uncomfortable. Thank God I found under-armor for this outfit otherwise my midriff and my legs would be exposed along with some details about my body that I'd rather not share with the general public. It's not that I'm embarrassed about these details, but let's just say that I'm rather conservative when it comes to dress and clothes. I won't ever be found dead wearing some whorish outfit. Not in a million years.

Walking down the hallway, I practice my "I-own-the-place" saunter. I get into a larger hallway and encounter a few Desians who pay no heed to me. It's working! It's working!

I walk passed one Desian and I hear him call to me, "Hey, tiny!"

Oh, he did _not_ just call me tiny.

I turn around and convert my nervousness to irritation. "Hey, what, pansy?"

He gives me a flat stare. "Oh, sorry, did I touch a nerve? Anyway, don't act too tough, kid; otherwise it might go to your head."

"And _why_ are you telling me this?" I question with a bit of attitude.

He dryly informs, "Kids tend to get cocky when they're not supposed to. Listen to your elders and make sure you keep yourself alive. A lot of us are jumpy now that Connor's still on the loose, just waiting for a chance to do whatever he wants, and A012's spawn is being transferred to another cell."

"'Spawn'?" I go. What the hell? Why'd he call Lloyd that?

The guy shivers. "I was here while A012 was around. That human was a she-demon. Only Kvar could really exert any real control over her. Everyone else had to pray that she wasn't in the mood to stir up hell."

Go Anna! Woot! Woot!

He continues, "Now that her kid is here plus that Connor is still around, I'm not trusting security. You be careful, kid."

I dismissively respond, "Thanks for the warning."

He waves dismissively back as he walks off. I take that chance and walk away as well.

Did he just say that Lloyd's being transferred to a different cell? This may be my chance but where could he be?

I explore every area and check every map and eavesdrop on every conversation for any hints. Eventually I get a lead and immediately hurry off to check that hall. I have to save Lloyd!

The hallway turned out to be a back hallway where no Desians or captives could cause trouble for their transfer. I walk in one way and pray that I got it right. Some paces in I begin to wonder if I took a wrong turn . . .

Then two Desians dragging an unconscious captive turn the corner. I immediately recognize the captive and work to control my reaction. I keep calm and assertive. Keep the façade. Don't ruin this. I scrutinize the two Desians as I search for an advantage. They're both taller than me and wield more muscle mass than Lloyd does (but less than Kratos for obvious reasons). At their side is a sword each, but they don't wear any protective armor. The two garbed themselves in the casual Desian uniform, telling me that they don't expect any trouble coming their way.

Now I need the element of surprise . . .

I call out to them, "Haven't you heard? That Connor guy is still around! What if he gets you?"

The first Desian scoffs, "Ffft. He's lying low right now. He can't do anything without exposing himself. Nothing's going to happen."

"I seeee . . ." I need a place to think about my attack. I can't do on-the-spot stuff. So I ask, "Still, if he was able to make one bomb in a short amount of time then he can make others. So I'm checking every hardware room to make sure it's secure. The thing is . . . I got kinda lost."

The second Desian carelessly directs, "You just passed it three doors down. I'd say your efforts are useless but go ahead. Not like it'll cause any harm."

I go back three doors down (giving me more space between me and the two Desians) and check the door for any identification. Turns out that all I need to do to open it is press the button on the side. I gripe, "No wonder Connor had access to the supplies needed to make a bomb! There's no security in this!"

One Desian states loud enough to carry to me, "You can make bombs out of common cleaning supplies and chemicals."

As I press the button and enter, I nag, "This just makes it worse!"

I look around as I enter the room and start brainstorming as I examine each and every object. This is obviously a place where the Desians gather and do minor construction projects that they don't trust the captives to do. A lot of this equipment is way too advanced for even the common idiot on Earth. I can recognize a few things though. I lean on the table where some excess boards were left and tap my finger on the rough table as I consider my options for attack. I could wait until they pass this room and then stab one through the heart with my spear and fight the other one before he triggers the alarm. I could also stun them both, take Lloyd, and make a break for it. I could try using the Lightning spell on them but that'll zap Lloyd too. Hmmm . . .

My eyes turn to the details of the table . . . and I notice something. The table is held up by nails and these steel lines that remind me of staples. In fact, they look exactly like staples!

In fact, they _are_ staples.

Desian construction staples. I'm not going to question this reality other than note that maybe the connection between Earth and Symphonia is a little stronger than I first thought and just leave it at that. Maybe I'll get lucky and find something like an advanced staple gun. Hey, I could find one. Symphonia is advanced enough to have those laser-shooting machines and yet they can't have something as simple as a handheld object that shoots lead pellets at a target? Not likely. They probably banned gun-like weapons because of how a captive can use one if they can get to one (and it'll eventually happen if they have them around no matter how secure those weapons are). Things like swords require training so an idiot will get himself killed when using one rather than anyone being able to use one even if they don't have proper training.

I scavenge around the cabinets and pull out tools one by one but as quickly as I can. Eventually I find a gun-shaped object with a weird barrel. After some scrutiny I conclude that this might be what I'm looking for. I take one of the excess boards on the table and aim at it from a short distance.

_Choot—thuk!_

A staple shoots out and implants itself into the board quite nicely. I move the board to the other side of the room and get as far away from it as possible. I aim the staple gun at the board . . .

_Choot! Thuk!_

I grin evilly as I imagine the mayhem that I'm going to cause with this portable tool. I suppose I would be grim if this was the kind of gun that was built to kill but a staple gun is only going to kill if I get a really lucky shot. I can afford to be impish. I listen at the door to see if the chatting Desians walked passed my door yet. I listen . . . and discover that, yes, they did pass the door. I gather my guts up and walk out with the staple gun. Though, my soft heart can't help but feel a little tiny bit sorry for the two since they're just carrying Lloyd from Point A to Point B.

Then I see Lloyd's back.

Someone whipped him. His clothes are torn to shreds on the back and the lower areas are stained with his dripping blood. I swear that at a few points I see something that resembles bone.

I raise the staple gun up and aim for the second Desian.

_Choot!_

"_OW!_" yelps the Desian (let's call him Desian B) as he reflexively drops Lloyd and clutches onto his back where the staple hit him. "_What the F**K?_"

The first Desian (let's call him Desian A) whips around and snarls, "What the f**k do you think you're doing, brat?"

"Saving my friend," I coolly answer. "I have to admit, though, security here _sucks_. It was so easy to infiltrate this ranch and walk around in these clothes like I'm one of _you_."

"B**ch!" spats Desian B. "You'll pay!"

"This is just getting started," I promise.

The two Desians chase after me. I stand my ground.

_Choot! Choot!_

Desian A stumbles as the two staples hit him in the stomach.

_Choot!_

Desian B staggers for a second when that staple hits his left leg.

_Choot! Choot! Choot!_

Desian B drops down when his right knee cap gets hit. He curses a stream of amazing swear words that even the sailors back at Palmacosta were reluctant to say in my hearing range. I take this as a hint that I have a natural talent for guns.

Desian A reaches to me and swings his sword and overbalances himself when I duck. I take full advantage of this and shoot his side.

_Choot! Choot! Choot!_

Desian A falls back. After a quick shot at Desian B, I continue my assault on Desian A, targeting his back.

_Choot! Choot!_

I shout at him, "Get in that corner!" When he doesn't obey I shoot him once more. "Get in that corner!"

He whimpers in pain as he crawls to the directed corner. However, when I turn my back to keep Desian B at bay, he moves to attack me. I whip right around and aim for his shoulder.

_Choot!_ "_Owww!_"

"Get—in—that—CORNER!" I bellow. Desian A shakes his head up and down as he keeps in the corner I drove him in. I turn back to Desian B.

Desian B lunges at me. I sidestep him and let him tumble back. I turn to face his backside.

Ah, what? What?

_Choot!_ "EEOW!"

In the butt.

I shoot Desian B into the corner with his buddy. With both of them embedded with heavy duty staples and whimpering in pain, I go a little further to make sure they're traumatized enough not to chase after me. Although I can definitely see that they think I'm completely insane and dangerous. At that thought I start wondering if I should add more to the visual effects by foaming at the mouth.

"You crazy b**ch . . . !" Desian B whimpers. _Choot!_ "_Ouch!_"

I bark, "That's MISS Crazy B**ch to YOU!"

Desian A whines, "Okay! Okay, miss! What do you want? Just don't shoot us again!"

I order, "Stay in this corner! Don't move! Don't call for help! Don't take any loopholes that I've unintentionally left open for you! You can go to the infirmary when I'm long gone! Until then, DON'T MOVE!"

The two Desians nod frantically and cow deeper into the corner despite what that's doing to their new wounds. I silently move away from them. Two seconds after I turn my back I whip around and aim the staple gun at them. The two Desians hysterically bauble on about how they didn't move and beg me not to shoot them again. I turn around and head closer to Lloyd, although I keep glancing back to make sure they aren't planning anything. When I get to Lloyd I whip the staple gun right back at them with this angry gleam in my eye. The two Desians shake their heads desperately and cow further away from me. Convinced that I have them under my control, I kneel down and start applying all my apple gels on Lloyd's back. After some time passes all that's left are fragile scars on his back that'll definitely reopen when I move him away from here.

Knowing that completely healing Lloyd is a futile task, especially since I don't know how to cast First Aid, I settle for what I accomplished for now and cautiously lift him onto my back, being wary of my spear. With a glance back I note that the two Desians herded into the corner are still where I left them, only just doing their best to wish me away. I grant them their wish and race off.

I keep to the less frequently used hallways. I use doors that most wouldn't use as of right now as check points and hiding places and always—_always_—check every single map that I come across. I pass hallway after hallway, trying to find a safe haven where I can leave Lloyd and go find where Kratos is being held (because I know for sure that Kvar knows exactly who he is and stuffed him into a cell that would give the Cruxis seraphim a bit of trouble getting out of). After a while I conclude that the only way I can get Lloyd to a safe place is to hide him either in the storage room I hid in or to get him outside and hidden in some reclusive spot. I choose with relative ease to place him in the storage room I hid in. I redirect myself towards the storage room—

"They should be here any minute, my lord."

I leap behind some newly made containers, the ones that the captives were making, and pray for the best.

"I want to be sure that inferior brat doesn't get away. Go have some men check to make sure everything is going as planned."

"You! Go fetch some men and do as Lord Kvar ordered! . . . What should we do about Connor and Kratos?"

Kratos? Did Kratos get out?

"Continue searching for that blood traitor. As for Kratos . . . Leave him be for now. Anyone who approaches him with hostility forfeits his life."

"Couldn't we trap him and tranquilize him?"

"Do not put forth any action against Kratos without my supervision or approval. To go after Kratos would be the same as going after a griffin whose kit has been injured by your own hands."

"Yes, sir."

Across the way I spy another shadow watching me. My hair stands on ends and I peer into the darkness . . . My eyes adapt . . . and I find the sandy haired half-elf Connor watching me suspiciously. So this is the area where he decided to lie low. I lift up the helmet I took from the storage room and show him my hair and my face. Since he saw me in Lloyd's group, he should be able to recognize me.

Connor's expression changes to mild surprise and back to grim. He lifts something next to his knees . . . a black box with a string trailing from it. So he made another one but . . . it doesn't look the same as the last one. Then I get it. That one's a decoy meant to distract the Desians.

That's it. As soon as this ranch is destroyed I'm questioning Connor about what he's doing at this ranch. And then I'm going to—why is Connor facing me and jerking his head in a seemingly random direction?

I search the area and find another shadow wedged in another place. Chills shoot up my spine when I realize that shadow's gaze is glaring at me. Then I recognize this shadow: Kratos.

I think I understand now. Either Connor sprung Kratos out or Kratos sprung himself out and bumped into Connor; and now the two are trying to get passed Kvar by using a decoy bomb that they made. Well, things are made relatively easy now that we're all in one place—for all parties considered.

I lift my helmet up and let Kratos see my face. He ceases glaring at me and nods to signal that he recognizes me, although he still regards Lloyd, or rather Lloyd's wounds, grimly.

Connor stealthily moves around Kvar like he's Solid Snake or something and displays himself in a conspicuous place where he'll definitely be spotted—and directing Kvar's attention in the opposite direction of where Kratos and I are.

Kvar instantly sees him. "You!"

"This time I actually have a bomb," Connor states with the perfect poker face.

"Why don't you back it up before wasting my time?" Kvar hisses.

Connor smiles sweetly as he holds up the very convincing decoy bomb.

"_Get him before he lights that!_"

Connor leaps down, runs right at Kvar, and spits the Desian leader in the face before making a speeding getaway. Kvar chases after him in frenzied rage. Other Desians follow after them.

Kratos gets to my side in a flash. He herds me to the direction he wants to take, prompting, "Come on! Hurry!"

While I ran with Lloyd on my back, Kratos keeps at my side or just behind me while herding me in certain directions. His method reminds me of backseat driving and frustrates me even more since I feel like I'm about to trip over him or crash into him or make what Kratos would label as a wrong turn. I start to comment when I hear Kratos mutter "First Aid" and suddenly feel mana moving around behind me. So that's why he's staying literally at my side instead of letting me follow him around. Hopefully he'll be able to heal the rest of those scarring wounds.

I voice another topic in my mind, "What will happen when Kvar discovers that Connor only has a decoy?"

"A decoy?"

"You know," I prompt. "The decoy bomb he has."

"That bomb is not a decoy."

I gawk before I reply, "But it didn't look real!"

"I don't believe you would have the experience to tell if a bomb is real or not," Kratos flatly states.

"When is he going to set it off?" I question with a touch of panic. If we accidentally get caught in that . . .

Kratos utters, "I would say sometime around—"

_Kah-dooooooooommm!_

". . . now," he finishes after the distant explosion.

I hopefully go, "Maybe Kvar got caught in that?"

"There is no such luck."

Damn.

_WREEE! WREEE! WREEE!_

"Was that on Connor?" I ask.

"Yes it was," Kratos confirms as he checks a nearby map. After a split second he yanks me towards another direction and pulls me around a corner, down a hall, and into a room he's been targeting. He releases me as soon as we got into the small room and he locks the door shut as I stumble for balance from being yanked around.

Around me I see tidy cabinets and organized containers on the shelves. At the back of this small room is a plain table, neatly arranged in the room. As I study at what this room could possibly be, I feel a large amount of weight being lifted off my back and then spy Kratos vigilantly moving Lloyd to the table. The mercenary lays the lifeless teen on his stomach against the table and begins to work extensively on the boy's wounded back. I keep a distance, feeling awkward and useless. I need to do something, but what?

Stomping feet dash through the hallway next door as the sirens cry out around the ranch.

I hesitantly wonder, "How are we going to get out of here?"

Kratos doesn't answer. I dare not repeat my question.

Since I don't have anything to do, I start searching through the cabinets and shelves. The more I search the more I realize that this is probably a small medical station where someone with a minor case, say like an infected cut or fever, can come and fix it up themselves. I can see why they would build little rooms like these instead of leaving all the healing to the infirmary. It's the same reasoning as why we don't go to the hospital for a check up when we can go to a doctor. It saves time and space for the infirmary wing of the ranch. Plus, I think Kratos spotted this particular station on a map and decided that this was the best place to take shelter and treat Lloyd at the same time.

"Kelsey."

I jump from being startled at him suddenly saying my name.

"Find a pineapple gel for me."

Well, one, he's still working on Lloyd and I'm the one with free hands and, two, it's a polite tone so why not. I go through the medical supplies and fetch three, one for him and two for backup. While I'm at it, I also pack my bag with medical supplies. I start snatching up as many life bottles, panacea bottles, apple gels, orange gels, lemon gels (and they really do smell like lemons), and pineapple gels as I can. Then I add bandages, antibiotics, and rubbing alcohol to the deal when I find them.

Kratos gulped down all three pineapple gels that I set out for him and he still continued working on Lloyd's back as well as other wounds. Lloyd's minor wounds from the black eye some Desian gave him to the many cuts and bruises on his body were all gone, as if they never existed, but his back still bore these wrinkled pale scars that stretched up and down. Eventually, the scars stop healing despite Kratos' magic. Lloyd's wounds reached the extent of their healing.

Kratos lets his spell fade into nothing as he slumps a little in reluctant resignation. He breathes out a slow sigh.

I voice, "He's going to have those for the rest of his life, isn't he?"

Kratos doesn't respond, but I don't need a response to know that those scars will be there forever.

I begin to say "You did the best you could" but then I remember that he would have guiltily thought "But this isn't the best I could have done." I may not know Kratos that well but I understand this part of a parent's heart well. Then there's the fact that he couldn't afford to do the best he could because of me; because of the fact that he would have to explain how a mercenary could have the power to heal as an angel of Cruxis could. He probably used too much of his real power in the first place.

And I digress . . .

So I instead say, "You did what you could. Besides, he's still alive. That matters most."

Kratos remains silent . . .

". . . What time is it?"

"Huh?" I stupidly go. I wasn't expecting that. "'What time is it?' I don't know. I don't see a handy clock in here."

Without facing me, Kratos directs, "There is an old silver pocket watch in my bag."

"Okaaay . . ." This was somewhat anticlimactic. I just do so anyway. I need something to do. (And besides, I get snoop in _Kratos'_ things. How many people get to do that?) I search through the small bag he carried with him into the ranch and pull out a small half-palm-sized (my palm, not Kratos') silver pocket watch. After some minor tinkering I figure out the mechanics of this particular pocket watch and flip it open.

I reflexively report, "Two thirty-three in the morning." Then I gasp.

This pocket watch has Roman numerals on the face, something that Sylvarant doesn't have.

Kratos state, "Nothing in this world has quite what you see before you, except in preservation boxes from old cultures that once hoped to return to what was once their home. Since finding a preservation box like the one Raine unearthed at Luin is a very rare thing, I doubt you came across such markings from such an artifact. And so, my only conclusion is that you were in a place where these markings are common—someplace that is not Sylvarant."

Kratos turns to face me. "Will you now tell me the truth?"

I stare at him, finally caught, and question, "Why? Why _now_ of all times?"

"Would you prefer that I confront you here, where no one else can hear us, or back with the others where you could have an audience?"

I turn away. ". . . What other evidence do you have? I'm sure that those Roman numerals aren't the only thing."

"You just let that incriminating bit of information slip?" he comments.

"I know I'm boxed in!" I nag. "I just want to know what gave me away!"

He points out, "There would be the quality of your items, such as your mug and your books, and how those items were damaged in places where an artist's label would be or the copyright page located and yet everything else was preserved. Then there is your lack of knowledge on world history, even basic subjects that even people such as Lloyd would know, and your faulty account of your traveling family."

"Crazy, isn't it?" I remark

"I will hand it to you, it was hard for me to accept this," Kratos admits.

"So what tied it into a pretty bow and convinced you of all this?" I inquire.

"I overheard you whispering your situation to your horse back at the Asgard House of Salvation after we left Luin," he tells me.

I take a breath and slowly sigh it out. ". . . What are you going to do with me?"

"What is there to do?" he shrugs off. "This certainly isn't something that would endanger any of us."

I stare at him with wide eyes. ". . . That's it?"

"Do you want to be chased out of the group?"

"Not particularly."

"Then we can leave it be—after you tell me your real background."

I narrow my eyes at him. "You're not going to drop this, are you?"

"No I am not."

"You better not let yourself get into a similar situation."

"I don't plan to. Now start with your name and where you are really from."

I shoot off, "Kelsey Miller from one of the most disgustingly rich nations of my world. We're practically spoiled and I'm not exaggerating. My parents were teachers at my school who micromanaged my education."

He gains this casual expression that tells me I've got his attention. "Really? Is that true about them?"

"Do I look like I'm lying?"

He shakes his head. "I'm just thinking that the situation must have been stressful. I know for certain that Lloyd would have felt a ridiculous amount of pity for you if he heard this," he adds as he turns narrowed eyes at Lloyd's unconscious figure.

It probably would've been hell for Lloyd, to have Kratos around to micromanage his education.

"It was just an 'is' thing for me." Then I unravel more of my lies, "This is the strangest part: how I got here. I . . . I really don't know what happened. One moment I was home . . . and the next . . . gone. Palmacosta. I don't know how but one moment I was in my own house, which I have been in since I was nine years old, and I suddenly wind up in Palmacosta. The first few days here were hell. I kept expecting to wake up from this nightmare and continue my life, but I never woke up. Never."

I take a breath before I go on, "Everything I had was gone. Everything I loved. My parents, my sister, my home, my entire family, my friends, the life I was building up and expecting to live—everything! Gone in just a few short seconds . . ."

I inform, "Adapting to this reality was really something. In my world there is no such thing as magic, or elves, or dwarves, or monsters. Cruxis and the Desians don't exist. Angels don't appear like Remiel did. This entire world would be considered frivolous fantasy for them; something only fitting for a child's game. Of course, the horrors of this ranch may be censored for such a thing. Why expose the real monsters of life? Children may learn not to trust people and parents may sue for ruining the children's perfect and sunshiny life. It's only fantasy, after all."

"But then . . ." I continue, ". . . it _became_ real. All the stuff that's in fantasy became _real._ I didn't even learn how to survive in my world where only people are the monsters, and now I have to learn how to survive in this new world? Without anything of my life except for fading memories and a few breakable trinkets? Without even a way to return home? What a laugh. What a damn, big laugh. Then I think: what's going on back home? Everything that I would've needed to run away with is left at home, save for a cheap mug and a few ratty books. My sister was home at the time. She didn't hear anyone enter or leave—and we have loud _bells_ on our rickety door! To them I just . . . vanished. Just vanished. As if I were only a figment of their imagination."

My breaking voice, with added tears streaming down my eyes, asks, "So what will they bury in my empty casket? Nothing? A few pictures of me? Some of my childhood treasures? I don't know. I'm not even dead enough to be able to be there in spirit to find . . . find out . . . Hauuugh . . . !"

I turn away from him and bury my face in my hand to hide my bottled tears.

* * *

Things calmed down at about three in the morning, concerning the Desians and their flight to keep Connor from blowing up the place. Concerning me, Kratos kept silent for the rest of the time and allowed me my peace. I don't think he's going to say anything now. Back in Luin when he first confronted me, I think our emotions ran a little high when we kept goading each other on so we weren't in our best mind. Now with this silence . . .

Anyway, Kratos managed to patch Lloyd up and I now have his weight on my back. Again. How was this decided?

"_I need you to carry Lloyd on your back for a little while longer during this escape. Everything will be easier if you let me fight. This means you will also have to do everything I tell you to do if you want to make it out of here alive."_

"_But—"_

_*glare*_

"_Yessir."_

So now Kratos is herding me to Some Unknown Exit and I'm hoping with all my heart and soul that he really does know what he's doing right now. Despite the fact that I sense that Kratos isn't going to even mention my past after this, he still has no problem with bullying me into obedience. How did Anna ever manage to get along with him? I suppose their relationship was one of the kinds that thrived on constructive conflict and healthy bantering.

Everything is a little too quiet, though. It has me jumping at our own shadows.

I jump at one shadow.

"Stop it," Kratos whispers after whipping around to make sure there isn't a Desian sneaking up on us.

"Sorry."

Ten minutes later I hear a nearby machine make a noise, and jump at that.

"I thought I told you to stop," Kratos hisses after making sure nothing bad is about to happen.

"Sorry. It's just so quiet . . ."

Five minutes later, I check a corner to make sure no one's following us and turn around to find Kratos closer than I expected . . . and jump at that.

"Stop that!" he carps after jumping himself.

"Sorry . . ."

Three minutes later I suddenly overhear two Desians holding a conversation between themselves and jump backwards from that.

"_Stop already . . . !_" Kratos snips in my ear as he herds me around out of the two's detection.

". . . sorry . . ."

A long time later, just when we're about to get close to the hallway we first came in, the one close to the northern fence, Kratos checks around a corner to make sure the coast is clear. He returns to find me jumping into him with pure panic.

"_Now_ what?" he bites. Then he looks up.

I tell him, "That what."

Kvar somehow found out that we were going this way and had prepared to catch us on the way. While Kratos was checking the hallway around the corner, Kvar silently stepped out from his hiding spot just in time for me to catch him and jump back, into Kratos as he came back, from utter shock and horror.

Kvar pleasantly comments, "Just the people I wanted to see: my new potential host, Kratos, and the whelp who managed to put staples into two of my guards."

Kratos spares me a questioning glance. I just shrug at him and focus on Kvar.

"This ends here, Kratos," Kvar growls.

"This particular moment does," Kratos clarifies. He lashes out his sword and charges at Kvar. With a single block from the Desian Grand Cardinal, Kratos takes advantage of his situation and locks their blades.

"Run!" he shouts at me.

I protest, "But what about—"

He glares at me.

"Yessir."

I dash away with Lloyd on my back. I sense something in the corners of my eyes and spare a glance. Floating robots. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I see floating robots coming at me. And, yes, they look like some rip-off robots from Star Wars.

One of the many-I-don't-bother-to-count aims its laser barrel at me.

_Peewww!_

A beam of red light shoots past me and burns the _metal_ wall it hits. I take that as my hint to dodge these things no matter the cost.

_Peewww! Peewww! Peewww! Peewww! Peewww! Peewww!_

Every single robot in the group of many-I-don't-bother-to-count starts bombarding me with red lasers. By some miracle, I manage to stay unscathed. An added bonus provided by said miracle is that when the robots started shooting at me they instead hit each other when they miss. So now we have a number of many-I-don't-bother-to-count missing me, hitting each other, and malfunctioning.

I go around into the hallway Kratos was checking out with the robots chasing after me, shooting lasers at me, and swing open a door and duck inside. Fortunately, this is one of the back doors so they're actually manual, as in doorknob manual. Lasers hit the door I slam behind me and face forward. The lawn the group and I dashed across seemingly an eternity ago stretches around before me. I think about when to dodge those cameras . . . and think to myself, _Screw it. I've got Kvar chasing after me once he gets passed Kratos._

I race across the lawn while trying to keep Lloyd balanced on my back. It takes some difficulty but I manage to slip through the meter-wide horizontal gap between the fence cords in the gate. Without further due, I hurry away from the gate and wait for Kratos . . .

. . . The door slams open and Kratos races out and practically dives through the meter-wide gap and dashes southward, all in a blur that could've only been accomplished by a Cruxis seraph. Kvar stumbles after him only a split second after he disappeared and curses the fact that he lost track of him and his valuable potential host. Kvar returns back inside the ranch, probably to bark out orders concerning us and the Renegades who stole some Exspheres as well as Connor.

I move southward into the night.

Kratos meets up with me sometime later and relinquishes Lloyd from me. Now that the one hundred and fifty-seven pounds of extra weight are off my back, I feel instant relief on my bones and muscles. I stretch my back and relish the liberation and lightness suddenly granted to me. In the corner of my eye I spy Kratos easily lift Lloyd up on his own back and start walking away. I begin to follow him.

"Don't wander off from me," he cautions. "Not even by a step."

I frown. "What's wrong?"

"There are old traps placed around this area made by a man who set them during the last time a Chosen went out on the journey of regeneration," he states. "Some of those traps are still in good enough condition to kill you."

"Wouldn't the Desians have dismantled them by this point?" I wonder.

"The Desians are merely half-elves and humans," Kratos points out. "They cannot find all of them."

I comment, "Rather lucky that we didn't run into any of them on the way up here." Although I note that Kratos was the one who was leading the way. He probably knew what to look out for concerning these traps.

"Yes, very fortunate," he absently mutters in response.

After a long time, the trees start thinning. I look around to search for sun but all I see are parting snow clouds, patches of snow that managed to fall through the trees, and well more trees in the thinning frequency of these plants. With a simple glance I can tell that Lloyd is still going to remain unconscious for a while.

". . . Did they drug him?" I ask.

"Hm?"

I repeat, "Did they drug Lloyd? He's been out for a while . . ."

Kratos shakes his head. "I doubt it. Slipping a drug in him and then letting him bleed would have been somewhat counterproductive. I imagine he fainted from trauma."

I frown and look away. As weak as that may sound to some, it's certainly not something to ridicule concerning the Desians and the like. Fainting was probably mercy to his mind. It simply blocked out everything else.

Then I inquire, "Shouldn't he be waking up soon, though?"

"Lloyd will wake up on his own time. Until then, it is best to leave him be."

"Okay . . ."

All we do is walk and walk and walk and walk. My feet hurt and I swear that I'm going to faint from exhaust. Time passes some more. All I hear is our foot steps in the dead forest floor and the snow. That's it.

"_Whiiee!_"

Kratos sighs with relief.

Of course I'm tired so I wouldn't hear a giant dog running after us.

Noishe lopes to us and stops right in Kratos' face. I see Kratos struggle away and the longest tongue I've ever seen stretch to reach his retreating face.

"Stop it!" Kratos carps. "Noishe, just carry the children back to the others and come back for me."

I'll ignore the child part since my great-great-grandparents aren't even conceived yet compared to him. "What about you?"

Kratos hoists Lloyd up on Noishe's back. "I'll be fine. Just make sure Lloyd doesn't fall off Noishe's back while he's running."

"Growe!" Noishe rumbles in indignation.

"We can't be too careful," he counters.

I move over to Noishe's side. "Just help me up. He's bigger than a horse."

"Hie!" I yip as Kratos suddenly hoists me up onto the protozoan's back. Due to height and strength differences, I suddenly feel like a toddler. I look back at Kratos to see if there's anything else.

There, I spy, is a smile of deep relief on his face as he gazes at Lloyd. Then I realize just what sort of hell Kratos must have gone through while Lloyd was under the abuse Kvar was dealing out. The panic, the fear, the pain that he as a father suffered through as his only child was trapped in a gas chamber with no way out, cruelly whipped by Desian hands, placed into a cell with no care to his wounds whatsoever, and labeled as a potential host for the same Exsphere that caused Anna so much grief. So many what-ifs and worst case scenarios must have gone through his head during our entire raid into this ranch. Seeing Lloyd on my back was probably the first piece of good news he's had all night.

Kratos pats Noishe twice on his furry neck. Noishe first cautiously makes a steady jog of into the distance. As he gains more confidence, he gains more speed.

Then finally, we're gone.

* * *

The others were preparing on raiding the ranch once more and were about to go after us when Noishe ran to them with Lloyd and me on his back. Their relief was infinite. They practically yanked us off of Noishe's back and Raine immediately started going over us head to toe for any wounds from a fatal gash to a paper-cut-sized slice. With the two of us off his back, Noishe raced back to the forest away from where we stashed out wagon and horses back to where Kratos was waiting very patiently for him. Upon Kratos' return, Raine jumped right at him and scrutinized him for any and all wounds. Kratos looked at her as if debating on whether or not to grouch at her and get her to stop since he's fine, but I don't think he thought any of that worth the trouble since he just decided to stand there and look grouchy. Now that I think about it, I think Kratos likes to act grouchy. It probably gives him an additional outlet for his energy or something.

I drudge off to my sleeping roll as soon as the others are done panicking over us. I ignore everyone's questions about my side of the story and just flop on down to my bag.

"Uuugh . . ."

"Lloyd!" Genis exclaims.

Everyone hurries to his side except for me (too tired to deal with drama) and Kratos (who knows that crowding him isn't going to help).

Lloyd stirs and scans his environment. His eyes grow wide at the sight of everyone. "Guys! But how . . . ?"

Colette says, "Kratos and Kelsey helped you escape."

More like carried him out.

No, Kelsey. Don't even comment in your own mind. You're too grouchy and tired to be of any help.

Lloyd buries his face in his hands with a groan. "The last thing I remember . . . Kvar was laughing at me. And pain on my back. Then before I was chocking on this gas! It was—! It was . . . !"

"A nightmare . . . !" Genis finishes. "It was all like a horrible nightmare! With Kvar and getting separated and then thinking we were about to die when we managed to escape at the last second. And then there was waiting for all of you to return when we were here!"

"The worst part . . ." Sheena expresses. "The worst part . . . was discovering how Exsphere are made. That was so sick . . . ! So cruel . . . !"

Lloyd recalls, "Marble . . . Marble didn't have a key crest on her. Then when we got her Exsphere after she died . . . it . . . it didn't have a key crest on it. Then the captives from Magnius' ranch didn't have key crests on them. I . . . I was always told that if you wear an Exsphere without a key crest then you'll get sick . . . But this . . ."

His eyes draw down to his own Exsphere. Lloyd grimaces as if sickened. "But _this! This_ is what those captives went through? _This_ is what Marble went through? _This?_"

Lloyd gets up with a wobble and rips off his Exsphere. He snarls, "_This_ is what Mom went through? _This_ is how she died? _Raaugh!_" He cries out as he flings the Exsphere out. Unnoticed by us all, Kratos silently goes out to retrieve it.

Completely shocked at the display, Genis exclaims, "Lloyd—!"

"NO!" Lloyd backs away from the others. "It _killed_ her! If it weren't for Kvar and that _thing_ then she would still be alive! Maybe I would still have my mom around if it weren't for all that—and maybe my dad too! I would've found out about Aunt Elizabeth and her family if she was still alive! My entire family was taken away from me and Mom's entire life was ruined all because of that thing!"

Colette tries, "Lloyd—!"

Lloyd continues, "Then Marble's life was destroyed because of her Exsphere and the Desians! Chocolat and Cacao _lost_ her because of the Desians! All the pain and grief that they and every family that lost someone they loved wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the Desians and Exspheres!"

Raine attempts to intervene, "Lloyd—"

"And now!" Lloyd goes, with his voice breaking into reluctant sobs. "Now it's too late! It's too late to get any of them back! They're dead! They're all dead! And they can't ever come back! They're gone! They're all gone . . . !"

"Lloyd." Kratos approaches with Lloyd's Exsphere in hand. "Yes, they are gone, and they will never come back. The pain of their absence will always be with us. However, what was done was done and can never change. Now all we can do is carry their lives and hopes with us as we fight to survive, even if it means using the Exspheres that are the tools for their deaths."

Lloyd shakes his head. "Isn't there some other way we can fight the Desians without using the Exspheres?"

Raine states, "Not while the Desians are using Exspheres themselves. If we want to stand even a chance against them then our only option is to keep using the Exspheres we have. As horrible as we may feel by equipping them, using their power to protect our lives and rescue the people of Luin and all the other captives suffering under Kvar's torturous devices is a much better alternative than simply discarding them or allowing the Desians to use them as they will."

Lloyd lowers his head. ". . . You're right. Without these things we're just a bunch of weak humans! But . . . no one _chose_ to be an Exsphere host!"

"And?" Kratos interrupts. "None of them ever wanted to be a host in the first place, but I doubt they would want to be thrown away after everything they went through so that the Exspheres have their lives."

"Lloyd," Colette speaks up, "I know I have no place to speak since I don't use an Exsphere, but I believe we have a duty to the people who were turned into Exspheres. Right now, in that ranch, are people who are suffering the same thing that Marble and your mother went through and some of them will soon go through the same thing too. Since we can use the power of the Exspheres, we have a duty to go and stop the Desians from turning anyone else into an Exsphere in place for those who already died because of the Desians."

Lloyd goes still, silently agreeing with all of us but still not wanting to accept his Exsphere. With a sigh, I get up from my bed roll and pull out my spear. I walk right up to Lloyd and shove it in his hands. He looks down at it in question.

I explain, "I managed to somehow, by some miracle, get away from the Desians after they gassed us and crawl away into a storage room for shelter, like some sort of dying animal. I was disoriented when I dropped my spear in that storage room so I had to search around a bit after I woke up. Wanna know what I found? Desian spears that were of an older model than what they use today that resembled the very spear I shoved in your hands, which tells me that I've been using a Desian spear all this time. Who knows how many innocent lives it took in the past. Now I have a choice of either throwing it away in disgust or using it to defend myself and everyone around me. You have the same kind of choice with your Exsphere. Decide what you think is the better option."

I take my spear out of his hands and drop it back down to where it was and hope that was the final little push.

I hear Lloyd sigh and reply, "Fine. You're all right. But I swear on my mom, and Marble, and everyone that I _will_ stop this! I'm not going to let the Desians keep killing lives like this!"

Colette adds, "I'll fight alongside you! This is more than my duty as a Chosen! I will fight for their lives no matter what!"

Genis joins in, "For people like Marble, I'll face the entire ranch. Their lives will not be wasted!"

Raine sternly says, "This cruelty is not even necessary. There is no excuse for such heinous things!"

Sheena states, "I will continue to fight with you if that's alright. I can't turn a blind eye to any of this! This is too cruel!"

Lloyd nods. "Then we're going. We will go back to the ranch tomorrow!"

"We cannot do such a thing so soon," Kratos replies.

Lloyd protests, "Why not?"

Raine explains, "Kvar will be expecting us and will have certainly tightened up security, all things considered."

I add, "Plus we ran out the same entrance we came in through. Kvar would've patched that hole up by the time we can even get close to there. Then there's the fact that he's got security tightened up because Connor the bomber is still running around the ranch."

Lloyd thinks for a moment before he recollects, "Connor, Uncle Tyson, and whoever Aunt Elizabeth and Mom's brother was were part of a group that infiltrated the ranch for a few years. James told me that the secret to their success is this map that they drew."

"Lloyd," Sheena reluctantly points out, "they most likely burned that by now. Only Connor was the one who kept up the activities and he's still in that ranch. Not to mention, Tyson Hermann is still locked up in the ranch as well."

Kratos comments, "The only member left of the trio would be the uncle in Hima, but with all the monsters in the area then there is a chance that he may be . . . unable to give us any information concerning the ranch."

Lloyd flinches at the thought of one more family member dead. "There has to be something, though. We can't just give up!"

Sheena mentions, "Although Daniel isn't going to be able to give us any new information about how to get in, there is one more escaped captive we can talk to."

"Who?" Genis loudly asks.

Sheena states, "There's this captive that I met while I was heading towards the Ossa Trail that Connor's escape system named 'P,' after his first initial. Pietro. He needed to get to Hima and Connor asked me to escort him since I was going in that direction anyway so I traveled with him down to Hima and left him there. Pietro should still be there now."

Raine says, "It may be that he escaped through the same hole in security that Daniel did but that is just a risk we will have to take."

Lloyd declares, "Then we're going to Hima first thing."

* * *

Kratos and Kelsey have something of a quiet truce, I think. I'll find out in the next chapter while I'm writing it. :P

Miss Crazy B**ch tells you to review.


	31. P

No, there's no mistake on your computer. That really is the title. It holds some significance if you remember how Connor named each escaped captive whenever he mentioned them in public, such as DNI (Daniel, Nell, Iris).

Another OC. This one is more involved with Asgard than Connor and Elizabeth will be.

Think-think-you may like him.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One: P

When we woke up the next morning the first thing we did was pack up all our things and head down to Hima as soon as possible. Lloyd at first wanted to ride Noishe all the way down but no one let him, saying that if he encountered any monsters—which we were bound to do since the monsters have supposedly infested the area—then Noishe would flee with him on his back and there was no way of controlling him after that. Noishe protested against that but we ignored him. So then Lloyd had the gall to badger me into giving up Punky so he could get to Hima. I flat out refused for the same reasons why Noishe is out of the question, only Punky's safety would be at risk by that point.

After a while of the two of us fighting over Punky, Sheena tries to subtly change the subject by asking, "Why are you the only one with a horse of your own?"

Lloyd remarks, "Because she doesn't care and won't share the horse even though we might have very important reasons."

"If sharing is caring then I just don't care." Then I turn to Sheena and answer, "I have Punky because I was a part of the Asgard Pilgrimage Tour that starts in Palmacosta. I was one of the tours' guards and so was granted my very own horse. After the Desians attacked our tour, they left my horse mockingly saying that maybe the horse would drag my corpse back to Palmacosta. Well, Punky helped me get to the Palmacosta House of Salvation where I met everyone and my life was saved. Ever since then I kept this horse."

"That's really quite a story," Sheena expresses.

Lloyd nags, "But despite the fact that we saved her life she _still_ won't share the horse!"

"I only share the horse when the horse is safe!" I bite. "In case you hadn't noticed, I don't use Punky in battle."

"I'm not going to fight monsters on Punky's back," Lloyd counters. "I'm just going to go to Hima on Punky."

"Hima is _crawling_ with monsters!" I nag. "I'm not letting you ride Punky in monster-infested areas without me around!"

Lloyd offers, "Then just ride with me. Punky is big enough to carry two people."

I give him a flat glare before ridding off a good distance away from the wagon. Lloyd huffs as he slumps down disdainfully.

Corrine comments, "That would be a good way to say 'no means no.'"

It was depressing to keep eyeing Lloyd and Punky to make sure Lloyd didn't sneak onto Punky's saddle and make a getaway. I hated not being able to trust Lloyd during this agonizingly slow time, but since the Hima area is overtaken by monsters then there's a huge risk that both Lloyd and Punky would get killed because Lloyd was alone and outnumbered. I don't care if I'm called extreme or distrusting. That horse saved my life. If it weren't for Punky carrying me all the way to Palmacosta's House of Salvation then my rotting carcass would've been found in the place where the Desians ambushed the tour and left me for dead.

* * *

There really isn't too much to say until the twenty-fourth. Of March, that is. We still hadn't reached Hima yet so there aren't too many monsters. So far we could approach them before the wagon got to them and take turns watching the wagon. This time, by the way, is my turn. I basically watch the others battle as they take on a Grasshopper and two Orcs.

"Ouch!" I yip in sympathy as an Ogre kicks Colette high in the air. She hops back up from the ground and goes right back into the fry.

I look around to Sheena and see her start a combo on the Grasshopper. "Come on come on come on come on . . ." I mutter as she builds her attack up. "Boom!" I finish as she ends her attack with Pyre Seal.

I see Lloyd take full advantage of the Grasshopper's stagger. He lashes at it and finishes it with a glorious Beast. I swear I can watch Lloyd fight monsters all day. It's really entertaining to see him zip that way and zip another way and take down monsters without getting a scratch. All that speed comes quite in handy (and I know this since I'm now one of the fastest in the group now).

Kratos is just getting more and more frustrated as the battle progresses. His defense goes out the window and he starts attacking and casting spells like crazy (all compared to how he usually fights). I could describe it as a massacre but considering that the monsters (minus the Grasshopper) aren't dead yet due to stubbornness then that term can't be applied yet. He begins casting Lightning when an Ogre kicks him.

Kratos finally reaches his limit.

"That's it! _Thunderblade!_"

A large white blade of electricity crashes down on the Ogre that kicked him with a loud _CRASH!_ It kills that Ogre in an instant and zaps the crap out of the other one with the aftershock.

"WOAH!" I cry out. "Anger management, anyone?" Seriously, that is the first time Kratos cast Thunderblade during this journey. He's cast Airthrust, done Double Demon Fang, and used Hurricane Thrust but this is a first for Thunderblade.

Apparently everyone else got stunned by Kratos' outburst because they continued to stare at him for a moment before getting back into the battle, still glancing back at Kratos as if warily expecting him to snap. Our delightful mercenary gets impatient with each and every one of them and decides to finish off the last Ogre himself. He practically pushes Lloyd out of the way and kills off the Ogre himself.

. . . I think Lloyd inherited Anna's spirit while he got his temper from Kratos. I have just witnessed legitimate evidence.

I notice Kratos coming back in a hurry, deciding to separate himself from the others to spare as many people as possible from his rising temper. I quickly start acting as if the outburst never happened in the first place and start acting bored. The less Kratos has to deal with me, the less of an opportunity he has to using me as an outlet to vent. I glance over at the Hima mountains and spy something moving across the sky. Narrowing my eyes, I focus my sight on it . . .

Well, it has bat-like wings and a long snake-like body. Other than that I can't tell much . . . Wait . . . Its legs are like lizard legs. Beautiful. We're heading into dragon country.

Kratos looks back at the group's walk (probably giving Kratos time to cool off) and mutters, "Why can't they just hurry up? We don't have all year . . . !"

Maybe Kratos can vent his anger out on a dragon or two.

Does anyone remember the skit where the others sense that Kratos is angry about something? The one that happens after the first round at the Asgard ranch and probably happens after you meet Pietro too? We all know that was to allude to the incident with Anna turning into a monster and Kratos' involvement with that. Well, our version of that . . .

A few hours later, while Kratos eliminates some minor native monsters for us (forcing us to leave him alone while he vents his anger), Sheena warily asks, "Am I the only one sensing this aura of anger around him? Whenever I look him in the eye I see his usual stoic expression but then I see this underlying rage just waiting to get out."

"You're not the only one," Colette sadly expresses. "He looks really scary sometimes . . ."

Raine says, "Kratos will have more control over his emotions once he's done with those monsters. Just be patient with him. Though I must wonder what is bothering him so much."

Genis hesitantly reasons, "It . . . I think it has something to do with the Desians. He's been short tempered ever since we found Luin and it's just gotten worse when we left for Hima."

Lloyd snaps up as his eyes widen with realization. "Genis, remember that prank we pulled on Kratos back at the Palmacosta House of Salvation where we messed with his stuff?"

Genis questions, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Raine sternly interrogates, "What did you two do?"

Lloyd states, "We just messed with his things! Nothing bad! Anyway, I found this locket and when I asked him what was in it he said it contained a picture of his family. I remember him saying that they died because of the Desians. Maybe Kvar was responsible for what happened to them too!"

I know otherwise, but I point out, "Whatever happened to them might have been the doing of some of the Desians under Kvar so I doubt Kvar was directly involved, but that would definitely explain—and when did you two pull that prank? I don't remember it . . ."

"It was before Chocolat got kidnapped," Genis explains.

"Oh."

"Damn it, Kvar," Lloyd growls. "How many lives is he responsible for killing?"

Colette looks towards Kratos and says, "Look! He's finished fighting."

We all turns towards him and gauge his mood. He stands there in the middle of the carnage, covered with monster blood and some of his own, panting from his exerted energy. He huffs out one last pant and returns to the wagon as he casts First Aid on his wounds. By the time he reaches us he already healed all his wounds.

Lloyd gets up and empathetically informs, "You don't have to go through all this alone. You know you can tell us what's making you so angry."

Kratos stops and stares at Lloyd with his usual stoic expression. He continues to watch Lloyd before he replies, ". . . They are my demons to fight. I need to fight them myself."

Lloyd glances down for a second in thought before he turns away towards his bag. After digging a moment he pulls out an orange gel and offers it to Kratos. The mercenary stares at it for a moment.

Kratos reaches out and takes it. ". . . Thank you."

"As I said," Lloyd reminds, "you don't have to fight them alone."

Later in the day, just some time after lunch, Noishe freaks again.

"Whiiieeee . . . !" he whimpers.

"What is it, Noishe?" Lloyd asks.

Corrine translates, "He says there's a bunch of monsters up ahead."

"Mmmmmmmm!" Noishe adds.

"Lots of them!" Corrine states, "It's probably better to go around."

Raine says, "That would mean going through the mountain paths: a desperate man's choice. Are there really as many monsters as Noishe says there are?"

Colette offers, "I can fly over them and see."

Sheena tells, "Take Corrine with you. An extra pair of eyes will definitely help."

So Colette takes Corrine with her and flies off into the distance. I start to worry about whether or not she might encounter any airborne monsters like the dragon I saw earlier in the morning. Things will probably turn out okay, though.

"What's wrong with the mountain paths?" Lloyd wonders.

Kratos explains, "The Hima area is notorious to travelers for its dangerous land. It's much worse than the Ossa Trail. The paths line steep cliffs and are hazardously narrow. Then the footing is either stable or unsound and it can be very hard to tell the difference between the two. If we are to travel through that area then one of us will have to be the scout to check the ground's stability."

Genis notes, "Colette can do that since she can fly. If she falls then she can catch herself by flying."

Sheena adds, "Corrine and I can scout the area too. You can basically call us pros."

When Colette and Corrine return, Colette reports, "Noishe was right. There are a ton of monsters up ahead! We're going to have to go through the mountains."

"What about the horses and the wagon?" I ask. "They can't go through areas that we might be able to."

Lloyd figures, "Then we'll just have to go through paths that they can go through."

That is exactly what we do. Colette and Corrine investigated the area ahead of us for paths we can go through while Sheena tested the stability of what we choose to go through. There were a few times, though, when we would start to go through one area and Colette would race right to us and frantically warn us about the Drake dragon up ahead that has a nest. One time, we took a path a few levels below a nest and the Drake leaped out to where it was three levels above us and held its ground, snarling and hissing at us.

"Yiee yiee yiee yiee yiee yiee yiee!" Noishe yips as he flees down the path ahead of us. The horses proved difficult since we had to direct them down the path and keep them from bolting on us (and end up falling down the cliff as a result).

Before we get our weapons out, Corrine hastily reassures us, "Don't worry! It's not attacking us! It's just guarding its nest! If we keep going then we'll be okay! It's all just a warning!"

"SCHIIIIEEEE!" the dragon snarls when we move.

"It doesn't look like its just warning us!" Genis dreadfully conveys. Raine places herself between Genis and the dragon more.

Kratos keeps himself between us (more specifically Lloyd) and the dragon with his sword pointed at the beast. He remains calm and assertive with a warning air. The Drake senses his warning and huffs dismissively at Kratos. As we begin to leave its territory, the dragon begins to hiss more gently and quietly. Kratos slowly backs away, never letting his guard down and his eyes wander away from the dragon. When the rest of us finally get out of the dangerous range, Kratos relaxes his posture.

The Drake stops hissing and narrows its eyes suspiciously at Kratos for a moment. It cranes its neck towards the mercenary and sniffs the air for a moment before snorting at him. It backs away and gives Kratos a flat look. In response, Kratos sheaths his sword and returns the flat look.

"Schah ah ah ah ah ah ah!" laughs the dragon. It snorts condescendingly at Kratos and returns to its nest.

"Humph," Kratos snorts as he catches up to the rest of us.

Once we were well enough away, Genis moans, "That was nerve-wracking . . ."

"How many dragons are up here?" Sheena asks.

Raine informs, "There are the Drakes, which are a smaller breed of dragon, and then there are the traditional dragons that we hear about in fairy tales. The traditional breed of dragon, or rather hoarding dragons, is the one that we must worry about."

Lloyd goes, "We'll be fine if we do find one. We're the heroes after all."

I remark, "The problem, Lloyd, is that this isn't a fairy tale. Even if it was this wouldn't be the kind where the heroes face a dragon. Right now, in this part of the story, we're dealing with the Desians."

Lloyd's mood instantly deflates.

"So what areas do they live in?" Sheena asks Raine. "Higher peaks? Summits?"

"Hoarding dragons reside inside large caves," Raine informs. "Caves are a lot easier to hide their hoards from other dragons and other invasive things such as people."

Colette looks up to the sky. "But it looks like it's going to rain soon and now we can't use the caves as shelter. Are we going to have to travel through it until we reach Hima?"

"Rain?" I look up. "But shouldn't it be snowing? It's really cold—too cold for rain."

"Not necessarily," Raine corrects. "West of us is the coastal line. The sea wind keeps this area warm for the time being since this is the beginning of winter. In case you hadn't noticed, there isn't any snow in this area."

"How could I not notice the lack of snow?" I respond. Although I'd notice right then and there in my subconscious that there's no snow, it would probably take me a while to consciously acknowledge that since I would feel a lot more in my element of no snow and semi-rough climate (me being from Texas' central area). Palmacosta is wonderful but I would have to breathe in water, Luin is cold, and Asgard has a lot of heights and too many tourists. Hima is probably pretty good for me . . . minus the cliffs.

Lloyd looks up at the clouds. "The Professor and Colette are right. Those clouds look too heavy to be snow. We better find shelter fast because when that rain falls it's going to be cold."

Sheena recalls, "While I was escorting Pietro to Hima, I saw this horse ranch on the way there. It was just outside of the village and should be passed all the monsters."

Lloyd nods. "Alright, Sheena. Lead the way. Maybe the person running that ranch will let us in."

It takes us a few hours to get down out of the mountain paths. I suspect that it was much faster than going through the main road even without the monsters. I suppose the dragons and the cliffs are the reason why no one else really uses the mountains as a short cut to Hima. By the time we do spot a small house coupled with stables and a barn, it was already passed midnight and the freezing rain was about to come any second—

_Plip! . . . Plip! . . ._

"Uh-oh . . ." Lloyd goes. "We better hurry."

When we get to the barn, the rain is pouring on us. Freezing cold! Cold! Cold! Cold! Oh, it's coooolllld!

Lloyd and Kratos pry the barn doors open and we hurry the horses in, dragging the wagon with them, and quickly shut the barn doors. We huddle close to the hay and try to get dry and warm (which wasn't very easy to begin with). Lucky Lloyd and Genis huddled close to Noishe, taking advantage of his warm fur. Noishe, though, didn't think the company around him was complete and started staring pointedly at Kratos with these big, welcoming, puppy dog eyes. Kratos promptly ignores him.

I make a nest in the hay, meditating on my situation. To think I'd sleep in a barn . . .

* * *

I wake up with heavy eyes and sunlight beaming down. I guess the rain ended last night. I glance around and find everyone already up and preparing to leave. After some incoherent grumbling I crawl out of my nest and get ready to leave.

Colette skips up to me and cheeps, "Good morning, Kelsey~!"

Curse all morning people . . .

Colette holds up a small bag. "Since we can't exactly meet with the ranch owner and thank him for letting us use his barn and we didn't say hello to him last night, I'm collecting gald for payment! Could you put in one hundred fifty gald?"

I stare blankly at her before my hand slowly pulls out the requested amount of gald. I utter to her, "You should totally work for charities. You'd make tons for whatever program you choose."

Colette gathers my one hundred fifty. "Genis is keeping breakfast fresh."

"So Genis cooked breakfast?" I groggily ask.

"Nope. I did~!" she chirps. "I made fruit salad!"

Go figure that it's fruit . . .

The barn doors open and a woman's voice carps, "What the _hell_? What are all of you doing here?"

"Uh-oh . . ." Genis responds. "Uh . . ."

Lloyd tries, "We were planning on asking to come in and sleep here but it was way passed midnight and it started raining so . . ."

"I don't care!" the woman at the doors snaps. "Get out!"

Colette hurries up to the woman. "Uh, I gathered this up as a thank you since we slept in your barn."

The woman regards the offered gald with slight confound. ". . . This isn't my ranch. I just work here."

"Well, here," Colette offers. "This is for the owner of this ranch as a thank you and an apology for our rudeness."

The woman takes the bag of gald and shakes her head saying, "Whatever. Just get out."

So we leave without further due and head straight for Hima. To try to wake myself up I get Punky into a fast trot, basically a bumpy ride. As we approach Hima, I get my wish. Fully wide awake despite that my eyes feel like they're bruised.

Sheena points up a sloped wide mountain path and directs, "Hima should be up there! We should be able to find Pietro. There's a woman named Sophia who agreed to watch over him since he was starting to get sick by the time we reached Hima. If we can't find Pietro then we can ask Sophia."

So we climb up the path, up and up and up and up. I'm expecting some houses and an inn since reality is going to have more than just a crowded inn in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, when I was playing Tales of Symphonia I was pretty disappointed when I first saw Hima. I was thinking _This is it? This is seriously it? Not even a house? There's a graveyard, but no houses or anyone other than travelers? Seriously?_

Reality isn't going to disappoint me this time.

When we reach the end of the slope, I see an inn sitting at the very front greeting all travelers then several houses lining the cliff wall away from the cliff edges and a pub at one end and a general supplies store in the mix. It actually looks like a place that's being lived in. Though it definitely pulls of the "dot on the map" small town image. This would be the place where everyone knows you and everything you have ever done good or bad. Hey, did you hear that Bob got Sally pregnant? I'm not surprised since they slept with each other after drinking so much two weeks ago. I think it was their friend Mike who smuggled the potion to them that night.

Sheena stops and says, "I'm going to go ask around for Pietro or Sophia. You guys can go check in and wait for me at the pub."

"Okay," Lloyd replies. "We'll be asking around, too."

So we check in and get the horses settled and go around asking for Pietro. Everyone we spoke to either mentioned that they haven't seen Pietro in a while and the last time they saw him he looked really bad or tells us to go see Sophia. Either which way, no one really knew where Pietro was. We slump down into the pub in a moment of discouragement.

"Nowhere," Sheena sadly expresses. "He's nowhere to be found."

"We can't give up," Lloyd encourages. "Pietro can't have just disappeared."

"We probably didn't look in the right places," Colette supposes.

I comment, "He'll be in the last place we look."

"The last place we . . ." Then Sheena gets it. "Very funny."

I smirk. "What? I thought it was clever."

"Never mind," she dismissively snips.

The door opens and the bartender greets, "Ephraim! How are the horses?"

"Horses?" Genis notes. "Could that have been . . . ?"

I shrug. "Probably a coincidence."

"The horses are fine," this Ephraim person replies. "Although I do have a new story for you. One of my assistants found another group of travelers sleeping in my barn."

I correct myself, "Okay, it's probably us."

The bartender remarks, "Again? That's not new. If I had ten gald for each time someone's slept in your barn I'd be a rich man."

"Ahhh," Ephraim inserts, "but do they leave one thousand gald as payment for sleeping in my barn?"

"One . . . thousand . . ." Lloyd words. We all look to Colette.

Colette shrugs. "I thought it was a reasonable amount."

"For sleeping in a barn?" Genis questions.

Colette stands her ground, "We were rude, too, by not telling him that we were there."

Kratos says, "Next time, Chosen One, tell us how much you're leaving behind before you collect the gald."

". . . you going to buy yourself an Asgard black potion from me with this newly gained one k?" the bartender wonders.

"I'm not using it to buy alcohol. I'm using it to buy supplies."

"Come on! It's free gald!"

"And the horses eat more hay than a drunkard can consume potion," Ephraim remarks. "With how much they eat I might as well feed them gald."

"Aw, Ephraim! Treat yourself every now and then!"

"You're not squeezing any gald from me, Bruns. I'm here for a reason."

"Pietro?"

Our attention goes to the stranger named Ephraim. Now that I have a good look of him, I see that he's a tall man with this chestnut brown hair and looks to be in his late forties or early fifties. He definitely aged gracefully. Other than that I can't tell since his back is to us.

Ephraim shakes his head. "Not this time. I'm looking to see if there is any word from Luin. I'm sure there are at least some travelers from that direction."

The bartender comments, "With all the monsters running around on the main road, we won't get any for a long time. Remember what happened to the mail carrier that goes between Luin and Izoold? If it weren't for you then he'd be dead instead of recovering from a broken leg."

Ephraim calmly complains, "I hate this prolonged silence. Then I have this feeling that something is wrong . . ."

The bartender brushes off, "Don't worry. It's probably just your imagination."

As I note that there's a slight British accent in Ephraim's voice (I should've known that Botta wouldn't be the only one), Lloyd looks over to the rest of us. "He said he's waiting for news about Luin. We should tell him what happened."

Sheena grimaces. "Yes, we should, but . . . when? When is the appropriate time? He also knows about Pietro."

Kratos watches Ephraim for a moment before turning back to the rest of us. "If we explain the situation concerning Luin and then why we need to see Pietro then he will eagerly cooperate."

I translate, "So start from the beginning with the Desians to the end with Pietro."

Genis wonders, "Sheena, did you meet this Ephraim person when you were escorting Pietro?"

Sheena shakes her head. "No. Never met him. I just saw his ranch and moved on."

Lloyd glances down at his hands before getting up. ". . . I'll tell him."

As Lloyd approaches Ephraim, he speaks up, "Excuse me . . ."

Ephraim faces him. His eyes are a nice warm brown and regards whatever they lay on gently and calmly. His face shape is the same as Elizabeth's (only male) and I get this feeling that he's a bit laid back.

"Yes?" Ephraim's British-accented voice responds. I kinda wonder if he's a descendant of someone from Earth (only specifically somewhere from Britain).

. . . Okay, I am making a bit of a fuss over his accent, but when you've heard nothing but a normal Southern accent or the extreme hick accent of Texas then you find a keen fascination for anything that sounds different.

Lloyd hesitates before he states, "My friends and I came from Luin . . ."

Ephraim's eyes widen a little as he asks, "What happened? Your expression tells me this isn't good news."

"It's not." Lloyd tells him, "The Desians attacked Luin. They destroyed everything and any survivors they found were taken to the ranch."

Ephraim shudders and turns away. His eyes fill with fear and rage as he tries to keep himself under control. "Kvar . . ." he hisses. He slams his fist into the bar top and pushes himself out of his seat. "That's it! I can't take any more!"

Lloyd moves to stop him. "Wait! We already tried to get in and save the captives! There's an escaped captive named Pietro who might know a way in without being detected."

Ephraim stops and turns his now sharp eyes to Lloyd. "You already tried? Now you're here for Pietro?"

Sheena gets up. "That's right. We tried to save the people of Luin but since we failed, Kvar increased security. Pietro may know a way in that Kvar might have overlooked."

Ephraim pauses before informing, "A woman named Sophia lives in the house with the blue roof. She cares for Pietro since he's rather sickly."

Sheena pales. "How bad is he?"

Ephraim answers, "Very bad, but he should be able to talk to you. Now if you will excuse me, I have business to take care of."

As Ephraim heads for the door, Kratos interrupts, "It will be worth your while to wait and travel to Luin with us."

Everyone, save Ephraim, turns to Kratos in confusion since usually he isn't the one to invite people into our group.

Ephraim slowly turns his sharp eyes to Kratos. "Why should I wait? The longer I take getting to that ranch the bigger the chance that the last of my family is dead."

Kratos simply says, "Believe me, if you wait with us then your patience will be rewarded."

"Kratos, what are you doing?" Raine questions.

Ephraim regards Kratos for a long moment . . . "Fine. I will lead you to Sophia's home but I have some things to do here." He motions to the rest of us. "Follow me."

Lloyd and Sheena are the first ones behind him. The rest of us follow in our usual order, except Raine stays behind next to Kratos.

"This is rather unusual for you to openly invite others into this group," Raine comments.

Kratos doesn't respond.

Ephraim leads us down the way before he stops in front of a house with a blue roof. He turns to us and states, "This is where Sophia lives. She should be home at this hour." Then he leaves without another word.

Lloyd watches Ephraim leave, his mind obviously occupied by something, but then he focuses on the task at hand and approaches the door. Sheena beats him to the door and knocks first. We wait for some time before the door opens.

A young woman, perhaps a little older than Sheena, appears. There are dark circles under her eyes and worry lines forming on her face. The hair in her bun is a little unkempt as if she hastily put it up for convenience rather than appearance. "Sheena! It's been so long!" the woman exclaims in surprise as she slips outside and blocks the door.

Sheena nods in greeting. "It has been a while, Sophia. Lots of things happened. We need to see Pietro. How is he?"

Sophia glances away and gently tugs at her earlobe as she hesitantly replies, "He . . . He passed away."

"Passed . . . Passed away?" Sheena utters. "But . . . That's . . ."

Raine picks up the conversation, "I'm sorry to ask this, but before he died did Pietro say anything about the human ranch he escaped from?"

Sophia refrains from looking at us. "I . . . don't know . . . I can't—couldn't understand most of what he said. It was all gibberish . . ."

"Is there anything you can remember?" Genis wonders.

Sophia subtly backs into the door. "No. There's nothing . . ."

Lloyd looks up at her. "When did he die? This guy named Ephraim told us that he was sick but he didn't say anything about dead."

Sophia shakes her head. "Ephraim . . . hasn't seen Pietro in a while. He wouldn't know."

Lloyd frowns. "Then I guess we'll have to tell him when we see him."

"Please!" Sophia immediately inserts. "Let me tell him myself! I was the one who was taking care of Pietro after all . . ."

Colette asks, "Where is his grave? The least we can do is honor him."

Sophia remains silent for a moment. She says, "It's . . . I'm sorry. This is really hard for me to say."

"Take your time," I tell her. "Some things are hard to say." Like lies when the person isn't a natural liar. What about her posture isn't screaming that she's lying? She's backed up into her door as if she's cornered, she refuses to let her home open even though she apparently knows Sheena well, she tugs at her earlobe and refuses to look us in the eye which are both liar signs, and she's refusing information. Even I can tell that she's lying.

She undecidedly directs, "It's in the back . . . of the adventurer's graveyard, that is." Then she seems to remember something and quickly warns, "Ah, don't think about digging up his grave, please."

I narrow my eyes. "'Don't think about digging up his grave'? That's rather strange to ask of us, especially since you know one of us and remember her as a good person who wouldn't even think of robbing anyone let alone a grave."

Sophia defends, "Just don't! I . . . wasn't thinking. There's a grave robber in the area and . . . Anyway, his grave is marked by a . . . a reef. I put it there just yesterday."

"'Kay," Sheena mutters as she turns away. Her expression is troubled and confused. We head down to the graveyard and along the path Sheena says aloud, "That doesn't make any sense. Sophia acted like she has something to hide yet I've never known her to deliberately lie."

"So I'm not the only one who noticed?" I comment.

Colette inquires, "What do you two mean? Why would Sophia lie to us about this?"

Sheena shakes her head. "I don't know. She isn't the kind of person who would lie about anything, and that's really confusing. She was lying—that was obvious."

"But how could you judge someone so easily?" Colette questions.

Kratos explains, "It was the way Sophia acted that arouses suspicion. She acted guilty and as if she was hiding something. Normally a person wouldn't act in such a manner."

"Yeah, but I can't figure out her motive . . ." Sheena's words trail off as she faces down the path we just took. "Pietro!"

Sheena dashes down the path and runs right to two men, one Ephraim and the other apparently Pietro. Ephraim guides Pietro towards us and Sheena as if Pietro could collapse as soon as he relinquished any support. Pietro, on the other hand . . .

Pietro wrings his hands as if he just encountered something disturbing and distressing. He stares at the ground and mutely mutters incoherent words. His eyes are wide and frightened. Pietro certainly appears as if he would collapse as soon as Ephraim relinquished any sort of support.

"Careful, Sheena," Ephraim calmly cautions. "He's very mentally unstable. I'm surprised he was able to wander around the village in this state."

Sheena gently grasps onto Pietro's sleeve. "Pietro! I heard you were dead!"

Pietro doesn't seem to respond any further than his muttered sounds. Ephraim wonders, "Dead? Who told you he was dead?"

"Sophia did," Lloyd answers as he catches up to Pietro. He watches Pietro in deep concern. ". . . What's wrong with him?"

Pietro's words grow louder, "Ch-cho . . . Chosen . . . cannon . . ."

Sheena desperately questions, "What is it, Pietro? What are you trying to say?"

"There you are!"

Sophia rushes up in a panic and pulls Pietro away. Without Ephraim's support Pietro slumps. Sophia tries to straighten him but in vain. Seeing this, Ephraim approaches to help.

Sophia snaps, "You stay back! How could you, Ephraim? You know he's in no condition to go outside!"

Ephraim growls, "I found him wandering Hima by himself. Maybe I should take him to the ranch and care for him myself, anyway. What a damn fine job you're doing. He's in this condition because of a _mental_ deterioration! Locking him up in a tiny room from the world is only going to harm him!"

"I don't see anything you're doing to help him!" Sophia counters.

Ephraim bites, "Then again, I'm not the one who's supposed to be _helping_ him, which is definitely not what you are doing."

Pietro utters, "Chosen . . . die . . . angel . . . die . . ."

Sophia tries to pull him away. "Let's go!"

"Human . . . Human ranch . . . emergency . . ."

Raine accuses, "You lied to us. Pietro not only escaped from the ranch but he also knows a way inside."

"Nnn!" Sophia grapples for some sort of answer.

Lloyd questions, "Pietro! You've got to tell us! How did you get away from the ranch?"

Pietro looks up at Lloyd without any answer.

"Please, Pietro," Lloyd goes.

Pietro watches Lloyd for a moment. ". . . Old escape . . . emergency . . . exit . . . grass . . . grass door . . . underground . . . locked door . . . card . . ."

"What is he saying?" Genis demands.

Ephraim gently takes Pietro away from Sophia. "Be careful. As I said, he is very unstable."

Kratos asks, "Is that the escape route?"

Pietro snaps to Kratos with his wide eyes and nods like a puppet.

Sophia yanks Pietro out of Ephraim's grasp. "Stop this! Leave him alone!"

Sheena gets fed up. "Listen, Sophia! You may be happy trying to protect Pietro, but because of the system that got him out, countless people from Luin are dead and many more will die! How about helping us a little?"

Sophia growls, "I'm sure Pietro has lots of things he would like to say, as well, but now he can't because of this curse!"

"But he's still alive," Lloyd sternly points out. "The dead can't even tell us they were scared."

"Sophia," Ephraim says, "the Desians attacked Luin and killed everyone in sight and any survivors were taken to the ranch. If my sister Elizabeth isn't already amongst the dead then she's in that ranch right now about to join them. A little help to save my _last_ living sister would be nice."

Sophia flinches. "But . . . escaping is one thing but . . . going _in_?"

Colette tells, "If it's possible to get out, it's possible to get back in. Pietro knows the way in. Please, Sophia."

Sophia looks around at each and every one of us. She bows her head. ". . . Alright, but in exchange, lift his curse. A healer diagnosed him with the Desian Mind Deterioration Curse. It's a curse that's occasionally placed on traps laid out for escaping captives. Pietro was just the unlucky one. From what the healer said, only thing that can cure him is written down in a book by Boltzman. I don't know where that book is."

Ephraim supposes, "It's probably in the Tower of Mana. I remember a friend of mine looking for it during one of the times the priests still hired mercenaries and soldiers to clean out the monsters."

Raine nods. "We can certainly do that. Though infiltrating the ranch comes first. That I won't ever relinquish."

Sophia glances down and looks back up into Raine's eyes. ". . . When I asked Pietro how he escaped back while the curse was still taking effect, he said that he came out through the western yard. I have his things in the house. Among his things is a card that he said someone named Connor used to unlock this door that opened the exit from the ranch."

"Connor?" Ephraim repeats. "Did you say that someone named Connor got Pietro out of that ranch?"

Sophia nods. "Yes. Why?"

Ephraim turns away. "No . . . reason . . ."

Colette expresses, "Thank you, Sophia. We'll come back when we have the healing technique."

Sophia hoists Pietro up and quickly hurries away. Before she gets out too far, Ephraim calls after her, "Don't put him back in his room! Set him by the window with the nice view!"

"That scares people when he stares at them!" she calls back.

"That's their problem!" he responds.

There is a pause as some of us digest what just happened. Raine watches Ephraim with this contemplative look.

"Ephraim," Raine begins, "do you know a person named Connor?"

Ephraim looks at her. ". . . Yes. He's a close friend of mine."

"And you have a sister named Elizabeth?" Raine continues.

"Yes, I have a younger sister named Elizabeth," Ephraim confirms. "Where are you going with this?"

Then Raine asks, "Do you have a sister named Anna?"

Lloyd gasps while shock goes through the rest of us. Then this man. He's the brother!

Ephraim impatiently verifies, "Yes, I have a sister named Anna. You want to know my entire family tree? I have two sisters, one named Elizabeth and the other Anna. Elizabeth married Luin's blacksmith—Tyson Hermann. They had two children named James and Rachel. Anna . . . Anna had a son named Lloyd and the last I heard they had both died in an incident with the Desians. Then Connor is a friend of the family. Why do you want to know all this?"

Raine grabs the stunned Lloyd's arm and states, "This is Lloyd Irving. He has a mother named Anna who died because of the Desians—namely the Desian Grand Cardinal Kvar. He has an aunt named Elizabeth who married Luin's blacksmith Tyson Hermann and two cousins James and Rachel. He lived in Iselia for most of his life until the Tower of Salvation appeared. Lloyd, this is your Uncle Ephraim—the brother who Elizabeth mentioned."

Ephraim stares at Lloyd in absolute shock. He opens his mouth halfway as if trying to speak but stops when he looses the words. Lloyd, on the other hand, is at a complete loss for words.

Raine prompts, "Lloyd, is there anything you want to say to him? He is your uncle after all."

It doesn't look as if Lloyd heard her at all.

Ephraim watches his long lost nephew for a minute before stepping forward. He stops before Lloyd and hesitantly reaches his hand out and places it on his shoulder. He stares at Lloyd for a long moment before simply saying, ". . . You're alive . . . !"

Lloyd hesitates before resounding, "You're . . . alive too."

That breaks the stun. Ephraim's laughter rings out, "Ahahahahahah! Despite the odds, I'm still alive! I have become an expert at cheating death."

"But," Lloyd recalls, "Aunt Elizabeth wasn't sure if you were dead or alive since you haven't contacted her in a long time and the monsters around here were getting stronger."

"Ahahahah!" Ephraim laughs. "I'm not dead yet! I still have to take care of the horses and finish some paintings. Then I have my nephew James to torment for a few more years before I start digging my own grave." Then he amends, "Correct that, I have _two_ nephews to torment before I die." He sighs with a sad smile. ". . . You have no idea how much I missed you and your mother."

Lloyd pauses before he goes, "And my dad?"

Ephraim's face goes blank in puzzlement. "What?"

"My dad?" Lloyd prompts. "You know, the man my mom married? What about him?"

Ephraim snorts. "Oh. The _other_ in-law. The I-don't-like-nearly-as-much-as-Tyson in-law. Yeah. Him."

Lloyd frowns and defensively questions, "Do you have something against him?"

Ephraim begins to walk casually away. "Nothing personal, but . . . Well, let's just say there's a lot that I could say about him. For one, he was an idiot who had the worst timing in world and would spring information at the worst possible moment. He couldn't tell which end of a sword to hold and couldn't even use a butter knife even if his life depended on it. Although I _suppose_ he was bearable enough for me to tolerate and Anna to marry and he does have _some_ good physical characteristics that Anna could see. I think she married him for his supposed good looks and 'amusing' personality, but everything else was clearly lacking."

"Ouch!" I whisper. Ephraim's really digging an insult in Kratos, whose patience is very commendable. I glance over at Kratos and spy him clinching his fist together rather longingly . . . as in longing to dive it in Ephraim's nose.

Lloyd has to ask, "Are you serious? You're not teasing me, are you?"

Ephraim gives Lloyd this innocent expression. "Why would I tease you when I have the other in-law to tease?"

Lloyd nags, "Dad isn't even here!"

"So?" Ephraim goes. "Is that a factor that I should consider before teasing someone? Last time I checked, it's not."

"Uncle Ephraim!" Lloyd protest.

"You have Anna's glare," Ephraim cheerfully notes. "Anyway, let's go to Sophia. I'm sure she has Pietro's card by now."

Lloyd reminds, "You were a part of that Human Ranch Infiltration Team back from when Mom was a captive. You must know hundreds of ways in!"

Ephraim coolly states, "Lloyd, it's been twenty years since I've been in that ranch. It doesn't matter how sharp my memory is if the Desians updated something during the past twenty years. Pietro has more recent recollections of the ranch so whatever he knows is a lot more reliable than what I remember."

"Still!" Lloyd persists. "You know the ranch a lot better than we do! You know the escape routes, you know the ranch layout, and you know where the captives are being held! You're the last member of the Infiltration Team that's still free from the ranch! You can help us."

Ephraim slows down for a second before picking up his pace. He reluctantly agrees, "You're right. Even if the Desians found some of my old escape routes, I still know the ranch layout. The Desians wouldn't change the entire ranch just to confuse a few people. I can help. I _will_ help." Then he turns to Lloyd while still walking. "And you will stay out of harm's way."

Lloyd objects, "No! I'm avenging Mom's death!"

Ephraim states, "Kvar is very powerful—"

"I know that!"

"And can easily kill you," Ephraim finishes. "I'm not losing you a second time."

The last statement quiets Lloyd for a moment. He assures, "You won't. I'm not going to die in that ranch."

Ephraim says, "Many have said that yet many have died."

Lloyd snaps, "I won't! I promise that I won't die."

"Just promising isn't going to—"

"I never—never!—broke a promise," Lloyd firmly declares. "And I'm not going to break one anytime soon."

Ephraim observes Lloyd. He sighs and says, "I know that look. Anna wore it so many times. I know I'm not going to be able to stop you. Just . . . don't die. Not when you finally came back."

"I'm not," Lloyd repeats.

* * *

After getting the card from Sophia, we rode back to Ephraim's ranch where he not only retrieved his sword and some extra supplies and food but also took out one of his horses. It was a beautiful stallion with this grey coat and speckled black on its hindquarters. He named it Robin.

Genis asks, "Why don't you just ride in the wagon with us?"

Ephraim answers, "Because I would rather have some control over my movements during this journey otherwise I will go insane."

Lloyd takes this moment to turn to me and go, "Please, Kelsey, let me borrow Punky!"

"Uh, what was my last answer?" I snippily question him.

"Yes?"

"No. You fail."

"Please, Kelsey!" Lloyd begs. "I won't run ahead of the group!"

"Sorry, you're not cute when you're begging."

"Please!" He gives me these huge puppy dog eyes—and pulls it off like a full blown master.

"Puppy dog eyes?" I choke. "Seriously?"

Raine comments, "Lloyd's notorious puppy dog eyes . . ."

"I'm not a sucker for puppy dog eyes," I firmly declare.

Puppy dog eyes . . .

"I'm not a sucker for puppy dog eyes!"

Puppy dog eyes . . . !

"I'm not a sucker!"

Puppy dog eyes!

I sigh. "I am such a sucker . . ."

As I dismount, Lloyd cheers, "Thank you, Kelsey! You won't regret this!"

"Yeah, yeah . . ."

I'll admit, though, letting Lloyd have some control over his movement calmed him down quite a bit. Whenever he got impatient he would lope as far as he could before someone would shout for him to stop and let the rest of us catch up. If he didn't listen then Ephraim would just gallop over to him and swat him over the head and scold him for going out too far in dragon-infested mountains.

Oh, by the way, Ephraim is a godsend. He knows these mountains almost by heart and knew which areas were stable and which paths led to dangerous falls or dragon nests. He knew where there was an aggressive dragon or a tolerant dragon nesting and which caves were safe to duck into. He is the super guide. One time he warned us away from one path so passionately that Genis asked why he acted so strongly about this particular path. Ephraim kindly responded by pulling back his sleeve and displaying the jagged, puckering scar on his arm and stated that scar is how he knows not to go down that way. Then monsters weren't much of a problem since this particular path is one that goes around most monster territories in a nice short cut. The problem is navigating the area and, of course, the dragons in the Hima area.

Going down Ephraim's way cut us a lot more time than we expected. It took only two days to get back to the area around Sinoa Lake. I noticed, though, the closer that we got to Luin the more agitated and apprehensive Ephraim became. When we got into Luin, Ephraim finally lost himself to panic.

"Yah!" Ephraim shouts as he sends his horse Robin into a gallop.

"Uncle!" Lloyd cries out as he sends Punky into a gallop after him.

We stop the wagon and hurry after the two. As we run after them I notice that all the bodies that were in the snow had all been dug up and carried off to a gravesite somewhere to be buried. Some debris has been picked up and tents have been erected. When we finally find Ephraim and Lloyd, Ephraim speaks rapidly to the few survivors that escaped the carnage by hiding in the caverns underneath the lake. A figure rushes to Ephraim's side and Ephraim clasps onto the figure and embraces it.

"James!" Ephraim sobs. "I thought . . . ! How did you . . . ?"

"Remember the basement that you, Dad, and Connor dug up under your old house?" James prompts. "We hid in that."

"And Rachel?"

"She's fine too. She misses Mom and won't stop crying but she's okay."

Ephraim nods as he embraces his nephew tightly.

Colette spots Lloyd standing just outside the ring and goes over to him. "Lloyd, are you okay?"

Lloyd absently nods. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you . . ." Colette gets herself to ask, "Do you feel a bit left out?"

Lloyd lowers his head a notch. ". . . A little, but it's alright. Ephraim—Uncle Ephraim was really worried about James and Rachel."

Colette notes, "We're meeting your mother's family so fast, I kinda wonder if there's anyone else."

Lloyd recalls, "Aunt Elizabeth didn't mention anyone else, but I have to wonder about my dad's side. But I guess that's just one of the questions I'm going to have to ask when this is all over. I have so many questions to ask . . ."

Colette reassures him, "And you have lots of time to ask them."

"I know." Then Lloyd pauses as he watches Ephraim break out of the circle of survivors and rush somewhere else. "Where's he going now?"

Lloyd and Colette hurry after them. The rest of us barely manage to tail after them. We track Ephraim down into Connor's home where he examines the destruction of the house for a moment as we catch up to him.

We had all just gotten to him when Ephraim mutters, "About time it got destroyed along with everything else."

"Why would you say something like _that_?" Genis questions.

"It's more of a guilt thing," Ephraim replies. "It always survived. Always. It survived when Anna got kidnapped by the Desians and everything around it was ruined and it survived everything up to now."

"I'd call that lucky . . ." Genis comments.

"Why did you run all the way back here?" Lloyd asks.

Ephraim considers his words before answering, "This used to be my old house back while I still lived in this village. In the fireplace is a set of loose bricks that I could hide things in, such as documents and papers. If my suspicions are right . . ."

Ephraim hurries up into the collapsed house and searches the bricks of the crumbling fireplace. He quickly zeros in on a single set of bricks and yanks them out of their placement. He gasps in shock and distaste when the bricks clear away to whatever's behind then and his hand snaps into the hole and pulls out a stack of rolled-up papers and documents. Ephraim drops them to the floor and unrolls each and every one of them. He finds one and freezes at it, staring at the yellowing paper for a long time as his sharpening eyes narrow down at it.

Sheena kneels down and takes one look at it. "A map of the ranch! Is this the map that Connor used?"

Ephraim nods. "Yes, it is. See the markings here, here, and here and how they're a lot fresher than most everything else on this paper? These are notes that Connor put down here to update this map."

Raine inquires, "So this is _the_ map that you, Tyson, and Connor used back when you three were infiltrating the Asgard human ranch?"

"That's right." Ephraim explains, "I knew I didn't burn it and I don't know if Tyson did, but when I heard that Connor was the one who helped Pietro escape and something about a system I had my suspicions that he kept this map."

Lloyd says, "He saved a lot of lives."

I point out, "But a lot of lives were killed because Kvar found out about the system and everyone from Luin is in danger. It's a bittersweet situation."

"Is Connor already dead?" Ephraim asks. "Were we too late for him? Then . . . what about Tyson? He was a member also. Kvar might have—"

Lloyd says, "Connor and Uncle Tyson are still alive. Don't worry about them."

Sheena states, "They're keeping Connor alive so that they can get names out of him and figure out how many people where involved and how he managed to pulled this off for six years."

"Six years?" Ephraim exclaims. "For six years Connor has been . . . ! Wow. Wow. This is . . ." He shakes himself out of that and then reasons, "As for the reason they are keeping Tyson alive, Kvar would need as many people that have personal ties to Connor as possible to keep him under control. The man who has nothing to lose and a grudge to keep him going is the most dangerous man alive."

I remark, "Kvar can only control Connor as long as he can keep him behind bars. The last time we were in that ranch, Connor was setting off bombs in the place."

Ephraim laughs darkly, "Ahahahah! Connor always did like explosions." Then he gets serious. "This time, though, Kvar _will_ die. No exceptions. I am _not_ going to lose my last sister because of him!"

"If he lives," Lloyd reasons, "then more people will suffer the same fate as my mom and Luin will suffer under him for as long as he has control over Asgard. I won't let him get away for everything he's done!"

"There are too many lives at stake," Kratos says. "Kvar has finally placed his own death sentence."

* * *

To explain why Ephraim likes Tyson more than the _other_ in-law, Tyson and Ephraim were friends before Tyson even met Elizabeth.

There be dragons and here be reviews.


	32. The Cancer of Hatred

Not as epic as it could be, but I did my best.

The theme song that Kelsey hums is actually the Zelos theme music that plays while he *SPOILER ALERT THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW OF* betrays the group and joins Cruxis. I started listening to it and couldn't stop writing.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Cancer of Hatred

On the western side of the Asgard human ranch is one of those floor doors hidden in the snow. The only way we could find it was because of Ephraim. The man is one of the most impressive people I have ever seen in my life. He has a photographic memory that's so sharp, so accurate, that to him it must be like a movie rather than a fading memory. From his explanation about how he knew where the entrance was, all he had to do was glance at the old map he, Tyson, and Connor made and he knew which exit Pietro was referring to. Although he didn't mention how sharp his memory is, what clued me in was that he took _one glance_ at the map and he knew exactly which exit Pietro was referring to. There were five other exits Pietro could have referred to but . . .

Anyway, after some digging in the snow, we uncovered the hidden ground door on the first spot directed to us (which was directed by Ephraim). Since the dark night refused us any light, Raine lights her staff and angles it down into the escape hatch. A ladder connects the top to a seemingly endless bottom.

Ephraim turns to each one of us and asks, "Shall the first volunteer go, or . . ." he turns his attention directly to Kratos, ". . . shall the ladies go first?"

Kratos replies in his signature stoic expression, "When saying something like that you should direct your attention elsewhere."

Ephraim turns back to the escape hatch. "Very well. Since we will all be climbing down, I suggest we go in order from the heaviest to the lightest. I recommend our mercenary friend goes first."

"You're pushing your luck, Ephraim," Kratos remarks.

Ephraim gives Kratos this innocent expression. "What? I'm only applying common sense. Say you don't go first yet you slip on the ladder—"

"Ephraim."

"What?"

"Shut up."

Ephraim just brushes it off. "Very well. I'll go first." Then he scolds Kratos, "Shame on you for making an old man go first."

Kratos scowls. "Go already."

Ephraim wordlessly crawls down into the darkness. Once he's gone, Kratos goes down next.

"Don't you dare slip, mercenary," we hear Ephraim say. "The land may finally do me in."

"At least I can take the fall!"

"Ahhh," I pleasantly sigh loudly enough for the two to hear. "The sweet bickering of two old men. It's like they're married."

"Don't you dare get involved!" I hear Kratos snap.

Sheena leans over the hole and notes, "Ephraim got attached to Kratos pretty quickly by the looks of things."

Lloyd agrees, "Yeah. It's kind of random."

Genis reasons, "He probably found something he can easily tease Kratos about."

"Is anyone else coming down? It's dark down here. Or is that because there's a huge mass blocking the light?"

"As if you're one to judge!"

"Lame comeback, mercenary. Is your blood boiling your brain?"

"Shut up!"

I comment, "Their bickering would actually be a lot funnier if we weren't where we are right now."

There is silent agreement.

Genis went next followed by me. Seeing that a girl was next down rather than a guy, Sheena stops Lloyd from going in and quickly goes down the stairs. Note the word "quickly."

"OW! You're stepping on my—UGH! _Get your butt out of my face!_"

"If you weren't going so slow—"

"_Just stop long enough for me to go down! And get your foot off my hand in the meantime!_"

Colette notes, "Kelsey's been a lot livelier ever since Sheena joined us."

"I wouldn't use the word 'lively,'" Raine expresses.

Colette goes down to the ladder. "Nonsense. I'm sure Kelsey and Sheena will get along just fine after this." She disappears down the ladder.

Lloyd looks down the hole. "To be honest, I don't know what to think about them."

Raine goes down onto the ladder. "We can talk about that later. Right now we need to focus on this ranch."

Lloyd remains silent, even when he goes down the ladder too.

The tunnel down at the end of the ladder is even darker than the area around the ladder. Raine lit up her staff again (she had to put it out when climbing the ladder) and led the way with Ephraim by her side. He would turn to every corner and examine every detail with his sharpening eyes. I notice that the closer we get to the ranch, the more his humor dwindles down to nothing. When we finally reach the end, there is a door with a dim red light at the top right corner of the door. The lock mechanism, however, is rather complex and bulky. Ephraim studies the lock as the rest of him watch to see if his amazing memory kicks in.

Lloyd wonders, "Don't you remember how to get in?"

In the background, I start softly humming the serious arrangement for Zelos' theme.

Ephraim states, "One thing that we had to do was know every exit and entrance we could use so I would know where this is, but we never used it just in case the Desians found all other exits and this would be the last we could use."

Seeing Lloyd's confusion, Sheena translates, "They were saving this exit in case Kvar found out about the others. Every time they use one way in or out, there's a chance that it could be discovered. One way to find out where something is getting in is to let it escape and follow it out and then plug the hole."

In the background, Raine hears me and whispers in my ear, "Kelsey, I'm sure whatever you're humming is a nice composition in your mind but your humming is beginning to get on my nerves."

I mutely hum the serious arrangement of Zelos' theme. Raine rolls her eyes but lets the matter drop.

"Ah," Ephraim suddenly goes. He hunches over and pulls out Pietro's card key before he begins fiddling with the lock. Then a click quietly echoes out and the red light turns green. With one hand gripped at the short sword at his waist, Ephraim slowly inches the door . . .

Ephraim turns back to see Lloyd crowding through like a dog ready to rush inside a building. Ephraim faces back to the door and not-so-subtly shoves in front of Lloyd, pushing the youth back and creating more space for Ephraim. With a snort at Lloyd's antics, Ephraim slowly inches the door open . . . and bursts through the door!

"GAAH!"

"What the f—AAH!"

The bodies of two Desian guards lie bloody on the ground. One's sword is halfway out, a costly tardy. We enter through the exit as Ephraim pulls of the helmet with the sword halfway out and closes the dead man's eyes.

"What are you doing?" Lloyd blandly asks.

Ephraim turns his sharp eyes to Lloyd, clearly a bit befuddled. "What do you mean?"

As his uncle goes to the next body, Lloyd expresses, "Why are you doing that? Taking off their helmet and closing their eyes? We have to get to Kvar!"

At that point Ephraim had removed the other body's helmet with his hand hovering over the face frozen in shock. With a light sigh, Ephraim brushes his fingers over the eyes, pulling the eyelids shut, and closes the gaping jaw. Ephraim stands and locks Lloyd's eyes to his.

"I do this because I consider their lives as more than just numbers," he states. "These men are just like you and me. They had hopes and dreams and a family just as we do. Then they made the terrible choice of joining the Desians. However, as long as they were alive they could see the error of their ways and turn away from what they chose. As long as they were alive. Now . . . Now I took that away. I took away any hopes or fears or any chance they may have—all in the name of self-defense, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that it's all over for them. There is no second chance. There is no starting over. Not for them. So the least I can do is show a bit of respect by regarding them as what they are: people."

Lloyd is clearly shocked by Ephraim's speech. "But . . . _they_ never did that for anyone! The Desians don't even consider us as things!" Lloyd's anger grows. "Why should we treat them like this when they don't even consider us as living people!"

Ephraim doesn't waver in stance nor expression. "I treat them with this kind of respect because that is who I want to be. If I want to be better than the Desians who do these horrendous things then I must act in a manner that doesn't resemble them, meaning that I treat everyone with respect." Then he stretches out his left hand, still stained with the fresh blood, and opens it, displaying the red liquid on his palm. "I took a life, Lloyd. Do you really understand what that means? I can repeat whatever reason I had and it may excuse this in the eyes of others, but it will never change the fact that if it weren't for me then they may still have had the chance to change their ways and leave the Desians."

Lloyd's face gradually smoothes over to befuddlement as he mules over those words.

Ephraim adds, "Every life deserves respect, Lloyd. If we all consider each other as what we are, as people rather than things or numbers or simply nothing, then the Desians and discrimination wouldn't exist in the first place. If you truly believe that what the Desians do is wrong then you must not ever have the basic thing that makes this entire monstrosity possible."

Lloyd looks up to catch Ephraim's last words.

"Hatred."

With that, Ephraim turns away and continues down the hall, pausing only to check the way for any obstacles. Lloyd continues to stand there as the rest of us hesitantly move on. Colette grabs onto Lloyd's sleeve and gives him an encouraging, yet somber, expression. Lloyd frowns guiltily as he walks on by her side.

Eventually the halls become familiar to me. Then Ephraim guides us to a doorway that leads into one of the many computer rooms. He states, "We can access necessary information in this room, but we need to be quick."

Raine says, "We know this already. Thank you for leading us to this room. I'll have a look at the computer."

Our healer moves to the computer and begins pressing keys in what seems to me as a random order (I'm no computer wiz so go figure it would look like that to me). Since Raine is busy and I'm off to the side, I allow myself to hum Zelos' serious theme a little louder. The eight-bit tune is beginning to grow into a full composition in my mind. Anyway, Raine pulls up the basic map and several other holographic screens and scrutinizes the information she pulls up. Ephraim and Kratos step to her side and join in examining the information before them. Kratos keeps his stoic calm while Ephraim is pale with worry.

Genis looks over to Lloyd who's still in a gloom and goes, "Lloyd, it's alright. Your uncle doesn't really understand."

"He doesn't?" Lloyd replies. "Then how could what he said make such sense? During all this time . . . I considered the people I killed as just enemies. I mean, I know they deserved what came to them but . . . I didn't even think of them as people with separate lives. Doesn't that sound the same as how the Desians think of us?"

"N-no," Genis insists. "You're good, Lloyd! The Desians are the bad ones!"

"That's not Ephraim's message."

Lloyd and Genis turn to me. I explain, "Ephraim's message is basically the Golden Rule: do unto others what you want done to yourself. He wants to reflect the good in people so he does those things and he wants you to do the same."

"But Lloyd isn't the bad guy here!" Genis protests.

"We know that." I point out, "But I think what Ephraim is afraid of is Lloyd becoming like the Desians. He doesn't want Lloyd to hate to the point that all that's left is hatred and resentment."

Genis growls, "Lloyd could never become that!"

Lloyd puts his hand on Genis' shoulder. "We all know that, Genis. I know I won't ever become like that. Uncle Ephraim was just warning me against that." His words drift off into silence. ". . . When Kvar dies, I need to let all this go. By then, Luin will be safe and Mom will be avenged. So I can't allow this to define me."

I smile encouragingly at Lloyd. "I think it's obvious that you won't. Just know that it's going to be hard emotionally."

". . . Oh no."

"Kvar!"

We snap our attention over to Raine and Ephraim. Some sort of information gained must be upsetting. Kratos is tensed up and Ephraim is shaking with . . . rage? Dread? It's a combination of the two, I know that for sure. Although Ephraim did give Lloyd the "don't hate" speech and works to keep the example, it must be extremely hard to keep up with.

The rest of us join the trio.

"What happened?" Lloyd desperately asks.

Raine explains with a pale grimace, "Elizabeth is scheduled to become a host in two hours. Then just an hour before that Tyson and Connor are to be executed."

"Wait," I go. "They finally caught Connor? And what happened to getting information out to find out who was working with him?"

"Obviously Kvar decided that as long as the perpetrators are trapped inside the ranch and their leader killed then it doesn't matter," Kratos affirms. "He can still put them through hell in this ranch."

Lloyd rushes to the computer where a captive schedule is displayed. His eyes take in the words concerning his aunt and uncle and Connor with disbelief and dismay. Then he cries out, "We _have_ to save them! Before it's too late!"

Ephraim picks up the conversation, "But when we do save them we will need to have taken down Kvar first since he will immediately organize the Desians to subdue any escaping captives and eliminate all the instigators. Then again if we just go kill Kvar then it will take a bit of time for word to get around and confuse the Desians; by that time, however, Tyson and Connor may be dead and Elizabeth . . ."

Kratos shakes his head. "Our time is stretched too thin. It looks as if we will have to split up."

A grim gleam appears in Ephraim's eyes. "I was afraid of that. The more we divide our numbers the weaker we are, but we really don't have any other choice, do we?"

"Not if we want to save Elizabeth and the others," Kratos emphasizes.

The rest of us watch in either amazement or interest as the two strategize together.

Ephraim organizes, "So we will need a team to go after Kvar and a team to free the captives." Then a thought comes to mind. "We will have to raid the key crests they have in store for any Exspheres they produce, however. We won't have any time left, other wise."

Kratos informs, "Not all of Luin is going to need Exspheres; just the captives."

"I know that, but even if we are fortunate enough to find a dwarf who will make that many key crests, they may come in too late for some to be saved," Ephraim reasons.

Kratos dubiously mirrors, "So you are suggesting we divide ourselves into three groups? Already our chances of survival are compromised."

Ephraim pauses in thought for a moment . . . then he sighs. "Fine. If one person goes with me to watch my back, I will go and collect the key crests myself. Then the remaining two teams will have a number of three each."

Kratos frowns. "Ephraim . . ."

Ephraim holds up his hand in interruption. "Don't. I know my way around. Once I have the key crests, I will join the team rescuing the captives. I don't . . . like it—I would much rather go at Kvar's throat myself—but my wants are not anywhere near the first priorities list."

Kratos lowers his head. ". . . Very well." He turns to the rest of us. "In order to rescue the captives and defeat Kvar we will need to split into teams."

Raine regards Kratos sternly. "We heard. However, since you and Ephraim have decided our actions, I believe the rest belongs in our hands."

"I have no objections," Kratos states. "I only request that I be placed in the team that goes after Kvar."

Raine nods. "That will be up to the one who decides." Then she turns to Colette. "Chosen One, since you are the one who has all right to decide then I leave it up to you to decide the teams."

Colette hesitates. "Ah . . . Well . . ."

Kratos, Lloyd, Sheena, and Genis watch her intensely.

"Uuummm . . ." She turns to Lloyd. "I choose Lloyd to decide."

She doesn't do well under pressure, does she?

Lloyd blinks for a second but immediately gets serious as he looks over each and every one of us. For the first time, I actually see genuine deep intellect gleam in Lloyd's eyes. Strategy is one of the few things he'll study to great extent and he excels in battle. His eyes glance decisively over Kratos, and then over Genis and Colette. There is a moment of consideration for Raine but then his eyes gleam with decision as he moves them towards me and Sheena. He looks as if he's having a bit of trouble placing us before he makes his final decision.

"Okay, I've got it straightened out," he announces. "I'm going after Kvar—that's for certain." He looks over us.

". . . Kratos, I need you with me when fighting against Kvar."

Kratos' posture relaxes, but then again something else is inside, waiting for the right moment.

". . . Professor, getting the captives out will risk a lot more people than just going after Kvar. I need you to help them."

Raine seems to be a little anxious for Lloyd but she nods. "I understand."

". . . Genis, the professor's going to need as much help as she can to protect the captives. I need you with her."

Genis makes a reluctant firm line but replies, "Of course I'll help. I said I'd take on the ranch for them."

". . . Colette, your wings give you the best advantage over all the Desians and you can get to everyone much more quickly and more easily than anyone else. I need you to help protect the captives and get them out as safely as possible."

Colette makes a similar reaction as Genis but she seems a lot more determined as she firmly nods.

". . . Sheena, although Uncle Ephraim knows the ranch layout, you are the one with the skills to get to the room where the key crests are stored and move them around without being detected. I need you to help and protect him."

Sheena takes a breath before she expresses, "I'll be honest with you, I would rather go with you to fight Kvar for what he did to Luin, but I suppose this means I gained your trust and, well, that it is for the best. I'll go with Ephraim."

Lloyd turns to me. My twisting stomach tells me that I already know his verdict.

". . . Kelsey, you're the fastest and lightest runner in our group, and one that Kvar will underestimate from the very beginning. He'll pay more attention to me and Kratos than he will with you. Even when he does focus on you, you can still outrun him and give us an advantage. I need you as our backup in case things get tough."

I muster up as much meager courage as I can and fight not to let my voice waver as I reply, ". . . Alright. I'll do what I can."

Lloyd senses my lack of confidence and places a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, I believe in you. You can do this, alright?"

No. Not alright. I don't let myself show that to him, though.

Lloyd turns to the rest. "Let's go, everyone! We don't have any time to waste!"

* * *

Ephraim had given the old map to Raine as she went out with Genis and Colette to rescue the captives and took his perfect memory with him as a guide with Sheena at his side. What do we get? We get Ephraim's detailed directions to Kvar's quarters and other possible locations. Lloyd did his best to memorize them but I think all we have to do is rely on Kratos' guidance and we'll get to Kvar quickly enough. To me, I just wish that Lloyd had sent me with Ephraim and took Sheena with him.

The feeling of dread that I have is something similar to going to get a shot since I hate and dread shots—only a hundred times worse. Magnius was a barbarian who relied on brawn rather than brain. Kvar is the complete opposite. Kvar, to me, is the epitome of cold, consuming hatred. Lasting. Patient. Lethal. The kind that would devour someone until all that was left was the darkness that swallowed them piece by piece; the kind that could last for years and turn a person to someone completely unrecognizable. Magnius was just fireworks. There's a big boom and lots of noise and fire—and certainly destructive when gone off in the wrong place—but quick and short lived. Kvar . . .

What was Lloyd thinking? Picking _me _to go with him? I'm easily one of the weakest people in the entire group! I can't heal like Raine—I can barely even grasp how to cast First Aid. Comparing me to Genis is a complete joke. I can't even cast above a basic level spell! I don't have Sheena's skills or Colette's wings! Then my swordsmanship is bone pale white in contrast to Lloyd's and Kratos'. What the f**k was he thinking? Did he pick me last because he sent all the _good_ fighters out on the most sensitive tasks and I'm just the fat kid remaining who hasn't been picked for a team yet? What a joke . . .

So we went out to get a master key card in the Secondhand's room. The Secondhand, in case you're wondering, is the Desian's term for Second-in-Command. The current Secondhand is a complete joke. He must have been a replacement since, conveniently, what got Botta and his team in trouble last time we were here was that the last official Secondhand caught them but got caught by Botta's blade as the Renegades made a getaway. How did I figure this out? While Lloyd and Kratos were searching the office after slitting the replacement's throat (Kratos' doing), I searched through these drawers that were kinda off to the side and found some documents that were addressed to the replacement, explaining the situation and the guy's sudden promotion. How convenient.

At least that knocks down one more person off the list of people who will attack us when we face Kvar and break the captives out.

Lloyd found a few cards but after Kratos looked them over he rejected all but one with a single glance. The remainder got the benefit of seeing Kratos widen his eyes in approval before being slipped into his pocket. Speaking of Lloyd and Kratos, the two are just terrible right now. It's like two starving tigers who were caged off from food and are just waiting to get at their prey with a vengeance. They keep unconsciously egging each other on by muttering to one another little statements like "If only we could just fight our way through" and "Why can't Kvar just come out and fight us like a man?" It just . . . frightens me. Their deep anger and rage frightens me.

So I'm back into silence again . . . Just as I've always been for my entire life.

We finally get to Kvar's quarters and . . . empty. Then his meeting room and . . . empty again. Next was his study and . . . empty once more. Lloyd and Kratos are unbearable now. I keep myself recluse and to the shadows so they won't direct their negative attention to me.

I feel so pathetic . . .

Last of all, we reach the control room. There is an intense pressure as Kratos swipes the master key card through the slot lock and the door opens. There, at the other end of the room by the projector, is Kvar. Above him is the projected figure of a woman with this . . . skimpy armor. She's almost as tall as Kratos and has these fine facial features such as a small pointed nose and these sharp eyes narrowed in aggravation. Everything else, though, looks like a slut who got a hold of lots of money. Like Paris Hilton did.

"For the last time, Kvar, I have nothing to do with the stolen documents of the Angelus Project," carps the woman. "Why don't you look elsewhere instead of accusing me over and over? Lord Yggdrasill already had me investigated to silence you and declared me clean."

"I know a liar when I see one, Pronyma," Kvar hisses. "Don't think you will be spared just because you can deceive others for long. I will have what belongs to me returned!"

"'Deceive'? As if you are one to talk." She taunts, "I heard that Rodyle talking you into joining him in one of his schemes. Something about a . . . mana cannon, perhaps? Is that right?"

Kvar narrows his eyes hostilely. He doesn't even turn when we finally approach him.

"KVAR!" Lloyd roars.

Well, that got Kvar to turn to him. He regards Lloyd as a mere nuisance. Pronyma, however, scans her eyes over Lloyd just after taking a full look over Kratos.

"So," her hologram self goes, "this is Lloyd. I see. He really does bear a resemblance. Maybe it's more subtle when there is nothing to compare, but—"

Kvar reaches his hand over to the projector and shuts it off, instantly cutting off Pronyma.

Yup. That's full blown foreshadow right there.

Lloyd snarls, "For Luin, for Mom, for everything!"

Kvar takes out his battle staff. "I knew you were coming. As soon as I caught sight of your friends heading to the captive hold, I knew you would be here. I can take care of them later, though. First, I'll finally take back what belongs to me!"

"YOU!" Lloyd charges right at Kvar.

The Desian Grand Cardinal slams his staff in for a block and shoves Lloyd away. He spots Kratos ganging on him fast and shoots out a stream of lightning in defense. Kratos leaps away and easily lands. Lloyd uses Kvar's diverted attention and rushes right in and manages to get a slash in before Kvar slams his staff into the boy and sends him flying just before blocking another attack from Kratos.

I watch the ongoing cycle of Kvar blocking and slicing at the two in intervals, wondering if it's just better to hang back and watch in case someone needs a gel or something. Yeah, maybe that's best. With the way those two are fighting, I would just get in the way. Probably give Kvar an advantage by using me as a hostage or get myself sliced open by Lloyd and Kratos' blades.

Kvar dodges an attack from Kratos by flipping over Lloyd and putting the boy in danger from Kratos' attack. Kratos barrel rolls around Lloyd and completes his attack with Sonic Thrust and then Light Spear. Kvar is sent flying back and lands harshly near the projector. Kratos races in to place the finishing blow.

The Desian leader rolls away just as Kratos got close enough and manages to get right behind Kratos. He slips in a slice on the mercenary's back just a second before Kratos whips his blade around for a counterattack that throws the staff out of his hands.

And in my direction.

WHAT THE HELL DO I DO WHAT THE HELL DO I DO HE'S COMING HE'S COMING OH WHAT THE HELL DO I—!

Suddenly Kvar is in my face—

_Thuk!_

I'm sent flying back. As soon as I hit the ground I roll away and retreat. With the new distance, I begin casting Fire Ball in hopes of something remotely useful. Thankfully, Kvar ignores me and goes for Lloyd. When I finish casting, three fire balls shoot out of my hand and speed towards my target. The first misses as Kvar inadvertently dodges it by starting a combo of slices with two steps forward. The second misses as Kvar slides around Lloyd to his back and begins Lightning Strike with five bolts crashing down in front of Kvar. The third actually become something useful.

Since Lloyd got hit with Lightning Strike, Kratos ignites his blade with my third fire ball and brings down his vengeance by slicing Kvar's left arm with a flaming sword. Kvar retreats as he slams his right hand onto his left arm and extinguishes the flames. Kvar reaches a computer and dials in a code just as Kratos runs to finish him.

The lights shut off in the room. All that's left are the amazingly useless lights coming from the computers themselves.

"Damn it, Kvar! Show yourself!"

"Quiet, Lloyd!"

I listen to my surroundings since Kvar's silent footsteps are going to be my only indicator of his location—or whether or not he's about to attack me for that matter.

"How foolish of you, Kratos."

He's over there by the projector!

"You allow Lloyd to fight me when you couldn't even protect your own wife?"

What? He was by the projector! Now he's by the exit?

"Do you think this time will be different?"

Now he's by the main computer? What's with this?

"How . . . very . . . foolish."

"Shut up!" Lloyd's voice snaps. "I can defend myself!"

"Oh, really? Tsk, tsk. You should have sent Kratos alone, but now here you are throwing your life away. Your mother risked her life to protect you and gave up everything for you. Now here you are just throwing it all away."

"I said shut up! I'm not about to throw everything she sacrificed away! You will finally pay for killing her!"

"How many times must I tell you that it wasn't me—"

"Shut up!"

"—that it was your father—"

"_Shut up! Shut up!_"

"—who killed her."

"_Shut up!_"

"Really? Is that all you can say?"

I see him!

"Guh!"

"KAH!"

"What? Kelsey! What the hell happened?"

The lights finally turn on in a blinding flash. Kratos stands at the computer where Kvar shut off the lights. Lloyd searches the area and finds me blindly retreating away from Kvar, who sports a nice gash on his side, with nothing more than a slice on the right side of my ribs. Nothing too serious, really.

Kvar taunts, "Playing hero isn't going to get you anywhere, girl. Especially not when you didn't even want to be here in the first place."

I begin casting Windblade.

"It's pathetic to see someone lie so earnestly to themselves like this."

"Windblade!" I cry out. Kvar easily dodges it with a jump backward. His narrowed eyes chill me to the bone.

Kratos rushes in and lashes out at Kvar. The two engage in a fast pace struggle to gain the upper hand.

Lloyd hurries to my side and pulls out an apple gel. "Are you alright?"

"I . . . I'm fine," I insist as I take the gel and apply it to my wound.

He turns towards Kvar to keep an eye on the battle as he questions, "You didn't really want to fight, do you?"

"I'm not the focus right now," I sternly remind. "You chose what you decided is best."

"Yeah, but I'm not always right—"

"Let's just drop it," I interrupt. "We're already in this so let's finish this."

Lloyd strategizes, "We need to come up with a strategy. Something that will at least stun Kvar long enough to land a good attack in."

Or at least get us both killed but details, details.

Kvar slips out something small from his pocket and slams it into Kratos. Jolts of electricity zap through his body, momentarily immobilizing him. Kvar raises his staff in the air for a killing blow.

As Lloyd races in, I blip out the incantation for Windblade hastily cast it as soon as I spotted Kvar shove that thing against Kratos. I finally hit and he staggers back as Lloyd slashes his blades into three sword swings, Demon Fang, and then Beast. Kratos retreats away and recovers his nerves in a matter of a second before getting right back into the fight. In a desperate attempt for space, Kvar swings his charged battle staff and manages to only graze Kratos, sending him into a jerky jump back, but hit Lloyd full on and stuns him with a full shock of electricity.

"Guardian Seal!" Kvar shouts out.

Blue lines of light appear and form an aura of protective barriers and fade out, leaving only the aura. He flings another lightning crystal at Kratos, who leaps back to avoid the electric charge, and races to Lloyd.

I begin casting spells due to my distance from the fight, switching between Fire Ball and Windblade and completely ignoring the fact that I know Lightning. Kvar only manages to kneel at Lloyd's side before my first Windblade spell gets to him and forces him to dodge away. Kratos hurries to Lloyd and keeps his stand at his son's side. Why isn't he full on attacking . . . ? The Guardian Seal. Now I understand. It only protects Kvar from physical attacks while he's vulnerable to magic attacks—

"Spark Wave!"

Kratos quickly lifts Lloyd into his arms and leaps away before the sphere of lightning completely closes and engulfs the duo. As Kvar shoots off spell after spell, the battle quickly becomes a dodging contest for Kratos.

Well, I guess it's my time to shine . . .

I move around Kvar's line of sight and keeping from between him and his focus. As soon as I feel that I'm at the point where I'm either noticed or not, I rush in and attack.

"Horizon!" While my blade does nothing, the fire catches where the blade should have sliced through if it weren't for the Guardian Seal. Kvar jumps back and extinguishes the flames.

Now I have his attention.

"Lightning Strike!"

I side jump in time to barely dodge the five bolts. Kvar lashes his staff down upon me and I bring it up to block. The force of the attack slams me down to my knees.

_Craasshh!_

Clay shards erupt against Kvar's back as an aqua-green thick liquid splashes all on him. The protective aura quickly disappears.

"_RRAAAAAHHHH!_" Lloyd roars as he goes in and slashes at Kvar, cutting away at everything in his path as the Desian leader dodges and evades with all his might. Kratos comes right into the fry with his sword ready to kill. I move around to make sure he doesn't dodge backwards.

"_NRAAAHH!_"

There is a flash of masses of lightning. Sparks go all over the place and my nerves explode with pain. I collapse to the ground, wondering what the hell just happened. I see in the corner of my sight Kratos on the ground as well and farther away is Lloyd flat on his back as if whatever this attack was had blown him away. Kvar's heavy panting huffs loudly as the Desian Grand Cardinal works to regain his breath.

"Hauh . . . Hauh . . . Impressive . . . Hauh . . . To think . . . hauh . . . that the Exsphere equipped onto . . . hauh . . . A012 would become so . . . hauh . . . successful . . ."

Kvar takes in a large breath of air and regains normal breathing. He walks towards Lloyd.

"You are just as stubborn as your damn mother. She never stopped fighting, not even when it was all obviously futile. Not even when I paid her back for every bit of trouble she caused just before I removed her Exsphere."

He stops at Lloyd and glowers down at him.

"I wanted to hear her finally beg for mercy. To finally hear her beg me to stop. While she was a captive she would go silent in surrender, but never did she beg." He regards Lloyd for a moment. Kvar rises up his staff and slams the end into Lloyd, knocking him further back.

With a solemn tone, Kvar recalls, "Forcystus refused to have anything to do with my actions, but he didn't stop me either. I suppose he was too soft to deal with host bodies such as her. Fine with me. He would have just gotten in the way, anyway. I chained her to a cell in the captive hold in the Iselia ranch and whipped her." He pauses for a second. "Lloyd, you felt the pain that a whip can bring. You know first hand that when I use a whip I cut down to the bone. However, remember that I was going easy on you. I wanted you alive as a host to replace your she-demon mother. Her . . . I wanted her to slowly die for everything she did and for all the trouble and hardship I went through because of her."

Kvar slams the staff into Lloyd again and sends him stumbling back. "I stripped every bit of skin off her back with my whip. On the edges of her back there were merely shallow cuts. On her spine, however . . ." Kvar kneels down to Lloyd's level and traces down a short way on the midsection of his spine to indicate the area he refers to. ". . . you could clearly see the bones."

Lloyd clinches his fists together and struggles to get up. "You . . . ! Bastard . . . !"

Seeing Lloyd recovering, Kvar gets up to his feet, charges his staff and slams it into Lloyd. Immobilized once more by the electricity, Kvar continues his taunting recollections.

"She still didn't beg. She refused to beg. The only thing she brought herself to do was keep hope that your father would rescue you. Ironic, isn't it? Her last hope rested in the very man who murdered her." Then he grins. "Her tune changed as soon as I had you brought in the room."

Lloyd gasps.

Kvar somberly tells, "As soon as my Secondhand of the time brought you in you started screaming as soon as you saw Anna. That was when she finally started begging. A012 finally started begging for me to stop. It wasn't enough, though. Not for me. She had to pay for everything. I took a dagger and heated the blade to extreme temperatures. I had some of my men turn her around so she could watch as I approached you with the heated blade. That filthy human finally started screaming and crying, pleading for me to stop, to spare you. That she was the one I wanted."

Kvar slams his staff into Lloyd again. The boy shakes with wrath as he tries once more to get up.

"She was right, of course," Kvar informs. "My qualm was with her, not you. I never once touched you with that hot blade. All you were was a tool to force her to surrender. Then, when I heard of your father trying to get to her, I dragged the both of you outside for him and tossed you to him, and I removed the Exsphere planted in her flesh and shoved her into his arms as she transformed into a monster."

Lloyd struggles to get up and manages to a kneel. "D . . . Damn you! _You sick bastard! How could you—GAH!_"

Kvar slams his foot down on Lloyd's back and moves his foot to Lloyd's neck. Lloyd begins to choke as Kvar applies pressure.

"Although you have the potential to become a host such as A012, I would be a fool if I didn't learn from that filthy female host body that some hosts, no matter how valuable they are, are just not worth the trouble they bring," Kvar states. "Fortunately, I have your aunt and her children instead."

Lloyd's eyes widen as Kvar brings his foot up to slam it down on his neck.

_SLASH!_

Kratos' blade slices through and sends Kvar flying back. His arm is nearly off, many of his ribs are shattered, and blood splatters everywhere. Then Kratos slashes six basic slices then goes into a chain of Demon Fang, Lightning Blade, and then Hell's Pyre. Kvar skids across the floor with flames eating at his fine uniform, leaving a thin trail of blood from where Kratos attacked him.

Kratos turns back to Lloyd and finds me helping him up.

"He . . . He . . ." Lloyd stammers out.

I try, "Lloyd, what he said doesn't matter. Your mother was one of the bravest and strongest people in existence. She loved you and would do anything to keep you safe. That's what matters."

Kratos gets to Lloyd's side and utters, "Healing Wind."

As our wounds blissfully heal, I glance at Kratos noting that he's using more advanced moves than he's let on that he knows. Lightning Blade? Hell's Pyre? Healing Wind? Those are much more advanced than the attacks that he's steadily revealed. I suppose, though, that I should just pretend I didn't notice anything since what happening is . . .

Kvar finally gets up just as the healing spell fades away. In Kvar's eyes is nothing but hatred. Pure hatred.

Lloyd charges in and begins a combo starting with four slices, Tiger Blade, and ending with Beast. Kratos rushes around and stops Kvar's fall with a series of attacks himself, ending with Hell's Pyre. I finally pick up my weight and go to the other end and start a three slash combo, Downcut, and then—

"Hurricane Thrust!" I shout out.

My new attack makes a physical slash through Kvar and causes an aftershock gust of wind that sends Kvar soaring towards Lloyd.

Lloyd takes advantage of this.

"_Tiger Blade!_"

Lloyd uses his strength to send Kvar up into the air and leaps into the air and slams his blades down on the Desian leader. Kvar falls harshly down to the ground and crashes onto the tile floor, remaining still as his body resembles a broken doll. Lloyd pants as he watches Kvar to see if the Desian Grand Cardinal will get up, but concludes that Kvar is either dead or soon to die.

Lloyd huffs out a heavy breath and manages to calm down. He remains silent for a moment before he says, "Let's help the others escape."

"No need, Lloyd. We can handle this."

Lloyd looks over to the portal and finds Ephraim, Tyson, and Connor. He rushes to the trio. "You're alright!"

Ephraim states, "Of course we are. We don't die that easily." His eyes, however, trail off to Kvar's lifeless body and remain there, completely indecipherable.

Tyson informs us, "The others are safely escaping the ranch. It took a few tricks but the Desian men eventually surrendered. You wouldn't believe how violent the captives became once the Desians were disabled. There was a complete flight for the gates."

Connor just wordlessly moves over to the main computer. He holds a paper in his hands as he presses certain buttons.

Lloyd goes, "Connor can use the computers? I thought only people who knew about magitechnology could use them."

Connor holds up the paper in his hands. "These are instructions from Raine Sage. I wouldn't be able to do any of this without these instructions. She's quite an impressive young woman."

Kratos joins Connor at the computer and watches his work. ". . . So she instructed you to set the ranch to self-destruct."

"That's right."

"How long are you setting the timer for?" the mercenary asks.

"An hour."

Tyson criticizes, "Of all things they would do, they set a self-destruct program into the ranch. Why would they do such a thing to their own facility in the first place?"

Ephraim utters, "Who knows, who cares? The Desians will never haunt us again after this." He turns away from Kvar's body and joins Connor.

"So where are the others?" Lloyd wonders.

Tyson answers, "Your friends are with the captives right now, waiting for us to catch up."

Lloyd looks at his uncle and informs him, "James and Rachel are safe; you know that, right?"

Tyson turns to Lloyd with slight surprise in his eyes and smiles. "I had a feeling they were safe. Thank you."

"I've got it now," Connor announces. "We have an hour to evacuate the ranch. Ephraim, Tyson, and I can guide the three of you out using one of our usual escapes."

As soon as he started saying that, I face towards the portal—

Kvar is still alive.

Kvar had managed to get up without our notice and got behind Lloyd.

Lloyd turns around and staggers in shock when he sees Kvar.

Kvar raises his staff up in the air.

I rush to Lloyd's side and shove him away—

"_NYAAAAHH!_"

Kvar's bladed staff slices through my left leg and downs me. I clutch at my leg as the intense pain never ends.

"Kelsey!" Lloyd drags me away as Kvar backs up when he sees the others gang up on him, mainly Kratos with his blade.

"You just don't know when to die, do you?" Kratos spats.

"It belonged—to me!" Kvar snarls out. "That Exsphere . . . rightly belonged to me! Damn you, Kratos! You pathetic . . . inferior being!"

Kratos' eyes gleams fiery red. He takes a step forward.

"Feel the pain!"

Kratos slashes through Kvar's chest.

"Of those 'inferior beings'!"

Kratos lashes his blade around and stabs Kvar through before ripping out his blade. Kvar's body falls one final time to the ground.

"As you burn in hell!"

* * *

There you go, Kratos' famous quote.

(i should've worked harder to make this chapter more epic . . .)

Anyway, Please Review.


	33. The Healing Method

Not one of my best chapters but necessary to bridge some things.

Kelsey's going to be useless for a while. . Making the balance between useless OCs and OCs that are just too powerful is a really hard thing . . .

I know that it's a little . . . choppy but my OC just won't cooperate with me in this. I know some of you are thinking that I'm making an excuse, but that's the dead truth. Totally shut tight.

The next chapter will be much better.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Healing Method

"AAAHH! AAUUGH!"

My leg! _My leg!_ It hurts! Worse than when the Desians stabbed arrows through my limbs back when Chocolat got kidnapped! Worse than when I got bit by the adulocia chomped down on my leg and shred off quite a bit of my skin! All I can think of is this pain!

Kvar's body falls to the ground and remains still as blood flows out of his numerous wounds. His eyes are empty of life. With Kvar finally gone, Kratos turns away from the corpse and focuses on the issue at hand.

Connor rushes to my leg and sets it with his arms. He declares, "All we can do now is a patch job! If we waste any time here then we won't be able to clear the area before the ranch explodes!"

"She might lose her leg that way!" Lloyd exclaims.

"_It's that bad? It's that bad!_" I cry out. The pain . . . ! But my leg! I don't want to lose my leg!

"What is a leg worth if we all lose our lives?" Connor points out in a rush. "This is all we can do right now!"

Kratos begins casting Healing Wind to stop the bleeding. Although I can feel parts of my leg coming back together, I still refuse to open my eyes. I don't want to know how much of my leg Kvar destroyed. The pain is enough.

After a bit of time, Tyson reports, "We spent seven minutes here already! We will have to finish healing her when we escape."

"But—!" Lloyd goes, but he stops when he considers something else. "A-alright."

We finally leave in a sprint. Tyson keeps hold of me while Connor makes sure no additional damage is inflicted on my leg. Everyone else fights whenever a Desian gets in the way.

* * *

Sirens cry out through the ranch. The main control room, however, wields an eerie silence despite the shrill sirens.

_Beepbeepbeep. Beepbeepbeep._

Kvar's corpse remains still as the projector beeps in signal of a coming call. The projector flashes and displays a figure.

"_Lord Kvar, thanks to you the mana cannon is almost complete. As a token of my gratitude, I will download the rest of the Angelus Project documents from your computer onto my own data base and save all the hard work you put into this."_

The main computer in the room hums as it is successfully hacked and completes the transition.

"See? You now have nothing to worry about concerning your precious data. I will continue your work to suit my own purposes."

The figure spares a glance at Kvar's cooling corpse.

"_Oh! That's right. I suppose you can't hear me anymore. Heheheheheheheh!"_

The projector turns off.

* * *

I don't know what to say . . .

We met up with Raine, the others, and the captives after a narrow escape from the explosion. With Raine's help, they managed to stop the bleeding, clean my wound, and dress it in bandages. However, our next stop is Asgard since my leg is going to have to be checked by professionals.

This is one part I just don't want to recall . . .

The first thing we did, though, was make sure everyone could make it safely back to Luin despite the fact that the town is completely destroyed. Ephraim, Tyson, and Connor promised left and right that they would all be alright. Lloyd made a quick goodbye to Elizabeth after making sure she was fine and returned to us.

There are some things I remember and some things I don't. I did that on purpose. I simply blocked out the memories . . .

It took one and a half days to reach the Asgard House of Salvation. Then another half a day for a doctor to be called and brought over. He checked everything on my leg and did what he could. I remember that he commented that it's a miracle that I can still use it.

The humiliation of being a burden . . .

If you can define using a leg as being able to walk on it with the dependency of a cane. I can't fight. I can't run. I can't . . .

I don't want to remember . . .

Ever . . .

* * *

An hour after the doctor left, leaving a cane that the House of Salvation donated to me, I sit on my bed looking out the window. I dare not look at my leg. The last time I looked, while the doctor unwrapped the bandage on my wound to check and clean it, I saw flush-red scarring flesh with a lot of my calf muscles ripped off.

No one talks about my leg. Raine would, but only on a clinical manner. Other than that, she usually avoids the subject like everyone else. I can tell they don't know what to say without thinking they're not going to help. I partially wish that they would come out and say something, but then again I don't. I just . . . I don't want to talk about it. Although . . . it's nice to feel their presence despite the pity I'm given due to my leg. At least I'm not alone. But now . . . now everyone has a new chore: helping me learn how to walk again only this time with a cane.

Some may think "Suck it up, Kelsey. It's not the end of the world." No, but now there are a lot of things that I could do before that I now can't do. Just . . . no. No. I don't want to talk about it.

Lloyd walks into the room. Colette, who was quietly by my side, gets up from her seat and offers her chair. Lloyd politely turns the offer down and sits down on the side of the bed. He takes his time when considering his words.

". . . I should probably say this first," he begins as he turns towards me. I peek through the side of my vision to focus my attention to him. "Thank you. For saving my life." He continues, "If there's any way to get your leg back, I'll find one. Okay?"

I look down, unable to come up with a response.

Lloyd frowns, a little disheartened. "Are . . . Are you listening?"

"I heard you," I utter. "I just . . . I just don't know what to say now. I just need a little time, that's all."

Lloyd drifts into silence for a moment. ". . . We're heading back to Luin to find out about the next seal. Professor Sage said that the Tower of Mana might be the next seal and the chapel in Luin should probably have the key. If . . . If they can even find it after . . ." He picks his words back up, "Anyway, are you still coming with us?"

I pause in thought. I'm practically useless for this journey now. I should probably head back to Palmacosta. But . . . But . . .

I tell Lloyd, "I can still do some things. I can't fight anymore, but I can still do little things, daily life things. I don't need to be able to run in order to do those kinds of things. Yes, I'll go."

I don't want to be left alone . . .

Lloyd goes, "What do you mean you can't fight? You can still cast spells. I saw you when you battled Kvar! You can cast spells like Kratos can!"

I blink as his mood turns more cheerful. "Aahh . . . Yeah, but—"

"Now you can actually fight on horseback and cast spells!" he cheerfully declares. "It'll be so cool to see you cast Fire Ball off Punky's back!"

Colette (who's been in the chair, remember?) joins in, "You can cast spells! No wonder you could use moves like Horizon! And Lloyd's right! Punky can be your legs!"

I gawk at them while they go on and on. I mutter to myself, "You two are incredible . . ."

Colette chirps, "Did you say something, Kelsey?"

I shake my head. "No. Not at all. Just wondering how I'm going to get on Punky's back in the first place."

"Simple!" she replies. "Just put your right foot in the stirrup and use it to swing your left leg over Punky's back. We'll help you if you need help!"

Now we just need to train Punky to become a war horse. Note how sardonic that statement is.

These two are incredible.

The rest of the day and the next day were spent to help me get used to my new cane. My plain cane of simple oak. It's amazing how much I'm now dependent on that thing. I hate it. I hate this immobility. I'm grateful I still have my leg but . . . but . . . It's just . . . not the same . . .

As soon as Lloyd happily reported to Raine that I'm still tagging along she paid me a visit. She decided that the most opportune time was when Lloyd was busy getting swordplay lessons from Kratos with the added fact that Colette, Genis, and Sheena are watching.

"Are you sure you want to continue coming with us?" she asks. "It will be even more dangerous for you now that you are dependent on a cane."

I tell her, "I can still do things like watch the horses while all of you are out releasing a seal. I can still do menial tasks in place of all of you. I just . . . I don't think I want to just give up on all of you when we are so close."

"I see."

"That reminds me," I go. "What about Sheena? What are we going to do about her?"

Raine allows a pause to go by. ". . . Sheena is at a bit of a loss at what to do now. She has informed me that she desires a temporary truce and to watch our actions rather than fight against them."

"What do you and the others think?" I inquire. "I doubt you're really happy about this but . . . then again this is a good opportunity to ease enough tensions between us and her to where we can find out about her motives. I have a feeling that you and Kratos have that in mind while Lloyd and Colette are happy to have someone else join the band wagon."

Raine raises an eyebrow. "I'm surprised that you were able to discern that from mere observation, considering how shortly you have known us. Yes, I'm not happy that the assassin after Colette's life is joining our company but, as you said, this presents an opportunity to peacefully discover who sent her and why they want the Chosen dead. There is even a possibility of negotiating with our enemies to bring an understanding armistice."

"Okay . . ." I pause for a moment. ". . . I have another question."

Raine waits for me to speak.

I look her in the eye and ask, "Is there really no other way to heal my leg back to where I can use it without a cane no matter how small of a chance it is? I don't care if there are scars just as long as I can use it."

Raine presses her lips together as she considers the hypothetical question. "I suppose if you happen to find a unicorn and ask very politely you would get your leg back to normal. Unless . . ." She bashfully glances away, as if ashamed to even be suggesting this. ". . . Unless you have had . . . any previous intimate relationships with . . ."

Now this I find somewhat amusing. "Ha!" I bark. "As if there were any guys that found me attractive enough to flirt with. Don't worry, Professor, I'm still a virgin."

". . . Aaahhh . . ." Her cheeks turn slightly pink. "I . . . I apologize for asking such a thing . . . That was brazen of me."

"I don't mind," I dismiss with a wave.

Raine observes me for a moment. ". . . You seem in better spirits."

I glance at her in puzzlement for a second before realizing what she means. I reply, "I'm just going through the five stages of grief, Raine. I think I'm on 'bargaining' right now since I keep praying for some miracle to come along and restore my leg back to normal no matter the cost. Alright, I would be a bit discriminate about what I would give up but there's still a bit I would give up to the divines for the use of my leg."

Raine remains quiet.

I turn to the window. ". . . Also . . . I know I didn't ask before but . . . any news of Chocolat?"

Raine hesitates to answer. ". . . Some of the captives from Palmacosta were found in the ranch. It appears that any captured hostage is taken to the Asgard human ranch for testing in order to sort the potential host bodies to certain ranches. This fact would explain why we found captives from Triet and Iselia among those rescued from Palmacosta's ranch. The rescued captives told me that Chocolat, like her grandmother Marble, was taken to the Iselia ranch."

I keep my eyes turned to the window. "I see. How did Lloyd take this?"

"He seemed to have taken it well, but I know better," she states. "I believe he's bottling up the disappointment and guilt he feels about her."

I huff, "He's taking Colette's bad habit up."

"That issue will end when the Desians are sealed once the Chosen completes the world regeneration journey," Raine comments. "By then Chocolat will be free to return home to Palmacosta."

I narrow my eyes. "At least she can have some sort of ending that doesn't involve the Desians. Maybe by the time she makes it home she'll realize how hurtful she was to Lloyd and me with her cutting words."

Raine regards my words. ". . . Maybe by the time she makes it home you won't care what she thinks."

I smile bitterly. "Good point. It'll be better for the both of us if I just cut my ties to her once she's safe. What's the point of keeping a friendship that's in worse condition than my damn leg?"

* * *

I hate my leg. I hate my cane. I will repetitively express that over and over while I hobble around trying not to yelp each time I unwittingly go beyond some unknown muscle's severely shortened limit. Damn Kvar. I hope he suffers in the fiery pits of hell right along with the devil.

The ride back to Luin was difficult for my leg even as I was carted along with most everyone else in the wagon. Much to Lloyd and Colette's disappointment, Raine mandated that I couldn't risk reopening my wounds by riding Punky so Kratos volunteered to take charge of the horse. Of course, Noishe isn't taking to that very gracefully, the jealous mutt. It's a miracle that the giant fluff hasn't scared off my mild horse. Anyway, I had to brace my leg down to make sure the jittering of the wagon doesn't disrupt the bandaged red wound. Any help that was offered was promptly turned down on the grounds that I must learn this myself. My biggest reason, however, is to refrain from being too much of a liability, which is something I didn't say out loud but is somehow known to everyone despite my silence.

Unlike our first return to Luin, when we first discovered the devastation, the white snow has been muddled, turned over, and plodded through from activity. Some of the debris has been cleared away and even more debris is being cleared away. A feeling of hope soars in the air.

"They're rebuilding!" Lloyd awes.

"Even after everything that happened, the people of Luin still return to living their lives," Raine happily states.

"They're moving forward towards the future," Sheena says with a growing smile. "The people of Luin are some of the strongest people I've ever known."

Lloyd watches the labor and work and declares, "When this journey is over, I'll come back here and help them as much as I can before returning home."

Genis joins in, "Me too. I'll come back here with you, Lloyd. But I think I'll stay in Luin. Iselia . . . It's not home anymore. The house is burned down . . . and we were . . . Plus I don't want to remain in a place where people like the Mayor live."

Kratos informs, "People discriminate against others are going to be anywhere you go."

"Yeah," Genis responds, "but there seems to be less of them here. Look at Connor."

"In any case," Raine states to change the subject to the main task at hand, "we need to find the priest in charge of the chapel in this village and ask if we may borrow the key to the Tower of Mana or gain any access whatsoever since it is possible that the tower may be the next seal."

Lloyd starts when something suddenly comes to mind. "That reminds me. Back in Hima while we were talking to Sofia about Pietro's curse, when we got to the part about Boltzman's book Uncle Ephraim mentioned that a friend of his was searching the Tower of Mana for that book."

Colette admires, "Wow, Lloyd! You remembered something like that? That's amazing!"

Lloyd puffs up in pride. "Heheh. I guess I've got a memory like my uncle's."

I turn to him, "No you don't, Lloyd. Even I can tell you don't."

Lloyd defends, "Why don't you have proof to back that up?"

Raine inserts, "Lloyd, if you had Ephraim's unusually sharp memory then you would remember what we studied in class."

Lloyd backtracks and changes the subject, "Ah, anyway, we need to at least find my uncle if we want Boltzman's book to save Pietro."

Raine nods. She turns to me and states, "It will be difficult for you to keep up with us in your condition, then added with the snow to slow you down . . . Would you prefer to stay here at the wagon? It may be a while."

I feel my mood drop as I answer, "I'll stay. Someone has to watch the horses."

Lloyd promises, "We'll come back for you soon, alright?"

I nod in response before I bundle myself in the bundle of blankets cocooning me.

* * *

After much inquiry, the group is led conveniently to the chapel—or where the chapel used to stand. Although it was burned and collapsed, the debris and pieces of the building laid scattered as if something large came and completely plowed through the building. A crowd would occasionally gather and then leave halfway grown to move on to work needed to be done. The ones that stayed included men from different trades involving woodwork, metal, and construction all speaking to the priest in charge of the chapel.

Lloyd hurries to the priest and asks, "What happened here?"

The priest looks to Lloyd for a moment before gravely recalling, "It was a monster that did this. A hideous monster that had a terrible shrilling cry and this wrinkled sagging skin. There were feathers spiking up its talons and these black beady eyes that stared hell into your soul . . . It suddenly came—from the south I heard—and rampaged through just yesterday. This chapel was not the first the demon tore down in its wake."

Raine grows pale. "That sounds like Clara. We need to find a way to cure her as soon as possible."

Lloyd asks, "Do you think the cure is written down in Boltzman's book?"

"Possibly," Raine reports, "but we will never know until we get our hands on that book."

Colette approaches the priest. "Father, we need access into the Tower of Mana. It could be the next seal."

The priest frowns even deeper. "I would help you, Chosen One, except . . ." He turns to the wreckage. "The Tower of Mana was locked in order to prevent monsters from inside going out and people willing to go inside from going in and placing themselves at risk from the monsters. The key was kept inside the chapel, and as you can see . . . The key is lost for now."

Colette conceals her disappointment with an understanding smile. "I see. Thank you, Father." Then she adds, "If there's any way we can help—"

"No, Chosen One," the priest denies. "I couldn't ask you to bother yourself with our issues. Leave this to us, if you please."

One of the gathered men steps up and call, "Ephraim! Are you done with those measurements?"

Lloyd looks at who shouted for a second and then turns to the man. "Uncle Tyson! What are you doing here?"

Tyson greets, "Hello, Lloyd. I'm here for the same reason why the others are here: to access what materials are needed to rebuild the chapel. We can boost our morale if we can rebuild the chapel. Ephraim, up there in the wreckage, is talented with sketching and can certainly make the estimates and measurements we need to know what we need to do."

Ephraim walks from the wreckage and announces, "Well, I did the best I could so here's some sketches of what the entire building is shaped. I have the details right here." He hands the priest his sketchbook and the men look over the sketches. Muttering to themselves at first at the accuracy and then what they will have to do and bring in order to rebuild the chapel.

Sheena asks, "Ephraim, did you find the key to the Tower of Mana?"

Ephraim looks at her and shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. I couldn't find a thing."

Corrine peeks out of her kimono and whispers in her ear, "Sheena, are we really going to . . . ?"

Sheena frowns and whispers back, "It's really complicated right now, Corrine. I just don't have an answer right now . . ."

Corrine slips back into the warmth of her kimono with a quiet sigh.

Lloyd innocently notes Corrine's and comments, "So that's where he hides out. I was wondering where he goes when you don't call him out."

Sheena wraps her kimono tighter around herself and blushes. "Ahh . . . Yeah. That's where he hides."

"Does his fur ever itch you?" he wonders.

"Err . . . Well his fur is really soft so no . . ." Sheena awkwardly answers.

Kratos changes the subject, "Ephraim. Back at Hima while Sophia was being confronted concerning Pietro, you mentioned that you had a friend who was looking for a book written by Boltzman that was over healing techniques."

Ephraim recalls, "'Boltzman's Book of Healing Spells and Techniques'. Yes. It was Connor who was looking for it. He would always volunteer to clear out any monsters for the Church of Martel during the times when they were still hiring mercenaries and volunteers to kill monsters inside the Tower of Mana. I remember that he would always deny any money payment and just simply ask to search through those towering bookcases for one particular book."

"Did he find it?" Kratos then questions.

"I never heard if he did or didn't." Ephraim faces Tyson. "Do you know if Connor finally got a hold of Boltzman's book of healing spells?"

Tyson explains, "He did and made a huge celebration about it. It was about nine years ago and a few days after you left from a visit. By the time you came back two months later, Connor was jealously guarding the book due to the fact that Aifread was coincidentally visiting Luin at the same time and never uttered a word about it."

"That would explain it," Ephraim responds. "That book can fetch a much better price than any pearl necklace would."

Raine inquires, "So where is Connor? Was he able to recover the book?"

Tyson directs, "Connor is with the captives doing what he can to treat their wounds. He knows a fair amount of healing already—and probably learned some techniques from that book already. The captives are at the southern islands where the least amount of destruction was inflicted."

"Thank you very much," Raine replies. "Come along, everyone. We don't have much time to waste."

"Speaking of Pietro . . ."

They stop for a moment.

Ephraim guiltily states, "I didn't tell Connor about him. I . . . I didn't know how. He already has a lot on his mind and carries a lot of responsibility on his shoulders concerning his role in the attack. Knowing him, he would have just added Pietro to the list of grievances that he considers his fault. I didn't know how to tell him."

Raine pauses in consideration. ". . . I cannot say that I approve of your silence." She finishes, "However, both you and Connor have your hands tied here so there isn't much either of you could do about Pietro while we have the freedom to do something about his curse."

Ephraim replies with a heavy sigh, "Damned if I do; damned if I don't."

"That appears to be the situation with you," Raine comments as she turns to leave with the rest.

As they walk off, a carpenter notes, "That boy . . . Lloyd . . . He looks a bit like you, Ephraim."

Ephraim replies, "Lloyd is part of my family. Of course he bears some resemblance."

Another comments, "While we're on that subject instead of work, which we should be talking about, I'd say his hair color is the most obvious feature."

The carpenter grins and says, "That Lloyd is a good kid. Aren't you proud of him, Ephraim?"

Ephraim nods and states, "Of course I am. Even if he hadn't defeated Kvar, I would still say that I'm proud."

The priest smiles. "It is good to see a father so loving to his son."

Ephraim frowns in confusion. "What? . . . Lloyd isn't my son."

The carpenter cuts, "Ephraim, it's a bit obvious."

"He's not mine," Ephraim firmly clarifies. "He's my nephew!"

The priest rebukes, "You should be ashamed of yourself! How dare you disown him! He saved Luin! What more do you need to acknowledge him?"

Ephraim turns to Tyson and pleads, "Tyson? A little help, please?"

Tyson fights a smirk as he scolds, "You shouldn't disown your own son, Ephraim."

"Tyson!"

* * *

After attaching a key crest to the parasitic Exsphere on the man's hand, Connor peels the Exsphere back and removes it from the former captive's hand. Once free from its host, the Exsphere is dropped into a bag at Connor's feet. The man just now freed from the Exsphere gawks at his hand and then up at Connor, unbelieving of what he witnessed.

Connor says to him, "You may experience some difficulty lifting or pushing objects or find yourself running slower that what you have been within the years you have been a captive but don't be alarmed. If you experience the extreme of that then come back and speak with us."

The man utters, "You . . . You really aren't like them. It's just as the others said. You aren't like them."

Having heard the similar from many other captives, Connor just smiles and moves on to the next.

"Connor!"

Connor stops and turns about to find Lloyd and his group following behind him. It takes him a half second to realize that this boy who called out to him is Lloyd considering that they only met once and from a distance at that. He smiles welcomingly and greets, "Lloyd! About time we met in a decent situation."

"I know what you mean," Lloyd replies as he approaches. "Thanks for everything."

Connor shakes his head. "I should be the one thanking you. You saved Luin from a disaster triggered by my efforts, killed Kvar, and saved me from execution. If there is anything I can do, please, don't hesitate."

Lloyd frowns before he mentions, "As a matter of fact, there is something we need. Do you know about Boltzman's book?"

Connor regards Lloyd. "Boltzman's book of healing spells? Yes, I know of it. It contains healing spells of a surprisingly large variety from basic spells that most healers would know to extremely difficult spells that require certain conditions to work. Why do you ask?"

Lloyd states, "We need the book. Pietro . . . You remember Pietro, right?"

Connor pales. "What happened?"

"Pietro is very sick," Lloyd tells. "He has . . . He has ahhh . . ."

Raine finishes, "He has the Desian Mind Deterioration Curse. It is a spell set on a trap meant to attack escaping captives and deteriorates the victim's sanity. He was in poor condition when we had to leave Hima."

Connor's eyes busy themselves as his mind works. He mutters, "That's . . . Then it must have been . . ." Then he sighs and his hand drifts into his bag. ". . . I have my hands tied here with the captives and I doubt that Pietro can be moved even outside the village let alone all the way to Luin. Since there's nothing more that I can do, I'll give you the book." Out of his bag comes a large, thick book with beaten covers and yellowed pages. Raine approaches Connor for the book, but instead of offering it to her, Connor flips through the pages searching for something. After a moment or two, Connor stops flipping the pages around and skims through one particular page of text . . .

"This is it," he indicates as he taps his finger on it. "I believe this is the technique needed to cure Pietro."

Raine looks over the page. ". . . You're right. This is exactly what we need. Though it appears we need a certain amount of power behind the spell in order for the healing to work."

Connor reads over the page and reports, "Even Boltzman jotted down that it needs a strong power source. Right here it lists a short number of possibilities he could find including the mana leaf herb of the elves."

Raine furrows her eyebrows. "The mana leaf herb . . . It hasn't been seen since the world began to decline. The chances of finding it are as unlikely as gaining all the others he recommends."

Connor keeps silent for a moment, and then he hesitantly brings, ". . . There is a chance of getting a unicorn horn."

Raine's eyes widen in disbelief. "A unicorn horn? Are you honestly suggesting that—"

"Just be civil and ask for the horn providing with the reason why you need it and the unicorn in question may provide it," Connor gravely states.

Raine hesitates.

Connor remarks, "I'm not happy about it myself but it seems to be the only reachable solution."

". . . Very well." Raine asks, "Where can we find this unicorn?"

Connor hands the book to her as he informs, "The unicorn is at Lake Umacy. On the southern side you will find this sloping incline that overlooks the lake. You can easily spot the image of a unicorn from there."

"So you have been there yourself?" Raine wonders.

"Just out of curiosity."

Trying to understand what he just heard, Lloyd asks, "So there's a unicorn that can help us cure Pietro and Clara?"

Connor looks at Lloyd with slight confusion. ". . . Yes, the unicorn can help cure anything but death."

Colette goes, "Then the unicorn can help us cure Pietro and Clara and restore Kelsey's leg!"

Lloyd turns away and begins to hurry off. "Then let's go to Lake Umacy right now!"

"The sooner we get to it the sooner we can help them!" Genis adds as the three rush off.

Raine, Kratos, Sheena, and Connor stand there watching the children hurry away.

Sheena tentatively questions, "Do they know what will happen once the unicorn loses its horn?"

Raine states, "A unicorn wasn't among the things Lloyd and Genis were interested in and it isn't as if Iselia was privy to any information in the first place about unicorns other than that they are white horses with a horn that can heal."

Connor wonders, "Should they be told?"

Sheena adds, "They should be. I mean, they have a right to know."

Kratos shakes his head. "No, it would probably be best to leave them in the dark about this until the situation comes. If we tell them now or anytime before we meet the unicorn—if it's there in the first place—then it will only dishearten them and deter them away from accomplishing tasks that they promised to fulfill."

Sheena switches between the three. "But—"

Raine assures, "Sheena, we know you mean well with this, but sometimes ignorance is bliss. Let's allow them to believe what their innocence leads them to believe for the time being."

Sheena lowers her head in dejection. ". . . Alright."

* * *

". . . and then Connor told us about the unicorn and . . ."

I was JUST about to comfortably fall asleep.

". . . when he got to the part about the unicorn horn . . ."

Then I had THREE hyperactive chatterboxes yammering on and on in my ears.

". . . we knew we found a way to not only save Pietro and Clara . . ."

That was a sign that I wasn't about to get ANY shuteye anytime soon.

". . . could also return your left leg back to normal! Isn't it great?"

I first turn to Lloyd who's around seven inches away from my face and grouch, "You. Gimme some space." I turn to Colette. "You. Turn the volume down a notch." I turn to Genis. "You. Let me wake up before any big news is sprung."

Genis snips, "Grouch. This is the best news any of us had for days!"

I sleepily rub the right side of my face. "I know that and I wanna take it in the best way possible. That's why I wanted to wake up first."

After backing up to three feet away from my face, Lloyd gets back into my personal space and is about . . . four inches away from my ear. "Didn't you hear us? We found a way to heal your leg completely!"

"Ow!" I yelp. My ear stings from Lloyd's cheerful volume. I growl, "Ever heard of _personal space_? Yes I heard you! I'll be overjoyed and hopeful when I wake up!"

Lloyd flatly replies, "Talk about anticlimactic."

A little more awake, I playfully huff, "What kind of exaggerated response were you expecting? Do you want me to tackle you to the ground and kiss your cheeks out of sheer joy?"

That gets Lloyd to take a step back. "No."

"Then give me a moment."

A little bit later, Raine, Kratos, and Sheena return followed by Connor. Kratos takes his turn to drive the horses while Raine fills me in with added commentary from Lloyd, Colette, and Genis. Connor says his goodbyes with Lloyd before looking over each one of us.

"On the behalf of Luin, I thank you all," he says. "Sheena, thank you for your help with Pietro." Sheena blushes and looks away. "Chosen One, I know very well that avoiding the Desians would have been much smarter and safer for you and world regeneration but there is nothing but gratitude for your courage and protection." Colette would go on about how it wasn't a problem but he already moved on. "Kelsey . . . right? I'm happy to see you alive and well despite your sacrifice. Thank you for saving Lloyd." I can't help but look down. "Genis, yes? You are just a child—yet you fought for all of us and quite well too. Thank you." Genis is rendered speechless.

Connor turns his attention to Raine. ". . . I'm eternally grateful and indebt to you for your efforts and make no mistake in that. I just have to wonder if my book is in good hands."

Raine takes slight offense to the suggestion. "Boltzman's Book of Healing Spells and Techniques is in more than capable hands. You can place your faith in me regarding the book."

Connor seems reluctant but accepts the situation anyway. "Alright. If you say so." His eyes turn to Kratos. As the two meet in this eye lock, silence hangs in the air. Then Connor goes, "Thank you for everything you put in for Luin, mercenary. Thank you for that and everything else. Just know I won't pay a single gald coin to you."

Kratos half smirks. "I don't expect to be paid for anything I did back at that ranch. I would never want to in the first place."

Connor remains there for a half second before turning to Lloyd and smiling. "Hey, Lloyd."

Lloyd speaks ahead, "You don't have to say anything to me. I already got it."

Connor responds, "If that's what you want. Just be careful out there, Lloyd. And . . . When your journeys end and it's time for you to leave your father's house come stay at Luin for a while with us. It's in shambles now but we can get it back together in no time. This isn't the first time Luin has been laid to waste like this. We're a lot sturdier than most think."

Lloyd nods his head. "I'll think about it. I'll be coming back here to help Luin rebuild once the world regeneration journey is over."

Connor smiles. "We'll all be looking forward to that."

Lloyd bids, "Goodbye."

Connor waves them goodbye as the wagon (with Colette riding Punky this time) rides away. When the wagon is halfway gone, Connor smirks regretfully. "Ephriam, Elizabeth, and Tyson are going to kill me when they find out they got cheated out of a goodbye from their nephew. Good thing I updated my will and kept it somewhere safe."

* * *

It started snowing again when we reached the edges of the forest surrounding Lake Umacy. The surreal, otherworldly glow that just whitewashes everything yet doesn't render anything seemingly lifeless. Mana just seems to vibrate in the air as we get closer to the southern side of the lake. I can feel the mana getting steadily stronger as the wagon moves deeper into the forest.

"Kelsey, are you alright?"

I blink and look to my left. I see Lloyd, Colette, and Genis watching me with worry. I give a half smile. "I'm fine."

I know I won't burn because of mana. I survived back in Palmacosta, I will survive here. But . . .

What about when the Great Seed is germinated?

The wagon eventually stops at a small clearing near the trees with a steady inclining slope of earth that provides a promising view of the southern area of the lake. Lloyd and Sheena leap out of the wagon followed by Colette and Genis even while the wagon is moving. While Kratos slows the horses to a stop, the four rush up the slope, partially hindered by the deep luminous snow, and grind to a halt that nearly ends up like human dominoes. If Lloyd, being at the front, didn't catch his balance when Sheena, Colette, and Genis slam into him then he would have toppled to the lake.

Then here I am without a video camera and there would have been some YouTube gold right before my eyes.

The four peer out into the distance, searching for any sign of the unicorn.

Colette reminds, "Connor said that there's an image of the unicorn at the lake."

Sheena translates, "That probably means that the image is on the water itself."

Their eyes direct right to the water emitting the whitewash light. Their attention wanders . . . then they all focus onto one source as their faces brighten with awe and wonder.

Genis points down and calls out, "The unicorn! Raine! The unicorn is under the water itself!"

Raine hurries to the shore and gazes out. "Under the water? Why would it . . ."

Colette goes, "It's so beautiful! And majestic! It's so white too! I have never seen anything so white before!"

Lloyd observes, "But why is it laying on its side on the bottom like that? It looks like it's trapped."

Kratos replies, "The unicorn can come out of that anytime. We just need to approach it and it will come to speak with us."

Lloyd figures, "So we can just swim to it and dive down."

Genis points out, "You won't be able to hold your breath for that long."

Lloyd growls, "Damn it! Isn't there something we can do?"

Sheena looks down and seems to struggle against combating decisions. Corrine slips out of the back of her kimono and reads her expression before giving her an encouraging nudge. Sheena meets Corrine's eyes with desperate eyes. Corrine nods and goes back into the warm clothes. Sheena turns back to the fixated children.

". . . There is another way."

We all look up and towards Sheena. She takes a breath before mechanically stating, "We could summon Undine, the summon spirit of water, to control the water's mana. That way we can approach the unicorn without drowning if we must go underwater at all."

Lloyd's eyes widen even more. "The summon spirit of water?"

Then Genis says, "That's great, except we don't have anyone who can summon."

Sheena remains silent.

Suddenly, Corrine pops out of his little seclusion and adds in, "Sheena can summon! I'm a summon spirit myself and whenever I'm not physically around Sheena can call for me and I'm instantly here!"

Sheena whispers through her teeth, "Corrine!"

Raine changes her focus to Corrine. "You are a summon spirit?"

"Not like Undine but yeah." Corrine mentions, "I just choose to be around Sheena like this because I like to be around her. She saved me!"

Lloyd asks Sheena, "So you can summon Undine?"

While Sheena attempts to subtly push Corrine away, she hesitantly answers, "I-I haven't formed a pact with Undine, but if I do then I can summon."

Raine goes, "I thought the art of summoning has been extinguished a long time ago as the world declined."

Sheena corrects, "It . . . It still exists. If we really need to then I . . . I will go to Undine and make a pact."

"Why?" Raine questions. "You have no deep connections with us. Why aid us in this?"

Sheena meets Raine's eyes and answers, "Because people like Pietro need help. If my pact can help cure Pietro then I will do it."

Lloyd replies, "We need your help, Sheena. We promised to cure Pietro and if Undine can get us to the unicorn then, please, give us any help you can."

Sheena pauses as she regards Lloyd for a moment. ". . . A-alright, but first . . . where can Undine be found?"

I finally take a turn to speak up, "Undine is the summon spirit of water so I'm guessing at the water seal. That means Thoda Geyser."

An eyebrow lowers on her face. ". . . Thoda Geyser? There?"

I smirk. "Yes. Where I stalled you long enough to where you couldn't enter the temple."

Sheena growls before she walks down the slope in a huff.

Kratos mentions, "Thoda Geyser is going to be a long trip from here. It will take us days to reach there, especially during winter."

Raine comments, "Although none of us are happy with the distance, this is a detour that we cannot refuse to take for the time being. If we are to cure Pietro and Clara then we can spare no time. Besides, this is one way to wait for the key to the Tower of Mana to be found in the rubble Clara made."

Kratos remains silent as we all gather back together.

* * *

**P**

**L**

**E**

**A**

**S**

**E**

**R**

**E**

**V**

**I**

**E**

**W**

. . . . . . Okay, maybe I shouldn't have done that. But anything for a weird "please review".**  
**


	34. Two Awkward Aliens

Let me clear something up before it starts: Pairings.

Romantic Pairing Absolutes. These are the pairings that will be in there no matter what: KratosXAnna, YuanXMartel, and RegalXAlicia. Since these are part of plots that lead up to the main story (such as how Lloyd was born, why Yuan rejects Mithos, and why Regal is concerned about Presea) they will be there no matter what.

Romantic Pairing Possibilities. These are the pairings that I think are possible during the plot and I will display: LloydXColette, ZelosXSheena, LloydXSheena (a love triangle for her), and GenisXPresea (one-sided, I think). Not the word "possible."

Family Bonds. These are pairings that are like family relationships. No, I will NEVER do incest (i've seen those fics before so don't say they aren't there). Kratos/Lloyd (father/son), Colette/Sheena (sisters), Lloyd/Zelos (brothers). The rest I'm still thinking about.

The rest can be buddies.

Concerning my OC, I'm still seeing how that will play out.

Oh, by the way, FLAME SHIELD! It's MY fic so I get to pair them however I see fit for the story! Your fan rages are not necessary nor fruitful.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: Two Awkward Aliens

March twelfth. I marked that day in my journal as the day when we finally reached the Thoda Dock. There were other notes that I put in as well. Genis now knows Eruption (I personally feel very sorry for the Mantis monsters that were his first targets) and Colette is still able to hide her conditions but there's also this gleam of knowledge that passes between her and Lloyd from time to time. Then Raine is giving Colette suspicious expressions but those died down when we began approaching the Thoda Docks. Now she's pale and spouting out excuses that would bind her to the docks. The only results she got from that were binding me to the docks and everyone wondering who should stay and watch over the disabled teenager. So far Kratos and Raine are in the consideration but Raine is the healer who might be needed for the upcoming events. Then, because of Raine's unusual behavior, Sheena is thinking that the normally level-headed healer is about to panic because of Undine (who's name is pronounced Yoon-Dee-Knee rather than the correct pronunciation of "undine" which is un-die-nn). Since she doesn't want to hint on her own fears and insecurities, she questions about Raine's fear of the island in a choked even voice. The answer shocked her.

"What?" she gawks. "A _washtub_? You mean people over here actually cross the sea in a _washtub_?"

Thinking that Sheena's referring to the natives in the area rather than Sylvarant as a whole, Genis agrees, "I know. I couldn't believe it either. When we made it from Izoold all the way over to Palmacosta we took a boat. It was a fishing boat since that was the only boat available but it was still a boat. These washtubs surprised every one of us."

Sheena blinks as she takes this in. ". . . So her behavior has nothing to do with the pact?"

"No, it doesn—"

"Ah, yes, the pact!" Raine cries out with her eyes gleaming. "The pact is the only reason why I would brave the sea! Seeing a pact be made must be a once-in-a-lifetime chances! I won't miss it!"

Genis turns to his sister in question. "But Raine, I thought you were going to stay with Kelsey."

I insist, "I can come along! Just because walking is difficult for me now doesn't mean I can't take a washtub to the island!"

Lloyd frowns in worry and reminds, "It takes a keen sense of balance to ride those washtubs across those waves. With your leg like that, there's a chance that you could flip over the tub. Now that you can't even swim, you might actually drown. I'm sorry but I can't let you get in a washtub."

My face drops as I try to accept this. I hate my leg so much . . .

Kratos recommends, "Now that we are about to leave for the island, we should decide who will remain here with Kelsey."

Raine then states in reply, "Since we will be dealing with a summon spirit, we should have as many of us together as possible. I believe that only one person is necessary to aid Kelsey while the rest of us are with Sheena."

I protest, "I can come along and take care of myself! No one has to be left behind!"

Raine firmly puts, "Kelsey, to allow you to come would be hazardous to your life. As Lloyd just said to you, you can no longer swim due to your injury. Since you no longer have the balance and steadiness to keep the washtub upright, there is a high chance that we will lose you at sea. Things will be much easier and safer for all of us if you remain here with someone to help you."

"I'm not weak . . ." I mutter. They should've left my useless dead weight back at the Asgard House of Salvation.

Raine either ignores me or didn't hear my muttering as she turns to Sheena as says, "Sheena, since you will be the one forming the pact, who would you want with you during this. I noticed your anxiety so perhaps having those you feel at ease around would be helpful to you."

"Ahh . . . Well . . ." Sheena gulps when see glances between Lloyd and Colette's eager faces then around at Raine, Genis, and Kratos' curious faces. "Ummm . . ." The ninja screws up her face in pressured thought as she debates on who should be left behind and who will be useful with her.

". . . Very well. I volunteer myself to stay behind."

In sure surprise, everyone turns around and stares at Kratos. Each one of us—me included—gives Kratos a look that wonders if he just went crazy.

Genis picks up his dropped jaw and wonders, "Weren't you hired to protect Colette? Why are you volunteering to stay behind?"

Lloyd clarifies, "You know you don't have to feel obliged to stay behind. Every one of us is willing to stay here and help."

"Yes . . . everyone is," Raine reluctantly supports while she has that Ruin Mode gleam in her eye.

With a glance at Lloyd, then Raine in suspicion about her true motives, Kratos replies, "The Chosen's life is no longer under in considerable jeopardy and has proven that she is very capable of defending herself if otherwise. The only one of us who is truly vulnerable right now is Kelsey. Since that is the case, perhaps I can be of more use here."

What the hell is he doing? Shouldn't he be watching Sheena since she's about to make a pact with Undine—AND she's from Tethe'alla? Does he believe that she's going to end up failing, or is there some sort of complicated messed-up scheme going in his head right now against Mithos? No, I'm thinking too much into it. Who can understand Kratos in the first—oh yeah. Anna can understand him. Well, besides Anna, who can understand this bucket case?

Raine takes a few steps close to Kratos and whispers, "Kratos, are you sure? Colette can remain here, or in that fact, Genis or Lloyd can just as well."

Kratos informs in a hush, "I understand wounds of this variety well and have known quite a few soldiers to obtain disablements. Perhaps if I speak with her, I can help Kelsey learn how to cope with the disability she now has to live with. Even if we do gain the unicorn horn, she will still have to deal with her injury for a considerable amount of time."

Raine frowns for a moment. ". . . That may actually work. Very well. It's not as if we can't take care of ourselves."

When Raine backs away, Colette asks, "Professor, is Kratos really going to stay behind?"

Raine nods. "Yes he is. We can handle ourselves during the pact making."

Sheena forces out, "D-don't be too sure about that! . . . I . . . I might fail, you know."

Colette encourages, "Don't worry so much, Sheena! You'll do great! I know you will!"

Sheena turns downcast. "Easy for you to say . . ."

I turn away and limp towards the dock house. When I sense an audience watching me, I stop and face back at them. I give everyone a faux apologetic smile and utter, "I just felt a bit crowded."

Everyone shrugs it off, believing my words. I watch as Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine, and Sheena steadily board the washtubs and paddle the tubs out into the sea. When they become a mere fraction of the size of what they were when close up, I finally allow myself to turn away and redo my effort to return to the dock house. I easily sense Kratos' presence follow me.

I sigh. ". . . Why did you stay?"

"Is this really such a problem?"

I fight to control my tone as I reply in an attempted even voice, "Yes it's a problem. You should be with them giving them every bit of help you can—not babysitting a slab of dead weight."

Kratos' tone adds a biting touch as he questions, "If you believe so earnestly that you were going to be such a burden to us, why didn't you stay in Asgard or return to Palmacosta?"

I stop there, and admit, "I . . . I'll confess. I panicked. I didn't want to be left behind. I didn't know how I was going to go about in Asgard and I doubt I can stay with Elvira for very long. I was only thinking about myself."

"And yet here you are thinking about yourself again in a tantrum," Kratos points out. "For your information, the others wouldn't have let you stay behind without something done in the first place. Considering that you have been a companion to us and that you saved Lloyd's life back at the human ranch, we are in a considerable debt to you. Leaving you behind in the manner that you speak of would be an insult and a crude abuse—especially since the only possible method to restore your ruined leg is within our grasp."

That renders me silent. Kratos walks around and stands just at the side of my vision and waits for any response from me. I huff out a surrendering sigh. "So . . . in that case . . . anyone could have stayed behind. Why specifically you, though?"

Kratos' tone returns to that calm level, "I have quite a few questions about . . . about where you originally came from. Your world."

I straighten my lips into a flat line. "I guess this game of twenty questions is long overdue."

"I can't help but wonder about it."

I pause for a moment before going, "Alright. Let's find somewhere comfortable. I have a feeling this is going to take a while."

* * *

After stepping out of the washtub and onto the low dock, Lloyd waits for Raine to take a few steps away from him before groaning, "Owww . . ."

Sheena steps onto the dock. "What is it?"

"Professor Sage has to be afraid of water or something," Lloyd unquestionably states as he slips his left arm out of his red jacket and rubs his upper arm. "I thought for a moment that her nails broke my skin!"

"I thought she was clutching onto your arm pretty tightly on the way here," Sheena recalls.

"Yeah." Lloyd starts climbing up to the geyser. "Let's catch up to the others."

Sheena remains there for a moment, remembering how last time she was on this island that the crowd was turned against her, and stealthily goes up the sloping landscape, avoiding tourist eyes. Everyone of the group gathers at the spot where the sign and the oracle stone lie and the watery bridge returns as soon as Colette steps close. Seeing her feet carry her closer and closer to the seal sends Sheena's mind reeling and she focuses on each little step rather than the pact. If she failed again . . .

Her feet enter into the dark corridors and long stairways of the humid temple. To her increasing horror, the corridors and stairways come across as brief rather than extensive as the others continuously carp about.

"Why do these stairs have to be so long and steep?" Sheena disagrees with Lloyd on "long and steep."

"Stop complaining. We have even longer stairs to look forward to at the Tower of Mana." Raine's notion of the Tower of Mana has Sheena wishing that the pact is being made at the Tower of Mana rather than down these short stairs.

"I can see light! We're almost there!" Colette's cheer sends Sheena's stomach crawling as her memories of that terrorizing day when she was nine shape themselves into an image of slaughtering water.

When they arrive in the main chamber, Sheena's breath is taken away by the aquatic beauty, only to lose her nerves once more as the chamber provides tangible material to form her growing nightmare. Feeling her body begin to tremble, Corrine slips out of his hiding spot and gently rubs his head under her chin.

"Don't worry, Sheena," Corrine whispers. "If anything happens, I'll save you. I promise."

"B-but . . ." she mutters.

"No buts," Corrine puts. "You saved me from the Research Institute so I'll save you if anything happens."

Her trembling tones down but her fear remains.

Colette looks back at Sheena and approaches her. "Sheena, why are you so anxious?"

Sheena lifts her chin up. "I-I'm not anxious. Why would I be anxious?" She feels an added pressure as Lloyd, Genis, and Raine look back and watch the exchange.

Colette says, "You are anxious. I can tell. Sheena, please don't worry too much. We're here too so don't think that you're all alone."

Sheena blinks. "I don't get you. I don't get any of you. Just weeks ago I was after your life; now you're trusting me with this? Why?"

Colette answers, "Because we can see that you're really a good person. You have kind eyes, Sheena. I know that you weren't after my life because you wanted to. There's something else going on." Then she smiles sweetly. "I'm sure that there's a way so that Sylvarant can be saved and whatever you need can happen at the same time. Next time I see Remiel, I'll ask him if there's a way."

Sheena raises an eyebrow in surprised doubt. "Are you sure this 'Remiel' person can know something like that? You don't even know what it is."

Colette simply replies, "I'm certain that an angel of Martel will know."

Sheena looks down with a disheartened expression. Something in the corner of her eye moves towards her and she glances to see what it is. To her surprise, there is Colette's hand being offered to her. Her eyes shoot upward to the Chosen's face and discovers a welcoming smile. Almost unbelieving, almost hesitantly, Sheena's hand drifts to Colette's hands and the two twine. The ninja frowns in uncertainty despite the support Colette offers as Colette leads Sheena back to the group.

"You're not alone, okay?" Colette assures.

Sheena couldn't help but remember how she wasn't alone back then too.

As soon as they reach a short set of stairs by a large silver scale, they go down the steps and reach the small platform with a portal on it. Sheena feels her heart pound three times with each step she takes. She may have been sent to kill the Chosen, but this? This isn't how it should be. Death should be quick and painless, not slaughter and rage. This isn't right.

She finds herself on the portal. Everything fades and twists into the next room as the portal activates and sends them off to the seal room. To her dismay, the platform is a narrow strip that allows little room for movement. Everyone else approaches the altar while Sheena hesitates, hiding her fear behind a stern façade.

Colette and Genis chant, "Pa~act! Pa~act! Pa~act! Pa~act! Pa—"

"Okay! I get it already!" Sheena gripes in a burst of aggravation. She feels some of her tension being exerted through annoyance and exasperation.

"I must admit . . ." Sheena looks at Raine and finds a strange gleam in her eye that resembles excitement and insanity. "I'm excited as well! This must be the first time in over eight hundred years that a pact has been attempted! Let's see if the theories over summoning do any justice to reality!"

Lloyd bursts, "I can't wait to see you make a pact with a summon spirit! It's going to be so cool!"

Sheena goes, "Don't any of you understand that this could get really dangerous? Th-this isn't fun and games!"

Lloyd encourages, "Sheena, we've been telling you tons of times that it'll be alright. Have more faith in us and in yourself. You're not going to fail and we're right here with you. Okay?"

Sheena gulps.

Corrine stamps his tiny paw down on Sheena's shoulder and cheers, "Go for it, Sheena! It's alright! We're all here for you!"

Sheena presses her lips together . . . and then nods. "A . . . Alright. I'll do it." She steps up to the altar. As soon as she comes close, blue lights of water-element mana rise up from the altar, appearing as celestial water droplets. The mana gathers around in a steady pace, collecting and growing larger as the droplets accumulate into one mass. As a single shape begins to form, the water begins to color into transparent dark blues and aqua greens. Finally, a figure is outlined.

* * *

With my cane abandoned in a nearby corner, I rest seated on the bed provided to me by the House of Salvation that hosts the boat, er, washtub dock. Kratos chose to sit in a chair at the mandatory study desk just across the room and stare at me while he waits for me to get situated. As I stare back at him I can't help but wonder how everyone is doing or going to fair against Undine. I don't know about other players but when I played Tales of Symphonia, Kratos was an absolute must for my party. Then he had a part in explaining about how a pact works. I hope things are playing out alright over there.

I ask him, "Wouldn't you want to see if Sheena will make a pact or not? Are the questions about my world really so urgent?"

"Are you throwing another pity party?" he stoically questions.

"No. I'm serious."

He closes his eyes for a half second before answering, "Yes, I want to see if Sheena will be able to make a pact with Undine. However, I doubt I will be able to get another opportunity to satisfy any curiosity I may have regarding . . . your world. All other times may gain unwanted attention or eavesdroppers."

I hope he has a good excuse for Yggdrasill. Saying that he wanted some curiosity satisfied isn't going to fly with any boss who just had an important connection completely cut off. Perhaps he'll just tell the jumpsuit-clad villain that he had full confidence that Yggdrasill didn't break his vow to Undine.

I lean back a bit as I prepare myself for endless questions. "So . . . anything specifically you want to ask about? It's a big world, after all."

"Big?" he goes with his eyes lighting up with curiosity. "What do you mean? How much larger can your world be in comparison to Sylvarant?"

My eyes drift away as I try to make a good comparison. "Hmmmm . . . I would say . . . Well . . . All the traveling that all of you just did from Iselia to Hima and back to Thoda Dock would get you to cross a full continent from one side to another—and I'm thinking one of the smaller continents on my world. Sylvarant looks like a sample tray in comparison to my world."

Kratos frowns as he tries to imagine all that. I'm figuring that the closest that he'll grasp Earth to appear is how Symphonia should be with both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla together when really Earth is a lot larger than that. When the mercenary meets my eyes I conclude that is exactly what he imagined otherwise it probably would have taken him a bit longer.

"I do have a specific question," he moves on. "How do people relate to one another in terms of race? Do the humans, elves, and half-elves have difficulties interacting with one another as they do here or is there peace?"

I frown. "In my world there are only humans. Elves, dwarves, all that is fantasy to us."

Kratos gets this troubled expression. "'Fantasy'? That doesn't sound right. If there are humans then shouldn't there be other races as well? Perhaps they reside in lands where humans have yet to explore."

I shake my head. "Our world is thoroughly explored. If we were to find them then we would've already. They don't exist in our world. The only sentient race there is humans, as we call ourselves."

Kratos just looks at me and gets this stubborn gleam in his eye telling me that he's not likely to buy into my account. I redirect the conversation, "To answer the question you were asking, people define race in terms of ethnicity. How we get along depends on who you look at. Some people don't take it into any regard while some think of it as a fascinating thing while some . . . some discriminate against others from mild stereotypes to just venomous hatred."

Kratos grimly comments, "That doesn't sound too different from here."

"That's just people for you."

Kratos pauses for just a half second before he mentions, "What I also noticed that, for someone from a different world, you seem to have very little trouble with cultural clashes. Either society from your world is very similar or you have learned how to adapt rather quickly."

"I learned how to adapt rather quickly," I state. "I have a rather adaptive personality and mindset. Then when I was suddenly thrust into Sylvarant I had to either learn how to interact in my new surroundings or die. I know it sounds extreme but . . . well, I'm rather embarrassed to admit that the society I lived in for most of my life is rather spoiled. Then I had about two month to learn how to live in this new environment. You have no idea how helpful Elvira and Cho . . . Chocolat were. There were also others but they were the main two that helped, even though I'm sure they could never know how much their support meant for me."

"I see . . ." Kratos responds. "Then I suppose that Chocolat's retaliation against you felt . . . more of a betrayal to you than anything else. From the looks of things, you bottled up your pain."

"I couldn't just call myself a victim and cry about it," I point out. "I wasn't the only victim nor was I the one in the most pain. I also wasn't the only one Chocolat hurt too."

Kratos allows silence to pass by, signaling that it's time to move on to another subject. To be honest, that's a bit of a relief. I don't want to talk about Chocolat.

Then Kratos goes, "When you said 'spoiled' what did you mean?"

"Pht," I dismissively sound. "I came from one of the richest nations in my world. Some nations are poorer in economic terms and would view Sylvarant as prosperous. Yeah, I said that. You can stop looking at me like I said something obscene. The countries that I just referred to are war torn and have very little resources left so it makes sense. However, some nations have everything they need and a sound government system, like the nation I was born and raised in. It has technology far beyond what Sylvarant has although the Desians would make our technology seem primitive. That technology we have is what makes us so spoiled. The majority of civilians in my nation have running water in their homes and an energy system that powers our electrical devices. Just those two things alone are things that we have that Sylvarant doesn't have. We found ways of how to cook our food faster and preserve our food for long periods of time. I could go on about a luxurious life but it'd probably take an hour."

Kratos just keeps his signature stoic expression. "Do you have problems with mana? You said that your world, or rather the nation you were born in, has an energy system to power machinery and electrical devices. What do you do to keep mana deprivation to a minimum if you even use it?"

Wow, so people over here really believe that mana is the only source of life. "No, we don't use mana," I answer, trying to keep a straight face. "We can't even use mana. We have alternate sources of power for that. Our biggest problems are saving our resources and cutting back on pollution. The air in this world is so clean . . . You have absolutely no idea. A lot of problems I had before, such as headaches and sinus problems, are gone or a lot better now. Well, with sinuses, I suffered through hell due to foreign pollens but that was temporary."

Then I state, "There's a lot I could go through and just end up scratching the surface. I can't answer everything."

"I understand," Kratos replies. "I just have one more question that I feel that needs to be answered. How do you think you suddenly came to this world?"

I turn my eyes downward as I try to come up with an answer. "Well . . . I don't really know . . . I was in my own home. I was in that home ever since I was nine years old. I lived in that same home for about five or six years yet nothing like this ever happened. I . . ." Then I figure something. ". . . First off, there has to be some sort of connection otherwise it wouldn't have happened at all. Some sort of bend in the fabric of reality since I just arrived in a completely different world. I probably lived close to something that could generate enough energy, enough power, to activate that connection. Then the connection itself has to be efficient enough to where it wouldn't have harmed me or the possessions that I brought along."

"So the connection was already there in the first place," Kratos concludes.

"Yeah . . . I've been living in that same house for five years and nothing ever happened so I think someone outside activated it and I was just collateral," I theorize. "That's really all I can think of."

"Did you see anyone?" Kratos asks. "When you arrived in Palmacosta was there anyone else that suddenly appeared as well?"

I shake my head. "No. There was no one."

Kratos gives me this pitying expression. ". . . So then you truly are at a dead end. You have no way of reactivating the connection and no way of knowing if you will arrive safely back at your world."

I droop down in a miserable state. "No . . . I don't . . . And I can't help but wonder . . . if my family already buried an empty casket."

"They didn't," Kratos tells. "They wouldn't. Although the time period in which a child can be found is a meager few days, the family of the lost child can never give up hope. The consequences of otherwise are far too devastating to live with."

I remain silent and close myself up from the world.

* * *

Flowing aqua green hair, drifting downward as if dipped underwater. Her body, bare yet revealing nothing but smoothed shape as if in a skintight dress, courses through to the rim of a long gown seemingly dripping off the hem. Her face, so soft and fair, stares down upon Sheena with aquamarine eyes that gleam with an otherworldly glow.

"You who possess the right of the pact, I am one who is bound to Mithos," Undine speaks in this echoing voice. "What is your name?"

Lloyd speaks up before Sheena comes up with a reply, "Mithos? The hero of the Kharlan War?"

Genis tilts his head in confusion. "Not only was Mithos a swordsman but he had the ability to summon as well?"

Raine corrects, "'Mithos' is a common boy's name. This Mithos is not necessarily Mithos the Hero. In fact, I presume that this Mithos is a summoner from the previous era of prosperity."

Sheena takes a breath and declares, "I am Sheena! I seek a pact with Undine!"

Corrine whispers under her ear, "See? It's not like before."

Sheena whispers back, "That's because this time I can actually understand her . . ."

Undine regards Sheena before replying, ". . . As things stand now, I cannot for a pact."

Sheena is taken back. "Wh-why?"

"I am already bound by a pact. I cannot form two pacts at the same time," the spirit explains.

"You mean your pact with that Mithos guy? . . ." She turns to the others and goes, "What am I supposed to do now? They never said anything back at the research institute!"

Colette notices Lloyd's posture and sees that he's thinking. "Lloyd, what are you thinking?"

"Uhh . . . Well," he suggests, "I was thinking that maybe you can ask Undine to cancel the old pact. Can you do that?"

"How?" Sheena demands. "We don't even know who this Mithos person is let alone where he is. A pact needs a vow and as long as the vow is kept then the pact is solid."

Undine nods. "Yes. That is correct."

Raine nods as well. "I think I understand now. It's possible that the previous pact-maker has broken his vow or has passed away. In that case, the vow and the pact are no longer valid. All you have to do is follow Lloyd's advice and request for the annulment of the old pact and form a new one."

Genis wonders, "Can it really be that simple?"

Sheena replies, "Simple or not, if the last pact-maker kept his vow and is still alive then there's nothing we can do."

Colette encourages, "Well, it doesn't hurt to ask."

"Okay! I'll give it a shot!" Sheena turns back to Undine. "Undine! I am Sheena! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and . . . establish a new pact . . . with me."

Undine closes her eyes for a moment. Then her eyes open once more. ". . . Very well. However, before I can allow the formation of a new pact, I must test your worthiness as a pact-maker. Draw your weapons."

"What? We have to fight?" Lloyd exclaims.

Undine continues, "In a battle, I will only allow three additional members to aid the one who seeks the pact."

Genis looks around and counts before going, "So one of us has to leave?"

"That is correct." Undine offers, "I will allow you a moment to decide."

"Uhhh . . ." Sheena turns and looks over everyone. She makes clear, "I . . . I don't mean anything personal to whoever has to leave. Okay?"

"It's alright," Lloyd says. "We understand."

"Uh, okay . . ." Sheena looks everyone over. Then says, "Um, Genis, right?"

Genis frowns as he realizes what's about to be said to him but doesn't seem to mind despite that. "Yeah?"

"Err . . ."

"I get it."

Sheena responds, "Sorry."

Genis heads for the portal. "I'll just be bored for a while."

Raine asks, "You can handle yourself against the monsters, right?"

"Yes, Raine. I can." After activating the portal, Genis disappears out of the room.

Undine looks down upon Sheena. ". . . Then let us begin."

Just when everyone grabbed their weapons, Undine's body melts into water and drops to the ground, splattering everywhere. With nothing but a puddle left behind, everyone whirls around, trying to find some sign of the spirit.

_SHOOWWOOOSSHHH!_

A tower of water rises up from behind the altar and crashes into all of them. Fortunately, they all land back on the narrow platform and regain their footing albeit drenched. Colette takes off into the air as soon as she does. She hears something and points and shouts, "There she is!"

Sheena whips around just in time to block a rapier forged from pure water. Undine lashes around and delivers punishing blows with incredible speed. Sheena slaps at Undine's armed hand and begins a series of combos with her miraculously intact cards.

"PYRE SEAL!" Sheena cries out. The cards explode on Undine's chest and sends the spirit's form flying back and splashes into the water. The surrounding water begins to burble from every direction. The water creeps and splashes onto the majority of the platform.

Sheena leaps onto the altar. "Higher grounds!"

Lloyd rushes up with Raine tailing behind him. Colette keeps away from the platform and high in the air. Lloyd joins Sheena on the altar as the water rushes across the platform, growing in strength. Raine takes her first step up to the altar—

"AHH!" Raine cries as she slides down and towards the water as if something grabbed her and is pulling her down to the water. "_NO! NO!_"

"Professor!" Lloyd shouts as he leaps down for Raine. He catches Raine's hand just as her clawing fingers loose all grip on the platform. Sheena leaps down and tries to pull Raine back up.

Raine's desperate eyes lock onto them. "Don't let me go!" she frantically pleads. "Please don't let me go!"

"Where does she have you?" Sheena yells.

"My feet!" Raine cries. "She has my both my feet!"

Lloyd calls out, "Colette! Look for Undine!"

Colette scrambles her eyes around the water gushing at Raine. She spots something different about the water and tosses her chakram at the strange formation, hoping that it's more than her imagination.

The ring slices at the gushing water, cutting it in half as it now forms Undine's head. Lloyd and Sheena fall backwards with Raine being pulled with them onto the platform as the grip instantly releases. Undine completely forms and falls backwards into the water as if she were nothing but an ocean wave. Once again, the spirit is gone.

Lloyd questions, "Are you alright, Professor? Are you okay?"

Raine shakily nods as she clutches onto Lloyd and Sheena. "I-I-I'm I'm alright now. I'm alright."

_SHEWAAAAAHHHH!_

A giant pillar of water rises at Colette. The Chosen cries out in exclamation and flies away.

_SHEAAAAAHHH! SHAAAAA! HUAAAAAAHHH!_

Pillars rise up and chase after Colette. No matter where she flies and at what angle, the pillars just keep coming. Colette returns to the platform for just a moment.

_SHEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!_

Another pillar shoots up and whirls around in a horizontal angle and charges right at Colette.

"_Ahhh!_" Colette screams as she flies away.

The roaring pillar of water keeps its path.

Lloyd, Sheena, and Raine all scream in terror and clutch onto each other, knowing that there's nothing they can do to avoid what's coming. The water comes closer and closer and closer—

—and bends right after Colette.

Colette stops at a wall and dodges the hunting water just in time for the water to crash into the wall. Having failed once more, the water splashes down back into a dormant state.

Lloyd, Sheena, and Raine sigh in relief.

Lloyd and Sheena sense something behind them and whip around. A watery rapier swings at them.

"Whoa!" Lloyd cries out as he reflexively blocks. The rapier's blade shoots right through his swords and slices at Sheena just as she dodges. The rapier slashes at Sheena's stomach and cuts a large incision in her kimono but didn't reach far enough to cut her skin. Sheena stumbles back a moment and lashes her cards at Undine once more. Undine twirls her weapon around and performs a vertical slice.

"Guardian Seal!"

A veil of green cards appears just above her as Sheena successfully blocks the oncoming attack. The magical shield bounces Undine off and disrupts her combination for a fraction of a second. Sheena takes advantage of the broken guard and unleashes a series of grueling attacks. Then . . .

"Unison Attack!" Sheena calls out.

Raine begins first. "Photon!"

"Ray Satellite!"

"Sonic Thrust!"

Sheena finishes with Power Seal but stops it midway, forming a large seal of light. She calls out, "Lloyd! Sonic Thrust through this!"

Lloyd whirls his blades around. "Power Thrust!"

The seal breaks and follows Lloyd as he zips right through the seal and Undine. The spirit collapses into mere water once more.

"Is everyone alright?" Raine questions.

"We're fine," Sheena reports.

Colette begins chanting a spell . . .

_SPOOOOSSHHHH!_

Water from the platform rises up and flings everyone up into the air. Lloyd lands on the platform. Colette catches herself and finds Raine about to land back into the water. She zooms after her teacher and catches Raine before the healer falls into the water.

_Splash!_

"_Sheena!_" Lloyd yells out.

Colette gasps and drops Raine onto the platform and dives into the water. Using her mana wings as extra propel, Colette swims after Sheena as she and Undine perform an underwater struggle.

Undine drags Sheena down into the depths of the water as Sheena slaps her cards and kicks at the spirit, slowed by the water's resistance. Sheena jabs her palm onto Undine's face like a punch and momentarily staggers the spirit's form. Sheena squirms against Undine's grasp and continues to kick and claw at Undine's arms. Colette reaches her and clutches onto Sheena's shoulders while the ninja wraps her arms around Colette's neck. The two manage to worm away from Undine enough to where when Undine recovers she only catches hold of Sheena's left leg. Sheena whips her head back down to Undine to glare hostilely. Sheena bends her right leg and jabs her foot into Undine's head, grinding the bottom surface of her boot on the spirit's face. Deciding that this particular struggle wasn't worth it, Undine releases Sheena and allows the two to escape to the surface.

Colette and Sheena break free of the water and gasp for breath before coughing out whatever water was inside them. They land on the platform as Lloyd and Raine rush up to their side.

"Colette! Sheena!" Lloyd cries out. "Are you two okay?"

Colette gasps, "I'm . . . fine . . . !"

Sheena holds a thumb up. "I'm okay," she smugly replies.

Seeing Sheena's new cuts and scratches from the underwater battle, Raine performs First Aid on the ninja.

_SPWOOOSSHH!_

A giant watery horse rises up from the water and stands on the water's surface for a moment as it huffs a mist out of its nose. Colette zips up towards the ceiling and begins chanting an angelic spell while the horse glares at its challengers. Lloyd, Sheena, and Raine prepare themselves as the giant horse-shaped watery form rears up with a roar.

The horse charges with amazing speed. Lloyd dodges to the left while Sheena and Raine dodge to the right, barely making it in time. The horse leaps up and crashes into the water just before Sheena and Raine and sends a giant wave at them. They brace themselves and nearly get dislodged from the platform. When they open their eyes they find hooves risen up to drop down onto their heads.

"Whoa!" Sheena yelps as she dodges back. Raine tumbles down to the side just before the hooves slam onto the platform with incredible force.

"Holy Song!" Colette shouts out. Pink light fills the entire room and illuminates Lloyd, Sheena, Raine, and Colette at the end.

The horse lashes around at Sheena, its aqua green tail whipping at Raine's face. Raine is sent flying back in a barrel roll and harshly lands on the altar. Raine gets up with a groan and realizes that all she has are minor bruises for something that should have at least broken one of her ribs.

The horse whinnies and charges through the entire platform, knocking both Sheena and Lloyd down. The form whirls around and charges once more.

"Guardian!"

"Guardian Seal!"

"Force Field!"

Each of the three are merely knocked off their footing as their protective veils shield them from the attack.

"Angel Feathers!"

Colette's chakrams race at the horse but only manage to slice at its hindquarters as the horse begins to charge once more. Sheena braces herself . . .

"Force Field!" Raine cries as the horse passes through her.

Sheena prepares for an attack . . .

The horse created from water gets right to her.

"PYRE SEAL!"

Using as much strength as possible, Sheena unleashes her attack and sends the horse flying back. It lands on its back and crashes into a rush of water with Undine fallen on her back.

"Corrine!" Sheena calls.

Corrine appears with a puff of smoke and falls on Undine's head as the spirit gets back to standing. Corrine bites and claws on Undine's head and hair as Sheena zips in and starts her attack—

Undine whirls around in a spin, sending Sheena and Corrine flying back. The spirit draws her rapier and attacks Sheena.

Lloyd blocks Undine's attack and dislodges the rapier from Undine's hand. He slashes three times, lashes Demon Fang, and ends with Beast, sending Undine back to the ground. He turns to Sheena and asks, "Are you alright?"

Sheena leaps onto her feet. "I'm fine. How's Corrine?"

Colette calls out, "Corrine's fine! Professor Sage and I have him!"

Sheena shouts, "Alright! From here on out, I'm fighting!"

With that the ninja charges at Undine and lashes her cards at the spirit. As soon as her combo was over, Sheena leaps back to avoid any counterattacks. Water rushes up and envelopes Undine like a dress scarf, lacing around her arms. Undine twirls as if she were dancing with the watery scarf whipping through everything around her.

"Whoa! Yah!" Sheena yips as she evades the twirling attack. Then Sheena ducks under the attack and slaps a card against Undine's legs. Undine staggers to a halt as her attack is disrupted and Sheena lashes into a combo and ends with—

Undine slams Sheena back and sends her falling onto the ground and slices the aquatic scarf through Sheena. Blood seeps through Sheena's wounds and stains her kimono as she leaps back. Her hand slips a card out and flings it out at Undine. It lands on her face—

_BOOM!_

Water flies everywhere from the explosion. When the smoke clears, all that is left is nothing but a tiny puddle.

Colette looks around and returns her attention to the puddle. ". . . Where did she go?"

Corrine twitches his ear before he snaps his face to the altar. "Look! Look! There she is!"

Everyone whirls around and finds Undine, perfectly intact, at the altar. Undine remains still and silent for a moment.

". . . Splendid," Undine's echoing voice puts. "Now, swear your vow. Upon what sort of vow do you form our pact?"

Sheena pauses for a moment before she states, "Right now, at this very moment, there are people who are suffering. I vow to save those people."

Undine nods. "Understood. I pledge my power to you, Sheena!"

Undine fades away into dark blue mana and collects around Sheena before fading away as well. Sheena feels something on her finger and holds it up, revealing a ring with an aquamarine stone resting on the silver band.

Lloyd cheers, "You did it, Sheena!"

Colette agrees, "Yeah, Sheena! You're amazing!"

Sheena turns around and stares at the others. Then an embarrassed grin appears on her face. "Heh, aaah, stop it."

"No, really, you rule!" Lloyd continues. "Oh, man, I can't wait until I get to see you summon Undine!"

Corrine leaps onto Sheena's shoulder. "See, Sheena? Didn't we all tell you that you could do it?"

Sheena smiles in relief. "Yeah, you did tell me."

* * *

The next morning, I moved myself to a chair and sat by the window, watching the sea for any washtubs bobbing in the water. I keep one eye on my spear though as I slowly sharpen its blade. I hear one brief knock on my door before it opens. I don't even look to see who it is since I can easily guess who it is.

". . . Restless?"

"Aren't you?" I ask back.

Silence meets that. Then "Come downstairs. The others are back."

That gets me to turn to gawk at him. "When did they get here? I was watching all morning!"

"They arrived late last night during the twilight hours," Kratos accounts for. "You were already asleep by then."

As I get up to my week feet, I grumble under my breath, "You ass . . ."

He lets me by as I limp my way downstairs. I can already hear the loud chatter Lloyd, Colette, and Genis are making. By the sound of things, everyone managed to survive without Kratos. Thank God.

"Kelsey."

I stop and look back at Kratos. "Yes?"

"Thank you for answering my questions," he casually says.

I pause for a moment. ". . . You're welcome."

* * *

. . . Now I know how important of a member Kratos is. Just like in my fic, I used Lloyd, Sheena, Raine, and Colette in my reference file. I used up so many life bottles gels it's not even funny. I managed to find a little after-battle skit where Sheena died and Raine is scolding her for it and they argue. Raine got the title "Never Say Never" and she didn't die nearly as often as Lloyd and Sheena did. Wow, that was a hard battle.

I should've had Kratos go along since the talking scene was boring as hell but it wouldn't make any sense if he just let the entire thing drop. After the main questions, fyi, Kratos just asked a bunch of little questions.

At least the battle was cool.

One for the reviews, two for the story, three for the get-go and gogogo review everyone.


	35. Fading Like Light

*sigh* . . . I had to delete a vast majority of Through the Brother's Eyes. It was my first chapter fic so it was like my deformed precious child. I couldn't look at that fic without cringing so . . . I'm redoing the entire fic so it matches the quality of what I can write. *sigh* Deleting those chapters hurt so much . . .

Anyway, a lot happens in this chapter, I don't own ToS or anything, yaddah yaddah yaddah . . .

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five: Fading Like Light

On the evening when Sheena made her pact with Undine, everyone returns to the docks completely ecstatic. A mood of festivity and celebration soars out from the five as they leave the dock and enter the House of Salvation hosting the washtub docks.

"And when that water tower chased after Colette and was charging right at us, I thought we were going to get rammed over for sure!" Lloyd excitedly retells.

"The water horse that Undine turned into was so pretty and so fast!" Colette adds.

"All the valuable data I just collected is just wonderful! I have seen firsthand at how a pact is made!" Raine gushes.

"I did it!" Sheena simply goes. "I really did it! I made a pact!"

Genis sighs, "And I had to miss out on all of it."

"The five of you are making quite a stir."

They look up and find Kratos on the stairs. Lloyd grins and bursts, "Kratos! You should have come! Sheena made the pact with Undine!"

Kratos' eyes go wide in genuine surprise. "She made a pact with Undine?"

Sheena raises her chin in pride and challenge. "Yeah I made the pact! Did you think I was going to fail?"

Kratos stares for a moment before regaining his usual expression. "Congratulations."

Feeling some anticlimax yet seeing that such a response out of Kratos is rare, Sheena just replies, "Thank you."

When Kratos makes it to the foot of the stairs, Lloyd rushes to the mercenary and tells, "Kratos, you should have seen it! That battle was so cool! Undine was using all the water to dunk us under and she nearly got the Professor and she did get Sheena under! Then she turned herself into a giant horse made of water for some reason and started ramming us down and jumping all over the place! It was kind of frightening but it was . . ."

As Lloyd continues, an expression of contentment appears on Kratos' face as he listens to the boy's words.

". . . and she was so powerful, Kratos! I'll bet she's a hundred times stronger than you!"

Genis hears Lloyd and remarks, "Of course Undine is stronger than Kratos. Undine is a summon spirit. Kratos is just a human."

"Genis!" Lloyd carps. Then he turns back to Kratos. "But I really wish you were there! You missed out on a lot!"

Kratos shakes his head. "Don't forget that we have one member in our group that is unable to completely care for herself."

Lloyd's face droops as he remembers this somber fact. "Ah, how is Kelsey? Is she awake?" Then he gains back a bit of his happier perks. "Let's get her down here! I know she'll want to hear about Undine!"

Kratos blocks his path. "She turned in early and is already asleep. Whenever she was presented with an excuse to move, she would abandon her cane and attempt to walk at a normal pace. She only settled down when she finally exhausted herself. It would be best not to wake her."

"Awww."

"You can tell her in the morning over breakfast."

Genis calls over, "Hey, Lloyd! I just asked everyone else what they want so what do you want to eat?"

Lloyd turns and chirps, "Anything!"

Genis goes, "That's no fun, Lloyd!"

"But it's true!" Lloyd continues. "I like anything you make!"

Genis smirks. "Alright then. How about shortcake?"

Lloyd frowns. "Ah . . . Something with more substance? Shortcake is a dessert."

Genis goes on, "Then how about miso stew?"

Lloyd frowns even deeper. "Uh, I don't really . . ."

"Or pescatore?"

"No!" Lloyd and Kratos say in unison.

"Ahahahahah! It's alright. Nothing with tomatoes," Genis laughs. "How about risotto?"

Lloyd cheers up. "That's great, Genis! Could you add mushrooms?"

As Lloyd leaves to rejoin the others, Kratos watches Lloyd for a moment and gains that content smile once more.

* * *

Upon waking up, that morning, I decided to sit at my only window from the earliest of the hours to when everyone returned. I saw the sun rise so silently, so beautifully, from soft grays to warm yellows. Little did I know that everyone was still in bed just across the hall from my room.

Until Kratos told me when they were all downstairs and making breakfast, that is.

Still a little miffed after being told ten seconds ago that the very people I was waiting for were already here, I ignore Kratos as he follows me downstairs letting my handicapped self go down first. As soon as I make it down, the smell of omelets and the sound of my noisy comrades greets me.

"Good morning!" Colette chirps. "Want an omelet?"

Genis lists off, "There are plain omelets, cheese omelets, and mushroom omelets."

"'Mushroom' omelets?" I go.

"I was experimenting a bit from yesterday's leftover mushrooms," he admits.

"Okay . . . ?" I respond as I make it to them. "I'll take a plain omelet."

When my breakfast is handed to me, I settle down and listen as they chatter on and on about the pact, filling me in on every little detail. I listen with fascination as they describe the battle between Sheena, Lloyd, Colette, and Raine against Undine. Raine is overly ecstatic as she's writing down notes at this very moment with her cooling cheese omelet sitting undetected at her side. Lloyd and Colette continue on and on about the battle and Genis is listening and making comments about how he wishes he could've seen the battle too. To be honest, I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed at all the attention but then again it's very nice to be talked to. Usually I just sit at the side. To be in the open like this is . . . is really . . . nice.

When breakfast was done, everyone wanted to get and go to Lake Umacy right then and there. Raine put a stop to that and said that we'll stop at Asgard and restock in supplies. There was a little complaining but not enough to put up any hopes for any sort of debate.

At about two in the afternoon, everyone was packing and ready.

Lloyd pushes the meager bag he has onto the wagon while Sheena sets the supplies there. "So, Sheena, what is it like to have a pact?"

"Huh?" Sheena pauses but then answers, "Oh. Well you just feel all this energy that doesn't belong to you welling up inside of you and will do anything you want it to do. It's like suddenly have a wave of energy flooding inside of you or just trickling in."

As Kratos and Genis walk up with their own respective bags, Lloyd awes, "Wow. You rule, Sheena!"

"Ahh, not really," Sheena bashfully responds.

"No, really, you do!" Lloyd cheers. "I can't wait to see you summon Undine! Then to see you use her power in battle! Then what if you can make pacts with other summon spirits?"

As Kratos sets his things and then Genis' things into the wagon, the mercenary reminds, "We need to focus on the world regeneration journey. The only reason why we went out to make a pact with Undine is so that we can get the unicorn horn and cure Pietro and perhaps even Kelsey just as we promised. Going around and making pacts with other summon spirits will only needlessly delay our efforts."

Then Kratos adds, "Besides, won't you get bored halfway through?"

"No I won't!" Lloyd protests. "I'm not going to get bored halfway through!"

Genis confirms, "Yes you would. You get bored halfway through each time we go through a seal. Then you get bored halfway through Raine's lessons. You get bored halfway through everything."

"Shut up," Lloyd counters. "I'm interested so I'm excited, okay?"

Kratos calmly says, "It's good that you're interested but . . ."

Genis finishes, "The problem is how you don't put in enough patience to last."

Lloyd gripes, "Shut up! Stop ganging up on me!"

"Stop telling us to shut up!" Genis yells.

"We're talking about your attitude!" Kratos growls.

"_Shut up! All of you!_"

Lloyd, Genis, Kratos, and Sheena jump at the sudden loud voice and find Raine glaring the three males down with Colette and me watching just behind the healer. Lloyd, Genis, and Kratos go silent after muttering apologies and "yes ma'am"s and return to packing up. They don't even complain or make a single note as Raine shoves our belongings into their arms for them to load. Then she rubs it in a little more by taking Punky's reins. Sheena just watches with bewilderment.

On the way to Asgard, our main checkpoint, we passed the time in the wagon by playing games like word games (Genis and Raine won them), simply talking, or working on homework (Lloyd can't escape here). Whenever monsters approached, four of us would go out to finish the monsters while the rest (including me) would remain at the wagon and watch the horses. Then when it was over Raine would patch everyone up and we would be on our way. On the second day out, as we were about to get to Hakonesia Peak, it's duly noted that I'm getting fidgety after each battle.

Genis wonders, "What's wrong, Kelsey? You seem really restless."

". . . grumble grumble wanna fight grumble grumble feeling useless grumble grumble doesn't matter grumble grumble . . ."

Genis looses a bit of his good humor. "I'm sorry but I don't speak in grumbles."

"I understand Grumble," Raine coolly states. "I can translate. She is fidgety because she wants to fight but feels useless because of her injured leg. However, she's dismissing it since she is just complaining."

"You must have had a lot of experience with cranky teenagers," I remark.

"I was Iselia's only school teacher for a time," Raine explains. "I had to learn what they were saying."

Genis says, "But Kelsey, if you really want to fight then why don't you cast spells? We all know you can. Lloyd told us."

I glance sideways at Lloyd. "I sense a gossip in our midst."

"What's wrong with casting spells?" Lloyd defends. "Genis, Raine, Colette, and Kratos can cast spells—and Sheena has those weird cards!"

"My cards aren't weird!"

"I wish I could cast spells," Lloyd finishes. "Heal myself or make monsters explode . . ."

Genis speculates, "I wonder if there's a spell that can make monsters explode from the inside."

Colette cringes. "Ewww! No, Genis! That's cruel and nasty!"

I respond with lackluster, "Well that would certainly be quick so the monsters wouldn't feel it before they died."

"Anyway," Lloyd points out, "the point is you can cast spells if you really want to fight."

I hold up my hand in surrender. "Alright. I'll try it out if we get attacked before we reach the unicorn."

"Cool!" Lloyd cheers. "Then after we get the unicorn horn, I'll make sure you don't have an excuse to not use your magic!"

I watch him for a second. ". . . Lloyd? Do you know what will happen once we get the . . ." My words trail off as I see Raine shake her head at me.

Not seeing Raine, Lloyd prompts, "Once we get the what? Once we get the unicorn horn? What do you mean?"

I smile and shake my head. "Nothing. I just answered my own question."

"Ah, okay."

He's going to be so sad when he finds out what happens when a unicorn loses its own horn . . .

* * *

Upon arriving at Asgard, everyone was sent out to stock up on supplies. Genis and I went out to collect necessary ingredients for food, Raine and Kratos went out to gather medical provisions, and Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena went out to get, well, everything else (which can roughly translate into "I don't remember what they were sent to get"). Anyway, Genis and I are going over ingredients. Since it's winter, there's not a lot to choose from.

I hold up a vegetable for Genis to see. "This one isn't too bruised, is it?"

Genis frowns as he examines it. "No, I guess not. Put it in the basket."

After making our selection, we go up to pay for our selection. However, the vendor glares at Genis and switches to me.

"I don't care if you're human," the vendor sneers. "You're with him. I don't sell to his kind."

I prickle up. "'His kind'?"

The vendor glares at me like I'm some sort of idiot. "Half-elves, you stupid b**ch!"

This asshole is lucky that I'm not typically a violent person. I pull out my money purse and snip, "One, he's an elf, you idiot, or are you blind? Two, I'm the one who's paying so it doesn't really matter."

The vendor's face twists as if smelling something bad. Reluctantly, he tells me what the price is and I pay for it out of my savings (the savings that I've been keeping ever since I started journeying with this group). I grab the basket and leave with a huff. I look around and spot Raine and Kratos.

I point out, "Look, there's Raine and Kratos. Let's catch up to them."

"Kelsey . . ."

I turn around and face Genis. "What is it?"

He looks around to make sure no one is listening and reminds, "You're a half-elf too."

"I know that," I reply. "If he wants to think I'm human then I'm not going to stop him."

Genis nods. ". . . Is it really true that you thought you were human your whole life? Raine told me and . . . to be honest, I find it a bit unbelievable."

I shrug. "I didn't have anyone around me to tell me what I was or to explain a few things until I got to Palmacosta—and then it was just assumed that I knew. I guess part of the reason why I didn't know was because I look human, aside from my hair."

Aside from the fact that I'm from Earth.

Genis continues, "Still, wouldn't you have noticed the half-elf discrimination? Didn't some people around you notice that red hair is more often seen among half-elves?"

"It wasn't part of my life."

Genis' eyes go wide with disbelief.

I clarify, "My family focused on getting through day-to-day life and bigotry doesn't put food on the table. Also, I consider my family as my life since that's who I was mainly around. I know about discrimination but I wasn't raised by those kinds of people."

"Well," Genis goes, "what do you think they'll say if they found out?"

I look down. "I . . . I-ah-I don't know. I would like to think they'll accept me but . . . I don't think . . . Well I don't know if . . ."

"I get it . . ."

I don't know if I'll even see them ever again in the first place.

"Though . . ."

I look back at Genis. He finishes, "Thanks for your help back there."

I smile. "Hey, what else could I have done back there?"

". . . Please donate! Every gald counts!"

"Huh?" Genis and I look around. In my peripheral vision I spot Raine and Kratos look in the same direction we're about to investigate. Up in a sloped stairway is a crowd watching a group of people I can't quite discern. One of the announcers is wearing this tacky armor and has spiked red hair fit for an anime convention or Dragon Ball Z. One of the two.

Genis flushes red with anger. "It's _them!_"

"It's who, Genis? I can't quite—Genis? Genis!" Genis storms off to the crowd and starts shoving his way through. I chase after him. "_Genis!_"

I squeeze through the crowd, worming my way through as best as I can. How on earth can Genis get through them so quickly?

"Fakes! I can't believe you're still keeping that up!"

Oh shit . . .

"_Wh-what did you just say?_"

"You heard me! Stop impersonating the Chosen!"

"What's that kid doing?" one person close by goes.

"Hey! Stop insulting the Chosen!" another person exclaims.

I struggle a little harder to get to Genis.

Genis shouts, "These phonies were the same crooks who tricked the Palmacosta government during the fall! They stole the Book of Regeneration and sold it to a collector!"

"How dare you insult the Chosen like this!"

"It's alright," a woman's voice assures. "Some day this boy will understand as well."

"The Chosen is so mature!"

"Stop it!" I shout. "You're all squishing me! I can't breath!"

"Move it! All of you!" I hear Raine's voice command.

"Finally! Someone who can teach this boy some manners!"

Raine gets through (lucky) and announces, "So this is what you were up to, Genis."

"Sis—!"

"I'm ashamed that you decided to participate in this. However . . ."

The crowd goes silent. I worm around closer to the top.

"Think, everyone. Would the kind and generous Chosen who is to save the world ask money from the people suffering at the hands of the Desians? Especially during the winter when every little thing in possession counts towards eating?"

"Wh-wh-wh-what?"

"How dare you say such things!"

The crowd shifts and sways me in one direction. People squeeze into me tighter and tighter—

"OW!" I yelp. "_Get off my foot!_"

"Move out of the way!"

"Excuse me!"

"Eeek! That girl in the purple has a rat in her bra!"

Well that certainly gets everyone's attention.

I struggle through and fight my way to the edge. I'm almost there . . . !

Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena fan out with everyone else there and the impostures. The crowd shifts to accommodate the change in spacing. Three people around me squish me into an awkward position. The only part of me that I manage to free is my left arm.

"Help . . . !" I utter out to the others.

Sheena sees me and heads towards me. With a firm grasp on my hand, Sheena pulls me out of the crowd. She advises, "You have to shove and push them when going through a crowd."

"I did!" I tell her.

"You have to fight harder then," she insists. "Crowds are evil things."

"I know!"

I glance down and find Corrine peeking out from Sheena's front. I grin mockingly.

"Don't call me a rat . . ." Corrine mutely growls.

"I wasn't thinking that," I quietly lie to him.

"Yeah right."

The leader of the imposters, the one with the tacky armor and the red hair that belongs to either an anime convention or Dragon Ball Z (I still can't decide which it belongs to), turns a deeper shade of red and sputters, "_Th-there's another one of you?_"

The mage woman steps to his side. "Jude—ah Lloyd, calm down!"

Lloyd protests, "My name is Lloyd! Not him!"

The crowd boos Lloyd.

"Shut up! My name is Lloyd, too!"

"You don't decide who's named Lloyd and who's not!"

"Just get out of here, you idiot!"

Lloyd stagers in indignant confusion.

Kratos places his hand on Lloyd's shoulder and explains, "'Lloyd' is a really common boy's name. So common that if you shout 'Lloyd' in a crowded street then fifteen men will look around."

Which is probably why Anna and Kratos named him Lloyd.

"What's going on here?"

Out of the crowd worms a man with dark hair and glasses. I look over and recognize Linar. He looks around and his eyes zero in on Raine as soon as he spots her. "Raine! You're here!"

Lloyd's imposter challenges, "You're _friends_ with the Chosen's _imposters?_ Better think again!"

Linar glares at the man, turns about to the crowd, and announces, "Everyone! Raine is the acolyte who preformed for us and her companions are the same people who destroyed the monster who threatened us! I would know since my sister would have been the acolyte had she not bravely volunteered to take her place! This city owes her a debt of respect!"

The crowd mutters to themselves, saying things such as "Come to think of it . . ." "I thought they looked familiar . . ." "Well, Linar wouldn't make this kind of thing up . . ."

Linar continues by aiming his finger at Colette, "Look, everyone! On that girl's chest is the Jewel of the Chosen, which only the Chosen of Regeneration can wear! These people aren't fakes! The real imposters are the ones who took your money!"

The crowd turns their attention at the imposters and glowers and murmurs hostilely. The imposters back away slowly. Kratos and Raine yank Lloyd, Genis, and Colette back while Sheena yanks Linar and me out of the way.

"I want my money back, you conmen!"

"Arrest them!"

"They should be punished for impersonating the Chosen and framing her and her companions like that!"

"Get them!"

In an instant, the entire crowd struggles and races through the narrow stairway grasping for the imposters. The four rush away in a panic, flying for cover. Suddenly, Genis' imposter stereotypically trips on an awkward stair step and is overcome and trapped by the crowd.

"Got one!"

"Hang him!"

"Give him to the church for justice!"

The girl in yellow whips around and starts to head back. "CHRIS!"

The leader with the funky hair grabs the girl and pulls her up the stairs. "Forget him, Coleen! He's a goner!"

"_Jude!_" Genis' imposter Chris cries.

"He's your brother!" Coleen exclaims.

"He's done for!" Jude shoves her up and hurries away.

"JUUUUUDE!" Chris wails as he sees his brother and two friends race away. The crowd consumes him . . .

"STOP!"

Using her wings to escape the crowd, Colette descends down and tugs Chris away from their hands. As her wings dissipate, she scowls at them in a scolding way before she addresses the imposter. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"

Chris is stunned into silence. All he does is shake his head in response.

Colette relaxes. "There . . ." She asks, "Will you return everyone's money?"

Chris pauses before he nods his head. He slips off the bag on his back and hands it to her. Colette takes it and sets it aside.

Chris mumbles, "You . . . saved my . . . life . . ."

Colette looks at him. "What else could I do?"

"Let me get arrested . . . I didn't want to do this in the first place . . ."

Colette wonders, "If you know that this is wrong, will you tell the others not to steal from people anymore?"

Chris stares at her and nods wildly. "Yes! I promise! You saved my life!"

"Alright, then." Colette faces the crowd and raises her hands as if she were parting the Red Sea. "Everyone! Please let him go!"

The waves of crowds part before her and allow Chris to safely tread away, while giving Colette glances back with a blush on his face. As soon as he disappears, the crowd falls in and moves into her.

"The Chosen is so forgiving and gracious!"

"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you!"

"I knew there was something fishy about them!"

"You're so wonderful!"

Colette is used to people crowding her and showering her with compliments, but this is too much for her. Colette graciously accepts each compliment as she searches through the sea of people for someone. "Yes, yes, thank you . . . Lloyd!"

"Yes?"

"Yes, Chosen One?"

"Did you want me?"

Our own Lloyd struggles through the adoring crowd. "I'm here, Colette!"

Colette reaches out and grasps his hand. Colette speaks with emphasis in her voice, "We have to—go! Go! We have errands to finish! So we have to go!"

The crowd doesn't take a hint.

"What? No!"

"Don't leave, Chosen One!"

"Let us make all that up for you!"

"Let us do your errands! We gladly will!"

Colette sighs.

"Out of the way!" shouts an old man. "Can't you see that the Chosen needs to leave? How rude of you all to hold her here just for yourselves!"

The crowd quiets. The old man turns to Colette. "I'm sorry for all that, Chosen One. I will personally make sure they will give you your peace. However, I share their sentiments. At least allow me to provide you rooms in my family's inn. I offer them for free."

"Um . . ." Colette goes.

Lloyd states, "Let's accept this, Colette. It's not every day an innkeeper gives us free rooms."

"Okay."

* * *

April eighteenth. Wow. It's been a while since I put a date as memorable.

Anyway, on the day we left Asgard, we stuck to the main roads for a while, turning up already-disturbed snow along the paths, and only went off the paths when it was time to head for Lake Umacy. At that point, some of our moods turned grim whenever Lloyd, Colette, and Genis weren't looking. I don't really know if letting the unicorn willingly die is a good thing or a bad thing. Yes, the unicorn dying is a really bad thing, but that horn will be able to save Pietro, Clara, and the rest of us if something goes wrong, and then let's not forget Altessa when Mithos blows him to pieces. I don't want this sacrifice to be necessary but this is how reality played it out. Even still, this isn't murder. No one will force the unicorn to give up its horn, which will absolutely be murder. The unicorn will voluntarily offer its horn to heal these lives, knowing that it surrendered its life, knowing that some of us are innocently ignorant of this sacrifice. In other words, I'm rather indecisive about how to regard this situation.

When the trees begin to illuminate with that whitewash glow, time seems to speed up. I distract myself into the wonder of the unicorn's effect on the environment, that life filled aura that keeps giving to everything around, focusing on every little detail, trying to catch and etch everything into my mind. Then when I see the lake . . . It's so beautiful. I feel the urge to dip my hands into that cool water and bask in that energy . . .

The mana however . . .

My hands twitch in pain at the very thought of the after effects of feeling the condensed mana. I need to find a way to get home before the Great Seed sprouts and fills the entire world with mana.

The wagon stops and Sheena gets out and approaches the water. "Gather around, everyone. I'll summon Undine and have her take us to the unicorn."

"Alright!" Lloyd hops out of the wagon and hurries to Sheena. Kratos attempts to stop Lloyd by grabbing his shoulder and misses. In light of that, Kratos quickly wraps his fingers around Lloyd's streamers and grips tightly.

"ACK!" Lloyd chokes as he falls back. He gets up as Kratos releases him. "Kratos! One of these days I'll yank your cape around while you choke on that!"

Kratos ignores that as he states, "Not all of us can go see the unicorn."

Genis frowns as he is halfway to Sheena. "Why not? If Undine has us walk underwater to the unicorn then Kelsey's the only one who will have to stay."

Kratos pauses for a moment (probably wondering why this little fact about unicorns was forgotten) and explains, "A unicorn can only be approached by a pure maiden. At the least, Lloyd, Genis, and I are out."

Lloyd pouts, "Humph. He's pretty picky if he'll only talk to girls." He shakes it off and recounts everyone. "So then it's Colette, Professor Sage—"

"I won't be going," Raine flatly interrupts.

Colette tilts her head. "Why not, Professor? You're a girl so you can approach the unicorn."

"Well . . ." Raine clears her throat. "Only a pure maiden can approach the unicorn. A maiden. And since I am an adult, that would mean I am no longer a maiden. So in consequence, I cannot approach the unicorn."

Genis goes, "That doesn't make sense. You're twenty-four! I'd say you're still in your prime."

"Well, Genis, that is just how it works out. I have no say in the rules."

Nice save, Raine. She avoided telling her brother and everyone around that she's no longer a virgin.

Then Lloyd corrects, "Well, then that leaves only . . ."

Raine finishes for him, "Colette and Kelsey, but I don't want them going alone. This is quite a dilemma."

Sheena blushes blood red. "Hey! Are you saying that I'm not qualified?"

Raine's eyes narrow. "A pure maiden wouldn't dress in such fashion."

Sheena jabs her finger at the lake. "I'll prove it to you! I'll march right up to that unicorn and stroke its neck while you can't take a step near it!"

"Sheena, what are you talking about?"

Sheena blushes magenta as she realizes that three innocent-minded people watch and listen to she and Raine's argument over the ninja's virginity. Sheena's blush grows in intensity as she mutters, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

I get out of the wagon. "So if we're talking about nothing then let's work on something. We need to help Clara and Pietro."

Things calm down with the goal back in mind. As I catch up to Colette and Sheena, Sheena calls out, "I summon the Maiden of the Mist! Come, Undine!"

A form of water fades into existence just above the water's surface and shapes into Undine. Her gown, her hair, everything moves as if she were underwater. She speaks, her voice echoing, "Yes?"

Sheena commands, "Take us to the unicorn!"

"As you wish."

Undine fades into nothingness while a stairway constructed by luminous deep blue steps. They vaguely reminded me of the magical stairways from Kingdom Hearts, but that's just my video gamer side that can be ignored.

I watch the steps warily. Am I instantly out or something? . . . Ah, screw it. I'm going to go see the unicorn. Why miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime chance? Despite the fact this will end depressingly.

After Sheena and Colette, I step into the water and prepare myself for some . . . huh? All I feel is wet and lots of mana . . . Okay . . . Well, no sense in jinxing myself about the "oh the killer mana isn't hurting me" by stating the obvious and so I just hurry on. I step through the water and down the stairs.

The stairway Undine created somehow lets us move as if we were walking on land. We breathe as if the water is air. Water flows, catching at our clothes and hair yet we feel as if we remain dry. Fish swim by and dart around us and regroup before continuing on their destination. It's really . . . surreal.

It takes us a long while before we reach the unicorn. It sleeps on the sandy lake bed as we come closer and closer. The unicorn itself, it's just gorgeous. Its flesh appears to be a physical incarnation of light, dimming in some areas and growing in intensity in others, casting shadows on its surroundings while lighting up the darkness around it. Everything around seems to be dull and lifeless in comparison to this beautiful creature. We step onto the pale sand of the lake bed, and the unicorn rises.

_. . . Martel?_

We stop in confusion at the echoing male voice, so light and ancient. The unicorn rests in a kneeled position as it gazes towards us with milky eyes.

"Martel?" Colette goes. "No, we're not the Goddess Martel. I'm Colette and this is Sheena and Kelsey."

_You are not Martel?_

The unicorn rises to its feet and slowly approaches us. The white mane and tail streams along with the current of the water.

_But this mana . . . this sickness . . . there is no imitating these things. Even in my blindness, I know. You are Martel._

Sheena glances at Colette. "'Sickness'?"

Colette shakes her head. "I'm not the Goddess Martel. I'm Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration."

The unicorn closes its blind eyes. _The Chosen of Regeneration? Ahhh. That would explain._

Sheena asks, "You said Colette is sick. What do you mean?"

The unicorn opens its eyes and turns to Sheena as if it can see her. _She has the sickness that I was destined to cure. The mana inside her body rages out of control._

Now alarmed, Sheena desperately inquires, "Then can't you cure her? You're a unicorn after all!"

Colette interrupts, "It's nothing, Sheena!"

Sheena sternly replies, "No, it's not nothing! Mana is the source of life and if yours is going out of control then—"

"Sheena!" Colette goes, "I promise that I'll explain later, but it's not about me right now. Right now, there are other people who are suffering and they need to be healed."

Sheena stares with wide eyes at Colette. "Colette . . ."

Colette turns to the unicorn. "Please, we promised to heal these people but the only way we can cure them is if we have your horn. If they aren't cured then they will die. I don't want that to happen."

Sheena and I exchange glances. I sadly frown and we both turn back to see how the unicorn will respond.

The unicorn's eyes are once again closed, this time with deep thought. _. . . I see. So you desire my horn for the sake of others you name in your heart._ He opens his eyes. _. . . Take it._

I stammer a protest, "Wait, are you sure? This will . . ."

_For the sake of those who will gain another chance to see the sun should my horn cure them of their ailment._

The unicorn bows down and offers his horn to Colette.

_Go ahead. Take it. It will be as if you were picking a flower._

Colette grasps onto the horn and gently pulls on it. It comes off without even a sound and appears to be a clear cut. The unicorn straightens back to a stand and appears to be nothing but a white horse. The light fades away until only the unicorn is visible in the darkness.

Colette glances around. "What's going on?"

Sheena utters, "I . . . I hoped that this part was just a myth . . ."

"What do you mean?" Colette asks.

I hesitantly answer, "Colette, he's dying."

"What?" she exclaims.

I take a breath and explain, "When a unicorn loses its horn, it dies."

"_What?_" She turns back to the unicorn to find his entire body fading into nothing. "No! No! Take it back!" Colette shoves the horn back to the unicorn. "Take it back! You have to live!"

The unicorn takes a step away from his own horn. _This is entirely my own choice. This is no murder or forced circumstances or cowardly suicide. I sense the lives that will be saved if I surrender my horn to honest traveling hands rather than remain inside the heart of this lake. This is my choice. I ask that you respect it by fully accepting it._

"But . . ." Colette continues.

_Do not be saddened. In my death, a new life is born and others are given a second chance. There is no sorrow to be felt on such occasions._

Colette unconsciously pulls the horn back in her arms as she watches the unicorn slowly disappear. Her breathing is erratic, as if in hysterics and about to cry, and her eyes are wide with sorrow. Sheena, on the other hand, seems calm when in reality she shudders as if holding back tears. Since I myself am not feeling any tears coming despite knowing that this would happen, I look back at the unicorn. Still, I feel nothing but a numbness as his form vanishes from sight, as if sorrow would be too much.

The unicorn is now gone . . .

There is a grave silence inside the dark lake. Unseen fish go by in the darkness without detection. Undine's stairway waits patiently for us to return to land.

". . . The two of you knew . . . that this would happen . . ." Colette quietly states.

There is a pause. Sheena then answers, "All I heard was just a legend that so happened to be true. I didn't know if it was true or not until now."

"Still . . ." Colette insists. "You should've . . . told us . . ."

I begin to state that she, Genis, and Lloyd were the only ones who didn't know but stop. That won't help if I say that. Instead, I inform, "If the unicorn didn't want to give us his horn then he wouldn't have and we would be walking back with no horn right now. Yes, this innocent and pure life is now dead . . . but this wasn't murder. He chose this all by himself. That, I think, is what really matters about this."

With that, I add, "We should use the horn to save Pietro and Clara and any other lives that will need it to survive, just as he wanted us to do with it."

Sheena glances at me then addresses Colette. "She's right. The most we can do to honor his sacrifice is use the horn to save others."

Colette sighs, "I know. You're right. But . . . still . . . it's so sad . . ."

So sad that such an innocent and pure and giving being is now dead.

* * *

The stairs disappear just as we take a full step onto land, completely dry despite the fact we were fully submerged under the lake. We approach everyone as if in a funeral procession. Raine and Kratos are already grim while Lloyd and Genis' cheerful moods drop at the look of our expressions. Lloyd walks towards us.

"Colette . . . Guys . . . What's wrong?" he hesitantly asks.

Colette is now unable to speak in her grief and just holds up the horn with a whimper to explain.

Lloyd just stares at it, not understanding her meaning. "You got the horn. Now we can use it to save Clara and Pietro! But . . . why are you three so . . ."

"So, the unicorn is dead . . ." Kratos sadly replies.

Shock overcomes Lloyd and Genis.

"What?" Genis exclaims. "Dead? But-but-but . . ."

Raine explains in a cheerless tone, "When a unicorn loses its horn, it loses its life."

"Wait, so it—it . . . died?" Lloyd goes in shock. "So . . . does that mean . . ."

"He gave up his life fully willingly," I monotonously state.

Kratos asks, "What does the horn base look like? If it was taken against the unicorn's will, then the base would be jagged and there would be blood staining the base of the horn."

Lloyd gently takes the horn from Colette's trembling hands and observes, "The base is smooth and flat, like it was carved. It's completely white."

Kratos nods. "See? This isn't entirely tragic."

"Still . . ." Genis goes.

Raine wonders, "Do any of you remember that the unicorn is a symbol of death and rebirth, much like the mythical firebird of Triet?"

We all turn to Raine. She murmurs, ". . . I see my students don't . . ."

I prompt, "Please continue, Professor . . ."

Raine finishes, "When a unicorn dies, a new unicorn is born in its place. As of right now, a young unicorn is coming to life somewhere in the world."

Our faces light up. Colette goes, "So . . . that means . . ."

Raine says, "The unicorn is now reborn. This is the reason why the unicorn is a symbol of death and rebirth."

Colette smiles, her eyes filled with hope. "Then . . . he's okay . . . The unicorn is okay."

Lloyd walks up to Raine and hands her the horn. "Here you go, Professor."

At first Raine is hesitant to touch the horn, but then she remembers that a male, someone else forbidden to even approach a unicorn, is touching the horn and gently takes it with both hands. Her eyes light up with wonder and awe. Then her eyes busy themselves with thought. ". . . Kelsey."

". . . Yes, Professor?"

"Come here," she beckons. "If I can use this unicorn horn to heal . . . then you will be the first to know."

I feel myself shake slightly as I limp to her side. I lean on my right leg and offer my injured left leg to her as she kneels down. I pull up the pant leg covering my bandaged wound as she murmurs First Aid. Nothing to show, no light or visible magic, displays the sudden soft warmth in my leg that eases the aches and pains from my wound. When the warmth fades away, Raine pulls the horn back and unwraps the bandages. My eyes go wide as there are only pale etchings to show that there was a wound at all. Merely skin-deep markings.

Raine mutters, "And this is merely from my amateur attempt . . ."

We awe at the healed leg as I stare at it and take in the fact that I now can do everything that I could do before the injury. I continue to gawk at it, still taking in these facts.

After a pause, Sheena mentions, "Since you can use the horn, can you use it to cure Colette?"

Colette gasps while Lloyd's eyes go wide at the discovery.

Genis asks, "Colette is sick? How?"

Colette covers up, "I-it's nothing. I just have a slight cold. There's nothing to worry about."

"What?" Sheena goes. "The unicorn said that your mana is out of control! That's not 'nothing'! Why are you covering it up?"

Shock goes through all of us.

"Colette . . ." Raine begins.

Colette shakes her head. ". . . I . . . I'm fine. Really."

Genis distressfully states, "But your mana! If the unicorn said it's out of control then it must be! It wouldn't lie about something like that! Colette, mana is the source of life: if there's something wrong with your mana then your very life is in danger!"

"I-i-i-it's . . . I-it's . . ." Colette tries.

Lloyd softly says, "Colette, if you want, then I can tell them . . ."

"Tell us what?" Raine questions.

Lloyd remains silent, waiting for Colette's response. Colette doesn't say a word, but she does nod to him.

Lloyd tells, "Colette . . . can no longer feel anything. She can't eat, or sleep, or feel hot or cold, she can't even cry! Becoming an angel means losing her humanity!"

A definite bomb shell for everyone, especially Sheena, who is stunned into silence.

"So that's the sickness the unicorn referred to," I state.

Raine regards Colette for a moment. "Colette, you said to me that . . ."

"I know, Professor," Colette responds. "Though, really everyone, it's okay. I'm okay, so . . ." She gains a bit of herself back. "Right now, we need to use the horn to cure Pietro and Clara if we find her. Okay?"

Lloyd shakes his head. "No. Not okay. You didn't choose this, Colette!"

"This is the fate of the Chosen," Kratos states. "This is the trial each Chosen must go through in order to regenerate the world."

"No!" Lloyd protests. "I won't accept this! There must be another way!"

Colette points out, "Lloyd, you knew this for a while."

"And it still makes me mad each time I think about it!" Lloyd puts. "It's not fair! It's not fair to you, Colette!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up!" Sheena calls out. "Let me get this straight! In order for Colette to regenerate the world, she has to give up her humanity, like taste and feeling and sleeping? Everything that makes her her?"

"That's right," Lloyd confirms.

"Lloyd's right!" Sheena shouts. "That's not fair and it's not right! Colette, don't you miss tasting the foods you like to eat? Don't you want to sleep when you're tired? What about feeling the warmth of someone's hand when you hold their hand?"

"I, ah, I . . ." Colette shakes her head. "That doesn't matter. What matters is saving this world from the Desians and filling the world with mana. If I don't then everyone will continue to suffer and this world will never be at peace. So I will continue this journey for everyone's sake. I will do this even if I must go alone."

Lloyd steps back in shock at Colette's words. He murmurs to himself, "This isn't right . . ."

* * *

Waaaahhhh! Sob sob! I had to delete so much of my very first chapter story! (protesting is a bunch of skits and therefore doesn't count) Please, everyone! Give me a sympathetic hug! At least a good luck!

Other than that . . . *sniff sob sob* please review . . .


	36. Count the Number of Headaches

You're all gonna hate me later. Every single one of you lol!

Anyway, it's about time I posted again. It's been a while.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six: Count the Number of Headaches

"Now I want you to flex your foot . . ."

I follow Raine's instructions as she inspects my newly healed left leg. So far it's looking like any damage left is all cosmetic. Just a bunch of huge ugly white scars on the back of my leg that I'll be covering up whenever appearances matter. Other than that, it works just fine.

"Balance on your right leg . . ."

As I lift my left leg and stand on my right, I speculate on just how lucky I am. I'm in Tales of Symphonia. It's a world I know relatively well with monsters I can handle and all the characters are unique in their own way. This is quite livable. If I had to be inserted into another game or anime or whatever, it could be worse. I could've been sucked into Final Fantasy VII where the monsters are bigger and meaner and the main villain is crazier than Charles Manson.

"Switch to your left leg . . ."

Speaking of crazy, I could've been sucked into Yu-Gi-Oh of all things. Oh man. I would've become really catty with the remarks whenever a card game went underway.

Yugi: I won't let you win, Marik! The fate of the world depends on it!

Me: If the fate of the world depends on it then why play duel monsters over it? This is all a bunch of nonsense.

Kaiba: Finally, someone else with sense! These idiots make too big a fuss over a card game.

Me: Says the guy who flies around in a Blue Eyes White Dragon private jet.

Yup. I'd be pretty catty. It would be the only thing keeping my sanity in check.

"Now hop on your left leg . . ."

Back to reality (or somewhat back to reality), not everyone's jumping around all happy. Sheena and Lloyd let the cat out of the bag about Colette's angel toxicosis so everyone's in the dumps now, worrying over Colette and wondering how to help her. Genis is especially shaken about this. He really had no idea and is feeling guilty and stupid that he never suspected anything. Then he's angry and hurt that Colette didn't trust him enough to tell him that she was suffering. Lots of drama. Usually I can't tell about these things but it's easy to tell what everyone's feeling at the moment.

Genis looks over just when I started testing myself by hopping back and forth switching legs. He snips, "You're just showing off now. If you're done celebrating over the fact that you're leg got better then help us load the wagon already."

It's especially easy to tell since Genis decided that I'm an easy target to vent his negative feelings at.

I keep my face relatively blank since I don't want Raine to see me glare at her brother. I stop hopping and tell her, "I can test the rest next time we fight monsters. For right now I'll just ride Punky."

Raine gets up from her kneel and states, "Very well. Just don't overdo anything. Your leg may still have some limitations."

"Yes, ma'am." I leave and gather Punky from his post from the now lackluster dead tree. Looking around the landscape, I see the effects that losing the unicorn had on the environment. It's . . . depressing to say the least. Everything seems to have lost the life it once had and definitely lost the light that was granted to them by the unicorn. The only thing that retains that light and life is the unicorn horn itself but even that seems duller in comparison. The snow looks so grey, so lifeless, so lumpy. The lake seems so cold and inhospitable and the edges where the shallowest water is are freezing over, if not already completely frozen. I sigh at the sight of everything and move on to the wagon with Punky in tow.

"So are we heading to Hima?" I ask out loud.

Kratos is the one to answer. "First we leave for Luin and see if we can get the key to the Tower of Mana. Then we hurry to Hima so we can save Pietro's mind before it's too late."

Genis mildly protests, "But we have to go save Pietro now! Why stop in Luin? It's not like we can get any supplies there."

Raine frowns at her brother's continuous attitude and replies, "Luin is on the way to Hima. It would be quick and easy to see if anyone has found the key yet while we stop for a moment. We would need to stop for the horses' sake, in any case, to give them food and water."

Genis mutters before going back to set his sleeping bag snug next to his small bag of belongings. Colette senses part of what's wrong and goes to his side.

"Genis . . ." she begins.

Genis ignores her.

Despite the lack of reaction, Colette continues, "Genis, it's alright. Really. It's all temporary. It isn't as big as it's made out to be."

In the corner of my eye, I see Genis screw his face up in a frustrated sad frown. He pauses for a moment before working on making everyone's bags organized and tightly packed together and secure.

"Genis?" Colette tries. After another short pause Colette sighs and moves away. Raine watches with soft eyes before she goes up to Colette and whispers her explanation why Genis is so upset.

Sheena . . . is in shock. She keeps looking at Colette with astonishment then with deep sympathy rooted in sorrow. Whenever Colette is brought up or she looks at the Chosen, Sheena's eyes cloud over in thought. Call me crazy or say I'm generalizing things but I think she's comparing Colette to Zelos and speculating on how each one would act. I think Zelos is getting the short end of the stick in this unfair comparison. Yes, yes, they're both Chosens so it's not exactly unfair but to me it's entirely unfair since both are completely different people who shouldn't be compared to as if being placed on a scale.

Then again I may be reading too much into this.

I swing myself on Punky's saddle and speculate on how easy it is now whereas how hard it would've been just yesterday before we got the unicorn horn. Onward I go on my horse, tall and proud, feeling a lot of myself return with the confidence I once had. In the corner of my eye, the only one to really take note of my unintended display of my regained abilities is Genis, who huffs at me and turns away, taking this "display" as showing off when Colette still suffers. In reaction, I start to ask in a biting tone what his problem is, but I stop and decide to ignore him. Arguing with him over his begrudging attitude isn't going to help anything. Just as I will soon get used to my leg being useful once again and calm down, Genis will also soon abandon this attitude of his.

* * *

The debate on whether or not to cure Colette of her miserable symptoms goes in circles as we go on. Colette convinced Lloyd, Genis, and Sheena to wait until Pietro is cured and that she'll talk about it once he's okay. She's heavily depending on Kratos' support that the effects of the angel toxicosis is necessary for the Chosen to go through, though because this support is coming from Kratos there isn't a lot of listening to this side of the argument. I keep silent during the entire thing, knowing that inevitably things will continue as they should. Besides, it's not like Boltzman would know how to "cure" angel transformation and manage to write it all down.

We arrive at Luin sometime late in the day. The first thing we do is seek out the chapel. It isn't too hard but I'm not paying attention as I observe my new surroundings. A lot of the debris is being cleared away despite how much winter has hindered everyone's efforts. I imagine once spring comes things will be very different and a new wave of activity will burst through. Some structures are already having their base formations being built. I don't think this village will ever cease to amaze me.

Traveling around, we search for the chapel and are directed to a half-cleared area with a large base foundation where the chapel is supposed to be. Muscular men carry support beams to the area while folks and the priest watch on. We approach the priest and Lloyd is the first to address him, "Excuse me."

The priest turns to him and asks, "What is it?"

Lloyd continues, "We want to get into the Tower of Mana and heard that you had the key. Do you have it?"

The priest comments, "Your timing is impeccable. It was lost ever since this building was destroyed but just this morning it was found beneath the rubble. Though I must ask, why do you need it?"

Colette bows to him, answering, "It's for world regeneration. The Tower of Mana is the next seal."

The priest raises his eyebrows at Colette. "Chosen One! If only I knew you were coming today! I am sorry you must see this . . ."

"No, it's no trouble at all," Colette assures. "However, if there's anything we can do for Luin—"

"No, no, Chosen One," the priest politely denies. "We have enough help as it is for right now. We couldn't force our problems on you."

"But—"

"It's alright, Colette," Raine assures. "This is something the people of Luin want to do for themselves. If they need any help and we have the time, though, we gladly offer our aid."

"She is right, Chosen One," the priest states. "Though should we need your help, we will accept your offer." The priest's hand dips into his pocket and pulls out an elegant key that is coated in dirt. The key's teeth are strangely shaped, resembling something like the tower of Isengard's roof from the Lord of the Rings, completely foreign to how I picture a key to be made. The priest offers the key to us; Lloyd reaches out and takes the key, his eyes skimming over the strange shape.

"This key looks a little . . ."

"The door to the Tower of Mana is structured from magitechnology," the priest explains, "or at least that is what I have been told. That key is the only thing that can open it."

Lloyd promises, "We'll return it as soon as this journey is over."

"There is one thing I must warn you about," the priest adds. "The Tower of Mana was locked away because of how monsters kept multiplying inside the tower. Then, because of the monsters, the church hasn't been able to repair some of the weaker structures like the chandeliers. I advise great caution when you manage to enter the tower."

Someone from the distance calls out a name and the priest instantly leaves to address the caller. My thoughts go to the Tower of Mana and wonder just how much in disrepair that building is. In the game, as far as I recall, everything looks as if it could last forever—obviously not. How are the stairs fairing? Then what about statues and all the huge decoration that could collapse and fall on us?

Raine laments, "What a shame that such a structure is left to disrepair."

"It's to be expected," Kratos points out. "With the amount of monsters increasing as the world continues to decline, it would be obvious that eventually common soldiers would be overpowered."

"It's just a tower," Sheena says. "Can't someone just go in and kill all the monsters?"

"Not if they're too hard to fight," I remind. "The Palmacosta militia would have problems sometimes with local monsters coming too close and attacking whenever they went out to train." A little fact I learned during the month and some days I lived in Palmacosta.

Then I ask, "Are we going to leave right away now that we have the key?"

Lloyd notes, "I think the horses are getting tired so I don't think we should."

Colette confirms, "Lloyd's right. They really are getting tired."

I add, "Well, Punky is getting sluggish. He needs rest."

Raine concedes, "Very well. It isn't as if I have any objections. However, we are in a hurry so we'll be leaving in the morning."

"Alright."

After setting up the horses in the recently finished stables that is situated on the southern islands (where the least amount of construction is due to less damage), we went around buying whatever supplies we could find. Due to the fact that this is, one, winter and, two, Luin is still being reconstructed we only gathered the bare minimum. People still offered us supplies like crazy since we're not only the Chosen's group but also the same people who saved them from the ranch. The former captives were especially generous, even with their food. They claimed that they don't need as much food as they're given since their stomachs get full much faster than everyone else's and try to offer their uneaten food to us. It was very, very hard to politely decline those offers. Fortunately for me, I didn't get cornered with these offers too many times. The ones that got the most attention were Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena. They were bombarded with gifts and offerings expressing the gratitude of the former captives and people of Luin, some offering travel supplies, some offering weapons, and some offering even family treasures. Sheena was even offered a marriage proposal from one young man which created an awkward situation as she flushed red and heartily declined.

As soon as we gathered our wagon and settled our horses, Lloyd pretty much disappeared after that. I heard from Sheena, though, that he disappeared off to his uncle and cousin at the makeshift smithy to help out. Raine and Genis, her little helper, disappeared as well, probably to help heal injuries caused by the construction. Then it was Sheena's turn to cook and Colette wanted to help so they were occupied. I basically took advantage of half our group disappearing and stayed with the horses to get some peace and quiet. As fun as it is to be with these people, I'm still an introvert who loves alone time. I went down to the stables to take care of the horses and spoil my own horse. The peaceful quiet there is in contrast to all the hustle and bustle of construction is so wonderful . . .

Wait a minute. Lloyd, Genis, and Raine went out to help, Sheena and Colette are cooking, and I'm here . . . so where's Kratos? Oh god, please don't let him be behind me . . . I turn my head around expecting to see a huge mass of violet at the stable entrance, but—to my relief—I find only an empty doorway revealing the work outside. No Kratos to come and badger me with questions about my life on Earth . . . yet . . . As I turn back to Punky and coo at him, I conclude that I must be getting paranoid. Sure, Kratos is a bit nosy but he has a life of his own and also realizes that I don't really like dwelling on the fact that I'm—

"So you're here. Just as I suspected."

Damn. I spoke too soon.

I speak as evenly as I can, "Is there something you need?"

Kratos steps around and takes a specific horse (not one of ours, it must belong to the village itself) by the reins and guides the horse out. "No. I'm just adding my abilities to Luin's disposal for the time being."

"And why did you suspect that I was here?"

"You were the only one who no one knew where you were so I took a speculating guess."

Kratos leaves with the horse.

. . . Yeah I'm getting paranoid.

* * *

"You be safe, understand?"

"Yes, Aunt Elizabeth. I'll be safe. Stop worrying about me."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me."

As Lloyd tiredly drones to his aunt trying to get the message across that he can take care of himself, the rest of us just watch as the two interact. Colette won't stop smiling and chirping at the two despite how early it is so she's really getting on my nerves. A part of me is wishing that I had duck tape to smack onto her noisy mouth and then duck tape Lloyd and Elizabeth so I could have some peace and quiet in the morning, but that would cause too much of a stir as people yell at me for doing that so I'll just settle with smacking imaginary duck tape on their faces.

"So here are some supplies—"

"More supplies? People have been just giving all this away! You need it more than us!"

"You are the one who's traveling around during the winter. You need this more than us."

"Aunt Elizabeth . . ."

Raine says, "Just accept it, Lloyd. You know she wishes the best for you."

Lloyd sighs and takes the bag of supplies. "I know. It just gets really old and I don't feel right taking this."

Elizabeth reaches a nerve. "Just shut up and take it. It's better using it than wishing you took it with you."

Lloyd stares at his aunt in mild surprise at her tone as Elizabeth forces the bag in Lloyd's hands and steps away. She changes moods and merrily bids farewell.

"When you get to Hima, tell Ephraim to bring some extra hay," she adds.

Genis asks, "Isn't Ephraim here?"

"He left two days ago to bring work horses from his ranch," Elizabeth explains. "Useful occupation and he loves it but I think he misses painting."

"He painted?" Lloyd goes.

Elizabeth casually waves them off. "I will see you again. Take care."

We wave goodbye and move along with the snow trodden underneath us. Our trip to Hima this time feels a lot more peaceful and less hectic despite the fact that we're still in a hurry to save Pietro. We follow the main road until we reach the trail leading up to the mountain short cut to Hima and follow that. Then, even though it seems more secure, we avoided the ledges that were barren of snow and the earth was warm starting from the caves. The snow was fresh . . . aside from the giant indentions indicating the presence of dragons. Just as last time, the horses were always on edge until we started approaching Hima.

When we pass by Ephraim's horse ranch, Lloyd asked if they could just stop for a moment and see if he was there since Elizabeth said he was bringing work horses to Luin. When Raine reminded him of why we were even at Luin in the first place he got quiet and continued moving on. Then, we enter Hima . . .

"We need to save Pietro as soon as we can," Lloyd states. "He was staying with Sophia so . . . Uh . . ." He hesitates for a moment. ". . . Which house is Sophia's house again?"

"I remember," Genis says. "It was the house with the blue roof. Let's hurry!"

Sheena is the first one to the door and she practically bangs her fist on the door. "Sophia! Open up! We're here! We can cure him!"

After three or four knocks, Sophia swings the door open. Her frown and worry lines have deepened, her hair is a mess with straying locks and strings of hair sticking out of her hair cap, her dress is rumpled, and she looks a little dirty. As soon as she sees us a light in her eyes appears and she practically leaps aside and forcefully ushers us in. "Quickly! Upstairs in the right-hand room! You're just in the nick of time . . ."

Raine, with Boltzman's healing spell book in her hands, races inside, up the stairs, and into the room. Sheena and Lloyd bolt after her with Genis and me behind them followed by Colette then Kratos. Colette trips and, well, she's right on my tail so she falls on top of me up the stairs. Weighed by Colette's tumble, I epically collapse onto the stairs.

"OOWWWwwwww!" I cry out as the stairs hit my cheek, right funny bone, and my right hip.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Kratos stops halfway up the stairs, looks up to see if anyone else will assist the two of us, realizes that he's the only one that stopped, and just sighs before fishing out an icepack.

He was still . . . motionless . . . lifeless, aside from breathing and the occasional flutter of his eyelids . . . Pietro's breathing is shallow, almost unnoticeable. His skin, pale, is cool to Raine's touch as she checks his pulse along with certain other conditions. She reviews the specific page concerning the curse in Boltzman's Book of Healing Spells and Techniques before she sets the aged book aside, draws out the unicorn horn, and holds it above Pietro's forehead.

"Unicorn horn . . . grant me your power . . ." Raine begins murmuring words and sounds, almost chanting them in a soft, comforting tone. The horn glistens delicately with light as color returns to Pietro's skin, his breathing begins to take in deeper and slower breaths, and his eyes relax with small natural flickers. The horn dims back to its usual sheen, and Pietro remains still, yet just appearing as if he were merely napping.

Sheena and Sophia anxiously lean towards Pietro. Sheena is the one to speak first, "Is he alright? He looks a lot better now but . . ."

As she packs away the horn and the book, Raine reassures, "He's fine. He just needs some time to rest. He may even wake up soon but don't expect it."

By the time Kratos, Colette, and I catch up, Pietro is starting to stir. With a melting icepack on my eye, I ask, "What did we miss? There was an epic crash on the stairs."

"I'm sorry!"

"For the millionth time, please stop apologizing, Colette. It isn't your fault."

Genis states, "We cured Pietro! Now he's waking up!"

"Shh!" Sheena shushes. "Speak softly!"

Pietro stirs and shifts as he groans while he wakes up. Sophia tenderly kneels by his side and keeps watch for any way to aid him. His eyes flicker open . . .

"Ugh . . ." Pietro croaks out.

"Pietro!" Sophia softly cries. "You're awake! You're finally awake!"

Pietro stiffly reaches his hand up and harshly rubs his face as if trying to scrub something off. He takes in a deep breath and focuses his attention to whoever addressed him. His eyes widen in knowledge. ". . . Sophia! Wha . . . What happened?"

"Shhhhh . . ." Sophia hushes. "You were just really sick. Sheena . . . do you remember her?"

Pietro nods weakly. "Of . . . Of course I do . . . She escorted me to Hima. To here. Where is . . . ?"

"I'm right here, Pietro," Sheena informs.

Pietro turns to Sheena's voice. His eyes widen once more. "Sheena! You're here!" Then he tries to get up.

Raine stops him. "No. You just woke up. You still need to rest." Raine assists, though, by adjusting Pietro herself and placing the pillow up against the wall for Pietro's comfort.

"Thank you . . ." he goes. "All of you . . ." Then something hits him. "The Chosen . . . I must warn the Chosen! The Desians are plotting something horrible!"

Everyone gains a new tension. Lloyd asks, "What is it? Colette—the Chosen is right here."

Pietro and Sophia show their respective shock.

"Is that so?" Pietro goes. Sophia in the meantime turns sheepish as she remembers her previous behavior towards us.

Colette nods. "Yes. I'm the Chosen. What is it, Pietro? What's wrong?"

Pietro spills out, "The Desians are working on a project called the 'Angelus Project'. It doesn't stop there, though. Whatever they're trying to make or do in this Angelus Project is supposed to complete a weapon called a mana cannon."

"Mana cannon?" Kratos goes with his eyes narrowing. "Do you mean something like Thor's Hammer from the Ancient War?"

"Thor . . . ?" I mutter. Isn't that a mythological Norse god? The Norse god of lightning? How does Symphonia . . . ?

Pietro continues, "I guess so. I don't know much of anything about the Ancient Kharlan War other than it existed but I suppose that's what the Desians are trying to rebuild. They need to be stopped!"

Genis reassures, "It's okay. Kvar's dead and the human ranch is destroyed. The Angelus Project doesn't exist anymore. This mana cannon isn't going to be built."

Kratos says, "Just because one or two ranches have been destroyed doesn't mean the Desian activities have been stopped. It only means they could be postponed. There are still the Iselia and Remote Island human ranches to consider."

"However, speculating on this issue here isn't going to do us any good," Raine states. "Our best chance of eliminating the Desians and whatever malicious designs they labor over is by regenerating the world and sealing them away."

Kratos dismissively replies, "Yes. That is the best course."

Raine narrows her eyes suspiciously at Kratos' tone. It was as if he . . . disagreed, almost as if he . . . knew something. Strange. Either way, Raine refrains from bringing this up and decides to sharpen her watch over Kratos.

"Tell me something, though," Pietro suddenly goes. "What happened to Luin? I don't know why but . . . I feel as if I should ask, and I don't have a very good feeling about it either."

Lloyd droops. "Well . . ."

We tell him about what happened to Luin. As we go further into the story, Pietro's face pales more and more. Once the rescue is told, though, relief comes into his eyes and a flash of determination appears. When we finish speaking, Pietro gravely nods and responds, "I see. Because of me and the system that rescued me, Luin is destroyed—yet there's hope. Everyone is rebuilding." He looks up at all of us. "Once I recover, I will repay my debt to Luin and do everything I can to help rebuild the lake town."

"But Pietro—" Sophia begins.

"No," Pietro interrupts. "I must do this. If I don't I won't be able to forgive myself for not repaying the sacrifice the people of Luin suffered through for the sake of those like me."

Sophia backs off. ". . . Very well."

Pietro bows his head. "Thank you. Sheena, Chosen One, all of you. Thank you."

It's at this point that everyone says their goodbyes. Sheena says the longest goodbye and hesitantly leaves, only departing when she's sure that Pietro will really be fine. As soon as we left the house, though, Raine turns to Sheena.

"So what are your plans now?" Raine questions. "The only reason why you joined us is because you wished to rescue Luin and help cure Pietro, both of which have been accomplished."

Sheena hesitates at Raine's statement.

"You're not going to leave, are you?" Genis goes.

"We just started to get to know each other," Colette points out.

"Yeah!" Lloyd agrees, but then he backtracks, "But, huh, if you . . . want to leave then that's . . . fine, but you can stay with us if you want!" His mannerisms and tone make it obvious that he doesn't want her to leave. He may as well have given her a club badge and told her that she's a permanent and official member of the team.

"Aaahhhh . . ." Sheena goes. "Well . . . There's still a lot of things I need to think about . . . A lot of questions and . . . stuff. I don't really know what to do at this point."

"Is there a chance that we could ask for some sort of understanding with the people who sent you?" Raine asks.

"I don't know," Sheena replies. "It's not as simple as me going over there and coming back. By the time anything is done this world would be regenerated."

"Are these things ever as simple?" Raine sardonically responds.

Sheena remains silent for a moment. ". . . So, while I'm thinking, I would like to continue traveling with you. I'll . . . I'll . . ." She mentally braces herself. "I'll protect the Chosen this time."

Raine raises an eyebrow. "You will be betraying the people who sent you."

"I know . . ." Sheena utters.

Corrine comes out of his hiding place. "Sheena! When you return, you'll be—"

"I know," she firmly tells Corrine. "By the time I return, I'll be prepared."

"Wait, 'prepared'?" Genis goes. "You'll be punished?"

"Of course I will," Sheena tells him. "I was sent to kill the Chosen and here I am doing the complete opposite."

"The world will be regenerated and everyone will be saved, though!" Colette protests. "How could they punish you if you're helping us?"

Sheena watches Colette for a moment before answering with, "It's really complicated. Either way, I will go back and take my punishment with honor."

She wouldn't bring it up again after that.

* * *

After a little pushing from Lloyd, our next stop became Ephraim's ranch. Since Elizabeth told us that he was taking work horses from his ranch to Luin to help with reconstruction, we decided that we might as well help move all those horses. It was just in time, too, since when we get there horses were already being tied together, readying for the move. I note, though, that it isn't a large group. Just five horses.

Ephraim glances in our direction and smiles. He beckons us with his hand and waits for us to catch up while he checks to make sure each horse is safely fastened. By the time we reach him, he greets, "What a surprise to see all of you here."

Lloyd answers, "I was thinking the same thing about you. I heard that you were getting work horses for Luin. Wouldn't you have more, though?"

Ephraim pats the back of a horse towards the front. "This is the most I can risk with the trip and the winter weather. These are my hardiest horses out of all of them. They can take a lot."

"I'll help!" Lloyd volunteers.

"That will be a relief." Ephraim looks at the rest of us, though. "Are the rest of you fine with helping me, though? This will turn out to be slower than usual since I'm carting a lot of supplies and some horses."

"You're either going through the mountains with dragons or the main road where monsters will attack," I state. "You're going to need as much help as you can get."

Ephraim nods. "Thank you. Though I doubt there will be any problems as long as we avoid the dragons. They stay in the higher areas of the mountains so the lower trails are usually safe."

"It's settled, then," Lloyd goes. "We'll help you move the horses."

"There is one thing I feel I must warn you about," Ephraim mentions.

"What is it?" Raine asks.

"My assistants insist that I take someone with me and, well, I did make a promise," Ephraim vaguely explains.

"Either say it or don't," Kratos puts.

"Mr. Boss, siiiirrrr!"

"High-pitched voice . . ." Sheena mutters. "Oh my goddess . . ."

Ephraim sighs as if weighed by a heavy burden.

A girl about my age comes running up to us. Her hair is this dirty blond color that's something between brown with gold highlights and blond with natural brown streaks and is let down in a wavy flow. She carries a basic staff with a rounded edge that has this swirl in the design, though that's not what scares me. Her outfit, with a witch style colored in teal green and pink flower embroidery all around the hem of the dress and the edges of the sleeves and along the dress collar, is what scares me. Her boots are teal with pink linings and her hat, oh wow her hat, is completely teal like her dress and has this large fake flower made of pink cloth sewn on the rim of the witch hat.

She lopes to Ephraim and begins to say, "Mr. Boss! All the food and stuff have been packed and . . ." That was when she glances at us. ". . . and . . ." Her eyes land on Kratos. ". . . and stuff . . ." She takes in Kratos from head to toe and gets this dreamy smile on her face as she zones out.

Kratos sighs with irritation as he thinks along the lines of "Not another one."

Seeing that her attention is completely diverted, Ephraim snaps his fingers in the girl's face. She yelps with a frequency that makes Colette jump as she's taken surprise at how suddenly loud it is to her.

Ephraim scolds, "Pay attention to me, who's paying you, and not some random meathead."

"Ah, uh, yes sir!" she responds.

"Are the supplies packed?" he asks.

"Yes, sir!"

"Do we have six barrels of hay?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Is all the food including the cooking utensils packed?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Medicine too?"

"Yes, sir! Everything is done!"

"Good. Now let me introduce you to—"

Her head snaps to Kratos at the sound of "introduce". Ephraim huffs before he angles her head towards Lloyd. "To Lloyd, my nephew. He and the rest of this group have volunteered to help protect us and the horses on the way to Luin."

"Oh okay!" She bows. "Thank you, brave adventurers! Those dragons won't stand a chance now!"

"You don't have to be so dramatic," Ephraim flatly points out. "A 'thank you' will do."

"Now that I'm not the only one defending the horses, fighting monsters will be easy!" the girl states.

Genis wonders, "What can you do?"

The girl turns to him and chirps, "Isn't it obvious? I'm a witch! I can cast spells!"

"Really?" Genis goes, finding something in common with this stranger. "What spells are you learning? Icicle? Lightning?"

"I know spells like Freeze Lancer!" she proclaims.

Ephraim silently mouths behind her "No she doesn't. She thinks she does but she doesn't."

Colette cheeps, "It's so neat to have another person around! What's your name?"

The girl responds with distaste, "Marian Susan. I don't like it since it sounds like an _ooollld_ person's name." Then she gets chirpy again. "So just call me Mary Sue! It's so much cuter!"

Please don't let her name be foreshadowing.

Sheena asks me, "You're riding Punky, right?"

"As always, yeah," I reply back.

"Are you going to ride anywhere near Mary Sue?"

"No."

"Can I ride with you?"

* * *

Marian Susan is officially the most annoying person I have ever met in my life. She looooves to continuously talk about herself and not in the arrogant way but in the chatterbox way. Then she adds a little head tilt or head bob to her movements and says everything in a cutesy voice as if trying to appear adorable. Then whenever she's not doing any of the above she's either staring at Kratos and whatever part of him that interests her (usually his muscular arms and chest) or asking Kratos rather personal questions like "What's your sign?" "How old are you?" and "What kind of women do you like?"

Since Noishe isn't anywhere near here because of the dragons, Kratos looks longingly at my horse and turns to me. "Kelsey—"

"No," I immediately put.

"Just for a short amount of time—"

"No."

"I will personally owe you—"

Sheena interrupts, "No means no, Kratos! Hurry, Kelsey! Before he takes the horse!"

I spur Punky onward. If he takes my horse then he takes me and Sheena's only escape.

"Damn girls," he mutters.

Later, Kratos solves his dilemma by jumping from our own wagon to Ephraim's supply wagon. He remains in Ephraim's company gaining a keen sense of peace for the first time in the trip.

As we move on, the path gets narrow and forces us to ride in a single line with me and Sheena at the back. Marian Susan, who's riding in our wagon now to socialize with the others, looks at Punky and asks, "Can I ride on Punky too?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because only two people can ride on Punky's back."

"She gets to ride on Punky." A gesture towards Sheena.

"Because she called dibs first."

"I'm a good rider."

"I don't care."

"But—"

"No."

"Plleeeeeaaaaassse?" she whines.

"_Whining_ gets you the exact _opposite_ of what you want," I grit out through my clinched teeth. I get Punky to slow down, making a decent amount of distance between me and her.

Sheena expresses, "I _really_ wish she would stop trying to act cute."

"Amen," I agree.

Corrine points out, "She's not as annoying as Zelos."

"She's worse than Zelos," Sheena disagrees. "Don't you dare tell him this, but for the first time ever, I really wish Zelos were here."

"Why?" I ask. "After all, he's the reason why you had enough energy to vent to cause four broken ribs, a hairline crack on the skull, and a dislocated arm."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Not really," I playfully tease. "Still, why do you want him around?"

"He could distract Marian Susan from the rest of us," she explains.

Corrine goes, "Oh that's why. I was wondering if you finally lost it."

"At least she isn't getting in the way," I mention. "I mean, all that cutesy crap aside, she's not that bad."

"I have a feeling that this is just the beginning . . ."

"Let's pray not."

Punky begins to slow to a walk, his ears shifting back and forth, his eyes wide and wary. Suddenly—

"WHIIIEEEE!" Punky cries out as he rears up, dumping me and Sheena to the ground, and races out around both wagons and away, causing the horses at the other wagons to panic as well and flee.

_SCHIIIIIIIEEEEEE!_

Wait, was that . . . ?

Sheena and I whip around and lash out our weapons as soon as we see it. It! A fierce dragon three times the height of a horse and five times the length of a horse. Its wings glimmer with the same sheen of rustic red as the rest of its body, folded against its back. A hot clear liquid drips from its snarling jaws and down its long white fangs. It glares at us with rustic red eyes as its white talons slowly make their way to us.

"Kelsey! Sheena! Are you two alright?" Lloyd shouts as he joins us.

In my peripheral vision, I see Lloyd and Kratos join us. Their weapons gleam hostilely.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Sheena answers. "Watch it, though! This thing's mad!"

"I'll support all of you with my spells!" I hear Marian Susan declare.

Oh god no . . .

"_You_ stay with the wagon! It's too dangerous!" I shout at her.

"I can handle myself!"

Please let her stay out of our way.

The dragon starts by snapping at us. We dodge to the edges of the path and evade the mighty jaws. Lloyd quickly takes advantage of the dragon's position and slashes at its snout. The blades ring against the dragon scales and bounces Lloyd's attack off.

"Ack! What the hell?" he cries out as his swords ricochet. The dragon hisses in slight pain and more surprise as it rears back.

"Dragon scales are too resilient against normal attacks!" Kratos explains. "Attack in soft areas of its body such as its stomach and the underside of its neck!"

"Right!" Sheena shouts.

Lloyd and Sheena rush in. I follow their example and rush in too. The dragon focuses its attacks at Lloyd and Sheena and I hurry to its front talon. I move around and find a nice little spot under its front left talon where the scales begin to harden to make up the armor around the main area of the talon. I jab at it.

"SCHIE!" the dragon yelps as it retreats its claw away from me. With the distraction, Lloyd and Sheena take advantage of the situation and attack the vulnerable belly.

"SCHEEEEEE!" The dragon shakes off the pain and leaps directly up into the air . . .

"Uh-oh," I mutter. I immediately flee.

Lloyd and Sheena race away and get a distance away before—

_THUD!_

The impact of the dragon's landing sends us all to the ground. We rush to our feet—

The dragon jabs its head against Lloyd, sending him flying back. It quickly reaches around with an open maw and surrounds Lloyd with its jaws.

"GRAVE!" Kratos screams.

A spear of rock stabs upward into the dragon's stomach and four more follow around it, causing serious damage on that particular spot. The dragon screeches out in agony and retreats. Having screeched on Lloyd, the poor kid clutches on his ears and runs away to Kratos' side and digs for a gel.

"Are you alright?" Kratos questions.

"WHAT?" Lloyd shouts.

"I said, 'are you alright?'" Kratos questions with louder volume.

"WHAT?"

"Can you hear me?" Kratos practically shouts.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Never mind," Kratos mutters with a shake of his head.

"Icicle!" Marian Susan shouts.

The large shaft of ice shoots up from the ground around the right claw and misses, forming between the talons. It makes some use as the dragon shifts a moment and shatters the ice, some prickling the tough hide. The dragon compensates by shifting its talon away.

In the meantime, it's still snapping at me and Sheena.

"Can you do Sonic Thrust?" Sheena questions.

"Yes but let's make sure we can't get our heads bitten off while we're pulling it off!" I answer back.

"Alright! Unison Attack at the first opportunity!"

"Stone Blast!" Marian Susan shouts. The collective stones rise up and strike against some tender flesh on the right talon. The dragon hisses irritably and lifts that talon. Sheena and I take advantage of the quick distraction by racing under the belly. Sheena sets up a seal above our heads.

"Power! . . ." she begins.

I aim my spear upward. "Thrust!"

The long range of my weapon allows my attack to become a full on thrust attack despite not being in full power. The blade catches Sheena's elaborate spell circle and slices it into the dragons flesh, causing magical and physical damage under the hide.

"SCHAAAAAHHH!" the dragon cries out. It leaps into the air . . .

"Damn!" Sheena cries out as we race away.

_THUD!_

We both fall to the ground near the nap of the dragon's neck. The dragon angles it neck around, snarling and hissing with saliva dripping of those wicked fangs, and faces us. As we get up we crane our necks to face the reptilian beast and witness a great maw about to swallow us whole.

"FREEZE LANCER!" Marian Susan shouts.

A giant spell circle appears in the air, cold and colored an icy white. The monstrous dragon diverts its attention to the spell circle . . .

The spell circle dissipates into flakes of ice shot out and disappears with no damage done at all.

We all stare at the empty space that should have been a powerful spell.

. . . That was epically useless.

Draconic jaws snap in frustration and charge at the mage who cast that worthless spell, ridding a distracting nuisance.

"EEEEK!" Marian Susan screams.

Kratos gets under the dragon's neck and slashes at the exposed flesh, slashing six times in blurring speeds and ending it with Light Spear. The dragon cries out in pain as it fumbles back with a bleeding neck. After that, Kratos ignores Marian Susan as he starts casting First Aid for me and Sheena.

A horse rides up with Ephraim on it. It stops just sometime before even where Kratos, Lloyd (who's still recovering), and Marian Susan are. Ephraim compensates for the distance by leaping off the horse and grabbing the witch robe-garbed girl and slinging her on the horse's back.

"Let me go! I can do this! They need my help!" Marian Susan protests.

Ephraim just ignores her complaints and rides away, ridding us of her.

"Finally," Sheena mutters.

The beast takes its sharp talons and slices at us, narrowly taking us all out as we dodge back. Sheena slips her hand in her pocket and yanks out a handful of tiny grey balls. She reaches her hand back and flings the balls at the dragon's face.

"SCHAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The dragon roars and screams as it attempts to shake out the smoke from its eyes. Lloyd, Sheena, Kratos, and I race under the belly, dodging talons. Fire streams out from the dragon's jaws, scattering flames everywhere. The dragon continues to thrash about.

"Unison Attack!" Lloyd shouts.

"Lightning!" Kratos casts.

"Power Seal!"

"Swipe!"

"Tigerblade!"

"Are you ready?" Kratos shouts. A bolt of lightning leaps from his hands to Lloyd's blades. Lloyd twirls his left-hand blade and leaps up to the dragon's belly.

"Lightning Tigerblade!" Lightning streams out across the monster's body as soon as the electric blades make any sort of contact with flesh as the blades themselves slice through the tender hide.

The dragon takes off. We race away, expecting it to land. Only, it doesn't.

_FLAH! FLAH! FLAH! FLAH!_

The winged beast hovers in the air and moves around to where it's just some feet away from the ledge, staring at us as it faces the cliff and dominates the skies off the ledge. To clarify, if I face the direction we were originally going (northward towards Luin) and look left (westward to the western Asgard continent shores) I would see the dragon hovering and glaring at us.

"SCHAAAAAHHH!"

A horizontal pillar of fire shoots out and follows Lloyd and Kratos. Kratos uses Guardian and Lloyd ducks for cover, narrowly getting scorched by the condensed hellfire.

"SCHAAAAHHHH!"

Yet another pillar, this time aiming for me and Sheena. Sheena does an aerobatic flip and evades the flames and, like Lloyd, I run off and slam my body to the ground, narrowly missing the flames.

"SCHREEEE!"

This time the dragon flies around and aims its inferno at an angle to get us all in one go. I keep to the ground, Sheena presses her body against the cliff wall where the fires miss, Kratos slides under the pillar of flames, and Lloyd uses Guardian and ends up getting some the edges of his clothes singed.

"SCHEEEEEE!"

The dragon tests the opposite side and does the same angle, only facing us from the northern skies. Kratos uses Guardian, Lloyd ducks, Sheena and I dodge and hug the cliff wall. Having failed at incinerating us, the dragon huffs out a frustrated puff of smoke and lands at the ledge it's next to, close to Kratos and Lloyd. Immediately, Lloyd uses tempest and lashes at the dragon's throat. The great beast rears back in pain and leaps . . .

_THUD!_

On the other side, where Sheena and I are, the dragon lands and whips around and snaps at us, nearly taking us out. It takes its two talons and claws at the ground, attempting to rip us to shreds. It's either dodge or die at this point. Bits of earth fly everywhere and pellet against our skin as we run out of range. Failing that, the monster takes its rough snout, presses it against the hard earth supporting all of us including itself, and shoves a strip of rigid dirt at us, followed by a stream of fire.

"Thunderblade!" Kratos shouts.

A giant blade of lightning crashes down from the sky, through the dragon's chest, and electrocutes the creature. A terrible screech rings out in the air and the dragon falls, twitching and convulsing on the ledge supporting it. I don't do anything until I hear someone else, say like Kratos who knows how long Thunderblade's charge will conduct, running after the dragon. I hear heavy footsteps racing for this opportunity and I waste no time. I hurry as fast as my legs can carry me to the dragon and climb up on top of its skull, which lies sideways. I aim for it's eye . . .

A twitch sends me off balance. I slide down as Kratos, then Sheena, and then Lloyd catch up and begin an attack on its throat. I stab my spear down and end up getting caught on some area between one of the smaller fangs and the upper jaw. I worm and jerk my spear around, trying to get it free as the dragon convulses against the pain of having its throat sliced open. I finally manage to get my spear free at the cost of a fang falling off from the dragon's jaw. I leap away as the struggling becomes fiercer, my spear stained with dragon blood, and hurry to safety.

"Power! . . ."

"THRUST!"

His blade and her seal plunged through the dragon's throat, cutting off valuable air supply. Dragon blood pours out from the beast's body as it roars with this scratchy and forced overtone and attempts to claw its way up the mountain. The dragon's body fails it and it just slides off the ledge and down the cliffs of Hima. It lands with a final crash, its wings collapse to its side in half-open and half-closed rumples, its mouth dribbling out blood as well as saliva, and its throat open and gorged. A hunter of the skies fallen to earth.

As we all catch our breath and calm down from the battle, I lean on my spear for extra support and let my gaze wander. The dragon's fang, the one that was lost when I recovered my spear, gleams in the sunlight and catches my eye. I reach down and pick it up, examining its features.

Kratos goes around casting First Aid to all of us, particularly on Lloyd's poor ears. Testing the boy's hearing, Kratos asks, "Can you hear me now?"

Lloyd grimaces while he rubs his right ear. "Yeah . . ." Then Lloyd turns to the rest of us. "Is everyone alright?"

Sheena assures, "I'm fine, and I sent Corrine out during the battle to find the others so he's fine too."

I turn around with the dragon fang in my hands. "I'm alright."

Lloyd notes my spear. "The blade on your spear is really beaten up . . ."

I lower my spear for scrutiny. It's all bent and dented up, probably from getting it jammed between a tooth and the upper jaw. The heat from the dragon's natural breath (apart from its fiery breath) must've been an added factor considering that it isn't significantly cracked. I'll have to find a blacksmith if it's salvageable still.

I ask, "Will it have to be replaced or can I just have a blacksmith fix this?"

Kratos examines the blade this time. ". . . It is still salvageable. Although it will cost a considerable amount of gald, it can be fixed if the blacksmith is experienced enough. Perhaps Luin's blacksmith can repair it."

"That's good," I respond. I've gotten rather attached to this spear.

* * *

By the time the others make it back with rather skittish horses, including Punky, everyone practically celebrates the fact that we're still alive. Raine hurries to happily bandage us all up and heal whatever injuries Kratos either missed or was too spent in energy to completely heal. Genis and Colette are awing at the dragon fang I took as compensation for the fact that my spear got jacked up, or you can just call it a trophy and leave it at that. Ephraim shows obvious relief over Lloyd and the rest of us though he informs us that he had a feeling that we would make it out in one piece. When Marian Susan is mentioned, though, Ephraim turns tense and silent before diverting the conversation. Marian Susan herself, in the meantime, stays in Ephraim's wagon with a huffy begrudging mood, muttering things about how she could have helped and how she should've been there.

When Ephraim returns to his wagon to guide the horses to Luin, Marian Susan utters, "You only promised to escort me to Luin because my mom is your top assistant."

"Absolutely," Ephraim remarks. "Otherwise I wouldn't bother with you and your high maintenance—and she knows that too."

Sheena comments to me, "That would explain a few things."

"Now let's figure out how she ended up delusional about her skills," I comment back.

"Thank Martel she won't be here long."

* * *

The dragon in chapter 31 is something of a Chekhov's gun (meaning that it's a character or prop placed there for a later use, like if a gun is hung on the mantle then we know that gun will go off later in a play). Then we'll be seeing more of Marian Susan, though I assure everyone she won't be around for too long. Sheena would kill her by that point.

Oh, and this would be the part where you review, please.


	37. I Have Seen the Light! Alleluia!

Well, this is quick. Now I need to focus on other fics . . . Will I be able to do that though?

By the way, it looks like some of you are getting your wish about that dragon fang.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven: I Have Seen the Light! Alleluia!

We got to Luin in a decent amount of time. However, we've been running everywhere in such a hectic manner that all of us have this strained feeling in our bones. Kratos volunteered to drive the horses and let the rest of us sleep, which was really nice of him. I handed Punky over to Ephraim's care so that I could get some sleep too and made sure my bent up spear won't stab anyone while we're napping. There was just one little problem . . .

I feel a poke on my back. I ignore it.

Another poke. I still ignore it.

Another poke.

Yet another poke.

Poke.

Poke.

Poke poke poke.

Poke poke poke poke poke poke—

"Whhaaat?" I crankily gripe.

"Why are all of you sleeping? You could've at least stayed the night at Hima's inn."

Damn Marian Susan to hell for disrupting my nap.

I answer her, "Because we were in a hurry. As a matter of fact, we were in a hurry for all month long." I shift back to the comfy spot I had while I was sleeping.

Poke poke poke poke—

"Don't you get it?" I snap. "I'm _tired!_ Leave me alone! At least go bug someone else!"

"How can you sleep during the day? The sun is shining, birds are singing, and it's a happy day! Go enjoy it!"

Gotta get rid of her . . . I search the area and spot Kratos. I point to him. "Look, there's Kratos right over there. Go talk to _him_."

Kratos visibly slumps with a heavy irritated sigh.

"But Kratos doesn't look like he wants to talk to anyone."

"Kratos doesn't know what he wants," I respond. "Look at him. He's all lonely by himself. Go talk to him. I'm sure he'll really appreciate a good cheerful conversation."

"If you say so. Oh, Kratos~!"

As Marian Susan climbs over to Kratos, Genis rolls his head over to face me. "He's gonna kill you for that later," he sleepily informs me.

"I know, but it's worth some shut eye."

And indeed I did get some shut eye on the way to Luin. Fortunately, I fell asleep rather quickly so I didn't get the opportunity to hear Marian's entire conversation with Kratos. I slept hard too so I didn't wake up until we got to Luin. What a happy coincidence~!

Oh, was that mean of me? Okay, I'll correct myself.

What a terrible thing for me to do~!

By the time we get to Luin, Marian Susan is focused entirely on Kratos and leaving the rest of us alone. Kratos has reached a point in irritability where we just don't even mess with him. Not even Lloyd or Colette have it in them to go talk to Kratos. Marian Susan, though, must be oblivious to those little signs. It took Ephraim redirecting her attention to the fact that the horses need to be stabled to get her away from the man.

As I'm taking Punky from Ephraim's care so that Marian Susan doesn't take my horse along with the ones Ephraim has delivered, I couldn't help but ask her, "Do you realize at all that you're just irritating Kratos?"

Marian Susan lifts her chin up a notch. "Sure, all that lots of people see is that gruffy exterior. I, however, can see that, deep down, Kratos is just a big softy."

Ephraim, who was nearby, snorts in laughter. "'A big softy'. Hahahahah!"

Marian Susan insists, "It's true! I can see how he really is!"

"Sure, kid." Ephraim glances at Kratos with an evil smirk. That's when I know for a fact that Kratos is going to have a long day.

Apparently Kratos gets that message too when he spots Ephraim's directed expression since he quickly digs my spear out and calls out to me, "Miller! Get over here!"

Sure getting to the task at hand is a quick escape, but I doubt that will stop Ephraim.

I huff and I mimic his voice with close resemblance but in the volume of a whisper, "Miller! Get over here!" I head over to him while still grumbling. "Yeah, sure, I'll get over there."

As soon as I get close he hands me my spear. "Since this needs to be repaired, we need to speak to Tyson Hermann, Luin's blacksmith. It shouldn't take too long to put it back into shape. As soon as it's repaired, we leave for the next seal."

"But we were in such a rush that we didn't give the horses a good chance to rest!" Colette protests.

"I have to agree," Sheena adds. "We were running around all month long to cure Pietro without really a full day's rest, not that I regret it. If we want to go to the seal and put up a decent fight, we'll have to rest first."

I add, "It will also give me time to get my spear back without having to borrow someone else's or buy a new one when I'll get mine back again."

Kratos lowers his head. "Fine. Three days is as much as I will agree on, though."

Raine states, "Three days will be quite enough for us and the horses." Then she turns to me. "Let's get your spear to Tyson. The sooner we have him repair it, the sooner he can finish."

"Hold on a moment," Genis goes. He reaches into my bag and starts digging through it.

Irritated that someone is digging through my things, I question, "What are you looking for?"

"That dragon fang you got." He pulls out the fang and shows it to all of us. "Since it's yours, why don't you have it become a part of your spear, like a new blade?"

I take the fang and compare it to the original shape and size of my spear blade. In length it's a lot longer than the blade originally was but it's also a lot slimmer than the blade started out. However, it looks like it could easily work out to become a good spear head.

"Won't that be a bit difficult?" Lloyd asks. "Dragons breathe fire so it makes sense that the teeth would be fire resistant."

"That's so cool!" Colette chirps. "How did you know that?"

"Well, I figured that if making a dragon's tooth a blade were as easy as making a steel blade then their teeth would melt," Lloyd states.

"That's a good observation for you, Lloyd," Raine notes. "Though I predict that making this into a spear head is going to be harder than any of us are assuming."

Sheena leans on one foot. "Can't hurt to ask, though. Let's go find him."

Tyson tended to move around a lot from what I heard from the others so finding him took a lot of time. Eventually, though, we were directed to his smithy which, ironically, he's rarely present at since he's moving around so much to fill in so many different projects. I guess he really has faith in his workers to keep things in order.

The smithy itself was burned down. Lost tools are still being found in the rubble, the things they use to heat things up (I don't know what they're called) are still somewhat exposed to the low temperatures despite the efforts, and new structures are rough. Nevertheless, the work ethic is still high and everyone involved is still producing an amazing amount and quality of tools, nails, and anything involving construction. In fact, I think there are more people here but that might be just me.

"Lloyd!"

We glance around to find the voice calling us and find a young man with chestnut brown hair coming towards us. It takes me a moment to realize that this young man is James Hermann.

"James!" Lloyd goes up and greets his cousin. I notice a level of familiarity that might be a bit soon for how well Lloyd and James know each other, but I think that might be because the two quickly relate due to their age. I feel a slight sense of envy since I never had any relations my own age. All of my own cousins were at least four years younger than me so it was a little hard for me to relate to them.

"Did you convince Uncle Tyson to let you do some bigger projects in the smithy?" Lloyd asks.

Uhhh . . . What? Oh. Of course. The two were visiting while I was working around with Colette. Why would Lloyd miss an opportunity to spend time with his long-lost family now that he knows them? Also, why would I see every single moment? I've got a life of my own.

"Not yet. Damn it, it's a pain," James expresses. "He's scared that something will happen to me—or Mom convinced him to keep me in check. Not like that hasn't happened before."

Then James dismisses that, "Anyway, enough about my boring life, is there something you need? I can take care of it!"

"Well . . ."

I finish Lloyd's statement by holding up my spear, showing how the blade has been damaged. James raises his eyebrows.

"Ahhh . . ." he goes. "I don't think I'm experienced enough to do that. If it were something that you wouldn't use in battle I would try to repair it anyway, but with a weapon you shouldn't take any chances."

Raine asks, "Then where is your father?"

James glances around before spotting something. He puts two fingers against his lips and whistles—loud and carrying probably as far as across the street. People look over to James but quickly turn back to their work as they realize it's not for them. Out of the crowd comes Tyson Hermann. Like the first time I've seen him, I'm surprised at how muscular he is. I know he's a blacksmith but it still surprises me. Then, from head to toe, Tyson is covered in soot and dirt and sweat from all the work he's been through, though he doesn't even seem to notice how filthy he is.

A slight glance at Kratos is entirely diverted to happily greeting Lloyd. "It's good to see you back! Is there anything I can do?"

"There is one thing, but you're already working pretty hard," Lloyd comments.

Tyson shakes his head dismissively. "It's nothing that can't wait. I almost feel lazy. So what is it?"

Lloyd states, "One of us needs our weapon repaired."

I offer my spear to him. "Can it be fixed?"

Tyson looks it over as he takes it. His expression isn't encouraging. "What happened to it? It looks like it was forged into a new shape."

"That's . . . basically what happened."

Tyson meets my eyes. "Although this is repairable, the usual cost of repairing this extensive of damage would be the same as getting a new weapon. Although most people inexperienced in blacksmithing wouldn't be able to tell this, the damage done is how it's reshaped: the way it's bent like this makes this weapon almost worthless. If you want to keep the spear, a new blade will have to be made."

I sigh while Genis pipes up, "What about the dragon fang? You can have it be the new blade!"

Tyson glances at Genis. "Dragon fang? All of you had to fight a dragon between here and Hima? That would explain the damage." Although assured by sight that no one is seriously hurt, he still looks over Lloyd to check if he's been harmed.

I pull out the dragon fang and offer it to Tyson. "Can this be the new blade? I understand that it'll be hard but . . ."

Tyson takes the fang and scrutinizes it. ". . . I can. It will just be a lot more difficult to shape than you assume. The only things that can cut a dragon fang are other dragon fangs, dragon scales, and diamonds—all of which are extremely expensive materials. Fortunately I own a dragon scale carving knife that can cut this into a blade, though it will take a while."

"You can't even melt a part of it down or heat it up?" Genis wonders.

Tyson shakes his head. "It's a dragon fang. What did you expect? The only thing I can do is cut it to size, but when it is then this will be a very durable and potentially dangerous weapon."

"How long will it take you to cut this into size?" I ask.

"Roughly under a week, I suppose," Tyson guesses.

"How much will this cost?"

Tyson looks at me as if I insulted him. "You saved my nephew's life at the cost of your leg. This is the first opportunity I can give adequate gratitude and you expect me to place a price on this?"

"Ahhh . . ." Feeling a little out of place, I point out, "My leg is healed."

Tyson just gives me a look telling me that he isn't going to let that piece of information influence his decision. I decide not to argue any further.

Then I ask, "What can I use as a weapon though? I don't have my spear anymore."

That's when some idea tossing and debating begin.

* * *

We decided that my practice rod, basically a short staff that's thee-fourths my height, will do, though I will be relying entirely on my spell casting. Raine says it's a very good opportunity for me to learn more on how to cast spells and possibly even learn a new spell. The only reassurance I have that this won't be a total disaster for me is that, as far as I remember, the monsters at the Tower of Mana are light so all my spells can effect them. Oh, wait, they're a bunch of evil ghost monsters so it'll be dark.

Dark monsters at the light seal? How does that work out?

Anyway, despite the fact that we're here in Luin to rest rather than hurrying on to the next seal, we're all busying away trying to help out as much as we can. Still, interacting with the villagers has brought up quite a few light moments as things get repaired. A snowball fight broke out near the fountain and Lloyd, Genis, and Sheena got involved along with a vast majority of Luin's children and even quite a few adults. When I finally got involved I could've sworn that I saw Ephraim searching through the entire large area where this fight is being held muttering something along the lines of "Just when I finally have an excuse to throw something at him, the damn mercenary can't be found . . ." Then there was a collection of snowmen being built at the front of the chapel, each one given a unique characteristic making that one snowman different from the rest, like a certain kind of hat or a scarf or a specific expression. It started growing as time went by, each one still different from the rest.

Small snowball fights would break out even during work. I found that a person's fighting style would reflect on how they would throw their snowballs. Colette went out of her way to protect others, Genis would throw snowballs in every direction aiming at whoever caught his eye, Lloyd would aim at any particular people who fought back at him and just wouldn't give up until the other person surrendered, Raine stayed out of the way, and Kratos stayed out of the way unless provoked—then he would go all out until that person surrendered (usually Lloyd who was the one who challenged him most often). Sheena, I found, was the deadliest since she was a ninja. What she does is sneaks up behind you, using Corrine as either a distraction or a scout, and tags you on the head with several snowballs before hiding in cover so by the time you whip around to find what hit you she's already gone. Then, while you're searching for who got you, she goes around and gets you again from behind.

It was like Christmas only without the hectic shopping and terrible traffic and all the things that bog down your Christmas cheers.

On the second day I decided to make my own snowman to add to the army of snowmen surrounding the chapel. I never made a snowman before and who knows when I'll be able to again since we're always running around the world without much rest. I roll my base up in front of the deceased mayor's home (the old mayor died during the attack so now they're still deciding who should be the next mayor) and next to one snowman—er, snow_woman_—that had this dirty skirt that someone decided that they didn't need anymore, and it was a nice skirt but just old and worn and somewhat dirty. It was also neighboring a snowman dressed in tattered soldier's gear with a broken pitchfork in the left hand.

My hands grew cold and numb during the process but I ignored it the best I could. No matter how much I hate the snow I gotta finish this. It takes what seems like to me hours before I finally get a base and torso up. The head, though, proves difficult since I made the snowman taller than me.

"Making another snowman?"

I look over and find Sheena. "Another one for the huge army over here, yeah. Why don't you help me get the head up?"

Sheena walks over and helps me push the head up on its shoulders. I huff out a breath and contemplate on how I can make this one stand out, or at least different.

Sheena stares at this one and suggests, "Hmmm . . . We can put a shirt on him."

"Yeah, but what kind of shirt?" I look at the blank head for a second. ". . . Let's make it a grouchy snowman."

"A grouchy snowman?"

"Yeah, a grouchy snowman." I explain, "Most snowmen are happy snowmen or have old pipes in their mouths or just have eyes. It would be so funny and ironic to have a grouchy snowman."

"That will do it. There's some charcoal and pieces of wood over there that we can use," Sheena notes. "Let's also give him a crazy hair do."

I think for a moment. ". . . I know! Let's base him off of Kratos!"

"What?" Sheena looks at me as I lose her in logic.

I explain, "I was thinking that we could base his hair style off of Kratos' but then why do something part of the way when we can do it all the way? Let's make a grouchy snowman based off of Kratos!"

"And you decided this in one second?" Sheena goes.

"Yeah. Why?"

". . . You're really random."

"I know~! Now about that hair do . . ."

We finish padding on snow while realizing just how complicated Kratos' feathery hair is. I glance to Sheena, wondering why she's helping, and realize that she may just be going along with making a Kratos snowman just because she either has nothing better to do or just because she can or both. When we finally get done with that we move on to the expression. Then we finally have a grouchy Kratos snowman.

We stare at him for a bit.

". . . It looks like he's missing something," Sheena notes.

"Probably something that looks like it belongs to Kratos," I comment.

"Like his cape or his shirt?" Sheena brings up.

"Yeah."

"Go get them, then," Sheena tells.

"Are you kidding? I'll get caught in an instant and I can't lie to save my life," I go. "You go get it."

"Why me? You brought up the entire thing," Sheena debates.

"You're sneaky so you won't get caught as easily as I would," I inform her.

"I could get caught too!"

"Not as easily as I would. At least with you we have a chance to actually get the shirt and cape on the snowman but with me there's no chance," I point out. "Besides, we're going to get caught anyway so we may as well last as long as we can."

Sheena surrenders, "Fine. I'll go."

It's a while before Sheena returns. I spend my time watching other people and their interactions. Then, when Sheena gets back, I look out to her and find that she managed to snitch both Kratos' cape and his spare shirt.

"Jackpot." I ask with a smirk, "How did you get the cape? The shirt I know is a spare."

"Kratos isn't working with his cape. He deemed it too much of a bother to do heavy work with a cape trailing behind him," she clarifies.

"Yet he doesn't see any disadvantage with fighting monsters and bandits with a cape on."

"Anyway, we're going to have to redo the snowman's hair," Sheena brings up.

"Why?"

Sheena holds up the shirt, which is one of those shirts you slip on through your head and not a button-up shirt. She was right. We will have to redo the snowman's hair.

Damn.

Well, anyway, we knocked off the snowman's hair and managed to struggle on the shirt and in the end had to lift the head off so that we could actually fit the shirt on. Then with the shirt and head back on we fastened the cape on and redid the snowman's hair. Once done with our labor, we took a step back to examine our work.

Sheena finally says, "I'll admit, this was actually a fun idea. I thought you were crazy at first."

"I am crazy," I tell her with a grin. "I'm just the good kind of crazy."

After a moment, Sheena suggests, "Let's go see if Genis cooked something up. It's his turn to cook after all."

"Yay~! Food~!"

Sometime later in the afternoon, sweaty and wet from melted snow, Kratos decides it's time to change his clothes. Walking back to the intact building where the group decided to sleep in, Kratos relishes the thought of being in dry clothes. Finding his bags amongst the others, Kratos opens up his clothes bag and takes a quick look through. He pauses.

". . . Where the hell are my shirt and my cape?"

* * *

Needless to say, Kratos wasn't amused when he finally found his shirt and his cape on a snowman resembling himself, scowling back at the living counterpart. He took both back not caring what kind of destruction he placed on the snowman itself and returned to hang his shirt and cape dry, grumbling on the way about "stupid kids."

On the morning of the third day staying at Luin, due to flat luck, I didn't remember making a snowman while Kratos was still grumpy so I could keep a straight face for a while. It was at noon, traveling to the Tower of Mana, after staring at Kratos' back with his cape on for about ten minutes while riding Punky, that I started to remember. Ohhh yeaaaahhhhh . . . Don't look directly at him, Kelsey, or he will instantly know.

Anyway, it takes us two days to get from Luin to the Tower of Mana. It's just . . . wow. It's huge! It's not as tall as some of the skyscrapers I've seen, but still! It's got to be twenty stories high or something! I mean, people built this without any cranes and stuff like that!

We all stop and awe at the amazing height.

"Wooowwww!" Lloyd goes with Noishe at his side. "That's big! How did they build something like this?"

"Aoe!" Noishe barks.

"Magnificent!" Raine expresses with that ruin mode light in her eyes. "Such a complex structure!"

"It's so much bigger than I thought it would be!" Colette says.

Genis guesses, "Maybe they had magitechnology to help them. The priest in Luin said that's what the lock was so why not everything else?"

"To think that people over here have something like this," Sheena notes to herself.

I turn to her. "'People over here'?"

Sheena quickly dismisses, "Just talking to myself."

"Lloyd," Kratos asks, "you have the key, right?"

"Yeah." Lloyd pulls out the key and walks over to the large door bearing a round complex metallic lock that makes it look like some sort of safe. After a little trouble figuring out how the strange key fits in this weird lock, Lloyd finally fits it in and turns it. The bolts inside the door slip back into the lock and the heavy door creaks open, revealing the inside.

"Let's go, everyone," Lloyd directs as he takes the first step.

Noishe halts. "Whiiiiieeeee . . ."

Lloyd turns around. "Noishe, you big chicken. It's not like any of us would let anything happen to you. If you can't come in then you can wait outside if you want."

Corrine comes out of his hiding place from Sheena's kimono and protests, "Back off! Noishe is afraid of monsters for a good reason!"

We all turn to him in surprise. Sheena wonders, "He told you?"

"Of course he told me! I'm the only one who actually understands what he's saying!" Corrine declares.

"Really?" Lloyd asks, "Why is Noishe afraid of monsters so much? I always wondered this."

"It's—." Corrine stops. He stares at Lloyd for a second before saying, "I can't tell you. I promised Noishe I wouldn't tell anyone."

"What about me? You can't tell even me?" Sheena goes.

Corrine's ears droop when he addresses Sheena. "Even you, Sheena. I'm sorry but I promised." Then he proclaims, "But just know that it's a really good reason!"

Sheena watches Corrine, and then gets this happy grin on her face. "It's alright, Corrine. You made a promise so you keep it. We won't ever hold something like that against you."

"Wooee," Noishe walks up to Sheena and leans his face towards Corrine.

Corrine reaches his paw over to Noishe's nose. "I don't want them mocking you for being afraid of monsters when it's because of something like _that_, even if they don't know the reason. It's not fair. Though Lloyd's right on one thing: no one is ever going to let any monster hurt you."

Sheena is just bursting with smiles as she sees that she wasn't the only one making friends.

We enter the Tower of Mana with Noishe comfortably waiting outside. The room seems to stretch on and on while it's quite narrow for what it is. Bookshelves crammed with old books lines the surprising length of the room and ends just a fourth of the way to the ceiling, despite the bookshelves themselves to be almost towering. Two chandeliers hang ominously high above, like specters waiting for the right victim. A moan and a groan sound off from one chandelier closer to the entrance, giving me an uneasy feeling.

Dust. Dust everywhere. We all leave footprints in the dust on the floor, causing the grey particles to take off and soar everywhere, causing some of us like Genis to cough wildly. The dust hangs on the chandeliers; it cakes the books and the shelves on the side; it mats on edges and ridges of everything; it's just . . . everywhere!

We move down the large room under the first chandelier. Colette looks out through the distance and points, "Over there on the other side of the room! It's an oracle stone! . . ."

An expression of horror slowly comes over her.

We stop and turn to her. Lloyd asks, "What's wrong, Colette?"

Suddenly, Colette flares out her wings and takes off into the air towards the chandelier above us. The chandelier moans loudly while Colette speeds her way to it. Then . . .

_CHING!_

. . . it starts falling.

Everything seems to go slow as the large chandelier falls down over us. Raine had already grabbed Genis and is fleeing away, slowly like everything else. Lloyd and Kratos are speeding away, slowly too like everything else. It takes Sheena some pushing to get me in motion since I tend to freeze in these sort of situations, but that too is all in slow motion like everything else. The chandelier comes down, and down, and down, and—

_CHEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!_

Colette catches the tailing chain that once held up the chandelier. Dust drops off from the force of the chandelier suddenly stopping, causing clumps to fall onto our heads. The decorative crystals and metals clatter and chatter, swinging and swaying, as they were sent in motion from the fall and sudden stop. Colette strains to keep the heavy thing up in the air, and shouts out, "M-MY FINGERS ARE SLIPPING!"

That triggers our flight once more and we race for some sort of cover. None of us stops until we hit the wall on the other side of the room and realize that only distance is giving us some sort of protection against the flying debris.

"AAHHH!" Colette cries out as the metal chain link slips out of her hands.

The chandelier falls once more.

We all drop to the floor.

_CHEAAHH—SHEAAAHH—AAAAHHHHHH!_

Crashing with a last roar, the chandelier shatters with crystals and bits of finer metal spraying everywhere. The sounds and debris fill the air allowing nothing else to disrupt the chaos. The downed chandelier finally begins to settle as shards of crystals and pieces of broken metal bounce and roll on the floor with disorderly rings and chimes crying out into the dusty air. It's only when the noise becomes nothing more than a last tinkering and chiming that silence begins to come.

Despite everything finally turning still, none of us moves for a long while.

"Whie-aaaiiiieeee!" cries Noishe's distressed voice from the entrance. "Whiiiieeee!"

That breaks the tension and gets us all to finally move.

"Whiiiiieeeee!"

Lloyd shakily calls out, "W-we're fine, Noishe! Everything's . . . okay!" He seems to come to his senses. "_Is_ everyone alright?"

Raine informs, "We are all . . . fine . . . just shaken. None of the debris managed to reach all the way over here."

Colette rushes to our side, her wings still out and keeping her airborne. "Everyone! That was . . . Is . . . Are you all alright?"

Sheena answers this time. "We're fine. We're all fine."

Genis states, "You saved us . . . ! Thank you!"

Colette denies, "It's nothing to thank me for. I just had to do it. I was the only one who could."

"Still," I point out, "if you didn't catch that thing then some of us would be severely injured . . . or . . . dead . . ."

"How could you hold that chandelier up?" Genis questions. "That thing must be made entirely out of metal with crystal decorations!"

"Ahh . . . well . . ." Colette attempts.

Raine deduces, "I suppose that this incredible strength comes from the angel transformation."

Colette nods. "Yes, it is."

Lloyd notes, "You're still not to comfortable talking about this, are you?"

Colette admits, "No . . ."

"Alright, then." Lloyd directs, "Let's take a look at the oracle stone."

"You finally say it right," Genis comments.

"Shut up, Genis."

We walk around the platform with the three blue circles (looking just like they did in the game) and over to the oracle stone. Since it's caked so thoroughly with dust, Colette sweeps the layers off with her arm rather than just blowing it off. She places her hand against the stone . . .

_HHMMMmmmmmm . . ._

The three circles activate by brightening up but then darken back to the inactivity they once were in, making it clear that we would have to do something with them. I mean, you would have to be a complete idiot not to notice this.

"Huh?" Lloyd goes. "Nothing happened."

Ooof course.

Kratos directs, "Lloyd, turn around and face the structure right there."

Lloyd turns around and asks, "What structure? You mean the weird circles right there?"

Kratos must be close to getting irritated. "Yes, Lloyd," he patiently replies. "The 'weird circles'. Do you notice anything about them?"

"No. What's so special about them?"

Kratos just stares at Lloyd before he asks again, "Do you think that there is any significance to this strange structure being here?"

"No."

Kratos huffs out a sigh before he tries again, "Lloyd, take a good look at this structure. If it serves no purpose to the seal then why would it be here?"

"I don't know. I just figured that it's for decoration."

Kratos sighs and turns away. "I give up . . ."

"This is where we physically demonstrate what words fail to explain," Raine states as she walks up to one of the blue circles. She gestures to the circle. "Lloyd, this is the kind of structure that serves a purpose, so if it were merely decoration then it would not have been built in the first place."

"Oooohhhh . . ." Lloyd goes. "I think I get it."

Raine studies the circle for a moment. "Hmmmm . . ." She steps on it, and the circle lights up. "Oh! I see!" Raine directs, "Kratos, step on that circle right there. Genis, step on that circle over there."

Kratos and Genis do as they're directed and their respective circles light up when they step on them. Over to my right, the sound of a stone doorway opens up and reveals a long passageway. Raine nods and begins to step away. "Right. So we should press on—"

The door closes just as Raine steps off the circle. She looks back and finds that her circle didn't remain lit. Her eyebrows furrow as she realizes that they will have to split up in this seal. "So only a few of us can move on into the seal while three of us must remain behind."

Then Raine elects, "Colette, since you are the Chosen, you have the right to choose who stays and who goes into the seal with you. You may choose three others to come with you while the rest remain."

"Ahhh . . . Well . . ."

Colette still isn't very good when under pressure.

Guess who she picked? I'll give you three hints.

Hint number one: there are no redheads.

Hint number two: they are all people that she's known for a while.

Hint number three: with them all together we can call them Team Iselia.

So with Kratos, Sheena and me standing on our own little brite-lite circle, Colette bids us goodbye for now and promises that she'll find a way for us to catch up. So we just stand there . . . and watch . . . as she and Lloyd, Genis, and Raine leave.

Yeah . . . I'm bored.

Sheena tells Corrine, "It's going to be pretty boring over here. Why don't you go and help protect the others?"

"Alright. If you say so." Corrine leaps off of Sheena's shoulders and hurries along up the stairs.

Once again, we're completely alone.

And bored.

Sheena coughs.

I lean on one foot.

Kratos is just perfectly still and content with the silence.

Wow . . . How long has it been since Colette left? I'm thinking at most a minute.

I glance around the area before I go, "Sooo . . ."

Awkward silence.

". . . It'd probably be a little less boring if one of us were chatty," I note.

Silence meets me.

"Helllooooo?" a voice echoes from the entrance.

Sheena's eyes widen before she glares at me. "You jinxed us!"

I hold my hands up in defense. "Hey, now! That was going to happen whether or not I was going to speak!"

"Whoa! The chandelier just totally fell! Did anyone _die?_"

Sheena accuses, "If you hadn't opened your big mouth—"

"Is it really _my_ fault?" I defend.

"Who's talking? Hhheeeellll_oooooooo_? Anyone _theeeeeerrrrrreee_?"

"Hurry!" Sheena goes. "Let's hide!"

Kratos finally speaks, "If we leave this platform the others wouldn't have a way out. Even if we could where would we be able to hide?"

"Damn it!" Sheena curses.

"Oh! It's you guys! I was hoping I'd find you!"

Against all odds, Marian Susan found us.

* * *

"Aww man!" Lloyd carps. "Why do these stairs have to be so long?"

"Shut up, Lloyd," Genis groans. "Complaining about it isn't going to help make it any better."

"You can both be quiet," Raine scolds. "Colette isn't complaining and I'm not complaining either. The both of you can manage."

"Raine . . ."

"Professor . . ."

"Eep!" Colette yelps. "I just walked through something!"

Genis asks, "How is that something bad?"

"It was a hand!"

"I don't see any . . ." Then Genis sees it: a clear hand attached to a transparent body stretched and skeletal. Its eyes gleam and glare a red color at Genis.

"Whoa! Look out! It's a specter!" Genis shouts as he whips out his kendema.

"I don't see anything!" Lloyd states.

"I can see it!" Colette says. "I can see some of it!"

Raine asks, "Genis, can you see its entire body?"

Genis begins to answer, but stops when the specter clatters its jaws together and breathes in with a blue flame forming.

"Where's the blue fire coming from?" Lloyd exclaims.

Genis shouts, "Get against the wall!"

Lloyd and Raine jump to the wall while Colette leans against the railing separating them from the stairs and falling to their doom. The specter spews out blue flames and Genis jumps out of the way and against the railing.

"I can't see any of it any more!" Colette shouts.

"Fireball!" Genis casts. Large orbs of fire fly out from his kendema and engulf the specter. It screeches horribly causing Genis to plug his ears.

Lloyd, not hearing anything but only seeing the flames burning a form and Genis plugging his ears, worriedly questions, "Is it screaming in pain? Is that why you're plugging your ears? What's going on?"

The specter continues to scream but fights even still. It reaches out to Lloyd. Seeing it through the flames, Lloyd dodges its grasp and counterattacks. His blades meet only the fire.

"What the—? I can't hit it?" Lloyd realizes.

"It's a specter—a ghost. Physical attacks won't work at all," Raine explains.

"Everyone move out of the way!" Genis calls. "Eruption!"

Colette flies away while Lloyd and Raine move behind Genis as the fiery spell pushes the specter up into the air with even larger flames engulfing it. It screams one last time before the flames eat it up.

After a moment, Lloyd expresses, "That was really weird . . . There are more of these too? How come Genis is the only one who can see it?"

Raine supposes, "Perhaps Genis' sixth sense is stronger than any of ours."

"Why am I just now seeing ghosts, though?" Genis wonders. "If my sixth sense was always stronger than usual then how come I see them now rather than earlier?"

Raine theorizes, "It's possible that you mistook any other ghosts that you have seen for living people. I will admit that there were times that I could have sworn that you were seeing something that I didn't and there was a time when you actually were speaking to someone in broad daylight that I couldn't see."

"So . . . some of the people I knew were actually dead?" Genis goes. "That's . . . That's really depressing . . ."

Raine places a reassuring hand on her brother's shoulders. "Perhaps it doesn't have to be necessarily depressing or joyful. It can simply be. Besides, now that we know that you can see the ghosts inside the Tower of Mana, it makes it a lot easier to fight them."

Genis seems a little reassured even if not entirely. "Okay, sis."

As they continue up the stairs they find a large number of ghastly monsters, some that only Genis could see and some that were possessed. The ones that really got on Lloyd's nerves were the stubborn living bear dolls that, no matter how many times he sliced those mechanical dolls open, they still managed to move and attack. There were so many ghosts and specters coming out of seemingly nowhere that no one ever dropped their guard.

When they get to the top of the spiraling stairs, Lloyd cries out, "Finally! A door! Thank Martel!"

Raine tells him, "Get off your knees, Lloyd. It's not that big of a deal."

They enter and find a large room spread out before them. Platforms hang above a lower floor and mirrors stationed in different areas on both floors characterize the area. As Lloyd, Genis, and Colette gawk at the mirrors, Raine studies the placement of all the mirrors and the disconnected platforms where the four stand.

"I see," Raine goes. "The puzzle of this seal rests entirely on intellect and cooperation. The seal divides the group into two and forces them to cooperate so that they can move forward."

"Okay, but how do the others get down there?" Lloyd asks.

Raine gestures next to her. "See this apparatus and how it resembles the trio of circles at the first floor? If I step on that circle, maybe I can communicate with the others."

Then she steps on the circle.

* * *

Oh. My. God. I'm going to _strangle_ her.

Marian Susan just keeps talking and talking and talking away. She's shared certain facts about herself that were just obnoxious and I didn't want to know and certain facts that were dipping into inappropriate and I didn't _ever_ need to know. As it turns out she found out where we were going by asking around and found out that we were heading to the Tower of Mana and then she felt that destiny was calling her and that she needed to follow us and make herself a big help—which she concluded is true since we had a chandelier drop on our heads.

Suddenly, the door on the wall left of the first door opens up for us to enter through.

The circle in the middle lights up and Raine's transparent image appears.

"Raine!" Sheena says. "It's nice to see someone intelligent!"

Marian Susan, who decided to stand relatively close to Kratos, chirps, "I know what you mean! Sometimes a group has those kinds of members that just slow you down."

Sheena looks at her funny. "Um—"

I speak, "Don't tell her, Sheena. Sometimes it's funnier if it goes right over their head."

Marian Susan says to me, "Hunny, she was talking about _you._"

"Strike one," I declare.

"What's going on?" Raine questions.

Kratos explains, "Marian Susan followed us from Luin."

"Please! Call me Mary Sue!"

"She will be a temporary nuisance," Kratos adds. "On the other hand, the other door on this side just opened. We will move on ahead."

Raine responds, "Please do so. The puzzle for this seal requires cooperation from the entire group."

Raine's image disappears. We move off the circle and note the fact that they remain on this time and the first door that opened remains open. Unfortunately, Marian Susan decided that I'm prime game for some needless chatter and kept on talking and talking and talking and talking . . .

Sheena gets up to where Kratos is staying ahead. "Hey. Marian Susan is focusing entirely on Kelsey."

"So?"

"So, we can ditch Marian Susan and she won't notice. We just have to hurry up a little."

Kratos doesn't respond, but he does start climbing the stairs faster. Sheena hurries with him.

Despite their assumptions, Marian Susan keeps an eye on them and allows them to distance themselves from her. When the two have disappeared up the stairs, Marian Susan gets in front of me and stops.

Getting increasingly irritated, I gripe, "We're already falling behind. How about picking up the pace a bit?"

Marian Susan gives me this jealous glare. "I've been wondering . . . Colette is too young and Raine isn't interested in him, in fact she thinks he's capable of terrible things, but with you? You."

My BS senses are tingling. "What about me?"

Marian Susan interrogates, "Are you . . . my rival in love?"

Dead silence.

". . . What?" I snap.

"Don't play dumb!" Marian Susan snarls. "Don't think I haven't noticed! You're after Kratos too, aren't you?"

I can't believe this, yet I can for some reason. "Hell no," I put. "He's WAY too old for me!"

Plus he's got a son who's my age so yeah. It'd be kinda wrong.

"Liar!" Marian Susan accuses. "You want him too! Just know that Kratty-poo is _mine!_"

"K-Kratty—" I gag.

Way up ahead, Kratos cringes from hearing what the girl said. While he pretends to adjust his glove, he restricts his Cruxis Crystal so at least he doesn't hear what the idiot girl is calling him. He needs to get rid of Marian Susan as soon as possible.

After a very tense and awkward pause with me gagging from even trying to say "Kratty-poo," I race up the stairs to catch up with the two way up ahead of me.

"KRATOS! SHEENA!" I roar. "NEXT TIME YOU TWO DITCH ME I'M KICKING YOUR ASSES!"

On the way up to the final stairway was tense. Although I fought monsters with them very willingly, especially for practicing my spells and taking out my anger on something that I'm allowed to kill, but I didn't talk to Kratos and Sheena until I got all that negative energy out. By that point, I didn't care. I just wanted to be rid of Marian Susan, get through this seal as quickly as possible, and be rid of all these creepy monsters. Oh man! The monsters! The specters we couldn't see at all, the grim reaper monsters were a pain, the living swords were hard to inflict damage on, and the evil teddy bears—the evil teddy bears! Those were the worst! They were creepy and evil and out to kill us! It was . . . ! It was . . . ! I don't need to elaborate!

The end of the stairs was a relief. With a door at the end, we rest our legs a moment before entering it. Inside are two floors, the one we're on and disconnected platforms above. Judging by the fact that I don't see the others, I'm guessing that they're on one of the platforms. Then the mirrors. Mirrors everywhere! They're not the blocks that have to be pushed and moved but mirrors that are bolted to the ground but can be adjusted to certain angles.

"Hey! Up here!" Lloyd's voice calls.

"Oh no. Not _her!_" Genis' voice moans.

"Sorry guys," Marian Susan calls up to them. "Kelsey is stuck with us for a while. We can ditch her in Luin, though!"

"Strike two," I declare. The thing with me being her love rival is too much to be counted as a single strike.

Raine instructs, "I figured out the puzzle already! See that red curtain? Pull it back and sunlight should come through."

Sheena looks over to the red curtain to our left and goes to pull it back. She cringes as an amazing amount of light shines through.

Raine directs, "Go over to that mirror and angle it to that mirror!"

Kratos follows the instruction this time. He angles the mirror getting direct sunlight so it points the beam of light to another mirror.

"Now point that mirror over here where this mirror next to us is!"

Since Sheena was closer to the mirror that Raine indicates, Sheena goes over to that mirror and angles it upward to the lowest platform where the others are. Raine moves over to that mirror and angles it across the room.

A bridge of yellow mana appears, connecting the others to the platform across the way.

After testing it to find out if it's like the mana bridge to the water seal, the others cross over to the next one and Raine angles the mirror to the lower level. She directs, "Point that mirror over there!"

Since Kratos and Sheena did some work, I move over to the mirror and carefully angle it to the far side of the room.

"And that mirror goes up to the mirror on the next platform!"

Sheena takes a turn this time and angles the mirror on the far side and turns it towards the mirror on the next platform. Another bridge appears and Raine moves to that one and angles it towards the next platform and the last mirror.

The last mana bridge appears, connecting the last platform to the rest.

"Fantastic!" Raine calls down to us, "Is there another doorway on the lower level?"

I call up, "Yes! It's just that way!"

"It should lead up to here! Come on up!"

We make our way out of the large mirror room to find . . .

Another set of stairs.

"Awwwww . . ." I moan. "More stairs?"

"Quit complaining," Kratos says. "We're almost there."

Marian Susan chimes in, "Yeah! Quit it! All I ever hear from you is complaining! Do you ever once realize how annoying it is?"

Kratos turns to Marian Susan. "_You_ are going too far."

Despite Kratos being so admired, Marian Susan is too far into her speech of trying to impress Kratos and take his side that she doesn't hear him and doesn't stop. "As far as I can see, it's been nonstop with the complaints. I'm surprised the others tolerate you as much as they do."

"Marian! Stop it!" Sheena protests.

The girl continues, "Why are you here, anyway? Did you join them just to play around? Do you think this is a game? _Huh?_"

"A _game?_" I glower. "You think that I went through everything that happened to me, everything that I fought for, all because I think this is a _game?_"

Marian Susan doesn't take back her attitude.

Strike three.

I snatch her dress collar with my left hand and pull my right hand back into a fist. "Why don't you call _this_ a game!"

I throw my fist at her face, relishing each moment of the force of my hand speeding to her pretty cheek and—

It stops. Just before my fist makes contact with her face, my fist stops.

I snarl, "Sheena! Let me go! She's asking for it!"

Sheena says, "She's not worth it! She'll be gone by the time we get back to Luin! Just stop and calm down!"

Kratos pries open my fingers from Marian Susan's collar and puts himself between me and her. Marian Susan doesn't even dare to thank Kratos for that. She just stares at me with wide eyes, shocked that I would have it in me to do anyone any harm.

Kratos reminds, "We need to go meet with the Chosen and the others and release the seal here, remember? Petty fights will not only slow us down but also waste precious time."

I snort. "Fine. But she had _better_ be gone by the time we drop her happy ass back at Luin."

Sheena finally releases me and allows me to move ahead of everyone. Sheena and then Kratos follow me up the stairs. Marian Susan just stares for a long moment before finally moving. She follows the rest of us up the stairs but keeps her distance.

Why did I waste my time with her?

As the stairs continue upward, I focus my energy on going up the stairs and ignoring the stitch in my side. Amazingly it works to keep my mind off of Tales of Symphonia and Marian Susan. The stairs, however, weren't really that long. It just took a bit before we made it to the upper level of that particular room. By the time we catch up to the others, we find them waiting at a platform similar to the one at the front only smaller and with two blue circles with Raine on one. Kratos doesn't ask anything or say anything but just walks on over and steps on the other circle. The portal on that platform lights up and allows us through.

I go up to the portal and wait for everyone else. Sheena, Genis, and Colette make it there followed by Raine, Lloyd, and Kratos. Marian Susan, however, stays where she is.

"You're not coming?" Lloyd asks.

Marian Susan says, "No. I figured that I would only get in the way. My spells aren't strong enough." She stares at us rather hopefully, though.

Lloyd pauses for a moment before saying, "Alright. If that's how you feel then I won't force you to come. It's dangerous enough even with an Exsphere anyway. Just be careful, alright?"

She just watches as the portal activates and we disappear.

Like with all the other portals, my stomach churns some but I manage to keep my food down. The next thing I feel is strong wind and smell the fresh air of outside. I let the wind blow my troubles away and, for just a moment, I'm able to completely forget. I'm able to forget my past, my sorrows, and the demons inside my heart.

Even if only for a moment, I am able to forget that game called Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

Wow. Mary Sue really is a useless character. I feel like I wasted my time coming up with her but at least she exposes one of Kelsey's troubles for readers to see.

The next chapter will be over the boss for this dungeon and some other things that happen once Colette loses her voice.

Anyway, please review.


	38. Silence

If one person says it then there are at least twenty others who thought it but won't say it. I'm just saying this as a little FYI about the previous chapter's title. Alleluia and hallelujah or whatever other spelling works just as well as the next because it's one of those things that depends on where you go to and who you ask. In my church we use "alleluia" and it's easier for me to remember how to spell than "hallelujah" so that's what I use. There's really no right or wrong spelling so . . .

We're all right! :D

Anyway, this is the longest damn chapter I have ever written for fan fiction. I couldn't find a stopping point. I am so sorry . . .

It covers a lot of important points and I wanted to save the big thing for next.

. . . Man. I'm already this far.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Silence

My past and troubles blow away with the high wind. A feeling of release and freedom lightens my heart. Tales of Symphonia never existed. I just suddenly appeared in the outskirts of Palmacosta back in January without knowing where I am. I learned about the Chosen and Martel from Chocolat. I have no idea who Kratos really is and I certainly could never guess that he's the Darth Vader of this journey.

At least . . . I'm trying to convince myself of that.

It's better than looking down and discovering just how long of a drop it is from the very rooftop of the Tower of Mana.

Seriously, if I fall, I sincerely hope that I fall with my spear in my hand. If Colette is too late to catch me I'll just make my death quick instead of waiting to hit the ground.

Fortunately, the rooftop is as large as a football field—about half the size of the ground floor. Thank God Almighty that it's not a narrow strip like it was in the water seal. The last thing I want is to be blown off the ledge.

We all approach the altar in the center of the platform. As soon as we come in range, a strong flow of mana gathers in the center and takes a dark transparent shape. I take a few steps back, almost fearing that the radiating energy will burn me like mana first did back when I first came to this world.

"This one's much stronger than the guardian at the wind seal!" Genis warns as the shape takes a definite form.

Just like in the game, this guardian is a giant horse of light and darkness, three times my height and bearing feathered wings. A pegasus. However, this pegasus fades between physical substance and ghostly form as if indecisive about which to take, seeing advantages and disadvantages between both. Raine whips out a magic lens and aims it at the monster.

"This is an Iubaris! It's monster of light and darkness and continuously switches between physical and nonphysical matter!" she reports. "Elemental spells are the only attacks that will affect it when it no longer holds any physical shape but anything will harm it when it returns to a physical form!"

Remembering that all I have is my wooden practice staff, I'll just keep to the back and cast spells. I keep next to Genis and Raine as Colette, Lloyd, Kratos, and Sheena charge in against the Iubaris. While I concentrate on casting my first spell, Colette starts off by attacking its now-physical head with Pow Hammer. The monster's body shifts with its head transparent and only certain spots physical. It rears up against Colette with a silent whinny and slams its hooves and head down against her. Colette dodges and flies around, searching for one of the few physical spots remaining like Lloyd is now.

Sheena, on the other hand, uses cards enhanced with magic and seals. She deals damage with Power Seal and Mirage Seal and does magical damage even if physical damage won't work. Then Kratos either attacks with Hurricane Thrust or quickly casts spells such as the typical basic spells or the ones he's shown he knows like Thunderblade and Grave. Genis is just casting spells left and right from Aqua Edge and Icicle to Eruption and Stalagmite. The kid is just having the time of his life causing all sorts of damage.

Raine's effort alone is what keeps us going in the long run. Since her spells are rendered useless since the Iubaris is light as well as darkness, all she can do is heal our wounds and increase our strength, defense, and magic. It definitely helps us keep in battle.

"Lightning!" I shout as I cast the spell. A strip of lightning strikes down on the front left hoof of the giant pegasus.

The Iubaris leaps across the platform in a low arch and knocks over everyone in its way. Right when it whips around to face us it rears up and two miniature shadow versions of it are summoned to its side and race at us, ramming against Colette, Genis, and Sheena, before disappearing. Lloyd and Kratos dodge the shadow horse figures and charge at the Iubaris.

The giant pegasus flaps its wings up into the air and glides to the other side . . .

. . . where the spell casters are.

"Crap . . ." I mutter as I hurry further away from it. Genis flees to the side while Raine remains where she is, watching the monster with calculating eyes. The Iubaris gathers energy at the front of its mouth . . .

Raine flees under the horse and behind it as a beam of energy shoots down at any target in front of it. It moves around and ends on my back.

"AAHH!" I cry out as the beam hits me. A familiar burning sensation mixed with pain torments my nerves. I clutch my arms around my body as I hurry out of the seal guardian's path of destruction. The burning . . . It still hurts . . .

. . . But, it doesn't hurt as much as when I first came to this world.

Colette calls out, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine!" I tell her. "I just needed a moment." I begin casting spells once more.

Sheena just goes all out, attacking both flesh and ghostly form. Suddenly, she cries out, "Lloyd! Unison Attack!"

Lloyd goes first, "Sonic Thrust!"

"Pow Hammer!"

"Spread!"

"Mirage Seal!"

"Hurricane Thrust!"

"Windblade!"

Since Raine isn't participating in attacking, Lloyd and Sheena continue with the attack. Sheena rapidly sets up an airborne spell circle different from Power Seal in front of Lloyd.

"Mirage . . . !" Sheena starts.

"Thrust!" Lloyd finishes as he zips through the seal and through the Iubaris as his blade carries the spell circle with it, causing a large amount of damage to the ghostly form of the Iubaris.

The seal guardian collapses. The torso, what was attacked by Mirage Thrust, returns from the ghostly form to physical substance. Raine notes this and concludes, "Each time a certain amount of damage is done to the ghost form, it reverts back to its physical form to allow the ghostly body to recover."

With that, Raine shouts, "Everyone! This is our chance! If the ghostly body is attacked and destroyed then the Iubaris has no choice but to revert to its more vulnerable physical form!"

Genis instantly starts casting more precise spells while I continue to use the spells I know due to the fact that the effects are more concentrated on certain areas. Lloyd attacks the torso while Sheena stakes out more ghost areas with Colette following her to take advantage of the newly-made vulnerable spots. Kratos, in the meantime, just switches back and forth between casting spells and attacking with his sword.

Then, Lloyd goes into a chain of three basic strikes, Tempest, and then "Beast!"

The attack sends the Iubaris down and Colette flies around to take advantage of the situation. "Ray Satellite!"

The chakram slices through the air and lands a killing blow on the monster. Colette's chakram flies back to her and she catches it, just as the Iubaris explodes into yellow specks of mana and gathers back to the altar.

We all gather around as Remiel's voice echoes, "Chosen of Regeneration . . . You have done well in reaching this far. Now, offer your prayers at the altar."

". . . Yes!" Colette replies. She steps to the altar, kneels down, and utters, "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"

She looks up as she releases her wings and finds, not Remiel's face looking down upon her, but another face.

We all stare in wonder as a woman with golden locks reaching down to her feet and a violet gown draped around her body appears in a ghostly form. Her golden staff rests in her lap as she sits on a blue crescent resembling the moon and a white halo circles around the crown of her head. She examines us, namely Sheena, and glances around with a quizzical expression.

". . . Where is Aska?" her clear and bell-like voice rings.

"Whoa!" Lloyd exclaims. "What is that?"

The woman, Luna I remember, closes her eyes with a rueful shake of her head. ". . . Without Aska, I cannot do a thing—not a pact or a vow . . . Even if I could I would not do anything without my other half's say." She gazes down at us. "If you wish to speak with me, then please, find Aska. Only then will we be whole."

Then she fades away . . .

Silence follows in wake of our astonishment. Then, Lloyd asks, "What was that?"

Sheena answers, "That was . . . a summon spirit. I think she's the summon spirit of light."

"Luna," Raine identifies. "Why would she . . . ?"

Light beams down from the sky as an orb of yellow light descends down to a level above Colette, cutting Raine off. The orb bursts and Remiel appears.

Remiel, the same as I last and first saw him, still bears an expression of sinful ambition.

He speaks, "Your journey has been long, but take heart! It will soon end!" Remiel smiles. "The heathens I have warned you of the last time we spoke have not dared to taint your purity. You have passed the point where the previous Chosen has fallen—as well as all other Chosens in past centuries. My relief is infinite as well as my pride in your accomplishments."

"Thank you . . ." Colette speaks. ". . . Lord Remiel."

Remiel waves a gentle hand over Colette. "In the name of the goddess Martel, Cruxis grants you our blessing."

". . . Thank you," Colette merely replies.

The Cruxis Crystal on Colette's chest illuminates with light like it has before and fades away once whatever transformation to be done has started.

Remiel raises an eyebrow at Colette. "You have taken another step closer to becoming an angel, yet you seem anxious."

Colette opens her mouth to speak, but thinks better of it. She closes her mouth but then replies with, ". . . No, I'm very happy. I will soon join you as an angel."

Remiel watches her with curiosity for a moment before saying "Now, Chosen One, your journey is finally drawing to a close. It is time for you to rejoice! The path to the Tower of Salvation is open!"

Suddenly, Remiel's ambition is further unmasked by himself as a determined expression spreads across his face. "Head to the Tower of Salvation and offer your prayers of regeneration! Then, you will be able to climb the stairway of heaven."

"The Tower of Salvation!" Lloyd gasps.

Genis expresses, "The world regeneration is finally going to take place!"

Sheena watches with a doleful face. "Is regeneration . . . really going to happen?" She lowers her head in sorrowful contemplation. Corrine appears on her shoulder and nudges her chin with his nose encouragingly.

Colette declares, "I shall do as you instruct, Lord Remiel."

Satisfaction and confidence settles on Remiel's face as he disappears. Once gone, his voice echoes, "I shall await you at the final seal. Colette . . . my daughter. There, you will become an angel like me."

Colette releases her wings and comes down from the altar to join us. Her eyes are vacant as thoughts consume her mind.

Kratos says, "Now that the end is finally in sight, we should head to the Tower of Salvation."

Raine, her eyes filled with rue, approaches Colette and asks, "Colette . . . Are you sure about this?"

Colette snaps to and smiles. "I'm fine."

Lloyd remembers that Colette is slowly losing her humanity and curses, ". . . Damn it! This isn't fair!"

Colette frowns and replies, "You're right. It's not fair. It's not fair to the people of Sylvarant if I consider myself and abandon this journey."

Lloyd flinches at the jab. "Colette!"

Colette looks into his eyes. "If this world isn't regenerated then the Desians will continue to hurt and kill more people, destroy more villages and homes, and tear more families apart. Even if they are all destroyed and never return, this world will die when mana finally runs out. How can I consider my own losses when everyone else will suffer even more than I ever will if I don't complete this journey?"

"Colette . . ."

Kratos moves over to the portal. "We need to move on."

I glance at Kratos as we silently move away from the altar. My heart begins to speed as my mind flickers images of Remiel drenched in his own blood; of Kratos standing above us with a bloodstained sword and deep blue wings attached to his back; of the Eternal Sword raised against us . . .

Of Yggdrasill watching us with sick amusement as he makes up his mind whether or not to kill us off quickly or let us die slowly.

* * *

I feel my stomach twisting in a way that has nothing to do with the portal and more to do with a slow formation of panic. The Tower of Salvation. It was so far ahead of me back at the water seal and it didn't seem like something I would ever walk close to back while I was still in Palmacosta. I gotta think of something good coming up otherwise I'll end up freaking out.

Since we're now back inside the Tower of Mana, that means that Marian Susan is back with us since she was waiting on us from inside the tower. "Hey! How did it—" She stops when she gauges our moods. ". . . What's wrong? Did something happen? Please tell me."

Gotta think of something . . . Oh, someone spoke?

I glance at Marian Susan on happenstance and she quickly shuts up as soon as we meet eyes. I turn away, not caring what she does as long as I can ignore her.

Colette tells Marian Susan in a hushed voice, ". . . Nothing happened. We're just tired . . ."

"Oh . . . As long as all of you are alright." Assured that everything's fine, she goes back to staring at Kratos from a distance.

Gotta think of something good coming up . . . Zelos will join soon and I always enjoyed his personality and his attitude! It'll be so cool!

It'll be such a pain the ass to put up with his groupies and his constant flirtations to Raine and Sheena . . .

Okay . . . Presea will join too! When she wasn't depressed or soulless I always considered her so cute!

She is going to be so creepy with the soullessness . . .

. . . Regal! He'll be easy for me to get along with!

Though I'll have to fight him before he joins us and he must kick like a horse . . .

. . . I give up . . .

We all go down the way Kratos, Sheena, and I came. I glance down as we exit through the stairs that lead down to the lower level in this room and happen to spot a couple of those evil teddy bears. So we'll have to fight those now? Beautiful.

We go down this short series of stairs without a word and enter the mirror room once more. The mirrors still reflect light but with dying stability as the sun begins to dwindle into the darkness of the night. Without enough reflected light from the mirrors, the bridges of mana fade from existence. They're solar powered, huh? It would make sense since it's the light reflected from the mirrors that trigger their activation. Now we have to face a few evil mechanical dolls without a way around them.

I look over to the doorway where the few dolls were walking in from and gasp when I discover that it's not "a couple" of evil teddy bears but several evil teddy bears. Possibly about twenty of them.

"You have got to be kidding!" Genis exclaims.

"This is insane!" I cry out. "An army of evil mechanical teddy bears? That's something ripped off from horror stories!"

"That doesn't matter!" Lloyd shouts. "What matters is that they're all going DOWN!"

Lloyd roars a battle cry as he charges into the crowd of mechanical dolls marching into the mirror room. Mechanical dolls instantly go flying as Lloyd rips the dolls apart. However, things quickly turn for the worse as one doll launches its head into Lloyd's gut. He goes down and is overpowered by the massive number.

Kratos, Colette, and Sheena hurry to the rescue. Kratos slashes dolls off of Lloyd and keeps them at bay while Colette lifts Lloyd off the ground and gives him a lemon gel. Sheena whips out the spell cards and blasts evil teddy bear after evil teddy bear.

"Alright!" Genis shouts. "Thunderblade!"

A blade of lightning crashes down on the dolls and sends deadly bolts of electricity through every one of them. Even after the spell finished its devastating destruction, the mechanical bears continue to spark and shudder as their systems fail. Everyone refrains from touching them until the last spark dies.

". . . Finally!" Lloyd huffs when he can finally attack without getting electrocuted. He charges in and makes quick work of every mechanical bear doll in his way. Parts go flying every which direction and causes a giant mess of gears and cogs. When the last one is destroyed, Lloyd stands on the other side of the door.

"Well? Let's go!" he calls.

"Still feeling the after effects of that adrenaline rush, I see," Raine comments.

After kicking mechanical remains out of our way, we walk down the eternal stairs with a monotonous environment of going down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and . . . In the meantime, I keep a grip on the railing and fight the temptation to look down. Then, on the subject of heights and falling, my mind wanders to the rheiards. Oh man. The rheiards. I don't know what I'm going to do then. It's coming fast too! It's almost as if I'll be falling from a rheiard by next week!

At this rate I'll develop panic attack tendencies.

We finally get down to the ground level and leave the building. Outside, Noishe greets us enthusiastically along with the horses fidgeting and wishing to come see their masters but are attached to the wagon. Over by the same horses rests an additional horse that doesn't belong to any of us. Marian Susan goes and takes that horse by the reins.

"We're not leaving right away," Lloyd informs.

Sheena shushes, "Shh! Don't tell her that!"

Lloyd ignores her as Marian Susan tells, "I know. I'm leaving, though. I need to think about some things. Also, this is the horse I borrowed from Ephraim for the trip from Hima to Luin. I really don't think he's happy with me taking this horse."

"Oh I bet he's pissed," I remark. "Not happy is an understatement."

Marian Susan flinched. ". . . So I'm done with adventuring. My time is better spent helping Luin rebuild itself than blindly going into adventures." Then she looks at me. "I don't know how you managed to survive."

I retort, "I didn't blindly go into this seeking adventure. I first joined to help save a friend, knowing full and well that I might end up getting myself killed."

Marian Susan looks away as she mounts her horse. "Anyway, good luck, Chosen One. All of you are always welcome in Luin and Hima."

Colette croaks out, "Good . . . G . . . Aahhh . . ." Her hand reaches to her throat as her voice breaks and quiets into nothing but meaningless sounds barely even heard.

Marian Susan doesn't hear her and rides away with a wave back at us. As she finally disappears from sight, I note that horseback riding really is something she's good at. At least she has one talent since she was so oblivious to the fact she wasn't good at spell casting.

". . . Ah-ah-ahhh . . ." Colette forces in a whisper volume. "Aahhhh!"

Lloyd turns to her. "Colette? What's wrong?"

Colette wobbles and falls to her knees.

"Colette!" Lloyd holds her up with full support. "It's the angel toxicosis again, isn't it? What happened this time?"

Colette meets Lloyd's eyes in distress. She tries once more, but not even "ah" comes out of her mouth. She clutches onto her throat in agony while she trembles as if she were about to burst into tears any second now.

"I suspect she lost her voice," Kratos states.

"Lost her voice?" Lloyd repeats.

Genis guesses, most likely trying to deny that this is the result of the transformation, "Then let's get her some medicine so that her throat clears up."

Raine shakes her head as she kneels next to Colette and examines her. "No, Genis. You know that this is the result of the angel toxicosis. There is no curing this."

Genis reels back in stun.

Kratos volunteers, "I'll set up camp, then."

I ask, "Wouldn't it be better to be inside the Tower of Mana where we'll be sheltered from the cold?"

"Did the chandelier give you no indication over how structurally sound this tower is?" Kratos prompts. "Even given that there is more support to the building's additional decorations than there really is, the monsters inside would plague us more than any monster outside." Then he turns to Sheena. "Take the key to the Tower of Mana and lock the front door."

". . . Very well." Sheena goes over to Lloyd and takes the key from him. She goes over and closes the doors.

". . . Corrine?" she whispers.

Corrine comes out of his hiding place. "Yes, Sheena?"

". . . I think I should tell them," she informs. "About . . . where we came from and why we were sent here. Then after everything, after seeing the people here suffer and traveling with this Chosen . . . I . . . I think . . ."

Corrine replies, "It's okay, Sheena. I think it's time we told them too. You have my support."

"Thank you, Corrine."

* * *

It was unusually quiet during camp now. Lloyd is offering as much support as he can to Colette and is now settled with just sitting next to her. To communicate with everyone, Raine gave her a pencil and a pad of paper for her to write on. It's proving a lot more effective and efficient than the method provided by Namco back at Earth. Even still, Colette rarely ever picked the pencil up unless it was necessary to communicate something.

Sheena is sitting by herself with Corrine in her lap. She has this gleam in her eye as if she wants to say something but is trying to come up with the right words, or perhaps even the courage, to say it. I'm not exactly paying attention to her, however, since I'm busy jotting down all the things that happened today in my journal. Oh, and it's the twenty-eighth of April, if you wanted to know. I'm finding it a little difficult to keep the date accurate but I'm doing it.

Genis is packing up all the cooking utensils since we just finished eating (I cooked this time and made sandwiches since nobody really wanted anything big). He seems unable to decide what to do so he's reorganizing his own stuff and his sister's stuff over and over, each time finding flaws in how he packed things. I'm sure he'd reorganize everyone else's things but they're not his things so he doesn't touch them. Raine, who's next to him, is busy working on the monster list for everything we just encountered, especially the Iubaris. She's just putting in a few last minute details before she finishes for the night. Earlier she had Lloyd sketch out the Iubaris since he's decent at drawing but just ended up aggravating him with numerous corrections. Hopefully Zelos, Presea, or Regal will be wonderful at drawing so she doesn't have to nag at the person volunteered by Raine herself to draw the monsters out. I'm suspecting that Regal, or maybe Presea, will be the artist.

Kratos is sharpening his sword with Noishe resting by his side. Tonight he'll be pretending to sleep since it's Raine's turn to do the night watch—or maybe he'll actually be sleeping. He's been genuinely sleeping for a while but, lately, it's been almost as if he doesn't really get tired. Just mentally strained and aggravated. Every once in a while, between going over different edges of his sword, he'll reach his hand over and scratch behind Noishe's giant ears. Noishe, in the meantime, looks as if he were in pure bliss. His two favorite people (Kratos and Lloyd obviously) are with him again. It could probably only get better if Anna and Martel were back and Mithos wasn't evil and was instead traveling with him again and Yuan were there to boot. He'll happily settle with only Lloyd and Kratos, though.

Sheena huffs out a sigh. She lifts Corrine off her lap and stands, gathering everyone's attention. She begins, "Everyone, I have something I need to say. I want to explain why I was sent to assassinate the Chosen."

Raine slightly narrows her eyes. "It's about time. Tell us about your homeland. A land that doesn't exist in Sylvarant."

Sheena's eyes expand in an instant in shock.

"What?" Genis goes. "What are you thinking, Raine? That's impossible."

Sheena loudly responds, "You knew? How?"

Sheena's confirming reaction sends the rest of us into shock. Kratos has now abandoned his sword and listens keenly. Even I'm paying complete attention. I want to know how Raine suspected Sheena and get any clues to how she doesn't suspect my own origins.

Raine recalls, "No, I didn't know at first, but back at the Balacruf Mausoleum after you faced us, you exclaimed that _this_ world would be saved, singling out this world as if there were others. Then with the subtle comments about 'people over here' and 'over on this side' and whatnot provides additional evidence to reality. All this leads me to believe that you are not from Sylvarant."

I see. It's because I pretty much censor what I say around people. Kratos saw the quality of items and where there was damage on certain things like the copyright page on my books which he read earlier. Then he overheard me talking to Punky since he was the only one I felt comfortable speaking to since I thought I was alone. While my story about my traveling family has a lot of holes, Raine hasn't encountered any more evidence to my origins. Sheena, on the other hand . . .

Sheena nods once she starts getting used to the idea that Raine found out on her own. "You know, it's a shame that your intellect's being wasted here. You're right. I'm not from Sylvarant. My world is called 'Tethe'alla'."

"Tethe'alla?" Genis skeptically replies. "The moon?"

Sheena smirks, but unable to laugh due to the internal pressure she feels from confessing all this. "No, of course not. My world isn't the moon." Then she shakes her head. "It's really complicated—even I don't understand the specifics. I'll explain it the best I can, though. There's another world that lies entwined with Sylvarant, as shadow is to light. That world is Tethe'alla . . . my world."

"Two entwined worlds?" Raine says.

Sheena continues, "The two worlds lie directly adjacent to each other. They just can't see one another. The scholars of my world say that they exist on shifted dimensions. Anyway, the two worlds can't see or touch each other but they do exist next to and affect each other."

Lloyd questions, "What do you mean 'affect each other'?"

Sheena answers, "They vie for the supply of mana. When one world goes into decline, that world's mana is actually flowing to the other world. As a result, one world is always flourishing and the other waning. Like an hourglass."

"Wait," Genis goes, "so right now, Sylvarant's mana is going to this other world? To Tethe'alla?"

Sheena confirms, "Yeah. Sylvarant's mana is flowing to Tethe'alla. Therefore, Sylvarant is in decline. Without mana, crops won't grow and magic becomes unusable. If there's no mana, the Summon Spirits that protect the world alongside the Goddess Martel can't survive in Sylvarant either. As a result of that, the world slips even further down the path of destruction."

Lloyd notices Colette finally writing something. He waits for her to finish before she hands him what she wrote down for him to read aloud. He takes it and proclaims, "Colette wants to say something." Everyone's attention is drawn to Lloyd as he reads her message. "'But the journey of world regeneration is supposed to restore mana. If things really are what you say then once the journey of world regeneration is complete, Sylvarant will be using Tethe'alla's mana?'"

"Exactly!" Sheena replies. "The Chosen's journey to regenerate the world is just a process of reversing the flow. When the Chosen breaks a seal, the mana flow reverses in part and the Summon Spirit that governs the seal awakens. When the entire journey is complete then the entire flow of mana reverses from the flourishing world to the declining world."

Sheena explains, "I was sent to prevent all that from happening. I broke through the supposedly impassable dimensional fissure for the sake of protecting Tethe'alla."

Lloyd stands with a stern expression. "In other words, to ensure the decline and destruction of Sylvarant?"

Sheena challenges, "You can say that, but your journey of world regeneration is also an attempt to destroy Tethe'alla. We're both doing the same thing. The only difference is that I'm aware of what I'm doing."

Raine expresses, "It's hard for me to believe all this."

I finally speak my own piece, "Sheena's living proof. No one can just make up something like she just told us. Then what about her clothes and certain mannerisms? You've traveled all over the world and I'm guessing you've studied every culture on this world as possible. How do you explain her clothes and manners? They're not of Sylvarant."

Sheena adds, "Kelsey's right. I also possess summoning arts that have been lost from this world. You've seen it yourself . . ." Her attention is caught by Colette's guilty expression. Sheena frown sorrowfully and defensive. ". . . Please don't look at me like that, Colette. I know that harming Tethe'alla in any way isn't your intention at all."

Sheena crosses her arms and taps her foot. "I don't know what I should do either. I came here to protect Tethe'alla, but this world is impoverished and everyone is suffering. The Desians are wrecking havoc on everyone and people are always between starving and eating, between life and death." She switches to the flipside, "But if I allow the world regeneration to occur, Tethe'alla will become just like this. Everyone I know will suffer just as I've seen everyone here suffer."

Genis goes, "But right now you're helping us, right?"

Sheena throws her arms down. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm allowed to abandon Tethe'alla! I-I don't know what to do! Isn't there any other way? A way for Sylvarant, Tethe'alla, and Colette to all be happy? I've been wracking my brain over and over and I still can't find a way!"

Lloyd declares, "I wanna know too!"

Raine wonders, "Have you considered that perhaps nothing that convenient exists in the real world?"

I answer, "There probably is a way. Nature is supposed to be complexly built yet work out simply. With this system, it depends on mankind to keep the worlds alive rather than being able to work out by itself as it should be. It doesn't support natural life. I'm pretty sure there is a way but we don't have access to that knowledge."

Kratos finally speaks, "With what we have at hand, the best thing we can do is save Sylvarant from its current crisis."

Lloyd asks, "What if we don't regenerate the world and just defeat the Desians?"

Kratos points out, "Don't you remember what Colette told you earlier? With mana not only being depleted by natural flow of life but also being sucked into Tethe'alla, Sylvarant will eventually be entirely exhausted of mana. This world will perish and nothing will remain. As for the Desians, while we did succeed in destroying two ranches, we cannot possibly eliminate all the Desians."

"Just how important is mana?" Lloyd wonders.

Genis shrugs. "I suppose only magic users and scholars worry about it, but mana is even more important to life than water. Without it, the land will die. Mana is the only source material which composes everything. At least that's what I've been taught."

"I have my own theory," I speak up. "Mana is the source of life but it is what fuels all life rather than composing it. It fuels all the actions and changes necessary to live, such as the strength to breath."

Raine comments, "Unfortunately, the Giant Tree of ever-flowing mana in fairy tales doesn't exist in the real world. We live by chipping away at the limited amount of available mana. Why do you think the ancient magitechnology and the ability to summon were lost?"

Sheena answers, "Because mana disappeared from the world and could no longer support magitechnology and power summoning."

"Correct." Raine informs, "Magitechnology consumes large amounts of mana and summoning depends on the subject being summoned to be available. If things continue the way they are now, Sylvarant will eventually lose its mana just as it lost its magitechnology, and in the end be destroyed."

Lloyd states, "But there has to be a way to make things better! There's always a way—" He looks over and finds Colette tapping her pad of paper against his arm. He takes it and reads, "'I'll try asking Remiel if there's a way to save the two worlds. There must be a way!'"

Sheena sighs. "If it doesn't work out I may have to kill you after all."

"Sheena!" Genis protests.

Colette frowns with determination at Sheena. She takes her writing pad back and scribes a new message on it before handing it to Lloyd. "'When that times comes I will fight back because I love Sylvarant too.'"

Sheena takes a resigned expression. ". . . I understand. You intend to become an angel and regenerate this world no matter what, don't you?"

Colette firmly nods.

* * *

We arrived at Luin on May first. Every time I look up to the horizon and find the Tower of Salvation my stomach twists anxiously. I know that adding days isn't going to help since it'll all go by quickly and the next thing I know Kratos and Yggdrasill are about to kill me. I'm also wondering things such as "Is Yggdrasill's outfit really something that resembles a white spandex jumpsuit?" If it is I'll probably laugh once I'm safely in Tethe'alla and no longer about to be killed.

While we enter Luin and observe the progress of reconstruction, I try to imagine the blond, long-haired (in fact, passed his butt in length), spandex-jumpsuit, effeminate Yggdrasill. The image is almost impossible but imaginable enough for a laugh to escape my lips.

"Ahah! Ahahah!" I laugh, seemingly randomly.

Kratos, who was closest to me at the moment, looks at me with puzzlement. "What is it?"

I make an effort not to look at him. "N-nothing. Just remembering something."

Kratos raises an eyebrow, probably thinking that I've gone insane.

Since we're in Luin and it's been about a week since we've been in Luin, we decide to go pick up my spear. That's right—my kickass dragon-fang spear! I finally get it back! A bright moment in my soon-to-be-paranoid life. I don't bother hiding my excitement over my spear as we head over to Tyson's smithy where my spear will be. Upon arriving, I note that some of the structures are being restored but it's obvious that the smithy isn't placing itself first to be built since a lot of other structures are being rebuilt a lot more quickly.

Lloyd announces our arrival, "Hello? Does anyone know where Tyson Hermann is?"

A few workers look over and one answers, "Good question, kid. No one knows where he is. I think he does that on purpose. You can talk to James if you want to get a quick word to him, though."

"Then where's James?" Lloyd wonders.

"I'm right next to you."

Lloyd jumps and finds his cousin. "James! I didn't hear you coming."

Genis remarks, "The rest of us saw him coming."

Lloyd ignores Genis. "Anyway, we came to pick up my friend's spear . . ."

"Oh yeah! That thing was difficult but it's just great!" James volunteers, "I'll go get it."

James leaves and we wait where we are as he goes to retrieve my weapon. To me, every second drags and it takes forever for James to return. When he does, however, my eyes go right to the new blade of my spear. Although it's slimmer than the fang originally was, the blade was crafted with a simple sword-blade-like shape that gleams beautifully, showing off its master quality. It's a little under twice the length of my hand and is obviously made for thrusting and slashing rather than any sawing. I go up to James and take the weapon out of his hands and stare at it in awe.

"And Dad said that it was a free deal so no charge," James states. "As long as you clean it and regularly sharpen it, this blade should last for years."

"Thank you!" I express.

"Your welcome." Then James turns to Lloyd. "Are you going to stay here for a bit?"

Raine answers for Lloyd, "Actually our journey is almost to an end so we need to keep moving."

Lloyd glances at Raine, a little miffed that she answered for him, but addresses James, "After our journey, though, I plan to come back to Luin and help out as much as I can. You will see me a lot more often after that."

James nods understandingly. "I hope so—"

"James!"

James looks in the direction he was called and hurries away. "It's urgent! Need to take care of it! Bye!"

So with that as our good bye, we leave and return to the wagon where our horses wait for us to bring them to a stable. I stare at my spear for a while with a giddy mood, unable to wait for a moment to test this beautiful blade out. Monsters beware!

Suddenly, a horse approaches in a fast lope, aiming for the area next to us so it passes us by. Lloyd spots the rider and moves in front of the horse to stop the rider, recognizing who he is. Having no choice but to stop, the rider pulls the horse's reigns back and halt to avoid trampling Lloyd. I look up to the man who Lloyd rudely stopped and recognize Ephraim.

Ephraim growls, "Damn it, kid! You don't jump out in front of a horse unless you want to get trampled! Did your parents drop you on your head when you were an infant?" Then he stops to correct himself. "I shouldn't have said that last thing—not when I know the answer to that. Yes you were dropped on your head, I saw it myself. I swear! You father was such a klutzy fool, the butterfingers."

"Ah-HA!" Genis exclaims with delight. "I knew his idiocy was due to brain damage!"

Lloyd snaps, "Shut up, Genis!" He turns back to his uncle. "Did Marian Susan make it back safely?"

A hostile gleam appears in his eyes. "Thankfully, she did. While I am relieved that my top assistance's daughter made it back safely, that girl isn't going to enjoy her stay in Luin at all. Considering that she took one of the horses without my say and went out without any word to where she was going, her punishment is rather light." Then he says, "Lloyd, please move out of my way. I need to get to my ranch as soon as possible and I would rather not run you over in the process."

"Why? What happened?" Lloyd questions.

"There's this commercial dragon keeper that recently moved into Hima. During his move, which is very recent, one of the assistants lost control of one of the dragons and it went out into the wild where it found my ranch and attacked my horses," Ephraim quickly explains. "I just got word today."

"Not the horses!" Genis protests.

Colette's expression changes to dismay and she hastily scribbles a message. She hands it to Lloyd.

Lloyd reads, "'Oh no! That's terrible! Let's go save the horses!' Yeah! We'll go with you!"

Raine complains, "We _just_ got here after a long trip."

"We can rest in Hima!" Lloyd passionately declares. "The horses need our help!"

Sheena agrees, "I'm with Lloyd, Colette, and Genis on this one! You can either stay here and go to Hima yourself or come with us!"

Ephraim loses some of his anger and states, "The damage was already done and the mentioned dragon is restrained. I'm just going back to get the damages paid for."

"We're saving the horses!" I chime in.

"Yeah! Turn the wagon around, Raine!" Genis commands.

"We have to hurry!" Sheena exclaims.

Ephraim sighs and looks to Kratos. "Are they _always_ like this?"

"Every second of the day," Kratos replies.

"You poor man."

So despite Raine's complaints, we turned the wagon around and rushed down to Hima, only stopping when Ephraim used our own horses as leverage. In light of the last time we traveled through the mountains between Hima and Luin, Ephraim took us down an even lower trail where the dragons rarely linger since they move to where ever the monsters are gathering whenever hunting. The last one was probably just about to take off when it saw the tasty horses just below it.

During the trip to Hima, we discussed each other's agendas. Ephraim informed us that the barn was knocked over from the dragon landing on its roof and several horses were injured and one eaten before the dragon handlers could finally get it tied down. While the barn is expensive to rebuild, especially during winter, Ephraim is more concerned over the horses themselves and wants the main man in charge of the dragons to pay for any damage done to the horses themselves. From the emergency report he got, the damage is estimated to be thirty thousand gald—a hefty sum for even the rich in Sylvarant. Judging from Sheena's shocked expression, it's probably a lot in Tethe'alla too.

Then when we started talking about going to the Tower of Salvation, Ephraim informed us that there is no way to get to the Tower of Salvation on foot. It was more than discouraging to us. We discuss ideas of how to get to the Tower of Salvation while we pour over our world map. We could get to it by sea so how could supply the boat? Izoold certainly can't since it's a small fishing community. Then we remembered that Palmacosta has ships and Neil considers himself still indebt to us so would supply the boat whether or not we offered to pay for passage. Though now at this point we would have to go around Asgard and completely across the Palmacosta continent.

Then Ephraim mentions, "I can make a deal with the dragon keeper where, instead of paying for the damages, he can give you all free rides to the Tower of Salvation. The dragon that attacked my horses wasn't his most well-trained after all. I heard that his best behaved ones remain in their pen even if the door is left wide open and hasn't harmed any of the assistants before."

Raine's posture eases in light of this new and easy solution. "Is that so? Thank you, Ephraim. Although I would still like to have a look at the dragons before I have any final say about them since one has a bad history."

Ephraim grimaces. "A very recent bad history . . . I understand, though. Just let me talk to the dragon keeper first."

This is kinda different. In the game we just go to Hima because we need to cure Pietro, which in reality we already did, and by a connected coincidence we find the dragon keeper. This time, however, we really didn't have a reason to go to Hima but check on Ephraim's horses. Wow. That's quite a coincidence. It's like God is pushing us to go to the Tower of Salvation as soon as possible. My only question is why God is on a time schedule.

We arrive at Hima on May fourth.

* * *

When we reach the fork in the road with one, the biggest and main one, moving into Hima and the other fork, thin and hardly used in comparison to the main path, reaching for Ephraim's ranch Ephraim bid us farewell for the time and left to take count of the damages himself. With the promise that he would return, we leave for Hima to rest for sometime until the moment comes that we must speak with the dragon keeper. We check in to the only inn in Hima and set our stuff down in our respective rooms with Colette, Sheena, and me in one room, Genis and Raine in another, and Lloyd and Kratos in the last.

While I'm unpacking my things for the night, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I look over and find Colette's writing pad offered to me with writing scribbled on it. I take the writing pad and read over it.

_You look anxious. What's the matter?_

I answer her, "Everything just went by so fast. This is the last seal and . . . this is basically the end. Of our journey. I'm . . . scared that I'll fail to . . . to protect you like I failed with Chocolat back when she got kidnapped and when she rejected us at Magnius' ranch and . . ."

Colette takes her writing pad back and writes her next message. It takes a moment before she offers the writing pad back.

_Don't worry. You'll do fine. Even if something goes wrong you have all of us here to support you._

Although I see a gleam in her eye telling me that she's hiding something else. That there's something she knows that I don't. It almost frightens me.

"Colette," I ask, "when you become an angel, will I be able to see you again?"

Colette's eyes narrow in sorrow. She quickly hides it with an encouraging smile and rushes to jot down her next message.

_Of course! Although it won't be as often as we would like, we will see each other again some day!_

I know the truth, though . . .

Since I won't be able to speak to her again for a while after this, I admit, "Actually, my real fear is a lot more unexplainable than what I just told you. I have this . . . dread inside my heart that something isn't right, that something bad is about to happen. I've been feeling this ever since we left the Tower of Mana. There's no explanation for it. It's just . . . there."

Colette's spirits droop. She takes the writing pad back and then jots down her next response.

_I don't know what to tell you about that. I'm sorry for not being able to help._

After a pause, I shake my head and tell her, "No. Just being able to tell someone means a lot to me. Thank you."

Colette still doesn't seem too reassured but she accepts that with a slightly more cheery nod.

Sheena listens to all that with a sad frown. She walks away and out the room as she speculates about what I just said. Corrine, who is perched on her shoulder as usual, wonders, "Sheena? What's the matter?"

"It's the same with me," Sheena says. "I've been feeling a steady feeling of dread myself. I can't explain it, but I feel like something big is about to happen—something life changing."

Corrine advises, "Be on your guard, Sheena. Your instincts are trying to tell you something."

"I know." Sheena's eyes become watchful and guarded.

After a bit, Lloyd and Genis come and invite Colette, Sheena, and me to go exploring Hima with them since it'll be some more time until Ephraim comes back from checking on his horses. We walk around a bit, chatting as much as we can about anything but the Tower of Salvation with Lloyd reading Colette's written responses, and eventually get Raine and Kratos joining us probably giving themselves the excuse of babysitting a large group of teenagers. Eventually we find the summit of the mountain Luin rests on and gaze out on the Tower of Salvation.

Genis observes, ". . . It looks so close yet we're so far away. I can't believe we're already about to head there."

"Me neither," Lloyd relates. "It doesn't seem that long ago when Colette received the oracle."

Raine recalls, "That was about four months ago so no, it wasn't a long time ago, but I know what you mean."

"Hiya, there!"

We all turn to face a man . . . with an afro. Okay, I don't care what anyone says to me, an afro looks weird. Small afros are okay, but the big ones . . . no. Just no. This guy has a big afro too. And he's a white guy. A white guy with an afro, and big black Sylvarant shades to boot. He looks like a cheap seventies rip-off. I have never seen anything like him before.

The cheap seventies rip-off shoots out, "Just saw you staring at the Tower of Salvation. Would you like the chance to see it up close?"

Oooohhhhh . . . It's the dragon keeper.

Genis recognizes him and asks, "Are you the guy who moved a bunch of dragons over here?"

"Why, yes I am!" the dragon keeper happily confirms. "Since you guys are my first customers I'll offer you a great deal! Let's see . . . seven people means three dragons so . . . three thousand gald—and that's cheap for my regular prices!"

Lloyd exasperates, "That's expensive!"

"Hey, I could charge you five thousand each since dragons are expensive to take care of and the area around the Tower of Salvation is especially dangerous," the dragon keeper points out.

Then Lloyd gets an idea.

"Hey, mister . . ." he mentions. "You're the dragon keeper here, right? One of your dragons attacked the horses in the ranch near Hima."

The dragon keeper scoffs, "Phht. Don't listen to them. That dragon is under restraints right now and won't be the one I offer you so you don't have to worry about it."

"The owner of the ranch, my uncle, has a bone to pick with you," Lloyd continues.

"Your uncle? Ha! Liar," the dragon keeper accuses.

"It's true," says a voice behind the dragon keeper.

The dragon keeper turns around and pales at the sight of Ephraim. "Oh it's you! Er, that's your nephew?"

"That's right, but that fact has nothing to do with the fact that you owe me gald for the damages your dragon caused," Ephraim replies with a calm glower upon the man. His eyes remain consistently sharp and unmerciful. "I just got back to talk to you about how much you owe me. Considering the cost of horses and their value, including the ones that the dragon harmed but managed to spare from eating, estimates about thirty thousand gald."

"Th-thirty thousand!"

"_Not_ including the barn that I now have to rebuild."

"Eeek!"

Ephraim continues to scorch the man with sharp eyes. "You had better find a way to repay me otherwise I will do things that no reasonable or sane man will ever consider doing."

The dragon keeper starts sputtering.

Lloyd goes up to his uncle and says, "He could give me and my friends free rides to the Tower of Salvation. That could help pay for some of his debt."

That's when we realize what Lloyd is doing. Maybe he has some brains after all.

Ephraim's eyes slightly soften as he looks to Lloyd. ". . . Maybe." Then his eyes soften entirely as he places a hand on Lloyd's head and ruffles the boy's hair. "But everyone in Luin knows that I spoil my nephew rotten. I just can't say no to him. 'Lloyd the Brat' that's what they call him. I swear one day I'll regret spoiling him."

The dragon keeper takes the hint and declares, "YES! Yes, I'll get you three top-class dragons! My very best! If it can help pay off some of the damages . . ."

Ephraim's eyes turn sharp as they turn back to the dragon keeper. "I _suppose_ I could forgive some of the expenses you owe me. Of course, they will be the same amount that you charged them. Lloyd, how much was he originally going to charge you?"

"Three thousand gald," Lloyd informs.

Ephraim appears to be contemplating on forgiving that amount of gald. ". . . I suppose that's fair, but anything for Lloyd!" He turns back to the dragon keeper. "Right, sir? Free rides for my favorite nephew and his friends in exchange for lessening the expenses?"

"OF COURSE!" the dragon keeper cheers. "I'll get my three best! I'll get Fafnir, and Jormungandr, and Nithhogr! My three best dragons!"

Then Lloyd adds, "But not right now. It's going to be a long way up to the Tower of Salvation so I want to get up early in the morning tomorrow so that the trip will be great."

"Yes, yes, anything you want!"

Just like that, we have our rides to the Tower of Salvation.

* * *

As soon as the dragon keeper's gone, with Ephraim by his side to arrange how the rest of the expenses are going to be taken care of, Lloyd turns to everyone, "We're finally down to the last seal . . ."

Raine says, "Let's split up for tonight, but don't go outside the village. Understood?"

"Yup," Genis responds.

". . . Got it," Sheena confirms.

"Alright," I reply.

"We'll be leaving in the morning," Kratos informs us before we turn away.

We all walk away to some spot, except for Colette who remains with Raine. Colette writes something down on her writing pad and offers it to Raine.

Raine reads it over and replies, "You don't have to thank me. Despite knowing what your future holds, this is the best I can do for you."

Colette nods with a touch of sadness as she remembers what her future holds.

After sometime, Lloyd wanders around and finds Sheena near Hima's exit, by the signpost directing everyone to respective spots and places in Hima. The ninja gazes out with Corrine wandering around and sniffing at things. When Lloyd approaches, Sheena looks up at him.

". . . Tomorrow, Sylvarant will be saved," she states.

"What are you going to do?" Lloyd wonders.

"Good question." Sheena says, "The only thing I can do is believe in the Chosen. The Chosen from this side seems trustworthy and all."

"What do you mean? Is there a Chosen you can't trust?" Lloyd amusingly replies.

Sheena huffs out a sigh. "Tethe'alla's Chosen. Goddess, I can't stand that guy . . ."

"I see," Lloyd says with a smile. "Tethe'alla has a Chosen too."

"Two worlds; two Chosens." Sheena pauses then and asks, "If there really is a goddess, why did she make a world like this?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Lloyd agrees. "I wanna kick her for doing this."

Sheena laughs, "Heheheh! Seriously, I wish I could do that myself."

And then the two part ways. Lloyd continues walking around, thinking about how things ended up the way they are and runs a blank. On the way there, Raine spots him from the market and goes up to him.

"Go see Colette," Raine tells him as she shifts the bag of supplies higher into her arms. "This is her last night."

"Last night?" Lloyd repeats.

Raine explains, "This is her last night as a human."

Lloyd wonders, "Professor, you're a scholar, right? Can't we do anything about this?"

Raine sighs. ". . . Don't you understand yet?" Then she pinches the bridge of her nose as she mutters, "You're not too bright."

Then she explains, "It's _because_ I'm a scholar that I'm fascinated by Colette as she continues to change and transform into an angel."

Lloyd shakes his head. "You . . . You can't be serious, Professor."

"You think so?" Raine points towards the general direction Colette stands. "Now, go to her."

Lloyd heads over in the direction Raine indicates, but seeing as that he can't see her from where he is, Lloyd concludes that Colette must be in a higher level of the rocky mountain. He climbs up the mountain . . . and finds Genis sitting by himself, looking out to the Tower of Salvation. Lloyd approaches him.

"Genis," Lloyd addresses, "what are you doing alone out here?"

Genis looks up and looks back out. ". . . I'm just thinking. The Tower of Salvation is so close now. We've come quite a long way."

"Yeah."

Genis continues, "It's at times like this that I stop and think how stupid I've been."

". . . Why? You're one of the smartest people I know," Lloyd tells.

Genis goes, "It's because I don't know if the way things turned out are good or bad."

Lloyd informs, "Well nobody knows that. The ones who think they do are the stupid ones."

"You think so?" Genis asks.

"Definitely."

Genis smiles. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Lloyd. You say some pretty cool things every now and then."

"By the way, where's Colette?" Lloyd wonders.

"I think she went up that way," Genis directs, pointing further up the mountain.

Lloyd gives his thank you and continues upward. He speculates that she's probably up at the top of the mountain staring up at the Tower of Salvation. He continues onward . . .

Then he finds me just wandering around too. He stops next to me and walks with me.

"Where are you going?" he wonders.

"Nowhere," I answer. "I have nowhere to go, in every sense of that statement."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asks.

"My life has been uprooted too many times," I explain. "First I lost my entire family and my home, then I left Palmacosta for this journey and went through all this. It's just too much not to just go back to Palmacosta and live life as if nothing happened. There's a lot I need to think about."

"Oh yeah . . ." Lloyd goes. "We didn't even find your family, did we?"

"No. I don't think I'll ever see them again, either," I express.

"Don't say that," Lloyd says to me. "You'll find them again. It'll just take some time."

I smile at him. "Thanks, but there are certain things I know about how I lost them that you don't know and I can't tell you."

"I'll help you in any way I can," he promises.

I truly smile at him this time. "Lloyd, you already are. It's enough for me that you're willing to listen." I pause for a moment before I mention, "Colette went up to the summit. I think you should go talk to her."

Lloyd takes that and climbs up to the summit. He doesn't stop until he sees Colette, her golden locks flowing with the mountain wind and her back to him as she gazes out at the Tower of Salvation. She hears him approach and turns to face him. She smiles in greeting. When he meets her at her side, she offers her message on the writing pad.

_Aren't you going to see the others?_

Lloyd says, "I just did. Let's talk for a moment. You can write." He looks out to the Tower of Salvation. "The world regeneration . . . It's almost time."

Colette writes _I'm sorry._

Lloyd frowns and furrows his eyebrows in confusion. ". . . 'I'm sorry'? . . . Why are you apologizing?"

He watches her as she writes her next message. _This is the end and I can't even speak. I know that's weird_ . . .

Lloyd interrupts, "You dork, that doesn't matter. No matter what happens to you, you're still you. Even if you become an angel. Even if you become like Marble. I'll never think you're weird. Ever." Then he lowers his head. "I'm the one who has to apologize."

At Colette's confused expression, Lloyd explains, "Even though I promised I'd make you that birthday gift before our journey ended, I kept thinking that I had a ways to go. I never even got close to finishing it."

Colette watches before she smiles forgivingly and writes _I'll wait forever. Even after I become an angel, I'll keep waiting. You can give it to me anytime._

Lloyd looks up at her. ". . .Okay. This time I'm really going to make it. No matter how long it takes."

Colette nods.

". . . Can I ask you one last thing?" Lloyd wonders. "Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want to become an angel?"

_The truth is, I'm a little scared. But if giving up my life as a human means that Sylvarant will be reborn, then it's almost like my life is spreading out to fill the entire world. When I think about it like that, I'm okay._

Lloyd looks back up to her from her message. ". . . You're strong, Colette."

Time passes as the two go back to watching the Tower of Salvation. The sun begins to set and the winter wind blows in. Lloyd shivers.

"Burrr! The wind's getting cold. Let's go back into the inn." Then Lloyd stops as he realizes what he just said and apologizes. "I'm sorry, Colette. I forgot you can't feel it . . ."

Colette lowers her head in sorrow before she just looks back up to Lloyd with a smile. She goes on ahead of him.

Lloyd reaches out to her, but she's already gone. He curses, "Dammit! Isn't there anything we can do?"

Lloyd goes down the mountain path and back into the main area of Hima, following Colette. Kratos, leaning against the cliff wall hugging the path, watches the direction Colette just went before turning to find Lloyd walking after her. Just as Lloyd begins to pass the mercenary, Kratos speaks, "Your journey is finally coming to an end."

Lloyd stops and faces Kratos. He shakes his head. "This isn't the end I hoped for . . ."

"Is it?" Kratos raises an eyebrow. "It's the journey you started by clinging to the Chosen. This was to be expected."

Lloyd grimaces as if he tasted something nasty. "'Clinging to the Chosen'?"

"Don't you remember?" Kratos reminds, "It was you who said that we have the Chosen on our side, the savior who will regenerate the world."

Lloyd challenges, "That's right. I said that. And that's why I have to protect her."

Kratos states, "If relying and depending on the Chosen is what it means to protect her, then the meaning of the word 'protect' must have changed significantly to my understanding."

Lloyd shows sincere shock at Kratos' words, revealing that his actions are just now being revealed to him as they truly are. Lloyd snaps his attention in the direction Colette just left and reflects on how his actions must have affected Colette. Kratos looks in that way as well and concludes, "Now, the Chosen is trying to resolve everything by sacrificing herself."

Lloyd shakes his head in surrender and questions, "What are you trying to say?"

Kratos says, "Lloyd, don't make a mistake."

Lloyd furrows an eyebrow. "I think I get it. . . But if I make a mistake, can't I do it over?"

Kratos snorts. "Humph. Do it over. If it's something you can do over, feel free."

Lloyd lowers his gaze in thought as he begins to walk away. Kratos remains silent for a moment.

". . . Lloyd."

Lloyd turns around.

Kratos informs, "This will be your last lesson from me. Will you take it?"

Lloyd stares at Kratos for a moment, and then says, "Sure. Let's go."

* * *

The sun gone and shadows of the night darken everything. Lloyd and Kratos return to Hima from a long exhausting workout. Both are covered in sweat and yet Lloyd is the only one who seems fatigued. Even still, Lloyd's supply of energy proves persistent.

"I can't believe after all this time and all this practicing I'm still not as strong as you are," Lloyd expresses.

Kratos smiles. "You will get there. Someday, you will."

"Once that day comes, I'll challenge you and kick your ass!" Lloyd cheerfully informs.

"Hahahah! I will love to see that day," Kratos contently responds.

"You'll come visit me at least once after this while you're still traveling around as a mercenary, won't you?" Lloyd wonders.

Kratos glances at Lloyd as he replies, "Maybe one day." Although, Kratos didn't quite meet Lloyd's eyes.

Lloyd continues walking down to the inn while Kratos stops next to Noishe. Lloyd doesn't realize that Kratos isn't following him anymore.

Kratos whispers to Noishe, "You will have to continue watching over Lloyd for me."

Lloyd realizes Kratos isn't next to him.

"Whiiee-Iiiieee!" Noishe quietly protests.

Lloyd turns around and finds Kratos . . .

"There are things I must do," Kratos informs.

. . . Then Lloyd finds a figure dressed entirely in cloaking black on the cliff ledge just above Kratos, kneeling down with his hand aimed for the mercenary. Sparks begin to gather at the palm of the figure's hand.

"_Kratos! Look out!_" Lloyd cries out.

Kratos whips around and discovers the figure above him. The man, seeing that he's been found, begins to flee.

"No you don't!" Kratos utters as he lashes into the air. Demon Fang soars into the air and slashes an indirect hit on the assassin's stomach.

"Gah!" the man yelps as he collapses from that ledge and onto the ground level where Kratos and Lloyd are. He lashes his neck around and discovers Kratos coming in with his blade ready for the kill. The assassin's hand whips out a device . . .

Kratos spots the device and shouts, "Stop!"

. . . and presses the button.

Just as Kratos thrusts his sword at the assassin, the man teleports away.

Kratos curses at the empty ground as he draws his sword back. Lloyd rushes to his side and worriedly questions, "Kratos! Are you alright?"

"Lloyd, thank you," Kratos says as he sheathes his sword.

"Ahhhh it was nothing—but who was that?"

Kratos answers, "I would imagine it was an assassin. Unfortunately, I couldn't see his face. He managed to get away . . ." Kratos smirks. "But I gave him an injury he'll not soon forget."

Lloyd crosses his arms. "I have a feeling that I've seen him before."

Kratos dismisses, "Yes, perhaps." Then he turns towards the inn. "Let's head back to the inn. We need to get as much rest as we can for tomorrow."

"Okay."

Kratos stops. ". . . Lloyd."

"Hm?" Lloyd asks, "What is it?"

"Don't die."

"Wha?" Lloyd stares at Kratos as if he's crazy. ". . . Is something terrible about to happen? What's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it." Kratos walk away.

Lloyd continues to stare until Kratos enters the inn and closes the door behind him. Lloyd goes, "How can he just tell me 'don't worry about it' after saying something like _that_? Especially after nearly getting kill!"

"Whiee!"

"What is it, Noishe?" Lloyd looks over to find Noishe sniffing something where the assassin was. Lloyd goes over, kneels down, and examines the small object through the darkness. He reaches to it and picks the object up for a better view . . .

A ring. The small object is a ring attached to a thin chain. The metallic band gleams finely in the moonlight and reveals strange letters that Lloyd can't recognize.

"Did this belong to that assassin?" Lloyd speculates. "Maybe it was around his neck and fell off when he got knocked down from the upper ledge."

"Whiieee! Ieeeee . . . !" Noishe fidgets.

"What is it?" Lloyd asks again.

"Ieeeeee!" Noishe sits and shakes his head. He quivers as if something shocking just came into the light of truth.

"Noishe?" Lloyd slips the ring into his pocket and pets Noishe's head. "Hey, boy, it's okay. That guy is gone. It's okay. Nothing's going to happen."

Although Lloyd wasn't assured of that himself.

* * *

Oh my goooooood . . . If you think it was exhausting to read then you should've seen me write it. Don't worry. The next chapter won't be nearly as long as this.

The three dragon names in this are all dragons from Norse mythology.

I have a question. How did Yuan lose his ring if it was on his finger? Kratos would've had to slice Yuan's hand off if that's how he lost it. After that it would be obvious to Kratos that it was Yuan who attacked him once he sees that Yuan's hand got sliced off like the assassin's.

Anyway, please review once your brain is no longer fried from this unusual length.


	39. Bloodstained Lies

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Bloodstained Lies

Everything was arranged yesterday. We had Ephraim take Noishe since we felt we needed someone to take care of him until we came back from the Tower of Salvation since we couldn't take him with us. Ephraim promised he would do what he can but informed us that Noishe isn't attached to him in any way so it wasn't guaranteed that Noishe would stay with him. Added to that, we decided to leave everything we didn't need with us in the Tower of Salvation to Ephraim since he's somehow our storage system. Our books, dishes, sleeping bags, and blankets went to him along with Noishe. Then Raine went out and got all the supplies we would need for the coming battle against the guardian of the seal inside the Tower of Salvation so we've got as many apple gels, orange gels, and life bottles as we can carry. We started looking over the monster list to study the guardians of the previous seals to see what kind of monster would be guarding this final seal since all the other guardians corresponded to the seal they guarded regarding elements, but all we could definitely conclude was that this seal would be harder to fight than anything they ever fought before. We did as much as we could to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Even still, my heart wouldn't stop speeding.

It was so hard for me to get to sleep with so much going through my head. I tell myself that I'm the stereotypical self-insert so I'm going to be fine and end up living through this but that hasn't helped at all. I kept dozing off and get startled awake by some stray noise. The moving around of another person sleeping in the inn, one of us shifting in our sleep (we decided to stay in the commons area since we'll be gone as soon as we woke up), the building settling, a random mouse, some dog howling in the village . . . The general thing.

Then, a long while after midnight, footsteps woke me up.

"Nnnnnnnhhh . . ." I moan as I crane my head up and glance around to find the source of the footsteps. I see Colette moving towards the door, but she stops and looks back when she hears me stir. I sit up. "Colette . . . Where are you going? . . ."

Colette looks around before she returns to the spot where she lied down and retrieves her writing pad. She writes a message down before showing it to me. The low light and my tiredness makes it a little more difficult to read her handwriting but I manage.

_I'm nervous about tomorrow. I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in a moment. Go back to sleep._

I'll bet she's nervous. "Kay. Don't wander off too far." With that I lay my head back down to try to sleep. I hear Colette write something on her writing pad down and set it somewhere before leaving.

Silence persists for some time, but eventually I wake back up when Genis gets up too. I crack my eyes open and see that he's heading for the door too.

"Where are you going . . . ?" I ask him.

Genis sleepily turns back around and answers in a whisper, "I can't go back to sleep after I woke up so I'm just going to walk around."

I slowly get up. "I'll go with you. I can't go to sleep either . . ."

Genis waits for me as I get up and shuffle to his side. We stroll out the door and start climbing the mountain village to the summit.

I mention, "Colette just left a bit ago to go for a walk. She said she was nervous."

"I guess she couldn't sleep ei—" Then Genis stops himself. "That was so stupid. I can't believe I forgot that she can't sleep anymore."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You're tired," I tell him.

"Yeah, but still . . ." Then Genis changes the subject, "I also saw that Kratos wasn't in the room either. Maybe he went to talk to Colette."

"Maybe Colette went to talk to him," I add. "I didn't see him either but I didn't look for him."

"It's weird . . ." Genis expresses. "I feel like I should be running but I don't know why."

I remain silent for a moment. ". . . Wanna go see the dragons?"

"Huh?"

"Go see the dragons that are gonna take us to the Tower of Salvation," I clarify. "Raine said that they're all large and strong enough to carry even the three lightest members of our group or two of the heaviest of our group. Let's go see."

"Sure."

We go around searching for where ever the dragons are stored and find giant stone stables that definitely look like they could hold several giant fire-breathing lizards. Going around to the front, we find the wooden stable doors at the entrance wide open. The latch and lock are still intact, indicating that this wasn't a forced entry or exit by anyone or any one dragon.

"Uh-oh . . ." Genis goes.

The two of us rush in, hoping to find all the dragons inside. It takes only a glance around the large hall fit for dragons to walk through to find one of the doors to a holding room for a dragon, like they would for a horse, wide open. We hurry to it, passing dragon after dragon, and halt at that door. I gawk at the empty cell as Genis gawks inside before turning to the door.

". . . This wasn't forced either!" Genis observes. "A dragon was stolen!"

"Which dragon was it?" I ask.

Genis walks around searching for the name plate and declares, "It was Nithhogr! One of the dragons we were supposed to take this morning!"

I bolt from Nithhogr's pen and search the other name plates for the other dragons and discover where Fafnir and Jormungandr rest. I report, "The other two are here, though!"

Genis tells me, "We have to tell the others and the dragon keepers! One of their dragons got stolen!"

We bolt out the stables and race for the inn, intending to tell Raine, Sheena, and Lloyd first. When we get there, Sheena suddenly bursts out of the front door of the inn and stops when she sees us. Her hair is in a mess and her kimono is rumpled as if she bolted from her sleeping pallet to right where we stand. Corrine darts from her and races around the area.

"Genis! Kelsey! Have you two seen Colette or Kratos?" the ninja questions.

"No, but I saw Colette leave earlier," I inform. "She said she was going for a walk."

"But that doesn't matter! One of the dragons got stolen! It was Nithhogr—one of the three we were supposed to take!" Genis quickly states.

Sheena pales. "Then it's true . . ."

"What?" I inquire. "What happened?"

"Colette left a note saying that she didn't want us to get hurt in this final seal and that she left for the Tower of Salvation!" Sheena tells us. "Lloyd and Raine left a bit ago to go find her! Raine's also saying that it worries her even more that Kratos is gone too!"

"No way!" Genis denies. "Why would she just leave? It doesn't make any sense!"

No, it doesn't make any sense. This isn't how it was supposed to happen. We were supposed to all go together with the dragons this morning. Although, now that I think about it, how could we all arrive with Colette and Kratos ahead of us and have already destroyed the seal guardian when the dragons wouldn't be that far apart in speed since they are all high-class dragons? Colette and Kratos left early! But then, why would Colette take the risk of harming Kratos if she was concerned of us getting hurt? That wouldn't make much sense unless . . .

Unless Colette already knew about what Kratos really is.

Crap! This isn't good at all! Is she still flying on that dragon or is Kratos already making quick work of the seal guardian?

Sheena spots something behind us and waves her arms. "Lloyd! Raine! Come here!"

Lloyd and Raine join us. The two are out of breath and wear panicked faces. Lloyd swallows a huge breath of air and questions, "Did anyone fine Colette and Kratos?"

"No," Sheena informs, "but Genis and Kelsey just found out that one of the dragons we were supposed to take is missing!"

"What?" Lloyd reacts.

Raine gasps and concludes, "Colette and Kratos went on their own to the Tower of Salvation!"

"We can't just jump to that conclusion!" Genis says.

"Can we?" Raine wonders. "At the very least, Kratos left Hima altogether while Colette has gone to the Tower of Salvation herself. In any rate, we need to leave for the Tower _now_ before it's too late!"

"So we're going to have to steal the dragons?" Lloyd questions.

"We will return them once this is over with a deep apology," Raine informs. "Sheena, come with me to fetch the dragons!"

"Right!" Sheena hurries away. "Meet us at the summit!"

Lloyd, Genis, and I dash up to the summit of Hima with blood pumping through our bodies at high rates. I, for one, am in a panic. What's Colette doing right now? Is she alright? Did she already lose her soul? Did Cruxis already take her? Are we already too late? Endless questions echo in my head with different scenarios playing out to fuel my dread. My stomach tightens into a knot as those endless possibilities race through my mind.

"Damn it, Colette!" Lloyd growls to himself. "Why? Why did she have to leave like that? Does she realize how dangerous that is even if she has Kratos with her?"

"I'm scared too, Lloyd, so less talking and more running!" Genis snips.

Suddenly, something large races up through the air and lands on the summit, followed by a second large something.

"Auunn!"

"Growe!"

Genis notes, "That sounds like the dragons! They're already up there!"

"Are Raine and Sheena on them?" Lloyd wonders.

"I don't know. I didn't see them," Genis answers.

"The two dragons don't sound too much like dragons," I comment, trying to get my mind off of Colette for even a second.

"That's because they aren't snarling at us," Genis reminds.

"Oh yeah . . ."

We reach the summit and find two dragons. They aren't anything like the transport dragons in the game but are much larger and wield bat-like scaled wings in place of arms and, while aren't nearly as large as the rustic dragon that attacked us on the way from Hima to Luin, are definitely large enough to carry Colette, Genis, and me or at least Kratos and Regal without much trouble. Their shoulder and wing muscles bulge from using their wings as forelegs as well as flying and the rest of their body is graceful albeit muscular. One dragon is colored a dusky gold, bearing Sheena on its back, and the other colored a poison green, carrying Raine on its back.

Poor Raine. While Sheena is getting a grip on riding the dragon, Raine meanwhile clutches on the neck of the dragon she's on with wide eyes as if take off was too much of a shock for her. She attempts to recover as we hurry to the two dragons.

"G-Genis, Kelsey! Get on Fafnir, the dragon Sheena controls!" Raine instructs while she clutches her dragon tight so she doesn't fall down. "You two and Sheena are the lightest so stay on one dragon! Lloyd, come with me on Jormungandr!"

With no questions asked, we race to the dragons. I leap onto Fafnir's back and help Genis on. We clutch onto each other's hips since Sheena is the only one who has the reins. Lloyd leaps onto Jormungandr and takes control of the reins and steers the dragon as if it were a horse. With Lloyd in control of the dragon, Raine significantly relaxes and allows herself to let go of the dragon's neck while we all take off into the grey morning sky.

The dragons are really fast fliers, but their speed didn't seem fast enough. It didn't matter that in thirty minutes we were already halfway there, it still wasn't fast enough. What time was it that Colette left? How long did she and Kratos take to get ready to leave? How long was it when they successfully stole the third dragon? How long, how long, how long, and how much time did it take? It felt as if the dragons couldn't fly fast enough.

When we land we find a black dragon similar to the ones we ride at the foot of magical stairs leading up to the entrance to the Tower of Salvation. I don't pay any attention to the Tower, and definitely not to the dragon, and focus entirely on the entrance. We abandon our dragons, who chatter in greeting to the black dragon Nithhogr, and race up the stairs. Lloyd and Sheena go up first since they practically leaped off the dragons' backs and sped for the entrance with me, Genis, and Raine climbing off and running for that entrance. My mind clogs with panic as I race up the stairs and into the Tower of—

It was just as I feared long ago.

Filled with mana, my senses overcharge and burn.

Although it won't ever be what I had built it up to be . . .

I clutch onto myself as the pain comes.

. . . it is still enough to hurt.

"_Aaahhh!_" I cry out. Everyone stops and whips around to me as I hunch over and shiver in pain.

"Kelsey?" Lloyd goes. "What—"

"GO!" I scream. "Colette needs you!"

"What about—"

"I'M FINE!"

Raine comes to my side and gives a quick examination. I tell her, "I'm getting over it already! I'll explain after this! Just GO!"

"Wait a minute! What are these?" Genis exclaims as he jabs his finger at the distance.

Objects designed as elegant caskets circle the portal up ahead. All of us pale at the sight of them as we hurry to the portal. Lloyd gets a good look and stumbles as a comparison comes to mind.

"They're . . . bodies?" he gasps.

"Then these are . . . coffins . . ." Raine utters in horror.

"Why are these dead bodies here?" Lloyd questions.

"They may be . . ." Raine theorizes, ". . . the Chosens who failed up until now. Colette would be the seventh Chosen to succeed if she releases the seal after all."

"So if Colette fails she'll end up . . ." Lloyd's words trail off as the conclusion comes. ". . . Damn it! We have to help her!"

As the four race to the portal, I force myself to move despite the pain in my body. Raine activates the portal as soon as I stumble onto it and I prepare myself to feel the same stomach twist I always feel whenever on a portal. Only . . . it doesn't come. The portals used often by Cruxis are much better kept and better designed than what the Desians or the seals would have. The altar in the Tower of Salvation appears, with a grander and a lot colder design than I would have originally imagined with the miniature towers with the frosty lights and the alien floorings and everything else, and the four leap away while I stagger off the portal, the pain subsiding as my body adjusts to the mana level.

Colette kneels in prayer at the altar on the higher platform. Lloyd freezes as he realizes just what is happening. Light beams down as Remiel's yellow orb of light descends down . . .

With a burst of light, Remiel reveals himself, a dark grin spread across his face. His goal, so close to being accomplished, is just right here in his grasp. "Now, my daughter. Release the final seal!" he demands. "In doing so, you will complete the final sacrifice of your human existence: your heart and your memory. By doing so of your own free will, you will become a true angel!"

"What?" Sheena exclaims.

"Sacrifice her heart and memory?" Lloyd repeats in confusion.

"Colette's going to _forget_ about us?" Genis gasps.

"That's not right at all!" I object. "Angels _do_ have hearts and memories!"

Raine explains, almost robotically as if she's trying to subdue her true feelings, "Colette's human life will now end, and she will be reborn as an angel."

Lloyd questions, "Professor Sage, what is he talking about?"

Raine places her head into her hands as her sorrow completely unmasks itself. "Lloyd, I am so sorry. I promised Colette I wouldn't say anything." She clarifies, "Colette will give up her life in order to regenerate the world. Becoming an angel . . . means dying."

"That's not quite correct," Remiel corrects. "The Chosen's heart will die, and her body will be offered to the Goddess Martel. By offering her body, Colette will revive the Goddess!"

Remiel spreads his arms out in grandeur. "_This_ is the _true nature_ of the world regeneration! The revival of the Goddess Martel . . . is the revival of the world _itself_!"

"That . . . That's . . . !" Lloyd sputters.

"That's blasphemy!" I accuse. "No great and loving god or goddess would force one of their own children to kill their own souls!"

"What _you_ spout is blasphemy, heathen," Remiel tells me, his cold eyes staring down on me.

"Lord Remiel . . ." Raine interrupts. "We have heard that a world known as Tethe'alla lies parallel to Sylvarant."

Remiel's cold gaze turns to Raine. ". . . That is not for you to know."

"You kept it a secret because it is true, correct?" Raine assumes with her eyes growing even sharper.

"From whom did you learn of this?" Remiel questions.

Sheena desperately inquires, "Can't Cruxis make both worlds peaceful?"

Remiel stares at Sheena for a second. ". . . If that is what the Chosen desires, she can lend her power to Cruxis by becoming an angel. Once the Goddess Martel is revived by the Chosen, the two worlds will surely achieve peace, just as the Chosen wishes."

Colette finally breaks out of her bowed praying with a gasp as her head shoots to Remiel.

Remiel looks down upon her. "'Is that true,' you ask? You know why you have come here."

". . . haaa . . ." Colette forces out. She begins to stand . . .

"You can't!" Sheena protests. She breaks in spirit and quivers where she stands. Her eyes glisten with budding tears. ". . . Are you really planning to _die?_"

"Colette!" Lloyd shouts.

Colette turns at Lloyd's voice. She cringes when she sees his dismayed expression.

"Colette! Stop!" Lloyd cries out. "If you sacrifice yourself, your friends who love you—and your father and grandmother—and . . . and me! We'll all be sad! It'll be the same as sacrificing all of us!"

"Aaahhh . . ." Colette feebly sounds out.

Colette's expression, her sorrow, and her pain, triggers Lloyd into a mad dash. Just when he takes his first rapid steps, Genis manages to catch hold of his hand and keeps a tight grip. Lloyd stumbles and stops to avoid knocking his friend over. Lloyd lashes around and glares at Genis.

"Genis! What do you think you're doing? Let me go! Colette's going to _die!_" he shouts.

Genis shudders and manages out, "I-I don't want anything to happen to her either! What else are we supposed to do, though?" Genis slackens in pose, his shoulders dropping as if burdened by a heavy weight. "Everyone in Sylvarant is suffering, too! We went on this journey to save them!"

"But—! But—!" Lloyd tries as his face twists into agony.

Remiel sooths, "The sacrifice of one single person, the Chosen, will save the world. Are you saying that you would choose the Chosen's soul over the entire world?"

I bite, "That choice shouldn't even exist!"

Remiel waves a dismissive hand at me. The bastard! He then beckons, "Now, Colette, come join your father."

Colette lowers her head with a broken sorrowful frown as she turns to Remiel. Lloyd shakes in terror as she turns away from them. He yanks his arm away from Genis, letting the boy collapse, as a blue spell circle bearing Cruxis' crest appears at Colette's feet. Her Cruxis Crystal illuminates with white light as Lloyd dashes up the stairs to the altar, yet he only comes halfway up them.

Lloyd pleads, "Wait! Remiel! Is there really no other way? Colette's your daughter!" Remiel angles his eyes to Lloyd with pure disdain while the swordsman continues. "Surely you don't really want her to die, either! As her father, you must feel even worse than . . . than we . . ."

Lloyd pales as Remiel continues to stare at Lloyd with contempt.

"My daughter?" Remiel scoffs. "Don't make me laugh."

We all gasp—even me. His tone is just so cruel, so hostile, that I just can't believe it.

Remiel informs, "When I came down to play guardian angel, you inferior beings just started calling me her father on her own."

"Wh . . . What?" Lloyd stammers.

". . . Then . . . you lied . . ." Genis goes. "You called her your daughter and told her that you were her father when she asked the very first time we saw her! You could have said no but you didn't! You lied to us!"

Sheena spats, "You even continued to call her your daughter until _now!_ Liar! _You liar!_"

"That matters not," Remiel huffs. "I merely placed the Cruxis Crystal upon this sacrifice, who was destined to become Martel's vessel."

"_Colette!_" Lloyd races to the Chosen. He grabs her shoulders and whirls her around to face him. Her face, shuddering and shaking as if she were crying yet with missing tears, showed a mournful faint smile.

_Lloyd . . ._ her voice echoes through the air. _It's okay. I realized what was going on._

Lloyd freezes in shock as he finally hears Colette's voice for the first time since the Tower of Mana.

_Every time I met Remiel . . . I . . . just felt that . . . he was not my real father._ Then her faint smile falters just a little more. _. . . But still . . . for some reason . . . I want to cry. I want to cry so much that . . . that I . . . I . . ._

"Wait—wait!" Lloyd interrupts with a rebellious shake of his head. "You realized what was going on? Then why—"

_You can hear my voice?_ Colette's voice goes as her face turns blank in confusion for a moment. Then she truly smiles, albeit with sadness. _I'm so happy! . . . I'll get to say goodbye in the end._

Lloyd shudders as tears begin to fall from his eyes. "Colette . . . I'm sorry . . . I couldn't save you in the end . . . I'm so sorry . . . !" He balls up his fist. "I _promised_ I wouldn't make another mistake! . . . But I did . . . again . . ."

Colette shakes her head and gathers Lloyd's hands into her own. _No. Thank you, Lloyd. You gave me the courage I needed to continue on this journey and save this world. _Even while this doesn't encourage Lloyd, she continues, _It's because of you that I was able to live my entire life to the fullest! Down to the last minute!_

_So please . . ._ But the spell circle finishes forming and Colette is lifted away, up right above the altar . . .

Lloyd cries, "Colette!" He tries to keep hold of Colette, to keep her on the ground with him, but his hands slip.

_It looks like . . . it's time . . . _Colette's voice lonely echoes.

"No, Colette!" Lloyd protests.

_Goodbye . . ._

Colette's wings release out and her face goes entirely blank, her smile and any emotion wiped off her face, just before she slumps as if fallen unconscious. The spell circle disappears as she straightens herself. Her eyes open . . .

. . . they open and emptily reflect everything her eyes blankly stare upon.

"C-C-Colette . . . ?" Lloyd goes as Colette's body drifts down near the ground. He approaches her—

"Back off!" Remiel hisses. He swats his hand at Lloyd, forcing him to go back a few steps, and faces the now soulless Colette. Suddenly . . .

"Muahahahahahahah!" Remiel cruelly laughs. "It's complete! It's finally complete! Martel's vessel is _finally_ complete!"

My stomach drops at the sound of his laugh and my hand instinctively grabs the hilt of my spear. Remiel lifts his arms up in glory and declares, "With this . . . I shall become one of the Four Seraphim! Muahahahahah!"

"What the—?" Lloyd manages out. "_What?_"

Sheena dashes halfway up the stairs to the altar with her cards out. "What are you going to do to Colette?"

Raine skeptically responds, "He . . . He should take her to heaven. But that greed . . . That ambition! That is not of a pure angel!"

"_Bastard!_" Lloyd roars. "Cruxis, the angels, the Goddess Martel—_it's all a big lie, isn't it?_ LET HER GO, NOW!"

Remiel faces Lloyd and the rest of us with a fierce glare. "_That_, I cannot do, for she is Martel's vessel, which took _countless_ years to complete!"

"NO!" Lloyd bellows.

Remiel lashes at us with his hand. "I have no use for _any_ of you! Be gone!"

A ring of light orbits Remiel in rapid speeds, knocking Lloyd down and off the platform. A bow suddenly appears in the angel's hands and he aims his arrow.

"LLOYD!" Raine cries out. She dives in to save her student.

Remiel unleashes the arrow.

Having grabbed his coat and yanked him back just in time, Raine yanks Lloyd out of the arrow's path. She stares at Remiel in shock. An angel of the Goddess Martel actually aimed to kill her naïve yet kindhearted student!

"Photon!" Remiel casts.

"Ah!" Raine yelps as the Photon spell ensnarls her. Then it bursts. "GAH!"

"Raine!" Genis immediately starts casting spells, starting with his strongest.

Remiel aims another arrow—this time at Genis.

"No you don't!" Sheena shouts as she slaps her cards against Remiel. The arrow is sent flying and misses Genis entirely . . . but lands next to my feet.

"Whoa!" I yip. This gets me going. My mind speeds as I try to figure out what to do first: attack Remiel or try to get Colette out of the way. I opt for getting Colette out of the way since she's right in the middle of it. I hurry to Colette while Lloyd leaps back up and renews his attack on Remiel. With Lloyd and Sheena slashing at him from opposite sides and Genis casting Spread and Stalagmite, I reassure myself that the enemy is perfectly distracted and that he won't entirely catch me getting Colette away from him.

I reach my hand out to Colette, being careful not to appear hostile since I know she'll kill me if I even appear to want to bring harm to her. "Colette! Come with me!" I gently tell her. "You're not safe here! I'll get you somewhere safe!"

Colette's empty eyes turn to me to examine the speaker. Is this talking creature hostile? . . . I sigh with relief as she just stares at me, concluding that I mean no harm. I gently take her hand and pull her away from the altar and Remiel.

"Come on, Colette!" I tell her. "I'll take you somewhere saf—FAAAHH!"

I collapse as an arrow composed entirely of mana runs through my shoulder. The arrow disappears as it pierces my flesh but leaves the wound on my body.

"Do not dare touch Martel's vessel!" Remiel shouts. "Away with all of you! _Judgment Ray!_"

Beams of white light stream down around Remiel, burning through Lloyd and Sheena. They collapse at the angel's spell. Remiel docks another arrow and aims this one at Lloyd. "Die!" he commands.

Lloyd rolls away just in time for the arrow to miss him. Remiel draws another arrow.

"NURSE!"

Raine's staff head illuminates with white light orbiting around it and bursts out. Suddenly, Lloyd and Sheena's burns disappear and they can get up again, Raine's injuries from Remiel's Photon vanish, and my arrow wound closes over. A little strange that Raine's Nurse spell doesn't have a bunch of nurses running around the battle field but then again this is reality. However, it definitely gets the job done.

This time, instead of getting Colette further out of the way, I join the fry.

I race up the stairs while Lloyd and Sheena renew their assault and begin a three slash combo ending with Downcut then Horizon. The fire, even as large as it is, merely nibbles at Remiel's white robes and leaves only scorch marks where my blade sliced. The light ring that knocked Lloyd down previously whirls around Remiel once more and knocks us away from him.

"Stalagmite!" Genis casts.

The initial impact of the rising stalagmite sends Remiel high into the air. However, since Remiel remains airborne for a few moments, the rest of the spell misses. Since he's too high for us to reach, we wait for the moment he comes into our jumping range.

"Holy Lance!" Remiel casts.

This time this spell focuses on Genis. Just as soon as he realizes that it's been cast on him, bolts of light strike down on him, causing him to cry out in pain. Then the final bolt strikes.

"AAAUUHHH!" Genis cries as the last strike of Holy Lance runs through him. The young mage collapses onto the ground when the spell releases him.

"GENIS!" Raine wails. She races to her brother with her hand fishing out the unicorn horn. She holds the horn up and declares, "Bring back this soul from Purgatory! _Resurrection!_"

Genis' wounds mend over as Raine's spell heals his body. Genis begins to stir and gets up to a kneel, panting heavily. With her brother well and alive, Raine stands in front of him protectively and continues the battle by healing us, waiting for the moment when Remiel is vulnerable to any attack she makes.

Remiel's protective ring knocks us all down again. With us down, he bolts for Colette.

"CORRINE!" Sheena roars.

An explosion of smoke appears over Remiel's head and a miniature kitsume dives down onto the angel's skull. Corrine lands on Remiel's head just before he reaches Colette and latches his fangs on Remiel's ear, literally biting his ear off. Remiel doesn't even cry out in pain as his ear is being ripped off with blood sliding off! All he does is rip Corrine off and tosses him away like some sort of pest! Corrine flies almost off the platform before bursting into smoke and disappearing.

Lloyd takes full advantage of Remiel's distraction and blocks the angel's way to Colette and thrusts his blades into Remiel with Sword Raine and ends it with—

"Super Sonic Thrust!"

"Hauh!" Remiel grunts as if winded. Then, to Lloyd's surprise, Remiel laughs.

"Muahahahahahah! Pathetic. You think this will stop me? I cannot even feel it!" To prove his word right, Remiel easily snatches at Lloyd's sword blade and pulls it out of his body quickly. Lloyd's eyes widen—

"Judgment Ray!"

The first few light bolts miss Lloyd completely, but then one strikes him on the left arm and sends him to the ground.

"Mirage . . . !"

"THRUST!"

I zip through Remiel with Sheena's spell scattering its shards all over Remiel, cutting his body through magical force. I whip around with my spear up like a baseball bat and I slam the body of my spear against Remiel. The angel goes down to the lower level where Sheena and Lloyd dive for him and Raine takes this opportunity to avenge the damage done to her brother. Raine starts with two basic punches followed by a spin kick to Remiel's face and ending with elaborate staff attacks.

Raine shouts, "How dare you—"

_THUCK!_ Remiel sways to her right from her swing.

"—attack my brother—"

_THUCK!_ Remiel sways to her left.

"—and my students!"

_THUCK!_ Remiel goes flying back against Raine's last impact.

Lloyd, Sheena, and I go for the kill—

"_Judgment Ray!_"

Lloyd dodges in time while Sheena and I go down. Lloyd goes back and uses Demon Fang to stun Remiel and then—

"BEAST!"

The attack sends Remiel flying back towards Genis. Raine races around to make sure Remiel doesn't harm her brother. However, a gleam in Genis' eye shows no fear as he completes a spell.

"AIR THRUST!" he shouts.

While Remiel remains in the air, giant blades of green wind slice at Remiel from every angel. His robes tear into ribbons, his feathers chop into bits, his body opens into bleeding cuts. The angel falls from the sky, covered in blood, and even his wings are rendered unusable.

"Unison Attack!" Lloyd declares.

He starts first. "Sonic Thrust!"

Then Genis. "Spread!"

Then Sheena, with a leap to down Remiel from his new flight. "Pyre Seal!"

Then Raine. "Photon!"

Then me. "Sonic Thrust!"

Just as soon as Remiel comes down to our level, Lloyd shouts, "NOW!"

"CROSS THRUST!"

Remiel, mere tatters and blood, collapses. "I-im . . . possible . . ." He attempts to drag himself away, but his body refuses to move. "How . . . How could . . . an _angel_ the ultimate . . . being . . . _lose_ to a group of . . . _humans_ . . . ?"

Lloyd pants heavily while he stares down at Remiel's dying corpse, like the rest of us do. We all stare for a long while, almost coming into complete shock at everything that just happened, as time becomes nonexistent. Then, Lloyd's eyes pop out as he remembers something gravely important. He whips around to Colette, the rest of us mimicking him when he first begins to move, and—

There, next to Colette's soulless form, stands Kratos. His eyes gaze down at us seemingly indifferently. His mana radiates with greater power than I have ever sensed before, bringing his true form closer to reality. My legs freeze, my throat stops, my breath dies, and my body trembles. For the first time ever, I truly do feel fear towards Kratos Aurion. Anything that could have been fear before was merely a childish fright.

Lloyd hesitates a split second under Kratos' cold eyes before questioning, "Kratos! Where have you been? We needed—" Then he stops himself. "That doesn't matter right now. Colette's in trouble! Help us get her out of here!"

Kratos doesn't answer.

Losing his patience, Lloyd moves to Colette to move her himself. "Colette, come here! We're going to get you somewhere safe!"

"You're wasting your time," Kratos finally speaks.

Lloyd slows due to confusion. ". . . What?"

Kratos explains, "Not only has the Chosen lost her memory, but she has also lost the soul to listen to your words. Now Colette is merely a puppet standing before death's door."

Lloyd now staggers. "Wh-what? Kratos, we don't have time for this! Cruxis is going to kill her if we don't get her out of here! Help me!"

Lloyd goes up the steps . . .

"I cannot do that."

He stops. "What are you talking about?"

Kratos answers, "The Chosen desired the regeneration of the world and chose this path herself. By the summoning of the Chosen to Derris-Kharlan, the seal will be broken and the regeneration will be complete."

"Kratos, that doesn't—"

"It is what you wanted as well," Kratos adds. "We will take the Chosen as the new body for Martel."

"What are you saying?" Lloyd demands. "Kratos, answer me!"

"L . . . Lord Kratos . . ."

Remiel weakly lifts his hand up to Kratos. "Ha . . . Have pity on . . . me . . . Please . . . lend me your aid . . . !"

With shock, our eyes switch between Remiel and Kratos. We focus back at Kratos, not wanting to believe what is shown before us. Kratos turns his cold eyes to the dying angel.

"Have you forgotten, Remiel?" Kratos remarks. "I was once of the 'inferior race' . . . a human. Does the ultimate being seek help from which he despises the most?"

Remiel's eyes widen as his superior's rejection comes into realization, and then empty of life and mana. The angel moves no more.

It takes a second more for the exchange to sink in for Lloyd, but when it does, Lloyd bolts to Colette and pulls her away from Kratos. Kratos looks back at Lloyd as the young swordsman moves Colette behind him protectively. Kratos continues to gaze upon Lloyd with apathetic eyes.

". . . Move out of the way," Kratos orders.

Lloyd stares at Kratos with confusion and shock. ". . . Kratos . . ."

My heart pounds faster.

". . . Who are you?"

Kratos looks as if he is debating on whether to sigh as if doing a bothersome chore but thinks better of it. He lifts up his hand, revealing his Exsphere, now colored a deep cerulean blue. It glistens with power as the stone is released of all restraints placed by the key crest.

". . . I am of Cruxis, the organization that guides this world."

Feathers composed entirely of sky blue light sprout from his back, just as Colette's wings would appear. They continue to grow to the size it would take to make a person airborne. Once they reach their true size, each individual feather of mana is dyed with deep cerulean and sky blue hues.

"I am one of the Four Seraphim, sent forth to keep close watch over the Chosen.

Lloyd is rendered speechless, his eyes even larger than before, as he stares upon the Cruxis angel Kratos Aurion. I myself shake from nerves, feeling his mana overpower everything around him. Raine gasps and takes a step back in reflex. Genis quivers where he stands. Sheena shakes her head in denial.

"This can't . . . This can't be . . . !" Raine utters.

"Kratos? An angel?" Genis goes.

Sheena attempts to find the right words but only comes up with, "So you deceived us too?"

Kratos ignores their reactions and tells us, "If the Chosen merges with Martel, she will awaken and the world will be saved. You act as if this is not what you fought for, but this is the end result of the journey all of you started on."

Then he sternly questions, "Is this not what you wanted?"

Lloyd attempts at words of denial, "N . . . No . . . ! This isn't—! This wasn't—!"

Raine halfway covers her mouth with her hand. "Once her body is taken to the Goddess Martel, Colette will truly die."

"No," Kratos corrects. "She will be reborn as Martel."

Lloyd finally finds his words. "Damn it! You think I'm going to let you do that to her? Colette is our friend!"

With that, Lloyd immediately draws his blades and charges at Kratos with fury. "RAAAAAHHH!"

Kratos whips out his sword, and easily blocks Lloyd and sends him back a bit. The traitor huffs, "You earnestly believe you can defeat me?"

Lloyd snarls. He charges at Kratos again—

"Light Spear!"

Lloyd goes flying up and when he comes down, Kratos—

"Lightning Blade!"

Kratos thrusts at Lloyd's side and lets the bolt of electricity do the damage. Then he—

"Super Lightning Blade!"

Lloyd comes soaring towards us with bolts of electricity sparking around and through his body. As soon as he lands, Raine immediately starts healing him. Genis quivers where he stands with Kratos' strength revealed to him and hesitates in fear before he starts casting the spells he knows. By that point, Sheena and I attack Kratos.

"Hhaa! Ah! Yah!" Sheena shouts as she swipes her cards at Kratos, who dodges every move she makes. I go around behind Kratos with Sheena distracting him and start my usual hit-and-run method of fighting—

"Victory Light Spear!"

Sheena and I go flying upward at the attack. As soon as I land, I find Kratos over me with his blade ready. I roll away from him and hop onto my feet—

_Clang!_ I parry Kratos' attack. I can tell from the look in his eyes that he dearly wants to pay me back for attacking his back instead of openly.

"Tempest!"

Kratos leaps back to dodge Lloyd's spinning attack and swiftly casts, "Grave!"

"Gah!" I yelp as a shaft of granite rips through my flesh, followed by the four others that come at an angle. I fall to the ground with the spell finished.

Lloyd roars, "You'll pay for betraying us!"

"Stop talking," Kratos states as he effortlessly blocks a few more of Lloyd's slashes.

"How could you?" Lloyd snarls. "I thought you were—"

"I said stop talking," Kratos repeats as he continues to dodge and block Lloyd's more elaborate moves.

"And you turn agai—AH!"

Kratos knocks Lloyd to the ground and disarms both of his blades. He points his sword at Lloyd's throat. "Talking distracts you during a fight."

"Then you should shut up, yourself!" Sheena shouts.

Kratos lashes around towards Sheena and finds her a distance away. The ninja finishes forming a hand spell originating from Mizuho.

_Kah-dooom!_

"Ah!" Kratos yelps in surprise as a card placed on his back explodes, but he is merely that: surprised. Kratos goes back to fighting and attacks Sheena this time even with his violet cape burnt from the card. He slices his blade at Sheena and, despite the ninja's training in speed and stealth, manages to slash cuts into her flesh. He completes his combo with Hurricane Thrust and begins to use Super Lightning Blade—

_Ching!_

I block Kratos' blade from reaching Sheena in time to kill her before she can dodge. Kratos turns his sharp eyes to me with an expression that I've only seen him use on a few bandits and Desians that manage to slip in a lucky hit.

This, ladies and gentlemen, would be my "oh shit" moment of the day.

Indeed, that's what I'm definitely thinking as Kratos turns his blade against me. Why don't I say it? Because I'm too busy trying to dodge the Seraph's sword as he whips out a combo of three basic slashes, Sonic Thrust, Lightning Blade, and then tops it all off with—

"Hell Pyre!"

Although I manage to outrun Kratos' attack, the ending blast sends me flying back.

"Eruption!" Genis casts.

Kratos easily dodges that by flying up into the air with his wings—

"Tempest!"

With his swords equipped once more, Lloyd goes zipping through the air with that spinning attack and manages to nick Kratos' leg as the angel dodges in the last minute. That will be two scratches on Kratos: one from Sheena's exploding card and the other from Lloyd's Tempest.

"Air Thrust!" Genis yells.

Kratos shifts in the right position and place where Air Thrust does no damage. What is with this man?

Determined to get Kratos out of the air, Sheena stays a good distance away from Kratos and begins, "I summon the Maiden of the Mist!"

Kratos flies at Sheena with his sword.

"Come! Undine!"

Kratos instantly halts and diverts his flight when Undine suddenly appears. Too late! Undine raises her arm up, calling forth a giant pillar of water from under Kratos. The rush of water sends Kratos spiraling into the air and collapsing without gaining any balance for controlled flight. Sheena dismisses Undine since the spirit's task is now complete.

Kratos struggles to gain some sort of control over his fall. He comes rapidly closer and closer to the floor. Finally, just when his body is about to meet the ground, Kratos regains control and rights himself in time to keep himself airborne. Then, he lands.

Lloyd hesitates for a moment, and then attacks Kratos. "Demon Fang!"

Kratos dodges that and shouts, "Fierce Demon Fang!" His sword slams into the ground and causes the floor to crack and rise. Lloyd leaps back to avoid the destruction and is nearly caught in this.

"This nonsense has lasted for too long already," Kratos comments. "Demon Fang!"

The more powerful version of Demon Fang sends Lloyd a good distance away from Kratos. The Seraph goes into his usual casting position, for whenever he's using more complex spells, and utters, "Sacred powers, cast thy purifying light upon these corrupt souls . . ."

We all instantly know that we must disrupt his concentration. Even if I'm the only one who knows—believe me, I fear the most out of all of us—the rest of us still gains the same sinking feeling of dread as this spell begins. Lloyd, Sheena, and I race to attack and force him to break his concentration . . .

"Rest in peace, sinners!"

No! We're so close! Almost—

"JUDGMENT!"

Too late . . . !

Beams of light much larger than a normal pillar strike down in seemingly random spots, but thick enough to form force waves to send us soaring back even if we didn't get hit. Sheena almost got hit dead on; Genis got hit by the aftershock and got his head hit on the ground; Raine is sent flying back almost to the portal where another beam hits her leg; I fly back onto the stairs and roll down them; Lloyd, so close to Kratos as to not get hit, is merely thrown to the ground at Kratos' feet.

There is a hiatus as we try to recover. We moan in pain as we try to get up to our feet. Lloyd struggles to get up and manages to get on his knees. He attempts to curse, "D . . . D . . . Da . . ."

Kratos lifts his blade . . .

Lloyd falls silent as his eyes follow Kratos' sword.

Kratos holds his blade just a little over his head . . .

Lloyd's eyes go wide and he meets Kratos' own eyes.

Kratos takes a breath as he prepares to take Lloyd's life . . .

Lloyd pales.

. . . . . Kratos shudders when Lloyd's expression, truly filled with dread and hurt, meets him. Kratos grimaces and sighs with a shake of his head as his blade slowly lowers to the side. With that, the angel refuses to look back at Lloyd.

If it were even possible, Lloyd's eyes would have grown even larger. "K . . . Kra . . ."

A light appears. I crane my neck higher and angle my head so I can directly see it. Another orb like Remiel's, only with so much more mana than ever before, and illuminating with white light and all sorts of different colors. My eyes snap shut as the orb flashes. When I open my eyes . . .

"I guess not even you could bring yourself to fight against such an opponent."

The voice, aloof yet critical, forces my heart to skip a beat. That outfit, a single piece suit yet of a fine material embroidered with gold. That blond hair, reaching well passed the shoulders and yet still manages to be elegant and intimidating at the same time.

Those eyes, so cold and callous.

Yggdrasill is by far the most fearsome person I have ever seen. There is no way that I could express this with any sort of words or images. Any sort of caricature could never do the terror brought by this one person alone any justice whatsoever.

If only he had resembled his anime counterpart. Maybe then I wouldn't feel as if I were going to die right then and there and think that perhaps there is hope.

"Lord Yggdrasill," Kratos solemnly greets with a deep bow to his knees. Last time I checked, Kratos hates bowing. He would only get on his knees if he were picking something up.

I hear no response from the others as their hearts are struck with the same kind of terror that I am. Yggdrasill ignores them and turns his frozen eyes from Kratos to Lloyd. The superior and critical voice questions, "Are you Lloyd?"

Lloyd manages to lift himself up from his knees despite how much Kratos' Judgment attack hurts. He takes a step back for balance as he forces out, "G-give me your name . . . and I'll give you mine."

Yggdrasill cruelly smirks. "Ahahahah! People need not introduce themselves to a dog."

"What did you say?" Lloyd spats.

Yggdrasill snorts and replies with a mocking tone, "Fine. I shall tell you my name, wretched human." He spreads his arms out in a mock grandeur. "I am Yggdrasill. Leader of Cruxis . . ." Then he adds for good measure, "_And_ the Desians."

"Cruxis _and_ the Desians?" Lloyd exclaims.

"That's right. Would you like a small presentation of my power?" Yggdrasill pleasantly questions. He motions to the side and summons something with his hand. A great sword, violet and radiating with power like Yggdrasill does, appears just to Yggdrasill's side.

The Eternal Sword.

Without even a command of any kind that I can see of, the Eternal Sword pulses with a wave of power, knocking us all back. Those of us still trying to get up end up further back. Lloyd, on the other hand, was still standing at that moment and is sent flying backwards. He slams into a pillar—

"KAH!" Lloyd yelps as his head whiplashes and is slammed against the pillar catching him. He slides down as the pillar creaks and leans off to the side, not falling down but definitely at an awkward angle.

Kratos gets up to his feet as his eyes watch Lloyd fade from consciousness.

Yggdrasill angles the sword for a stab at Lloyd. "Kratos, I trust you have no objections?"

Kratos chokes on his words of protest as his face is torn from terror for his own son's life.

Before Kratos manages to get the first sound out, Yggdrasill bids, "Farewell."

_DEAOOOWWW!_

Yggdrasill and Kratos dodge the giant blast targeting them.

Suddenly, the altar room of the Tower of Salvation is overrun by Botta and the Renegades. Botta carries a large gun-like weapon and blasts the thing towards but not at Kratos and Yggdrasill, forcing them to stay at bay. He commands, "The Chosen has already become an angel! Take her and her companions back with us alive!"

As Renegade members swarm in and take us away, Yggdrasill blasts a few of them off the platform as they approach Colette. One, however, manages to get a gentle hold of her and prompts her to follow them. With her, and the rest of us, in hand, the Renegades flee. The last thing I remember is the portal being activated . . .

The Renegades gone, the Chosen taken, and the rest of us still alive to tell our tale, Yggdrasill narrows his eyes. ". . . Renegades. As irritating as ever. Still, this is of little consequence. Kratos, let us leave."

More relaxed—or perhaps relieved—Kratos just replies, "As you wish . . ."

Yggdrasill disappears, teleporting back to Derris-Kharlan.

Kratos turns to the portal where his son was taken to. "Hmmm . . . Saved by the Renegades. Don't die, Lloyd."

Then he, too, leaves for Derris-Kharlan.

* * *

Please review. You-Know-Who is next.


	40. Sorry We Must Refuse This Proposition

The last chapter, I felt, was a bit of a failure for me to put a creative bit into the story. This will help make up for that.

By the way, the chapter title is supposed to be what you see below this statement. It was too long for fanfic . net's approval.

* * *

Chapter Forty: Sorry Sir but We Must Refuse This Proposition

"There wasn't even a scratch on her? That's amazing."

"I know. She should be dead."

I wake up with bright white lights beaming down into my eyes. Everything aches. Every muscle, every bone, every tendon—it all aches like someone is turning the flesh into hard stone and decided to stop halfway in order to torment me further by jabbing at each part with something dull.

"It's a miracle, really. I would've gone to kill her myself before attacking the others."

"I know. Kratos and Yggdrasill weren't putting forth any effort at all."

I hiss as I force myself to get my senses going so I can find who the two speakers are. I follow the sound of their voices to my left. Two men, one a doctor and the other probably his assistant, stand next to a bed with white sheets and someone in it. I can't tell who it is since the doctor is in the way.

"Always kill the healer first so the rest don't suddenly get healed and keep going while you get killed."

"It's a very good plan."

"I am so glad that the two of you are such keen strategists," a woman's voice near the two sarcastically remarks. "Will you give me my painkillers now?"

I groan through my pain, "Raine . . . ?"

Things go silent for a moment before the assistant chirps, "Oh, the redhead's awake!"

The doctor tells the young man, "Just give this one the anesthetic while I check this one." I manage to get a glimpse of Raine sitting up in her bed as the doctor moves before I shift my focus to the doctor. "Hello," the doctor greets. "How are we feeling today?"

"Like I've been sent to hell in a hand basket," I grumble.

"Any aches?"

"All over my body."

"Describe these aches."

"Dull but very painful. I can barely move and I think I've got a crick in my neck."

"Is that all?"

"As far as I can tell. I'll let you know if I notice anything else." Like big gaping holes in my body.

The assistant, now done giving Raine her the anesthetic, comes over to me. "Let's check her sense of humor, doctor. How do you feel about bath tunes?"

"With the headache I have now, I would rather stab myself with something cheap. Like a pencil," I gripe.

The assistant chirps, "Considering all things, her sense of humor is a-okay!"

While the doctor gives me some painkilling medicine, he says to his assistant, "Just cut it out and help me with the other patients."

As soon as I take the medication the doctor and the assistant leave. I find deep relief as I get to wake up without anyone so annoying constantly bugging me as I try to restart my brain. I attempt to adjust myself closer to sitting up straight to get a look around and hiss in the painful process—and yes I do have a nasty crick in my neck. Scanning my eyes on my surroundings, I find that I'm in a clinic like I suspected when I saw the doctor and the white bed Raine lays in. Typical metallic standard beds with white sheets and pillows line up in rows in the large open area. Some beds are closed off with circling drapes while most beds are open for everyone to see. Every now and then I would see some men or women resting in these beds but for the most part the area is empty. I glance to my right and find Sheena sleeping soundly in the bed next to me followed by a long row of empty beds. Corrine snoozes on her stomach, curled up like a cat or a fox would with his nine tails taking up most of the room. I crane my neck to the left and, passed Raine, I manage to spot Lloyd and Genis sleeping just as soundly.

Raine herself watches me with clinical observation.

I rub my forehead and moan, "Where are we . . . ? Some sort of . . . clinic, I know that."

Raine considers her words before she answers, "We are in the hospital wing of the Renegade Triet base. The Renegades were the ones who saved us when we were about to be killed in the Tower of Salvation. Do you remember?"

The memories swiftly return. "Wha-ah—wait. Let me get that in my head." Oooohhh man . . . That's right. Though the next thing we know after the Tower of Salvation is Lloyd waking up and everyone else just so happens to be awake, the rest of us have to wake up somewhere. That makes sense.

Then . . . Remiel and . . . then Kratos . . . and Yggdrasill . . .

. . . Yggdrasill really _does_ look gay in that outfit. He looks like a yaoi fairy. A really scary yaoi fairy.

I remain silent for a moment. ". . . Our lives just got a hundred times more complicated, didn't they?"

". . . I suppose you could say it like that." Raine looks down at her hands. "I can . . . scarcely believe it. Everything I was supposed to believe in was nothing more than a lie. Then, I wonder how Genis and Lloyd are going to react. Lloyd . . . will be the most devastated in light of . . . of Kratos. I can't believe that either, although what evidence I have seen beforehand points to it. There was even once when I woke up, once I discovered where we were, I expected to find Kratos in another bed nearby but . . . Then . . . Colette . . . with Colette . . ."

After a few seconds of Raine falling silent, I prompt, "Where's Colette?"

Raine just replies, "The Renegades have her in a neighboring room. I have only been able to see her just some time ago. She . . . Colette doesn't respond to anything I say or . . . She really did lose her soul."

I fall silent. Time goes by slowly yet quickly as we just lay there in our respective beds. I keep my mind empty of all thought to prevent myself from stressing over just where I am and how deep I am in this situation. I knew I would eventually get up to this point, but I never wanted to really let myself believe I would. There was always more time and more time and more time. Now . . . Now I'm at the point where . . .

". . . I'm sorry," Raine suddenly says.

"What?" I blankly respond.

Raine clarifies, "If I knew in any sort of degree that something like this would happen, I would not have allowed you, or Lloyd and Genis, to join this journey. Now Cruxis will be after all of our lives regardless if we separate."

". . . Professor Sage, if we knew that this would happen we would've made a collective effort to hide Colette from Cruxis let alone refuse to even go on this journey or hire Kratos as a bodyguard in the first place," I comment.

"I cannot believe how foolish I have been!" Raine curses. "There were signs and little things Kratos showed whenever his guard was down but in the end I was too late to figure it out."

"Professor, he's one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis, an organization that's been lying to the entire world for hundreds of years," I remind her. "I'm sure he's a pro at deceiving us by this point. You can't blame yourself for falling for the same song and dance the rest of the population fell for."

"I was supposed to lead this group—I was supposed to protect everyone!" Raine states. "I failed . . . !"

"We're all still alive after . . . after what happened back there. I'd say that despite the circumstances, you succeeded pretty well at protecting us," I inform her.

Raine remains silent as she presses her hand against her eyes as she covers her face in shame. She quivers and shudders with tiny gasps and little sighs. Then, I see tears leak through her hand and down her cheeks.

* * *

Raine's been waking up and falling into unconsciousness for a day and a half after the Tower of Salvation. Then I woke up a little after two days worth of time. Sheena woke up soon after me and, after she learned that what happened at the Tower of Salvation wasn't some sick nightmare, she refused to say a single thing. It took Genis a little longer since he's so small but he woke up on the same day that Sheena did. Poor kid wouldn't stop demanding to see Colette and would try to keep from falling apart into crying fits. During those moments Raine would just sit in his bed and cradle him in a motherly fashion and Genis would let himself cry.

Lloyd was the one who took the most abuse out of all of us and there were some complications due to the head injury that rendered him unconscious in the first place. I was told that he woke up a few times—and I did see one time—but those times he didn't act like himself or seem like he was really awake. He would either sit up in a daze and not respond to anyone or anything or he would suddenly be in a panic as if in a nightmare and have to be sedated. I don't think he'll remember any of that. There was also a matter of blood loss, some with Genis since he's a child still, but mainly with Lloyd since apparently his blood type was a little hard to find. Eventually, though, the doctors and healers declared that Lloyd was in stable condition and all he needed now was rest.

It was torment for me to be without my journal. Whenever I thought about writing something down in it, my mind would circle back to the fact that it's with Ephraim where the rest of all our stuff is. I had developed a sort of calming ritual without my noticing with that thing. In the end I demanded several sheets of paper and a pencil from the clinic staff or I would literally go insane. I must've looked insane enough to carry that bluff out since they looked at me warily before getting the sheets and pencil. Then I felt that my writing was too vulnerable to stray eyes so I just put down bullet notes to remind myself of how what happened on a certain day and how I felt about each event so that I can write the teary eyed details once I get my journal back. There were a whole lot of bullets containing the words "going insane" and "hurts like hell" concerning my "prolonged imprisonment on this hospital bed." I hated it.

As for injuries, I didn't come out of that too bad. Once my aches started to ease up to more tolerable levels, I could walk around the clinic and even exercise in the exercise room for those recovering from battle wounds and such. The Renegade members in there tend to just ignore me like they would with the rest of us, though occasionally one would get chatty about anything but what we went through. Then I found out that left leg, my scarred leg, tires a little more easily but simply rubbing the muscles on the lower section of my leg can help ease the pains. I wonder how it'll fare after this . . .

On the third day after May fifth, after we went to the Tower of Salvation, I finally went to see Colette. Everyone was turning in for the night already and I was getting tired myself but . . . I just had to see her. After witnessing one of Lloyd's wake-up panics, Genis crying on Raine's shoulders, and Sheena ignoring everyone including Corrine, I felt that it was finally time to allow myself to accept reality completely. I don't really know how I came to that conclusion through all that but I just had the feeling that I should. I don't know. My mind's been so scattered ever since I woke up.

I enter the side room with my legs aching stiffly as I walk. I pause when I see her in the center of the room, just hovering a few inches above the floor. Her eyes stare blankly in front of herself, unresponsive to my approach. I step to her front but stay at the side so that if she wants to really see me she'll have to turn her face or at least her eyes. She does neither. I cautiously wave my hand in front of her face. Still, no response.

"Colette?" I sound off.

Not even a glance towards me. I don't get it. She looked at me back at the Tower of Salvation—and even let me draw her away from battle! What's different?

I take her hand and gently pull her. All I manage to do is tug on her arm while she herself doesn't move. I frown at my results. I tell her, "Colette, come here."

The Renegade member supervising Colette sighs, "Give it up, kid. She doesn't respond to anything unless it so happens to have a weapon."

I droop in mood and posture. With dejected defeat, I leave the side room and enter the main clinic room. The lights are dimmed to nothing and the only light comes from the glass ceiling that allows moonlight to shine through. Back there, I expected Colette not to respond but . . . still, I think some part of me hoped that she would at least look at me. I return to my bed with my energy nearly drained to nothing.

". . . Kelsey?"

I stop. Recognizing this voice, I look over to Lloyd's bed. I find Lloyd sitting up and watching me with a half-tired expression. I leave my bed and move over to his side.

"You're finally awake," I note.

He rubs his face. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days including today," I tell him. "You've been . . . waking up and falling back asleep a few times but . . . Do you remember anything? What's the last thing you remember?"

It takes Lloyd a few seconds, but then he grimaces. ". . . Please tell me that what happened . . . back at the Tower of Salvation was just a bad dream. Tell me that Colette isn't . . . isn't soulless and that . . . that Kratos is still with us."

I contemplate on how to respond. Then, I tell him, "Colette . . . She's in extensive treatment in a separate room. Although she isn't hurt, she doesn't respond to anyone. But she . . . she does sometimes . . . 'wake up' I guess, but it's brief. Then . . . Kratos . . . he got really hurt. He's just . . . They're still treating him for his wounds but they say he'll recover. He's wake, though, and he's really worried about you and the rest of us. Especially you since . . . well, you got hurt the most aside from him . . ."

Lloyd's expression drops to rueful. ". . . You really are a terrible liar."

I lift my arms halfway before dropping them to my sides. "Like that's new. Though Colette really is in a separate room. I just saw her. She . . . doesn't respond. Not to anything. The others said that she didn't respond to them either."

Lloyd bows his head, drooping as he takes in this information. ". . . And Kratos? Did . . . Did he really . . . ?"

I frown. ". . . Yes, Lloyd. He did."

". . . The bastard . . ." Lloyd utters. A while passes by. I remain, unable to see if he'll still need information or if he's done talking. Then, finally, Lloyd says, "I need to see Colette. Where is she?"

I inform him, "That room right over there. Wait until tomorrow, though, for the doctors to take a good look at you. You hit your head really hard. Then you lost a lot of blood too."

Seeing Lloyd's impatience, I tell him, "Colette isn't going anywhere. You can wait long enough to see if you won't pass out on the way to her. The rest of us would prefer that, too. You scared us all."

Lloyd falls silent. I fidget, feeling awkward and useless. I take a step away to get to my bed.

". . . I saw something . . ."

I turn back. "What?"

Lloyd starts, "When Kratos was about to . . . kill me . . . I saw . . ." Then he stops. ". . . Never mind."

I move a stray lock of red hair out of my face. ". . . I'll see you in the morning, Lloyd."

There's no response as I climb into bed.

* * *

It was sunny on May ninth when I woke up, like it was sunny in all other days I've seen since Hima. I cursed the fact that the Renegade base is in the Triet Desert. I want to see rain come down on those windows.

When Genis, Raine, and Sheena discovered that Lloyd is finally awake they crowded his bed and wouldn't leave even when the doctors told them to back away so they could have room (okay, Raine moved but she was the only one). Lloyd asked about this, that, and the other about the Tower of Salvation, how everyone is, and where they are. Basically all the questions he was too much in shock last night to remember. When we all explained where we were, Lloyd was, needless to say, surprised.

"What? The Desian base in Triet?" Lloyd expresses when Raine explains the exact location using the memory of their last encounter of this place.

Sheena shakes her head. "These guys aren't Desians! They look like Desians to make it harder to trace them."

"Huh?" Lloyd goes. "They're not Desians? Who are they then?"

"They call themselves the Renegades," Raine explains. "It seems that they are a secret organization opposing the Desians, or rather Cruxis from the looks of things."

I prompt, "Remember the group of three that Kvar was chasing when we first entered the Asgard human ranch? Those three were Renegade members."

Then Raine concludes, "Then, from what you and Genis told me, judging from the actions of the Desians who attacked the Martel Temple and the Desians who attacked Iselia, the supposed 'Desians' who attacked the Martel Temple were actually the Renegades trying to stop the world regeneration."

"So they were trying to kill us from the very beginning!" Lloyd sternly concludes. "Yet . . . they saved us?"

I presume, "They're probably trying to get some sort of control over the situation since Cruxis was dangerously close to succeeding. They're probably deciding what to do now since Colette is now an angel yet she didn't complete the world regeneration."

Sheena says, "I think we should hear what they have to say. The Renegades have a lot more answers than we do. Even I'm confused."

Corrine, on Sheena's left shoulder, stands up for a jump down and tells her, "I'm going to go out and take a look around."

Sheena bids, "Alright. Just be careful not to get caught."

With that, Corrine leaps down to the floor and runs out of the clinic.

Raine questions, "Sheena, when Tethe'alla sent you to assassinate Colette, were the Renegades involve in any way?"

"Yeah, they were," Sheena informs. "They were the ones who told us about the nature of the two worlds and talked the pope and the king into it. 'If you desire for Tethe'alla to prosper, kill the Chosen of Sylvarant.'"

Genis crosses his arms critically. "That's horrible of them!"

Sheena adds, "The Renegades were also the ones who sent me over to Sylvarant. They gave me something called a rheiard and a wing pack to store it in. Though the rheiard could only be used in emergency cases."

"What's a rheiard?" Genis wonders.

Sheena explains, "A rheiard is a machine made from magitechnology that can be used to fly. It's how I was able to get from the Ossa Trail to Palmacosta without a boat. I was supposed to use it to quickly get to Iselia before the oracle was received, but I was accidently sent north-east instead of north-west and the rheiard ran out of fuel before I could get my bearings and crashed near Luin."

"So that's how you met Pietro, Connor, the people of Luin, and Sophia," Lloyd understands.

Sheena nods. "Yup. When I got to the Ossa Trail I was informed by the Renegades that all of you haven't crossed that way yet and it was best if I just wait there instead of searching for all of you through the Triet Desert."

"Where's your rheiard now?" I wonder.

"I think the Renegades took it back when they got us into the base since I can't find it or the wing pack in my things," Sheena states. "I was only borrowing it for the mission, anyway."

There is a slight pause . . .

Genis wonders, "So . . . what are we going to do now?"

Then yet an even longer pause . . .

Lloyd gets up. "I'm going to go see Colette."

Raine sadly informs, "She won't be able to recognize or answer you."

Lloyd pauses for a second before continuing to leave. "I know . . ."

Silence settles as Lloyd leaves and enters the side room where Colette is. Raine sits on Genis' bed (the bed between hers and Lloyd's) with a sigh. Genis goes to the foot locker at the end of his bed and pulls out his kendema and starts playing with it halfheartedly. Sheena crosses her arms and taps her foot, fidgeting in the awkward silence. I just sit in my bed basking in the quiet. Finally, Sheena heavily sighs.

"'What are we going to do?'" Sheena repeats. "Cruxis is actually an evil organization that now wants us dead, Colette is soulless, and we can't tell who to trust."

I state, "If Cruxis wants us dead now, why didn't they kill us on the way from the Tower of Salvation to Triet?"

Sheena waves a hand at me. "The Renegades most likely some sort of portable portal device when they got out of the Tower of Salvation."

"They have stuff like that?" Genis inquires.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they did," Raine says. "It would explain how they got us to their base in such a short amount of time."

The door to the clinic opens with a nurse walking in, probably going to treat the other people in here, when suddenly, the nurse jumps and squeals, "_Eeek!_ What is that thing? It looks like a rat!"

Corrine dashes from under the nurse and whips around towards door . . .

Lloyd, meanwhile, walks out of the side room dejectedly.

Corrine shouts at the door, "Noishe! Over here!"

_Whoosh!_ The aqua-green and white protozoan bursts in, knocking the nurse over in the process, and halts when he finds that Lloyd isn't in a bed.

"Whiee! Whiee! Whiee! Whiee!" Noishe yips in distress as he whirls around searching for Lloyd. Then, he spots the human just some behind him.

"_Whiiiiieeeeee!_"

"_Noishe!_"

_Thud!_ Noishe knocks Lloyd over, accidentally slamming the swordsman against the door to the side room, and heartily greets Lloyd by slobbering his astonishingly long tongue all over Lloyd's face. Lloyd pushes Noishe off and gets up. The side room's door opens and the supervising Renegade member looks out, gets an expression saying "Yet another weird thing; I'm not going to bother," and closes the door. Lloyd turns to the nurse Noishe knocked over apologetically.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. My dog is just oblivious like that a lot. Are you okay?" he goes.

The nurse gives Noishe a look. "'Dog.' Right. You know, I'm just going to ignore this and get on with my day. I've got work to do."

"Sorry," Lloyd repeats as the nurse walks away. He turns to Noishe. "Noishe! How did you get here? How did you know where we were?"

"Whie-ieee! Aoe aie!" Noishe whines.

Corrine proclaims, "I let him in! He was already here when I saw him outside yesterday! I left so that I could let him in!"

"Really? Thanks!" Lloyd expresses. "Though how did he know where we were?"

"I can't tell you. You won't believe it at all."

I glance between Corrine and Noishe and start formulating suspects for whoever directed Noishe to the Renegade Triet base.

Lloyd notices the bags strapped to Noishe's back. He digs in one, wondering aloud, "What you got here, boy? . . ." Then he spots what's inside. "It's the stuff we left with Uncle Ephraim! Not all of it but stuff we'll need like clothes and extra supplies!"

Lloyd ushers Noishe towards us and we get up to gather our things. I leave the others alone while I focus on reorganizing my own things. Although I didn't get my books and my mug back, I got my journal, a set of pens, and my clothes back. As soon as I dig out my journal, I take the sheets of paper that I've been using as a make-shift journal and insert them into the pages. As for what the entire group got back rather than individually, we got the monster list, collector's item list, the blankets, our minor hygiene things, and things like that. It considerably lightened our load for travel. Raine was disappointed not to get her all of her research and reference books back but was pleased that at least what was left behind was in the hands of someone who would preserve them. Then Lloyd found in his things a short letter from his uncle briefly explaining that Noishe was anxious to go back to him and decided to send Noishe along with some of our things. It didn't explain how Noishe knew to come to this exact location so my list of suspects considerably narrowed in light of Ephraim's refusal to share information.

A Renegade foot soldier enters the clinic and approaches us. We all turn to him and wait for him to speak. ". . . So, now that all of you are finally awake, please come with me. Our leader would like to speak with you in his office."

Here we go.

Lloyd nods. "Alright." He turns to us, "Gather your stuff, guys. We should probably leave as soon as we're done talking."

Raine concurs, "That would be our best option for now. We can't linger here for long."

With an apology to Noishe, we pack our things in the bags Noishe carries. When we equip our weapons, the Renegade foot soldier warily questions, "You're going to carry your weapons?"

Sheena tells, "With what happened at the Tower of Salvation, we got pretty jumpy. Your leader will just have to pardon us for this."

The Renegade member keeps quiet as he waits for us to follow. Raine goes into the side room and guides Colette by hand to follow us. With us all together, we follow the Renegade foot soldier down a series of halls. Sheena follows the soldier closely as if she's somewhat familiar with the base. Seeing that, I conclude that she must've had the rheiard refueled after the Ossa Trail so she could at least cross the ocean since it ran out of fuel before she crashed near Luin.

Doors pass by followed by a few low stairways climbing up. The foot soldier guides us to a single door at the end and presses a few buttons at the side of the electronic door. The door slides open and the soldier steps in and ushers us in. Lloyd goes in first followed closely by Noishe who suddenly freezes and watches the other side of the room with wide eyes. The rest of us go around Noishe with a touch of irritability at Noishe's sudden stop right in front of us. When Sheena passes by, Corrine leaps from her shoulder to Noishe's back.

"What's wrong, Noishe?" Corrine questions.

"Whiieee . . ."

I'm the last one in. Looking around, I find the office just as elegant and grand as the game suggests. I get the feeling of elegance yet practicality as there isn't much more decoration than what's already built into the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room. The office is quite large, large enough to hold several men and an additional table if needed.

Then there is Botta. His hair is still the same along with his face. This time he's in more dignified clothing since he isn't stealing Exspheres from a Desian human ranch. He watches us with caution regarding our actions but he looks a lot more relaxed now.

The last I look at, since after that point I won't waste my time looking at anything else, is Yuan Ka-Fai.

Yuan, with his deep blue hair tied back and his dark cloak slightly parted to reveal his white outfit and his crossed arms, has an otherworldly grace that an elf would have with a stern gleam in his eyes. Although it's a little hard to tell at the moment, he looks as if he's just slightly shorter than Kratos if not just as tall as the man. He regards us with indecipherable calculation in his eyes, slightly unnerving me.

Yuan regards Noishe sharply. "Who let that thing in?"

Noishe immediately starts snarling. " . . ."

"Noishe, hush!" Lloyd grabs hold of Noishe and gets the protozoan to quiet down, although Noishe doesn't relax his guard one bit. "Noishe stays with me."

Yuan's eyebrows furrow in irritation although his face isn't marred with a scowl. ". . . Fine. Your pet can stay. It had better stay put, though."

Noishe huffs at Yuan.

Lloyd asks, "Are you the Renegades?"

"Yes," Yuan answers. "We are an underground resistance against the Desians, or rather the Cruxis, as you have recently discovered."

"So Cruxis and the Desians really are the same organization?" Lloyd clarifies.

Botta states, "Correct. Cruxis operates the Church of Martel in the open while commanding the Desians as a subordinate organization in the background. The Church of Martel is nothing more than a tool for Cruxis to use to control the populations. Of course, the Church itself and the Chosens know nothing about that detail."

Botta sounds as if he's said that speech about a million times before. He must be the one who breaks it to new members that Cruxis is actually evil.

Yuan states, "Those who call themselves angels are nothing more than half-elves who have evolved using an advanced version of an Exsphere called Cruxis Crystals. They have gone through the same angel transformation process as each Chosen does with some restraints to retain their voice and enough of their minds to heed commands. They aren't gods or anything of the sort."

"Like the Desians, Cruxis is composed of half-elves too?" Sheena questions.

"Yes," Botta confirms. "Most of the Desians and Cruxis are composed of half-elves. As for ourselves, we hold a large number of half-elves in our ranks."

"So, if Colette didn't make it as a vessel, would she have joined the other angels of Derris-Kharlan?" Genis wonders.

"Yes," Yuan confirms. "She would have been sent away to join the rest of the soulless Chosens who have failed to hold Martel's soul and remain in that condition for the rest of eternity."

Lloyd curses, "Damn them. How could they just do that?"

"I have a question myself," I insert. "Since Cruxis is an organization that created the Church of Martel religious system to control the populations, what did they base this false faith off of? Is there another religion that they used as a model?"

Yuan comments, "You wouldn't ask that unless you were a part of the religion they imitated."

The others turn to me in astonishment.

"You . . . never believed in Martel?" Genis questions.

"I'll be glad to explain my faith to all of you later, but I want to know about this right now," I express. "What happened to them?"

Yuan informs, "The religion that Cruxis based the ideals for the Church of Martel on was an old religion from even before the Ancient Kharlan War. There were others but this one had documents explaining how they were once organized that were much more easily obtainable. When Cruxis established their own religion they attacked the members of the old faith to keep them from retaliating against the Church of Martel and exiled them to isolated lands. I believe there is an isolated village on the western end of the north-west island north of the Tower of Mana."

"So those were the 'heathens' that Remiel warned Colette about," I note.

"If that is what Remiel did then yes." Then Botta comments, "If you didn't know about the isolated village then I assume you are a descendant of one of their exiled."

I tilt my head and dismissively agree, "Hmmm, perhaps I am."

It's really none of their business, anyway.

Lloyd glances between Yuan and Botta. "What's Cruxis doing, then? Are they doing this just to control the world?"

Yuan snorts. "Do you intend for us to explain every single thing? Why don't you use your own head? You had some time before now to think over things."

Before Lloyd comes up with a retort, Raine questions, "Do they desire to revive the Goddess Martel? Cruxis sends down oracles to guide the Mana Lineage and controls their marriages to produce vessels for Martel. Then, once a Chosen has reached the Tower of Salvation, the angel transformation is complete and the vessels lose their souls, making way for a new one to inhabit their bodies. If it were merely to control the world, this process would be meaninglessly drawn out and complicated."

Yuan raises an eyebrow in slight surprise while Botta compliments, "Well, well, I'm impressed."

Yuan explains, "There is another world beyond Sylvarant that competes for mana called Tethe'alla. The one who created this twisted system between the two worlds is Yggdrasill, Cruxis' leader. I'm sure you have seen him back at the Tower of Salvation."

"What?" Lloyd exclaims.

"He put the two worlds in this situation?" Genis skeptically proclaims. "That's ridiculous!"

Sensing denial, Yuan snips, "If that's what you want to believe then this discussion ends here. You can ask one of the members to escort you to the door."

"Wait!" Lloyd stops. "We'll still talk."

"You have five seconds to convince me of that," Yuan challenges.

Lloyd hurries, "If Yggdrasill was the one who put Sylvarant and Tethe'alla into this mess then he's got to be really powerful. How can you challenge someone like that? Also, you tried to kill us, especially Colette, yet you saved us back at the Tower of Salvation even though you've proven that you're our enemies. Why would you do all that?"

Yuan raises an eyebrow in mild surprise. ". . . You're not as stupid as you seem."

Lloyd narrows his eyes. "Excuse me?"

Botta intervenes, "Our goal is to stop Martel's revival. Therefore, the Chosen, who was to become Martel's vessel, was an obstacle."

Yuan adds, "Unfortunately the Chosen completed the angel transformation and is now a lethal weapon whose only goal is self-preservation. We wouldn't dare even lay a hand on her."

Then Yuan declares, "But now we have the key to stop Martel's resurrection. We no longer need to hinder the Chosen in any way as long as Cruxis doesn't get their hands on her."

Lloyd raises an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Yuan tells Lloyd, "I cannot tell you until the right time. For right now, I need your cooperation."

The hairs on the back of Lloyd's neck stand. Something isn't right. Lloyd warily states, "Before I just agree to join someone who's tried to kill me before I would like to know what they want from me."

Yuan adds, "In exchange for your cooperation, I will do everything in my power to return the Chosen to normal."

Genis' eyes snap wide open. "Lloyd! This is just what we need! He'll help get Colette back to normal!"

Lloyd still doesn't take the bait. "Still . . . something tells me that—"

Yuan takes a step closer.

"_Growrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . !_" Noishe snarls.

Yuan halts and glares at Noishe. ". . . Are you going to get in my way too?"

"RAWR!" Noishe lunges at Yuan. Yuan dodges the wrathful arshis and sends Botta off with a hand signal. While Botta races off, probably to gather soldiers, Yuan draws his sword—

Noishe head butts Yuan in the stomach and slams him against the desk. His fangs clamp onto Yuan's left side and starts ripping cloth off.

"_Damn you to hell! Get off! Get off of me!_" Yuan shouts as he fights and struggles against Noishe. Lloyd races over to pull Noishe off, afraid that Yuan will now attack them for not being able to control the protozoan. Noishe is able to keep hold despite Yuan and Lloyd's efforts and—

_Shrrrrrriiiiiiip!_

Noishe yanks back with a mouthful of Yuan's torn white garments along with a wad of bandages that were underneath Yuan's clothes. Where the torn clothes and bandages were is a hole that reveals a gaping slash resembling the damage done by Demon Fang. The wound itself bleeds from being reopened by his struggle against Noishe.

Lloyd notes the nature and position of the slash. "That looks like . . ."

As Yuan quickly gets up to his feet with a snarl, Botta rushes in and surrounds us with his men. We regroup and ready ourselves for a battle with Noishe tauntingly waving Yuan's torn clothing and bandages back and forth.

One of the soldiers, spotting Yuan's reopened wound, exclaims, "Lord Yuan! You're injured!"

Botta goes, "It's his wound from Hima!" Botta hurries to Yuan and offers what looks like a miracle gel.

Yuan growls, "Kratos! How many times must anything even _remotely_ connected to you get in my way?"

Lloyd backs well away from Yuan. "So it was you who tried to kill Kratos?"

Yuan commands, "Get him! But don't kill him!"

Noishe snarls at the surrounding Renegades, circling Lloyd protectively, keeping the soldiers at bay. Then, Noishe aims himself towards the door and bashes his way through. We all race out with Sheena last.

"Go, Corrine! Show them what you're made of!" Sheena orders.

Corrine leaps at the Renegades in close pursuit and snarls at them. At first they ignore him and continue to chase us. Then, just as we round the corner . . .

"What the—?"

"AAAHHHH!"

"_What is that thing?_"

"_Get it off me! Get it off me!_"

"Sheena? What's with that?" I question.

Sheena dismissively puts, "Let's just say you've never seen Corrine at his full strength."

"Less talking; more running!" Genis scolds.

It takes a lot of outrunning Renegade security and dodging into confusing corridors but eventually we find a room to hide in and push ourselves inside. We gasp as we try to catch our breath and then debate on what to do next.

"Thanks a lot, Noishe," Lloyd carps.

"Narrrre!" Noishe coos with Yuan's torn clothes still in the arshis' mouth.

"Don't act so proud about it while we still have every Renegade here after us!" Then Lloyd curses, "Damn it! What was so special about me? They need to make up their minds about whether or not they're our enemies!"

"At any rate, we need to know what we need to do at this point," Raine reminds.

Lloyd looks at Colette, who's now being led by me, and says, "We need to find a way to save Colette."

"We just had a good opportunity to do that with the Renegade's help!" Genis nags. "Then you and Noishe blew it!"

Raine sooths, "Calm down, Genis. There is a possibility that their intentions were malicious if they refused to tell us what our roll in their plans would be."

"Well, what can we do now?" Genis questions.

Raine glances at Sheena. ". . . Sheena, where did you get your Exsphere?"

"Huh?" Sheena stares at Raine for a moment before answering, "I got this from the Research Imperial Academy before I came here. The Renegades originally brought the Exsphere technology over. Nowadays Exspheres are equipped to machines and rarely on people."

"Hmmm . . ." Raine turns to Lloyd. "We should head over to Tethe'alla. Since Tethe'alla is studying the Exspheres, they may know something about Cruxis Crystals as well."

Lloyd responds, "I get it! They might know something since Cruxis Crystals are a kind of Exsphere!"

Sheena says, "That's actually a really good idea. They might even be studying the Cruxis Crystal that belongs to Tethe'alla's Chosen."

Genis goes, "Tethe'alla has a Chosen too?"

"Two worlds; two Chosens." Sheena adds, "The world regeneration journey has been going on over on my world too and the Church of Martel exists as well."

Lloyd frowns. "Wait, if Cruxis has been carrying this out on both worlds for this long then why hasn't Martel been revived?"

"An excellent question." Then Raine theorizes, "Perhaps the coffins at the Tower of Salvation were—No. No. Forget I said anything."

I remind, "The longer we wait here the more likely the Renegades are going to find us. Sheena, how did you get from Tethe'alla to Sylvarant."

Sheena quickly explains, "I was taken to their Tethe'alla base under a blindfold and the blindfold was removed as soon as I was inside. Then they escorted me to the rheiard hanger where I boarded a rheiard and was sent off. If we go to the hanger here and board a rheiard and place in the launch destination then I'm sure we'll be able to get into Tethe'alla."

"Do you know where the hanger is?" I ask.

"Yes."

We race out with Noishe and Sheena at the front. With some turns and more outrunning Renegade security—

Botta suddenly appears behind us and charges at us with his giant blade. In desperation, we run faster. Sheena digs in a pocket and pulls out three little grey orbs. She calls, "Kelsey!"

I race around the group and get next to her. "What?"

Sheena shoves the three orbs into my hand. "Throw it down to the ground or in their faces! Just make sure Botta is in it!"

"Right!" I let myself drop in speed and time Botta's running . . .

Then I fling the orbs down on the ground. With a new burst of speed, I evade the smoke while Botta gets a face full of the smoke screen. I smirk as I hear the results of the smoke screen.

We race around and enter a large room with rheiards in store—the hanger. Sheena goes to the machine and points out, "This is the controls! Raine, can you take care of this?"

"Yes!" Raine hurries to the controls and immediately starts working them. Four rheiards are taken by machine to the runway.

"Four?" Genis notes. "But there are six of us?"

"You're riding with me, Genis, and someone has to make sure Colette comes with us," Raine informs.

"Awww . . ."

Lloyd's eyes snap wide. "What about Noishe? He can't fit on a rheiard and it's not like we can tie him on!"

Suddenly, Corrine races inside the hanger and announces, "Hurry up! Yuan himself is almost here!"

In a panic, Sheena whirls around to find something and spots a wing pack. She snatches that up and rushes to Noishe. She presses a button . . .

"IEE!" Noishe yelps as he's sucked into the wing pack.

"_What was that?_" Lloyd exclaims.

"It's a wing pack! It stores things! Let's go!" Sheena shouts. She races to a rheiard in the front and uses one of the two strap suits attached to buckle herself onto it for safety.

Lloyd mimics Sheena and takes Colette to his rheiard and straps the two in one rheiard. Raine and Genis hop onto one and do the same, leaving me with the last one. I swallow my fear and hop onto the rheiard. The runway glows brightly . . .

Yuan bursts through and gasps. "No! Not the rheiards!" He rushes to the controls . . .

Sheena's rheiard zooms off followed by Lloyd's then Raine's then mine.

Just when he was about to cancel the take-off too! Yuan slams his fists down and curses, "No!"

* * *

I hate heights I hate heights I hate heights I hate heights I hate heights I hate heights I . . .

I clutch tightly to the rheiard's handles, doing my very best not to look down and keep myself calm. The hum of the rheiard cries strongly as ocean speeds past.

Lloyd announces, "We're heading south-east!"

"South-east?" Sheena goes. "That would be helpful if I knew where the base was! We were already launched way passed that for us to see!"

"I see land!" Raine shouts.

"Good!" Sheena goes. "Let's land on flat grou—"

The humming suddenly sputters.

"Wh-what's going on?" Lloyd exclaims.

"The rheiards are slowing down!" Genis cries.

Raine looks down at her controls and exclaims, "The fuel gage is empty!"

Sheena concludes, "That's it! With all of you releasing seals and reversing the mana flow, there isn't enough mana to sustain the rheiards long enough for us to land!"

That's when I finally snap, "OH MY GOD WE'RE GONNA FALL!"

The humming sputters to nothing and stops.

There is a second where we slowly drift down before we completely collapse down to the ground. We all scream as the earth rushes towards us.

* * *

By the way, the Katz Village is on the eastern side of the island and not the western so the western side is open for any made-up village.

OH MY GOD IT'S THE END OF THE CHAPTER PLEASE REVIEW!


	41. On the Road Again

This has all the awkwardness of setting. I did what I could with it but it still feels awkward to me.

By the way, this chapter is the first of two chapters that I'm posting at the same time.

* * *

Chapter Forty-One: On the Road Again

"OH MY GOD WE'RE GONNA FALL!"

The rheairds sputter to a halt and slowly drift down . . . Then they accumulate speed in their drop. We scream in terror as land rushes to meet us.

Sheena screams, "_Pull them up! Pull them up!_"

Raine shouts, "_Aim for the mountain summit! It's a shorter drop!_"

We all struggle to do as the two instruct. The rheairds fight us, determined to crash into a kamikaze nosedive and exterminate us as punishment for stealing them. Lloyd heaves the controls to his rheaird up with all his strength and steadily manages to pull the rheaird into an angel. Then, an arm from behind him reaches over him. He looks over and finds soulless Colette reaching around him.

"Colette?" he goes.

Colette grabs onto the safety rope attached to the buckle straps on her, and coincidentally grabbing onto Lloyd's, and yanks them out of the rheaird itself. She lets go, with Lloyd's safety rope still connected to hers, and takes off from the rheaird for a safe landing. Lloyd grabs onto her arm before his weight yanks Colette out of balance in her flight and watches his rheaird dive into the mountain and crash with parts flying everywhere. The rheaird tumbles down the side of the mountain and catches on the earth below.

Raine and Genis heave with all their might to pull their rheaird up. They get it forty-five degrees up from the dive. Their rheaird crashes into the summit and slides across the land. They cry out in terror as their rheaird comes closer and closer to falling again. Raine swiftly unbuckles herself and her brother as the rheaird gets closer to the edge. She grabs Genis and leaps off the rheaird and onto the ground. The rheaird tips over the edge and crashes into a short drop below.

Sheena, having been through this once before, pulls the rheaird with difficulty towards the summit and fights to hold it there. The rheiard hits the ground and slides around before she regains control over it and slows it to a stop. Her shoulders slump with relief at the fact that she's still alive.

As for myself, I'm not so fortunate. I've come to the conclusion that I'm about to die. As my own rheaird tilts a little upward from the drop, my life flashes before me. Names and faces of people I've forgotten and nearly forgotten return to me and the shadows of people I've known ever since I was born haunt me. While my rheaird crashes into a boulder resting on the summit, my last thought before oblivion makes a final conclusion about my life . . .

Damn, my life was boring before all this!

The rheaird bounces off the boulder and flips in the air before landing upside down. With my buckles still attached, I lay facedown in the ground almost under the rheaird.

As soon as Lloyd hits the ground with Colette next to him, Lloyd hastily strips off the buckles and questions, "Is everyone alright? Everything just happened at once!"

Seeing almost everyone standing and giving out a half muttered response, he glances around to see if anyone is missing and discovers my rheaird. He rushes over to my and removes my buckles and pulls me out from under the rheaird. Raine quickly joins him and inspects me . . .

"First Aid." Raine informs, "Although she will have several severe bruises, Kelsey is fine."

Genis wonders, "Why is she unconscious then? Did she hit her head?"

"She only fainted."

Sheena comments, "I don't exactly blame her. Where's a life bottle?"

Lloyd pulls out a life bottle and pours it down my throat. A second passes by before I stir and groan in pain. Lloyd questions, "Are you alright?"

"Am I dead? . . ." I wonder.

"No."

"Ahhh . . . After all that it's kinda anticlimactic."

Lloyd bites, "'Anticlimactic'? You almost died!"

Raine advises, "Don't take anything she says seriously, Lloyd. She isn't in her right mind right now."

I agree, "Yeah. I'm not straight—er—_thinking_ straight! Not thinking straight! . . ." I blink in confusion and rub my eyes. "Lloyd, since when did you have a twin?"

"Anyway . . ." Lloyd dismisses. "Sheena, will you let Noishe out of that pack thing?"

"Oh yeah. Sure." Sheena pulls out the wing pack and aims it in open ground. She presses a button . . .

Noishe is suddenly pushed out of the wing pack and onto the ground. He trembles with wide eyes, his mouth clamped tightly onto the cloth he tore from Yuan's outfit. It takes him a second or two before he realizes that he's no longer inside the wing pack.

"Whie-ie-ie-ie-e-e-e . . ." Noishe responds through his shock of being inside the wing pack. He unconsciously drops the cloth bundle in his mouth.

Sheena, still holding onto the wing pack, apologizes, "I'm so sorry, Noishe. It was the only way to take you with us and keep Yuan from getting to you!"

Noishe eyes the wing pack in her hands.

Sheena continues, "I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. It was the only thing that came to mind."

Lloyd tells her, "It's okay, Sheena. What matters is that Noishe is—"

Noishe interrupts Lloyd with snarling, "Growrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . !"

"Noishe?" Lloyd goes. "Hey, take it easy! You're okay now!"

"_Rawr!_" Noishe barks as he lunges at Sheena.

"AH!" Sheena yelps as she drops the wing pack and leaps away instinctually. Noishe, instead of chasing after Sheena, snaps at the wing pack and crunches on it in wrath with his powerful jaws. We all watch as Noishe destroys the wing pack before our very eyes.

When Noishe tosses the remains of the wing pack, Raine laments, ". . . We could have used that to carry the rheairds around until we found someone who could possibly repair them . . . !"

"Why did you do that, Noishe?" Lloyd carps.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr!" Noishe gripes.

"I don't think being in the wing pack was exactly a pleasant experience," I comment. "Besides, the rheiards might be totaled at this point. They're not even going to be usable after this."

"Fine," Lloyd resigns. "Let's find out where we are . . ."

Genis notes the sky. "I can still see the Tower of Salvation. I think we're still in Sylvarant."

Sheena informs, "The Tower of Salvation appears in the flourishing world, too. So we might be in either world as far as we know."

"The Tower of Salvation is here and so is the Church of Martel?" Raine turns to Sheena. "What about the Holy Ground of Kharlan?"

"That's here too," Sheena says. "It's the same as your world."

Genis goes, "But the Holy Ground of Kharlan is where the peace treaty was signed to end the Ancient War. There can't be two of them!"

"Are you sure about that?" Sheena wonders. "We have records in our museums that depict how the Hero Mithos called the two ancient kings to the Holy Ground of Kharlan in order to forge a peace treaty."

Raine states, "Such records exist on our side as well. Instruments used to sign the peace treaty can be found in the Palmacosta Academy."

Lloyd shrugs. "Maybe they're both real."

Genis groans, "Lloyd! That's not possible!"

"Don't get mad," Lloyd amends. "I was just talking."

"And the fact remains that we don't know what world we're in. Look for familiar landmarks," I advise.

Raine observes, "You are a lot more fluent in thinking than you first appeared."

"My head's clearing up pretty quickly."

Lloyd, Genis, and Sheena look over the summit, trying to get their bearings. While Raine helps me up with my shaky balance, Sheena pulls out what looks like a telescope and peers through it. Genis glances towards Sheena and spots the telescope.

"Is that a telescope?" he asks.

"Yeah," Sheena confirms. "The lens and body have been refined so that it can see farther distances." She aims it to the northeast and pauses there for a moment . . . "Is that the . . . ?" She aims the telescope a little more to the north . . .

"I know where we are!" Sheena happily proclaims. She snaps her telescope into a short tube and faces us with a giddy grin. "We're in the Fuuji Mountains! We made it to Tethe'alla!"

"How could you tell?" Lloyd wonders.

Sheena explains, "I looked over in that direction and saw the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge! It's a giant bridge that connects two continents together! It's just east of Tethe'alla's capital!"

"Is Tethe'alla's capital the closest city there is?" Lloyd asks.

Sheena confirms, "Yes. Meltokio, the capital, is where we need to go. I need to write a report to the king and then go to my village to fill them in on the . . . situation. So when we reach Meltokio, I need you to do me a very big favor and give my report to the king. I'll explain the situation in my report and request that he provide us access to the Imperial Research Academy in Sybak."

Lloyd tilts his head. "Wouldn't you personally go see the king before talking to your village?"

Sheena explains, "The King of Tethe'alla is my king only through technicalities. Although he's towards the top of my list, I don't answer to him first and he knows it. In order for me to get back to all of you and help Colette get back normal as quickly as possible, I need to have the report given to the King and go report to my village at the same time."

"I see," Lloyd states. "Then lead the way, Sheena."

* * *

On the way down, Lloyd focuses his attention to Colette. He waves her hand in front of her face but gets no response. "Colette! Hey, Colette! We're in Tethe'alla, now! Can you tell?"

Colette stares straight ahead while Raine carts her around.

Lloyd sighs. "It's still no use . . ."

Genis observes this for a moment. ". . . Hey, Lloyd? Why don't you tell Colette that you love her?"

"Huh?" Lloyd's face turns a little pink. ". . . Why?"

"Just do it," Genis tells him. "Make sure it's really convincing and from the heart too."

"Ahhh . . . Ah . . ." Lloyd's face turns into a deeper mix of pink and red as he debates on whether or not to do that. Then, with all of us watching him, he takes Colette's hand and gets down on one knee . . .

"C-Colette . . ." he bashfully tells her. "I . . . I love you. I love you with all my heart. Every day without you is like living in darkness. Please . . . Please come back."

Colette remains silent. Her soul doesn't return.

I remind, "It's love's first _kiss_; not love's first confession."

Genis says, "That's right! I forgot!" Then he turns to Lloyd. "This time kiss her. Make sure it's really deep and passionate!"

Lloyd turns beet red. "_Genis!_"

While Lloyd catches Genis and gives him the noogie of the boy's life, I ask Sheena, "How are we going to contact the king? It's not like anyone's going to let us in if we say that we have business."

"Ow ow OW! Let GO, Lloyd!"

Raine states, "Kelsey has a point. We aren't nobles and we definitely don't have any clothing that will give anyone the notion that we are of high status."

"Oh, I see." Sheena tells us, "You can get to the King using my name. Tell them you have a message from Shiina Fujibayashi. That's S-H-I-I-N-A—"

"Huh?" I go. "Not S-H-_E_-_E_-N-A?"

"Owwww! Raine! Help!"

Shiina shakes her head. "No. That's a common mistake for people outside my village since it sounds exactly the same as 'S-H-E-E-N-A'. You can spell it as 'S-H-E-E-N-A' outside the village, however. The King knows both spellings."

"Ah, okay." I sigh with relief at the fact that I don't have to immediately change how I spell Sheena's name.

Raine huffs out a tired sigh. "Lloyd! Knock if off! Genis! Leave Lloyd alone!"

Lloyd lets go of Genis and rejoins the group. Genis rubs his soar head with a moan. "Owwwww . . ."

"As for your last name?" I prompt.

"Oh yeah. F-U-J-I-B-A-Y-A-S-H-I. Give them my name and they'll let you through," Sheena informs. "I'm not, what you would say, well known. It's required as a ninja to keep my identity a secret from even a portion of the public. Not a lot of people will even know my name to use it as an excuse to get in."

Raine wonders, "Is there anyone in the court who will recognize your name other than the King?"

Sheena thinks it over, "Umm, I think the Pope and the King's advisor will know my name."

Lloyd wonders, "What about the Tethe'alla's Chosen? You said this world has a Chosen too."

Before Sheena reacts to Lloyd, I teasingly add in, "What about this Zelos person you don't like? Is he part of the nobility? Will he know your name?"

Sheena protests, "No! He doesn't know! He's an idiot! Ignore him!"

"Hold on," I go. "You only referred to one 'he,' which means singular. Which one is the idiot? Zelos or Tethe'alla's Chosen?"

Sheena blurts out, "It doesn't matter because he's an idiot!" Then she realizes what I just said. "Uh . . ."

"Aahhhh~! So they're the same person." I smirk. "Since you complain so much, I'm lead to believe that you probably harbor some sort of secret attraction."

Sheena blushes a furious red. "I DO NOT!"

I tease with a cutesy accent, "Methinks the lady doth protest too much. Isn't she _awfully suspicious_?"

Raine sighs. "Knock it off, Kelsey. We need to leave."

I chirp, "Yes, ma'am~!"

No wonder Zelos likes to tease her so much. It's too easy and too much fun! And I'm just mildly teasing her~!

On the way down, we spot a group of people camping in the ridges of the mountain trail. We were above them so they didn't notice us right away. I look down at them and feel an itch to push my abilities to a limit. Huh. That's weird. Must be because I have a lot of excess energy.

"Guys," I state, "are those bandits? If they are, I wanna fight them."

Lloyd notes, "This is pretty unusual of you."

"I have a large surplus of energy," I explain. "If they're bandits, I'll just knock them out. I won't kill them."

Sheena looks down at the group. "Yeah, they're bandits. They'll attack us even if we just pass by. Go ahead."

"Okay." I look at Lloyd and Raine. "What about the rest of you?"

"Go ahead," Raine says.

Lloyd leans on one foot. "I don't like it, but if they're really bandits and will attack us anyway then I guess I won't be able to stop you. Just don't hurt them too seriously."

"Alright. How long will it take all of you to reach there?"

Raine estimates, "About five minutes."

"If they don't have any Exspheres then that's all I need."

I leap down to the lower levels and hop across the way, being careful that I don't fall onto anything unstable. The group below spots me approaching and ready their weapons. I see a glimmer of eager hostility in their eyes. When I land onto a boulder just above them, I cheerfully greet, "Hey, all you beautiful peoples! That's a huge haul you have! Are you bandits?"

The rogue chortles, "Yeah we are, girl! We see your friends up there, too! If they want you alive, they'll have to give up all their pretty stuff!"

"Oh, really?" I go. "I was hoping you'd say that." I punch my fist together with my hand and evilly grin. "For the next five minutes, you guys are officially my bitches~!"

It was so easy to dodge the archer's arrow and draw my spear to bring down a world of pain. It was rather out of character of me to do this, but since they're going to attack us anyway then I figure it really doesn't make much of a difference. I take care not to hurt them with my dragon fang blade and only use that to disarm their weapons and keep them at bay whenever they get behind me. There weren't very many of them, just five, and they moved at speeds that seemed sluggish and dragged, signaling that they didn't have any Exspheres, which is pretty common since Exspheres are rarely equipped on people even in Sylvarant. I also made a pretty big show of my attacks too since that adds some more effort to waste my extra energy on along with avoiding to do any serious harm.

So after five minutes when everyone else returns, there are a lot of bruises on the bandits and not a scratch on their skin or a drop of blood shed. They're all disarmed and keeping a good distance from me.

I tell the others, "They're not going to attack us now. Are we going to take anything?"

Lloyd protests, "We're not stealing from them!"

"What about money?" I wonder. "What money we have isn't going to work and I doubt they came by the money they have honestly."

"Gald will work!" Lloyd insists.

Sheena states, "Actually our currency is completely different. We call our currency guld, although the nobility calls it gold to try to separate themselves from all the lower classes. I can give you the guld I have but for an inn and food you will all need more than what I have."

Raine sooths, "It's alright, Lloyd. You can use the guld Sheena offers. The rest of us can use the guld these bandits took."

"No you don't!" Lloyd continues. "We can sell Kratos' things! All he took with him are his personal items and his sword and his shield. He left behind his old armor and his daggers and short swords."

"How do you have those things with you?" Genis wonders. "Wouldn't the rest of us have noticed?"

"Uncle Ephraim put it all in my bag and sent it all along with Noishe," Lloyd informs. "I just didn't take any of it out."

I express, "I like the idea of stealing from the bandits since what comes around goes around but I suppose the beating I gave them was enough. You're right, though. We can sell Kratos' crap. Not like he'll come back for any of it." As I move away, I give a warning glare to the bandits. "Attack me while my back is turned and you'll be sorry."

The five remain where they are.

I put away my spear while I rejoin the others. We head on out and don't stop for a while since we don't want to find out if those bandits have any friends coming back later. When we get out of the shadows of the mountain, one little detail about Tethe'alla comes into play.

It's a summer morning in Tethe'alla and it'll soon approach noon.

Lloyd takes off his red jacket and stuffs it into his bag on Noishe's back. "Hohhh . . . Man, it's getting hot . . ."

"It can't be helped," Raine states as she takes off more of her own winter garments. "I never thought it was an absolute guarantee that Tethe'alla would mirror Sylvarant in seasons."

Sheena adds, "Now you know why I was dressed more for summer than winter."

"You guys are crazy," Genis tells the rest of us. His outfit is back to the usual blue one-piece than the blue one-piece added with a few layers to keep him warm. "It feels pretty good out here!"

I comment, "I'm still a little chilled."

"You're crazy," Lloyd tells me.

"I know."

"We will have to purchase appropriate attire for the weather as soon as we get into Meltokio," Raine says.

"But my clothes are fine," Genis comments.

"Your clothes are summer clothes," Raine reminds. "I don't know how you managed while we were in Sylvarant."

"I'll be fine most of the time," Lloyd adds. "I just can't wear my jacket during noon."

Lloyd without his red jacket. Every Lloyd fan girl's dream. Now if only he would take off the black undershirt he has on and those girls will be ecstatic.

The day wears on and Meltokio doesn't seem any closer than it was when we left the Fuuji Mountains, although the mountains themselves appear to have shrunken a bit. When the hottest hours of the day came by, even I took off any extra clothing to get cool. Thank god there was a breeze blowing by. The pounding heat from the sun might've killed me. Lloyd had to take away the bundle of cloths Noishe keeps carrying around now with the promise that he'll give it back later when the protozoan wasn't panting to hard in order to keep cool. Poor thing was nearly dying from the heat but he just wouldn't let go of the trophy he ripped off of Yuan.

When night begins to fall, there is a relief that spreads through us as the heat dies. None of us puts back on any of the clothes we discarded and just bask in the cooled night air. Lloyd volunteers to do night watch this time while we stop and set up camp. Sheena informs that we're a little over halfway there before she gets out a writing pad and starts jotting down things on them. Judging by how well she's treating the paper and how she's writing, I'm guessing that's the report she'll have us pass to this king.

I yawn while I stretch out on the mat that's now a "sleeping bag" for me. Exhaust comes over me since all my energy has already been spent throughout the entire day.

"Hold on," Raine says. "Before you fall asleep, Kelsey, I would like for you to answer some questions."

This gets me to wake up a bit. "What sort of questions?"

Raine looks me right in the eye. "Have you forgotten what was said between you and Yuan just today? You are a follower of the religion that Cruxis has based a lot of their religious structures on."

Lloyd, Genis, and Sheena immediately focus all of their attention on me.

I bitterly comment, "Cruxis more like ripped them off and raped them."

"Even still, I ask that you tell me as much about your religion as much as possible," Raine tells me. "The more we know about Cruxis, including its origins, the better we know our enemy."

I remind, "Don't forget that I'm not directly from that culture. My family wasn't born on that island and neither was I. Cruxis knows more about how our old churches were organized than I myself do."

"Even despite that, we need you to tell me what you know," Raine insists.

I quietly sigh. This is entirely clinical and strictly for information gathering so I'm not really eager to talk about my faith. I inform, "As far as I can tell, the Church of Martel and the Christian churches are organized in the same manner. On the surface, the two religions are very similar."

Sheena asks, "So is that why Remiel was concerned that Colette might be . . . 'tainted' by them—er, all of you? The two are so similar that it's easy to convert?"

"I don't know if you can say that. Sometimes the similarities between two different religions make it harder to convince people to convert," I state. "And don't say that I'm one of them because I'm not. I've never even met these other people. I don't know the specifics of what they believe."

Genis expresses, "I still find it hard to believe that you never believed in Martel. What about the Chosen and the Desians and the Tower of Salvation?"

"That's complicated and will draw out an even longer explanation that I'm not willing to give," I simply reply. "Although there are differences that I can see where Cruxis got, such as the entire Chosen deal."

"So they got the idea for the Chosens going to sacrifice themselves from your religion?" Lloyd questions. I can tell that he's prepared not to like what he hears next.

"Yeah," I respond, "but our 'Chosen' ends up returning from the dead and ascending to heaven rather than losing his heart."

"You sound bitter," Raine notes.

"You're having me tell you about my religious faith in an intellectual fashion, focusing on what Cruxis stole from us," I answer. "Of course I'm a bit irritated."

Sheena wonders, "Are there Seraphim in your religion too?"

"Yes, but there's a lot more than four and I imagine that their wings look more like eagle wings than fairy wings like what Kratos and Yggdrasill have," I comment. "Then none of the angels would ever pull off what Remiel did."

I only see confused faces responding to all the information I parted with.

I sigh, "Fine. Let me start from the very beginning and work my way to the end. Don't stop me to ask questions or I'll just get lost because this is going to take a long time."

That started the hardest and longest discussion I have ever had. I couldn't even remember the vast majority of the stories. It would've been easier if I just handed Raine a Bible—if I even had one on me.

* * *

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache from lack of sleep. The others aren't exactly talking to me but I can understand since they're still somewhat digesting some facts they learned last night along with the info that I didn't believe in Martel from the very beginning and they never knew about that for all this time. I think it's the latter that actually gets them. I know that's the case for Lloyd. The guy hates secrets, especially now after Kratos betrayed us.

"Why didn't you tell us before all this?" Lloyd questioned during breakfast.

"It didn't come up," I informed, which is really the truth. If the situation came up I would have easily told them the truth about my faith.

"'Didn't come up'? Like hell it didn't!" he continued to gripe.

"Yes, I'm sure we would all appreciate me telling everyone, right after Colette released a seal, 'oh by the way, I totally think your religion is bogus. Martel doesn't really exist.'"

That got him to shut up.

I also explained my green cross necklace to them and what that symbol means. Yeah, remember that? I've had it on all this time. The other necklace I had, the one my great-grandmother gave me, is still with the stuff Ephraim is holding for us. Anyway, Raine looked at it for a little bit before letting me wear it again once I was done explaining that too. She's also a bit miffed about me keeping something like this to myself and just watches me from time to time but lets me be since the information I just gave is a bit incriminating depending on who I talk to. Besides, it's not like she isn't keeping secrets herself. She knows that I know what she and Genis really are so she really can't lecture to me about keeping secrets.

Sheena managed to finish a very long report about Sylvarant and gives it to Raine. Once Raine finishes reading it over she gives her approval and seals it in the envelop Sheena offers. Then Sheena lectures us all about how we are to approach the King, how to address the King (as Your Majesty rather than Your Highness), how to bow to the King, how to this, that, and the other. There was so much information that it made Lloyd's head spin. I gave him my sympathy and assured him that he wasn't the only uncivilized barbarian that's confused about all these strange rules.

By the time we reach Meltokio, it's well passed noon but still some ways to go before twilight comes. The first thing I see of this city are the huge walls that surround the city's entire boarder. Having only seen something like that in movies and picture books, this is something really new to me. Palmacosta, Asgard, Luin, and Hima didn't have anything like that. Although Triet does, I'm the only one in the group, aside from Sheena, who hasn't seen Triet's walls. Raine continuously studies Meltokio's walls even from when we were afar and compares them to Triet's weathered walls. Although Lloyd and Genis are making comparisons too, these comparisons are not intellectual and we all end up tuning out Raine and her studies like we do most of the time she gets like this.

When we reach the crossroads that separate one road to Meltokio and the other to the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, Sheena stops and hands Lloyd a bag of coins.

"This is the rest of the guld you will need," Sheena states. "I'm going to have to leave all of you at this point."

"What are you talking about?" Genis asks.

"I'm going to go back to my village and report my actions and the situation," Sheena explains. "So . . . this is goodbye, I guess."

Lloyd takes Sheena's offered guld and tells her, "This isn't goodbye. We're going to see you again later so, we'll see you later."

Sheena gives a half smile. "I see. Then see you all later."

With that, Sheena turns and leaves. We watch her until she's merely a speck in our eyesight.

I sigh, "I'm gonna miss her."

Lloyd assures, "She'll be back."

"I'm still gonna miss her while she's gone."

Lloyd pauses before agreeing, "Yeah, me too. Don't worry too much, though. We'll see her again soon."

We enter Meltokio with bustling business surrounding us. A herd of merchants and travelers stream into the city and carry us through the giant double doors that give way for us. They were so huge and so grand that I felt dwarfed by them. Then the city itself . . . just . . . wow! People clearly planned this city out well. The streets follow a very understandable pattern, buildings and houses and spaced evenly and nicely fit into place, there are light posts that will be lit when night falls, the streets are clean and litter picked up, and just . . . wow! I'm gawking just as much as Lloyd, Genis, and Raine are while I pull Colette in tow (it's my turn to lead her this time).

"Whiee . . ."

Knowing that Noishe is waiting for us outside the city, we look down and find a friendly dog coming towards us. With his tiny folded ears and those big puppy dog eyes, my heart instantly goes to this brown and tan mutt. I let go of Colette's hand and coo, "Auuuwww, aren't you a sweetie~? Come here~! Come here, puppy~!"

"So there are dogs on this side too," Lloyd notes.

"Kelsey's all gaga for the dog," Genis snickers. "She's replaced Colette as a dog lover for right now."

"Auuwww, hi there~!" I coo as I pet the dog. "You like people, don't you~? Huh~? Don't you~?"

Wanting even more attention, the dog goes to Colette and whines.

"No, come back," I usher. I'm a little scared of what Colette will do.

Seeing that Colette isn't responding, the dog jumps up at Colette. Colette finally looks down with empty eyes. Using her foot, Colette scoops the dog up and roughly tosses the dog away. The dog lands harshly on its side on the other side of the street with a surprised yelp and hurries off.

We all stare in stun.

I stammer, "Th . . . The dog . . . ! That poor dog!"

Lloyd goes, ". . . I'll take Colette this time."

With the only relief that Colette didn't kick the dog and break any of its bones, I do my best to suck up all the sad feelings I have for the poor thing. Though that makes it harder to ignore all the staring we got because of Colette. People look at Colette and think that she's wearing a costume so it doesn't help us when we're trying to be taken seriously as we search for an inn. Then there are the very few who notice that Colette isn't standing on the ground but is hovering an inch above the street. Those people stare A LOT, making it even more uncomfortable to be seen.

When we finally check into an inn that not only has room for us but will also take those of us without any wings showing seriously, we drop our stuff off and meet in Raine and Genis' room. Lloyd takes Kratos' things with him and lines it all out for all of us to see. It occurs to me then that Kratos had a lot more weapons than he really needed. I wonder if he has some sort of fetish.

Raine notes, "All of these blades will fetch a good price. His winter outfit may have to be cut up for rags and temporary bandages if we can't find anyone who will buy it but everything else we can definitely sell."

I volunteer, "I'll go find a buyer for his trinkets. I'll come back by night fall."

"Then I'll take his weapons," Lloyd says. "I know how much they're worth more than the rest of us."

"Bring back all the guld you collect," Raine instructs. "We need to reset our budget."

As Lloyd, Genis, and I leave, Lloyd looks back at Colette with slight hesitation.

Raine promises, "I will watch over Colette. Don't worry about her for right now and be sure not to get into too much trouble."

With that said, we leave for the market . . . or rather in a blind search for the market area. It takes us what seemed like forever for us to find the markets so that we could sell what we had at hand. When we did find buyers for what we had to sell, things wound up just as I suspected when Lloyd could easily find good prices for Kratos' blades and my work got cut out for me to find anyone willing to take them, let alone buy them for a decent price. Eventually I had to trash a lot of things. It was a bit of a waste to throw some of it away, but if Kratos wanted to keep them then these items wouldn't have found their way to us.

Despite the chore of selling Kratos' crap for any extra guld we can get our hands on, Lloyd and Genis' eyes were zipping and zooming every which direction at every new site. I let them go around exploring what they can without reminding them that the day is about done and we needed to go. My patience, however, starts to quickly wear thin when they find the coliseum.

"Wow!" Lloyd awes. "What is this place?"

"It looks so cool!" Genis admires.

I direct, "There's a sign directing us to it. If you read it, it says 'Coliseum'."

"What do they do at a 'coliseum'?" Lloyd asks.

"Don't you remember Raine's lessons? No, that's stupid question . . ." Genis reminds, "The Ulessus Nation had a coliseum in the Hima region where warriors would gather from all over just to compete against each other there. The Balacruf Empire tore it all down when they took over and the ruins can only be found if you look hard enough in the mountains."

"So do you think people fight against each other in this one?" Lloyd wonders.

"Probably."

"Cool! Let's go check it out!" Lloyd declares.

"Aren't we supposed to be getting back to Raine?" I irritably imply.

"Raine can wait a few extra minutes," Genis says as he and Lloyd hurry away.

I call out to them, "Fine! But I'm staying here!"

They wave goodbye at me as they hurry to the Coliseum. I stand there, completely alone, with my only defense being my Exsphere-powered speed.

My senses sharpen as I observe my surroundings. People are parting company to leave for home. There's a person taking a walk during the twilight. Women are scurrying away with their men to accompany and guard them from city night predators. The lamp posts are being lit. I stand there alone as people begin to leave, calling it a day.

Laughter echoes from the opposite direction that the faraway Coliseum is at. Some laughs and chortles are at high pitches, making me cringe. I turn around to search for the source of the terrible sounds and discover, not a group or a herd, but a flock of women in these gaudy dresses. They all huddle around one person who's blocked from my view due to the women. Occasionally, a couple or trio of women would leave and the flock would thin. I look over the women's amazingly large heads and find one head poking out from the center. A pit forms in my stomach as I note that this head is covered with red hair. The head turns where I can see the face . . .

"Oh god no, not now," I mutter. Not in front of a bunch of noble women who will cut and mock me, especially when I'm still wearing my torn up red tunic and my black travel pants. Raine promised to help me find a travel outfit that can at least replace my red tunic and the casual dress that I brought with me from Palmacosta (which is filthy beyond any hope). I'll be so embarrassed to speak to anyone when people can see through my red tunic to the armor underneath, although that's better than seeing through to bare skin and a bra.

As soon as my brain begins to send a message to my legs saying "Move your ass," my eyes connect with the green eyes that so happen to glance my way. I break away and flee in a hasty walk to the Coliseum.

Now I know for sure that, if I met him there, the first words out of my mouth would be along the lines of "Humana humana humana." I never do well around guys . . .

I find Lloyd and Genis finally returning, looking a touch dejected.

Lloyd reports, "They were closing when we got there . . ."

"That's too bad," I hastily reply. "Now let's get out of here as soon as possible."

Genis comments with a strained, "You sound paranoid."

"You could say I am. Let's go."

As I walk around so that Lloyd blocks me from the-certain-direction-a-certain-someone-will-see-me, Lloyd questions, "What are you so scared of?"

Nothing. Just my brain turning to mush as a guy says flirtatious things to me and me not being able to tell if he's serious or if he's mocking me or if he just wants some free ass to grab.

"It's nothing," I tell him as we begin to pass the group with the thinning flock of women. "Keep walking."

"Kelsey? You don't normally act like this . . ." Genis says with a bit of a croak.

"Let's talk about something other than my random and unreasonable paranoia." I change the subject, "Genis, are you alright? Your voice sounds . . ."

"Are your sinuses acting up, too?" Genis questions with a scratchy voice.

"Yeah but I can tolerate it," I state.

Genis informs, "Mine are getting really bad for the last few minutes. Throughout the journey of world regeneration, my sinuses have always been acting up but they haven't been getting this bad. It must be mainly because of the foreign pollens, or maybe a virus."

"Be sure to have Raine check it," I tell him. "It may turn into an infection."

"I know."

* * *

Raine takes a final look down Genis' throat. She sighs. "Genis, I really wish you would have tolerated this less and came to me earlier. You now have a mild sinus infection."

Genis groans with a strained and stuffy sound coming out of his throat.

Raine's eyes glance at me. "Kelsey, would you heat some water? Place most of it in our washing bowl and the rest in a cup for tea."

"Yes, ma'am." I leave to do as she says.

Lloyd goes, "I guess he won't be able to come with us to see the king?"

"Not like this," Raine says. "It won't leave a good impression on us if one of our members is suffering from cold-like symptoms. Besides, I would feel better if someone was watching Colette while we go see him."

Genis sniffs. ". . . I was really looking forward to seeing an actual king. The castle looks amazing even from afar."

"It can't be helped now," Raine states. "You will just have to make due with the position you placed yourself in."

Genis groans again.

I return with a bowl and a cup filled with steaming water. I set the cup aside and, after placing a tea bag in it, I leave it to seep. As for the bowl, I offer it to Raine. The healer takes it and sets it down at her side. She brings out a thick cloth and briefly dips it in the water. Raine lifts the cloth and wrings excess water out and brings it to gently rest on Genis' nose, the upper area where the bridge and the cheeks are so he can breathe.

Raine informs, "You will have to keep the water warm yourself for some time. I won't be able to be there to help for a portion of the day."

"Like that will be hard," Genis remarks. "It takes so much effort to heat up a bowl of water."

Raine turns to me and Lloyd. "We will wake up very early in the morning to find suitable clothes to present ourselves. Although nothing we can find will come to par, fairly nice clothes will at least help our image."

Lloyd comments, "I like the clothes I have."

"I'm sorry, Lloyd," Raine replies unapologetically, "but you will have to wear something other than your red jacket and blue leggings. They are too worn down to be presentable. We _are_ about to try to persuade a king to provide us with aid, after all."

"I would like a new outfit, anyway," I say. "The clothes I brought with me from Palmacosta aren't that nice anymore. Plus I'm sick of that red tunic."

"What's this?" Genis mocks. "You're actually interested in clothes for a change? Wow! You're becoming a real girl!"

"Shut up!" I bite.

"I will also be getting a new outfit," Raine inserts to end the potential bickering.

"It's going to cost a lot for three of us to get outfits so soon," I note.

"We were very lucky that Kratos not only has fine tastes in blades but also decided to leave his collection behind rather than go through the trouble of reclaiming them," Raine says.

Lloyd recalls, "I got a lot of good deals for those weapons, especially from people who said they were collectors."

"So we have enough?" I ask.

"More than enough," Raine tells me. "Anyway, Kelsey, would you watch Colette tonight?"

"Why can't I?" Lloyd wonders.

"Because watching Colette for a night means giving her a bath, dressing her up in pajamas, then waking up early in the morning to put her in some day clothes," I tell him. "It's a lot of high maintenance that's only appropriate if another girl does it."

With a review of what we're going to do tomorrow, I leave with Colette in tow. If you really want to know, giving soulless Colette a bath is kinda like giving a docile dog a bath, only the dog is more responsive. It was awkward to give someone my age (technically a little under a year younger than me) a bath, but I bore it. Since Raine's been the one taking care of Colette's hygiene stuff ever since she recovered at the Triet Base, she needs a break. Anyway, with caution I get the soulless Chosen dressed and guide her to my room so I can watch her and shut the curtains to the window in my room so no one sees her wings.

Her wings glow a soft pink in the shadows of my room. My heart begins to feel a sense of loneliness at the sight of her.

". . . Colette?" I utter.

Nothing.

I walk around to her front. ". . . Colette?"

Nothing.

I look down. Then, without any thought to what I'm doing, I speak, ". . . Colette. I want to tell you something. I've . . . I've been hiding something. Out of fear. Of you, of the others . . . I'm scared of everyone's judgment. But . . . You see . . ."

I tell her unhearing ears everything about where I'm from, even though I know she won't remember any word I say.

* * *

Yup. Lots of setting stuff up for later. Lots of stuff that I'll have to use for later.

Awkward. Review, anyway, please.


	42. Trading Strength for Envy

Aaahhhh . . . This one is better than the last.

Anyway, this is the second of two chapters I'm posting at the same time. The first one is, well, chapter number 41.

The title is symbolic rather than literal.

Kelsey: WHHHYYYY?

Me: Because of Raine.

Kelsey: I HATE THIS OUTFIT!

Me: Fine. Take it off. You're not epic enough to wear it, anyway.

Kelsey: What? Not epic-! Hmph! I'll show you! I'll wear it to piss you off!

Me: Take it off!

Kelsey: No!

* * *

Chapter Forty-Two: Trading Strength for Envy

"There is no way that I'm wearing this," I flatly deny. "I'm only trying this on to humor you."

"That's too bad considering this is the only thing we could find that is nice and fits your size," Raine remarks.

"The red skirt with that white underskirt is going to get in the way!" I protest. "I can barely walk in it!"

"On the contrary, that skirt gives an amazing amount of room for your legs," Raine counters. "I imagine you could even fight in it."

I tug on the sleeves of the white blouse. The sleeves themselves are the adjustable sleeves that, if you push them up, look poofy or, if you pull them down, look like regular sleeves. "It's itchy . . ."

"It's made of refined cotton. It _shouldn't_ itch."

I roughly brush the red jacket that goes over the white blouse. "It's going to be so hot in this! It's summer, Professor!"

"That material is similar to Lloyd's favorite outfit. It should breathe quite well and keep you cool."

"But why so much red?" I carp.

Raine gives me a slight look before glancing around. She spots some of those scarf ties that are for women and grabs a yellow one and neatly ties it around my neck and under the blouse's white collar. "There," she goes.

I give her a look that tells her that the yellow scarf tie isn't helping. At all. Then I start pulling on the collar to loosen it so it doesn't scrape at my neck—

Raine smacks my hand from the collar. "Don't pull on the collar. This outfit is the only thing that I could find that fits you."

"_You_ got a great outfit! _Lloyd_ got a great outfit!" I snap. "Why not me?"

Raine sternly repeats, "Because this is the _only_ thing that we could find that fits in your size."

I complain, "I look enough like a kid in normal clothes! The pretty white bow tied around my waist, the cutesy red skirt and white blouse, and this yellow tie don't help!"

"What a shame, because this outfit comes with an adorable hat," Raine flatly tells me.

My eyes go wide in shock. "What? It comes with a _hat_?"

That's when Raine pulls out this sweet hat that's the same type of hat as Strawberry Shortcake's hat but much more realistic, stylish, and likable. It's plain white, like the blouse, with a thin red ribbon tied around it. Very cute, but it still makes my skin crawl.

I point at the hat. "Hell would freeze over before I put that thing on."

"Hell froze over long before we even met," Raine states. She shoves the white hat on my head.

"Go mother hen Lloyd!" I nag.

"Leave me out of this," Lloyd says from the side. The guy is dressed up in a nice blue jacket that definitely looks like it belongs to an adventurer and white pants that are just as loose as his old blue pair and these brown boots. He still has his two belts on although he doesn't have the suspenders for right now and Raine paid a little extra to have the tailor sew on two streamers onto the collar so that it's more familiar for Lloyd to wear. Although Lloyd looks a little uncomfortable in these new clothes, he certainly is more comfortable in new clothes than I am.

While I'm at it, I may as well describe Raine's outfit. She's wearing new black leggings, almost the same as her old ones, and her same white boots are polished to perfection. To replace the orange part of her outfit, however, she's decided to go with a deep dark blue, contradicting her usual color scheme. There isn't a cape like the orange outfit but it definitely works to give Raine an air of regality.

If those two get awesome outfits then why can't I?

"I'm not wearing the hat!" I declare. "No one will take me seriously with it on!"

Raine gives up. "Fine. We will still purchase it but if you choose not to wear the hat then don't."

I let out a breath as I take in that little victory.

Once we pay for the outfit, I ruefully look myself over. Okay, it's not nearly as cutesy as I'm making out—and it is closer to being simple, which is something I like—but I still hate it. It's bearable, but I really wish it were simpler in design. I pull at the sleeves to make them as normal looking as possible.

With our business done, Lloyd, Raine, and I leave the store and out into the street. I fidget restlessly as we walk along, cursing Raine and my luck for this outfit, and I watch the two as they check to make sure they have Sheena's letter to the King of Tethe'alla. After a little talking, it's decided that Raine would hold the letter. Lloyd passes the letter to her and she stores it in her bag.

After a great deal of walking (and I'm sure I'm developing a blister with the brown shoes I have), we finally get to the castle. I lean back and back and back to gaze at the wondrous structure before me that towers, reaching to the sky. Although not nearly tall enough to compare to the Tower of Mana, it definitely is large to take up my entire eyesight. To make sure I don't get lost from Lloyd and Raine, I keep an eye on them with my peripheral vision. Once again, I thank my time in marching band from Earth for teaching me how to watch different things at the same time.

We approach the large double doors with two guards standing by.

"Who are you people?" the one on the left questions.

Lloyd says, "We wish to see the King."

"Everyone does," comments the guard on the right.

"We have an important message to give him," Lloyd adds.

"They always do," the guard on the right replies.

Raine states, "This message is from Sheena Fujibayashi. It is a matter of grave importance."

"'Sheena Fuji-whatah'?" the guard on the right goes. "Never heard of her."

The one on the left says, "Look, I'm sure it's really important, like everything else, but his Majesty isn't seeing anyone until he's well so you will all have to wait, like everyone else. The only ones allowed in now are those helping with the prayer ceremony for his health. If you want to get to the King that badly then go tell the priests to get him back to good health."

Lloyd goes, "But—"

"That's _final_!" the guard on the left firmly puts.

We walk away in a sulk.

I sigh, "What are we going to do now?"

Lloyd shrugs. "We might as well go see the priests since they will perform that prayer. Maybe they'll let us in."

"There seems to be no other option," Raine concurs.

"But where's the church?" I ask.

Lloyd points. "Over there, off to the side."

I turn around and find the huge cathedral. ". . . Oh."

So we head on down to the cathedral. Our walks basically become errands to me. I zone out and daydream about sitting down and resting my feet while we walk. Lloyd opens the cathedral doors and lets me and Raine by like the gentleman he is. Lloyd and Raine gawk at the large interior of the cathedral as we walk down to the other end where priests talk among themselves. As for myself, I gawk some before I just accept it as it is since I've seen photos of bigger cathedrals back on Earth.

As we approach, we see the priests speaking to a young girl with bubblegum pink hair. A giant log of wood rests at her side.

". . . The prayers are to take place in the royal champers," says one priest. "Please carry the sacred wood to the castle."

". . . Yes," answers the girl. Her voice is monotonous and lackluster. In its emotionless tone, it sounds deeper than her voice really is. She grabs the handle to the log of sacred wood and lifts it to turn it around and begins dragging it away with some ease.

Another of the group of four priests calls to her, "Thank you, Presea."

Lloyd looks upon Presea as she passes by. He notes her giant ax strapped to her back in a similar fashion that I would buckle my spear to my back, the short dagger buckled to a belt to her side, her long pink hair tied back in two side ponytails, and, finally, the Exsphere on her chest. He raises an eyebrow at the Exsphere.

Raine asks the priests, "Are you praying for the King's recovery in the ceremony? You mentioned prayers."

One priest confirms, "Yes. The Chosen and the Pope will pray before His Majesty with us, the archbishops, and receive the assistance of Martel."

I calmly note, "That many people in one room with wood burning? In what is basically now a sickroom?"

Another bishop patiently tells me, "With all our prayers, Martel will hear us."

I turn away. "I'll wait for you two outside."

Stupid idiot bishops. No wonder the King isn't getting any better.

Raine says, "We need to deliver an important message to—"

One bishop sighs, "Yes, we are sure whatever your errand is, is important. However, you must be patient and wait until all is well."

Raine insists, "This is—"

"We must leave," a bishop informs the other three. "The prayers are to begin soon."

Just before the last leaves, Lloyd asks, "You said the prayers will take place in the royal chambers, right?"

The last bishop goes, "That would be correct."

"Thank you." Lloyd lets the bishop go. When he's out of range, Lloyd tells Raine, "I figured out how we're going to see the King. That girl, Presea, she's carrying the sacred wood to the royal chambers where the King is supposed to be. We can pretend to carry the sacred wood in with her and sneak in."

Raine regards Lloyd's words. "I thought you would say something along those lines. How do you intend to accompany her inside, though?"

"We'll ask her to help us," Lloyd says.

Raine nods. "Very well. Let's at least talk to her."

When Lloyd and Raine exit, they discover my arm stopping them from making further progress. They turn to me with questioning eyes until they find Presea just a little ways from us talking to who I privately identify as Vharley.

What's there to say about Vharley? Well, he's a fat man with a mohawk. I don't need to say more. He caught up with Presea just as I was leaving and I decided to do a little eavesdropping.

"The next shipment of sacred wood goes to Altamira," Vharley tells Presea. "It needs to be as fresh as possible so it should come straight from Ozette. You can do that after your current job is done."

"Understood," Presea robotically answers.

"Everything is on schedule. I must report to Lord Rodyle," Vharley informs just as he leaves.

As we watch that, I mutter, "Rodyle, huh? I'll write it down in a nice little note."

Presea lifts the handle on the sacred wood.

Lloyd hurries to her as he calls out, "Wait a minute. Presea, right?"

Presea stops and waits as we catch up to her.

Lloyd introduces us, "I'm Lloyd. This is Raine and Kelsey. Do you mind if we help you carry the sacred wood?"

Presea watches us for a moment with blank eyes . . . then she begins to turn the sacred wood around as a dismissal towards us.

Raine goes up next to her. "I'm sorry, I know this is strange, but please hear us out. The truth is that we have an important letter we wish to give to the King. Our friend's life depends on that letter, however the King is sick and refuses to see anyone."

Presea keeps silent as she continues walking.

Lloyd gets to her other side. "It would really help us out if we could carry the sacred wood with you and get inside."

Presea remains silent.

Lloyd frowns while I catch up to them. ". . . Are you listening?"

Presea suddenly stops and sets the sacred wood down. "Understood." She points at the sacred wood. "Please carry that."

Lloyd grins. "Alright! Leave it to me!" He bends down and grabs the handle and attempts to pull it up. Only . . .

It doesn't come up.

Lloyd puts in more and more and then all of his strength to lift the log. "Uuugh! Aah! Hauhh!" Then he stops and leans on his knees. "Hauh . . . Hauh . . . That's heavy . . . !"

Presea returns to the wood and wordlessly drags it away. Lloyd watches her go.

". . . I've lost all confidence as a man . . ." he moans.

"Let's keep going," I remind.

We follow Presea from the cathedral to the castle. When we get up the stairs and to the door, the guards just wordlessly let us in, watching us. The doors shut behind us. Presea sets the sacred wood down on the floor. We all stop and gather around.

"They didn't recognize us from earlier," Lloyd notes.

"The guards must have changed shifts while we were at the cathedral," Raine concludes.

I look down at the sacred wood. "So are we leaving it here or are we carrying it to the royal chambers?"

Presea answers, ". . . Someone else comes to take it from this point. I leave it here."

Raine regards Presea. "Sending Presea back alone would be suspicious. Let's have her come with us for the meantime."

"Is that alright with you, Presea?" Lloyd asks.

Presea just nods.

Into the first hallway, we get lost. Here's the gist of our situation: we snuck into a castle to see the King, only we have no idea how this castle is laid out so we don't know how to get to the King, and it's only a matter of time before the guards and servants figure out that we came in dishonestly. We're pretty much in a tight situation since we have no idea where to go.

So we just wander around looking for the archbishops and perhaps someone who looks like this world's Chosen (no, I'm not telling them what Zelos looks like when I would have to explain how I know). Raine makes continuous estimated guesses and Lloyd keeps our sense of direction in check. Me, I'm just lost. I couldn't find my way out of this structure. Maybe if my life depended on it but . . .

"Hold it right there!"

We turn to find four guards coming towards us. My stomach drops as they make a half circle around us, blocking our way forward.

One of the four proclaims, "I recognize you! The three of you tried to enter the castle! I bet you snuck in after my shift at the front doors!" Then he snaps towards me. "I would especially remember someone like you! Only a _blind man_ wouldn't recognize that outfit!"

I shake my head. "Oh for the love of . . ."

"Arrest them," another guard orders. "We warn you, try to run and we'll have to use force."

As the guards approach us, Raine pulls out the letter and passes it to Lloyd. As she's arrested, two guards corner Lloyd. He passes the letter to me. I take it with my left hand and grab onto Presea's with my right hand. A guard comes towards me.

I bolt with Presea dragging behind me.

"Hey! Get back here!" That guard and another chase after me. Lloyd attempts to get away—but is knocked on the side of the head by one of the two remaining soldiers. Raine remains where she is as her eyes fill with calculation.

I feel Presea's speed slowing me down as I race through the halls. "Can you move any faster?" I question.

For an answer, I feel Presea's speed pick up.

I rush through random corners and back around different directions, overlapping the area where I've ran. Soon, the guards begin to lose me, weighed by their heavy armor and becoming confused by my running random patterns. I whip around a few corners and quickly withdraw into a hallway leading back to where I just was, getting behind the guards. I peek around the corner and find that the guards take another path to pursue me, losing me entirely.

I release Presea's tiny hand and sigh in relief. "Phew . . . ! Lost them."

"No, not really."

I jump and whip around.

Lo and behold. A nobleman stands before me, vibrant with life and strong in stature. The man's eyes are a vivid blue with eyebrows above that are arched sarcastically yet sardonically at the same time. I can see muscles move under his finery as he crosses his arms, built as a swordsman's muscles.

Oh, by the way, he has long red hair and is wearing lots of pink.

I've already lost all capability for coherent thoughts.

Zelos Wilder narrows his eyes with his arms crossed while he taps his foot impatiently. "Mind explaining why you have guards chasing you here?"

I just keep staring at him like an idiot.

"Of course," Zelos then says, "I can always bring them back—"

"No!" I yelp. "I'll explain!"

"Then start explaining," he prompts.

"Ihaveletterforking."

"Slowly so I can understand your gibberish," he adds.

Through the butterflies in my stomach, I force out, "I have a letter for the King. It's very important."

Then, when it looks like Zelos might give me a flat look, I tell him, "It's from Sheena! Sheena Fujibayashi!"

Zelos' eyes grow wide. "From Sheena? Really? You're not just using her name, are you?"

I respond, "I can't just make up something like this."

Zelos' eyes narrow to a normal size. "Give me the letter. I'll deliver it to His Majesty personally."

I silently sigh with relief and my nerves settle. I hand the letter to him. He reaches over for it—

I yank the letter back out of his reach. "My friends. They got arrested earlier for entry. I'll give this to you if you get them out."

Zelos smirks with narrowing eyes. "Manipulative little thing, aren't you?"

"Only when the need arises." I repeat, "My friends: Lloyd Irving and Raine Sage."

"They're just suffering the consequences of sneaking into the castle and getting caught," Zelos remarks.

"But we wouldn't have to sneak into the castle if there was a representative that can take messages and handle affairs for the King while he's sick," I shoot back. "Since no one told us of anyone like that, the government seems to be at a fault—disorganized, at the very least."

"Alright, alright," Zelos says. "So someone dropped the ball. Fine. I'll make sure someone lets them out and I'll have them rejoin you soon."

"Master Zelos!"

The two guards plus some more hurry towards us. One cries out, "Quick, Chosen One! Catch her before she gets away!"

They get even closer and I jerk away in reflex. Zelos grabs hold of my shoulder to keep me from running.

"Hold on," Zelos' smooth voice says. The guards stop at his words. "This girl is actually part of a group that had a very important message to deliver to His Majesty—much more important than anything else. Since this group had to sneak into the castle rather than being granted an audience with the Minister of Affairs, _someone_ didn't do their job."

I feel his hand release my shoulder . . . and then his elbow rest casually on the top of my head.

I bite my tongue so I keep a retort to myself. Wait until the right moment, Kelsey. Just wait . . .

Zelos gently fans the letter. "What a shame. Instead of going to the royal chambers to pray on His Majesty's behalf like the dutiful Chosen that I am, I must deal with this problematic situation myself."

One of the guards goes, "We apologize, Chosen One."

Then he just seems to shrug it off. "Oh well. Forgive and forget, right? That is . . . as long as her companions are freed and escorted to the Crimson Chamber where they will wait for our response to their message." He finally gets his elbow off my head. I feel his hand pat on my shoulder. "As for this one, I want one of you to help her find her way to the Crimson Chamber while the rest of you free her companions. Got it?"

"Yes, Master Zelos!" another guard says. He glances at the others. "You heard him! Get to it!"

All but one rush off. The remainder goes up to me. "Well? Come along. You're going to the Crimson Chamber."

I take Presea's hand and follow the guard. I look back to where Zelos is to find him already walking away, gravely watching the envelope in his hand containing the letter from Sheena. As the guard and I turn a corner, Zelos disappears from my sight.

I feel Presea's hand pull out of mine. I look down at her quizzically. She monotonously tells me, "I do not need to be lead by the hand."

I let her be.

As soon as Presea and I enter the Crimson Chamber, which is nothing but a bunch of red (as if my outfit wasn't enough), the guard leaves and closes the door behind us. I take a seat on the crimson bed, noting how plush the mattress and sheets are. Presea just stands where she is, as if she were under the exact same soulless condition Colette is.

The silence and stillness from Presea begins to creep me out . . . And I sit there, on the bed, taking in this eerie stillness for a while . . .

Suddenly, the door swings open and Lloyd stumbles through. While Raine walks in on her own free will, a guard snaps, "Get in there! Be happy Master Zelos saved your ass and stop growling at me!"

The door slams. Lloyd whips around and snarls, "Damn them! They shouldn't have pushed me around like that!"

Raine remarks, "It was to be expected, Lloyd. We snuck into the castle."

"Who's this Zelos guy, anyway?" Lloyd questions. "Why was he interested in us?"

I speak up, "That Zelos guy is the Chosen of Tethe'alla. He found me and Presea after we lost the guards chasing after us and actually listened to me. He should be taking the letter to the King now."

Lloyd's eyes go wide. "He's Tethe'alla's Chosen? No way!"

Raine comments, "So he is the same Zelos Sheena mentioned. That would explain the power he has over the guards."

I shrug. "'Zelos' isn't exactly a common name."

"You never know something like that," Raine gently implies. "For all we know, 'Zelos' could be a common boy name like 'Mithos'."

"So what are we doing waiting around like this?" Lloyd impatiently says. "We should be talking to them!"

Raine assures, "Calm down, Lloyd. Give them time. I'm sure that whatever Sheena tells them will be a lot for them to take in."

Lloyd taps his foot impatiently.

Raine wonders, "What is bothering you, Lloyd?"

Lloyd hesitates for a moment. ". . . What's with me and getting locked up all the time?"

Raine runs a blank. "What?"

Lloyd lists off, "First the Desians labeled me as a wanted criminal, then when we first got to Triet the Renegades captured me, then Dorr tried to arrest us because he thought we were those imposters, after that . . . Kvar . . . captured me . . . and last time the Renegades went after us _again_. Now this?"

Raine dismissively responds, "I see what you mean, Lloyd. Yes, that is a ridiculous number of times you have been arrested or chased after."

I just roll my eyes.

A while waits . . . Lloyd begins pacing the floor. Raine sits down in a crimson chair and pulls out a book to read. I examine my scarlet dress with disdain. Presea just stands there staring at us. Creepily.

Lloyd carps, "What's taking them so long?"

Raine says, "It may be possible that they are preparing to kill us. To them, Colette is an obstacle."

I reply, "Have more faith in Sheena. I'm sure her letter can convince them to help us."

"It isn't that I don't have faith in Sheena, it is that I don't have faith in the people who sent her to kill Colette," Raine says.

Lloyd looks at Presea. "If something like that does happen then we need to find some way to let her escape."

I pause for a moment. ". . . Raine, do you still have my hat?"

Raine raises an eyebrow at me. ". . . Yes. Why?"

I get up and approach her. "There's a mirror right there and I want to see how I really look with that thing on."

"You're focusing on that when we just discussed a grim possibility?" Raine goes.

"I'm trying to keep my mind focused on the positive side." I hold out my hand. Raine digs in her small bag and pulls out my hat. I go to the mirror and place it neatly on my head.

I gag at the sight. Too cutesy.

Just when I take it off, two guards enter, followed by two people: Zelos and the Pope.

Zelos bears a façade of causality while the ease does not reach his eyes. I begin to wonder how Sheena's report is affecting him.

The Pope, well, he bears a stern and condescending expression as he greets, "I apologize to keep you waiting, travelers of Sylvarant. We have read the letter and . . . to say the least, the information could be deemed blasphemous even though I can see there are some things she kept to herself."

I reply to the potbellied man, "Some details are too frightening or too personal to share with others."

Zelos states, "From what Sheena reported, your motive is to use Tethe'allan technology to save the Chosen from your side, right?"

Lloyd says, "Colette lost her soul and she'll lose her life if she stays this way."

"But as long as your Chosen lives," the Pope tells, "our world will teeter on the brink of destruction. Why should we help you? Once I give the word, I will have this city searched for your Chosen."

"Wait!" Lloyd protests. "Listen to what we—"

"I don't want to hear it!" the Pope spats.

I sternly declare, "You will if you wish for any of your soldiers to survive! If _we_ cannot even lay a careless hand on her—"

"Silence!" the Pope shouts. "Get—"

"Wait a minute!" Zelos interrupts. "Sounds like they actually know something we need to consider before we just blindly rush into something. Let's listen to what they have to say."

Raine informs, "Colette is now nothing but a lifeless being whose only goal is self-preservation. I'm sure you know of the Renegades—know that even _they_ wouldn't dare lay a hand on her as she is. Attacking a Chosen who has lost their soul is suicide."

Zelos comments, "If only Sheena thought to mention _that_ little detail in her letter." He turns his eyes to the Pope. "Even still, if you attack them, it will be difficult to apprehend them when they have Exspheres equipped."

The Pope glares at Zelos. "Exspheres?"

Zelos points at me. "That's the reason why this one could outrun our highly trained Imperial Guard. Her speed was boosted by the Exsphere that's somewhere on her body, correct?"

I expose my right shoulder and pull up my sleeve, revealing my Exsphere. "My speed wasn't the only thing improved, but yes. We all have Exspheres. To think I'm the weakest in our group."

Raine proposes, "What would you say to making a deal?" She continues when she has their attention. "Colette lost her soul due to the angel transformation that is necessary to save Sylvarant. However, as long as she does not become an angel, Sylvarant will not be saved."

Zelos slowly smirks. "I see. If we save your Chosen, Tethe'alla will be saved as well."

The Pope snips, "That means you will be abandoning Sylvarant."

"I don't care," Raine bluntly expresses.

Lloyd turns to Raine in shock at her bluntness. "Professor!"

Raine tells him, "Our priority right now is to save Colette, is it not?"

Lloyd lowers his head. ". . . Alright."

I ask, "Are you sure about that, Lloyd? It didn't take you very long to just decide that."

Lloyd says, "The most important thing right now is to save Colette. That's why we came to Tethe'alla in the first place." Lloyd turns his attention to the Pope. "We'll do as the Professor suggested and make a deal. Please tell us how to save Colette."

The Pope narrows his eyes hostilely. Zelos sees this and addresses him with a casual smile, "You know, if they don't go back to Sylvarant, it really doesn't matter if they're alive or dead. They won't be able to complete the regeneration ritual."

The Pope shifts his narrowed eyes to Zelos. ". . . Is that so?"

Zelos narrows his eyes before jauntily replying, "I'll tag along and keep tags on them just in case. That should be fine, although it really wouldn't make a difference."

The Pope pinches his lips together. ". . . If you insist, Chosen One."

"So you're going to help us?" Lloyd wonders.

"We'll do what we can. I swear on my name as Zelos Wilder, the Chosen." Then he adds with a shrug, "Whatever that's worth . . ."

The Pope ignores Zelos and states, "I give you permission to travel across Tethe'alla, but only under the Chosen's observation."

Lloyd looks at Zelos before answering, ". . . Okay, that's fine."

Zelos cheerfully declares, "Then it's settled! I'm sure you're all exhausted and tired from your travels so why don't all of you rest at my place? That will give you all time to freshen up a bit and me to pack up to leave. We can meet at the castle entrance chamber later, m'kay?"

Lloyd nods. "Alright. We'll catch you there."

The Pope tells Zelos, "Then, Chosen One, report to His Majesty."

"You got it. See you later," then he turns and winks at each name, "my gorgeous beauty, tiny rosebud, and—heh—scarlet miss." Then his expression turns dismissive. "Oh, and you servant boy."

While Zelos and the Pope and his Papal Knights leave, Lloyd growls after Zelos, "I'm not a servant boy!"

We make our leave with an Imperial Guard escorting us to the exit where Zelos wants us to wait for him. Raine's eyes narrow in grim calculation as we walk along. Lloyd and I notice but don't inquire when the guard is around. Knowing Raine and when she turns silent, she's probably thinking of something that could possibly get us in trouble.

When the guard leaves us and goes out of hearing range, Raine observes, "There is tension between Tethe'alla's Chosen, Zelos, and the Pope. There might be some internal conflict in the church that will get us into trouble if we aren't careful."

"I can't say I'm surprised," I comment.

Raine raises an eyebrow and Lloyd asks, "Why aren't you surprised?"

I shrug. "I was raised around a bunch of conspiracy theorists so occasionally I'll think of a few conspiracies out of habit. It was just part of my environment so don't mind that. Most of them are bogus anyway."

Raine uneasily wonders, "Why would conspiracy theories be a part of the environment you were raised in?"

Conspiracy theories and paranoia! It's the American way!

"Just was," I told her. "Doesn't really have a reason."

"Yo! Sorry to keep you all waiting!"

Zelos jauntily joins us. He stops between Raine and Lloyd and faces all of us.

Lloyd goes, ". . . Zelos, right?"

Zelos nods. "Yup, yup. I'm the Great Zelos Wilder! But you can just call me Zelos~."

Awkward silence as we stare at him.

Zelos awkwardly shifts his weight to one foot. "So, we're going to be traveling for a bit, so let's be friends, m'kay?" He lists, "Putting aside this guy right here, this gorgeous beauty is Raine, right? And little miss scarlet would be Kelsey, the only female redhead in the group." Then he motions to Presea. "Then who's this little one with the pink hair?"

"Presea," I introduce. "She helped us inside the castle."

"She's not from Sylvarant?" Zelos goes.

Presea corrects, ". . . Ozette."

"Ozette!" Zelos exclaims. "That village out in the boondoc—ah, forest?" Then he shakes his head pitifully with his hand over his heart. "Oh that's so sad. You're being used by these uncivilized barbarians."

Lloyd narrows his eyes. "Who are you calling uncivilized barbarians?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get mad over a little teasing," Zelos says with a grin. "Especially not after all the trouble I went through to contact the Imperial Research Academy in Sybak for you." Then he pulls out a slip of paper. "Then see this magical sheet of paper? This is written proof that you can get in and out whenever you need to, even if I'm not around—though I have to be within city limits. Although I should probably mention that I claim no responsibility if you go in without me and you get arrested because you took something shiny."

Ignoring the last statement, Lloyd smiles. "Not bad, Zelos. Not bad at all."

"I know~. Using the Research Academy requires permission from the King," Zelos happily informs, "but when the Great Zelos speaks, His Majesty Listens."

Raine says, "Going to the Imperial Research Academy is wonderful, but will you free Presea? Surely you don't need to keep tabs on her as well."

Zelos smiles and winks at Raine and the kind and sweet voice she used. "No, I don't need to keep tabs on her. The Imperial Research Academy and Ozette are both on the continent across the sea. We can just drop her off."

Lloyd wonders, "Is that alright with you, Presea."

". . . Yes."

Lloyd turns back to Zelos, "You said that the Imperial Research Academy is in this Sybak place, right?"

"Yup, but first we'll be heading to my mansion once you grab your stuff from the inn," Zelos reminds.

Lloyd begins to say, "I'm not sure if we can take such an offer—"

"Room and board and meals at no cost."

"We'll grab our stuff and crash at your place," Lloyd immediately responds to that.

Zelos ushers, "Then lead the way to the inn you're staying so you can check out and leave."

Lloyd takes the lead with me behind him then Raine, Zelos, and Presea. Raine goes next to Zelos.

"By the way, I have a question," Raine tells him.

Zelos gives her a welcoming and dazzling smile. "Ask me anything—and I do mean anything~."

Ignoring what he implies, Raine asks, "Do you have any antibiotics in your mansion?"

"Hm? Of course I do," he answers. "Why would you ask that? Are you getting low on antibiotics?"

Raine states, "My brother is sick with a mild sinus infection. I can use natural treatments but with antibiotics I can help the process of healing."

Zelos' face drops a little. ". . . You have a brother?"

I slow down enough to where I'm next to him. "Yep. He's pretty protective of his older sister too. I'd almost say overprotective."

I nearly laughed at Zelos' expression at that.

* * *

Genis stares at Presea.

Presea stares back at Genis.

While Raine packs away all their things and cleans up after Genis' sickroom conditions and moves Colette out of the room, Genis stares awestruck at Presea, who just stares at him emotionlessly. He manages out, "H-Hi! I'm Genis! What's you're name?"

". . . Presea Combatir."

"_Really?_" Genis nearly exclaims. "That's a great name! That's the . . . the . . ." He blushes a deeper pink than the shade of pink he already has. ". . . th-the most . . . the c-cutest name I ever . . ."

Genis falls silent with his deep blushes.

Raine passes by in a hurry to dump the cooling bowl of water she left with Genis. Some falls on the wooden floor.

Genis goes, "P. . . P-Presea . . . I think . . . you're very p-p-pretty . . ."

Presea stares at Genis for a moment. ". . . 'P-p-pretty'? What is that?"

"I-I'm complementing you!" Genis informs.

"I see. Then you're p-p-pretty, too."

The social awkwardness causes the two to fall back into silence.

I rush out of my room with my things and Colette's things piled up, trying to get the piled things balanced. "Ohgod! Ohgod! Ohgod! Don't fall! Please don't fall! Don't—!"

I slip on the water Raine accidentally spilled.

"AIE!"

_Crash!_

"Kelsey! Are you alright?" Lloyd and Raine rush to my side to make sure I'm fine.

Genis doesn't notice anything but Presea in his fixation.

So we leave when we have all of our stuff in order, going outside where Zelos waits on us as he sends quick flirts to passing women. While we do so, Raine pulls Genis away from Presea long enough to fill him in on what's going on. He seems a little skeptical about Zelos' offer, though.

Genis goes, "That's nice of Tethe'alla's Chosen, I guess, but I just don't know . . . At least we don't have to pay for room and board now."

Zelos turns to us and enthusiastically greets, "Hey! About time all of you finished packing up!"

Genis looks at Zelos for a moment and seriously goes, "Who's that guy and why's smiling like that? And why does he look like an idiot? We don't even know him and he's acting like he knows us! What's _wrong_ with that guy?" Then Genis gasps. With genuine guilt and horror, Genis whips his head up to Raine. "Raine, did I just insult someone mentally retarded? _Please_ tell me I didn't insult a retard! That's just the lowest thing anyone could do!"

Raine lowers her head and rubs the bridge of her nose with this "oh for the love of god" scowl.

Zelos snarls, "Impudent little brat! How dare you insult me like that!"

"Wait, you're not retarded?" Genis sighs with relief. "That's good. I worried for a second that I insulted a mentally retarded person. Now I see that I only insulted an idiot."

"Brat!" Zelos takes a hostile step—

Raine gets between Genis and Zelos. She sternly warns, "I don't care what my brother says to you . . . _never_ . . . _ever_ . . . hurt Genis. You will suffer the direst consequences I can muster if you do."

Zelos takes a step back and gauges the situation before him. Then he huffs at Genis, "Tch! At least bite your tongue. I'm the one who's giving you free room and board. With a snap of my fingers you could find yourself back at this inn."

"Huh?" Genis responds. "I thought Tethe'alla's Chosen was giving us free room and board."

Raine tells, "That _is_ Tethe'alla's Chosen."

"Oh . . . No wonder Sheena doesn't like him."

Raine sighs.

Zelos glances over and finds Colette, hovering just a few inches off the ground with this dazed look in her eyes. He walks up to her. "Is this cool cutie Colette?"

Lloyd confirms. "Yes. This is Colette."

Seeing no change or any attention turned to him, Zelos waves a hand in front of her face. "Helloooo? Anyone home?" His smile turns grim. ". . . She really doesn't respond to anything."

"No, she doesn't," Lloyd sadly replies. "She doesn't respond to anything."

I add, "Not unless you have a weapon in your hand."

There is a second-long pause before Zelos turns away. "Well, we'll get to Sybak and figure out exactly what's wrong so you guys can get her back to normal as quickly as possible. No big worries, right?"

Genis bites, "Yeah, no big worries other than Cruxis kidnapping her. You don't take anything seriously, do you?"

Zelos replies, "Nope~! I'm a general asshole!"

After that, Zelos guides us through Meltokio. Climbing higher and higher, the nobles' living district reaches for the heavens, reflecting their high social status. Although perched at a lower level than the castle, the homes of the nobility overlook everything below in the rest of Meltokio. As for this district's inhabitants, they are just as tall in every sense as their homes are. Their hair stands high or is otherwise styled to match their regal status, their clothes are plentiful in decorations, the women's make-up is caked on with an abundance of layers, and everyone's noses are pointed towards the skies, preferring to stare at the clouds than straight forward.

It's at moments like this, when I just look around, that I start to realize just how much I miss Palmacosta. Although there was quite a bit of arrogance going around, there was a sense of duty and contribution and unity that coursed through that port city. Meltokio's citizens . . . they seem . . . divided. And I haven't even seen most of the city.

Zelos stops before one building and declares, "Here it is! Home sweet home."

We all stop and gawk.

My god! I've seen mansions before, but those are rendered as nothing but houses in comparison to this! Zelos' mansion is just what you think of when you picture a grand mansion. It shows off grandeur with taste and takes advantage of its impressive size. I don't know. I really don't know how to describe it accurately since I never studied architecture. Though I can easily tell that I can picture the mansion being surrounded by a huge expanse of land with gardens to the side and an ancient family graveyard in the back. Certainly the kind that a rich family being targeted by Dracula would live in.

Zelos, already at the door, shakes his head at us and says, "You poor country hicks. You haven't seen anything other than the mud huts you live in."

We snap to from the slight insult. Lloyd gripes, "We live in more than mud huts! We have actual houses!"

Zelos replies, "Houses that I'm sure are made of driftwood and straw. Well, come inside already. We don't have all day."

We walk in . . . and stop just inside the door and gawk again. The interior really is something. Although I'm more familiar of this finery through seeing pictures of mansions like this, I'm still staring at the riches and furnishings.

A maid at the door closes the doors behind us and walks away. Her arrival and leave snaps us out of the trance and we focus back on Zelos who's speaking with an older man in what looks like a tuxedo-style uniform.

Zelos tells the man, ". . . So I want 'private invites' sent to the usual ladies. Alright?"

"Yes, Master Zelos," the man replies.

"Thank you, Sebastian." Zelos looks to us and introduces, "This is Sebastian: my butler. He's basically in charge of all the servants working for me so if you have any questions or issues, don't hesitate to speak to him. Though I recommend speaking to one of the servants before going to him if it's something small. He's a busy man after all."

Sensing some sort of nonverbal dismiss, Sebastian makes a silent leave.

Zelos continues, "For today, I don't want to be disturbed. I might meet with all of you during meals but I'll be busy all day today making arrangements, tying loose ends, saying sweet goodbyes, and making sure things don't fall apart while I'm gone. Lot's of things I need to do."

And according to what I just heard, lots of women he wants to do.

Zelos lists, "So you will have to entertain yourselves for a while. There's lots of pretty things you can look at—but don't touch, then the grand piano is open for anyone to play as long as you don't bang on the keys, read a few books at the library, take a walk through the garden in the back, all sorts of things. Oh, I forgot, judging from the fact that you live in the declining world, I'm guessing you've never seen indoor plumbing."

With my eyes widening a notch or two, I go, "In . . . Indoor . . . plumbing?"

Zelos dismissively puts, "It basically means you can take a hot bath anytime you want. The bathroom's just over there."

THANK YOU, GOD! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Zelos turns to leave. "So I'll see all of you in the morning." Then he stops and smiles at us. "Unless certain ladies want some personal time with me."

Silence meets him as Raine ignores him and I focus on the indoor plumbing. Genis, however, turns red at the blatant remark targeted at his sister. "You—!"

"Come here, Genis," Raine calls. "Let's get your sinus infection taken care of."

Genis backs away. "Consider yourself lucky!"

Zelos dismisses Genis' hostility and goes off to some part of his mansion.

Lloyd digs in his bag while Raine treats Genis and pulls out his usual red outfit. He smiles at the thought of wearing his old clothes again and leaves to find somewhere to change.

Raine gets Genis comfortable and calls a servant to bring antibiotics for mild infections. Then she brings water herself to make tea and a warm wet rag. It isn't until the servant returns with the medicine that she really does anything other than what she's already done before.

Presea seats herself in a chair . . . and just stares . . . which creeps out any passing servants who so happened to glance at her. Though . . .

Colette is the one who scares the servants the most. Her unseeing eyes stare lifelessly as she just floats there with her pink and magenta wings out. Even those who do get over their eerie feelings to try to talk to her get nothing. Eventually the servants just avoid her.

As for myself, I search for any sign of the tub Zelos referred to. I had to enter a hall and go down to the other end before I finally found one. I hear the angels sing a great chorus as I gaze lovingly at the bathtub at the end of the tiled room. To prolong the experience of finally having a bath similar to what I used to have back home on Earth, I slowly close the door and dig through every cabinet and drawer. I identify this bathroom as a guest bathroom (since there's nothing to indicate that Zelos uses it since I don't see any razors or stuff like that) and grab a nice fluffy white towel and set it on the counter. I scavenge around for a soap bar and something like shampoo and discover a nice bar and a small bottle of shampoo inside a hard plastic container and set those on a table next to the bathtub. I turn the nozzles and adjust the temperature to what I want. Then I wait for the tub to fill . . .

After happily discarding the ridiculous red skirt and white blouse outfit, I step into the tub, at first flinching at the hot water, but then merrily settling in. My first hot bath since I left Earth . . .

I spend most of my time just soaking in the heat from the hot water. I don't know how long I'm taking in my bath but I really don't care. I know I won't get another opportunity like this for a very long time. Nothing could possibly ruin this moment for me.

_. . . thuh thuh thuh thuh thuh thuh . . ._

"Hm?" I sit up a little and look upward where the muffled, dull thumping sound is coming from. I listen a little more carefully . . .

"_. . . ohh . . . ohhh . . . ! . . . OH! . . ."_

I slip deep into the water with an exasperated expression. I moan, "Just . . . my . . . damn . . . luck . . . I use a bathroom that's a floor or two below _his_ bedroom."

With the feeling of bliss disrupted by the loud lovemaking, I just get my bath over with. With the shampoo used and my body scrubbed of all the dirt, I step out of the tub, carefully, and pull the plug so that the water drains down the pipes. Although I somewhat regret getting back into the red outfit I have, I don't overly regret it if I can get away from the sounds echoing into the bathroom.

When I exit into the entrance hall where Raine and Genis are, I notice that Lloyd is still not around. I ask, "Where's Lloyd?"

Raine hesitates before she informs, "I sent him on an errand due to . . ."

Genis blandly says, "She didn't want him asking questions about what that joke of a Chosen is doing upstairs." Then Genis notices my appearance, like my wet hair. ". . . Did you take a bath? You're as red as a lobster."

I smile absently. "I really like hot baths . . ." Then I frown. "Unfortunately, I could hear Zelos and his friend from even there."

Genis reflects, "I guess I should wait until he's stopped."

"Yeah," I agree. "He has to sleep _some_time."

"Just be prepared in case he doesn't," Raine warns.

* * *

The visits from noble ladies keep going until about the end of the twilight hours. Fortunately, on Lloyd's case, the errands Raine sent him on where busy enough to where he didn't return until a little before the last woman left. It doesn't change the fact that it was embarrassing to hear those women shout out like that.

We did see Zelos at dinner but that was it. He made sure to sit next to Raine and across from me. Genis wasn't too happy but there wasn't much he could do since he sat on the other side of Raine so he could be next to Presea. Lloyd sat across from Genis so there's an empty seat between me and Lloyd but it doesn't put a wall between us. We chatter well with each other, although things are a little awkward around Zelos since he's a new person. I find that it doesn't seem like an exclusion (aside from Genis who wants Zelos gone) but more of them getting used to his presence and any contribution he gives to conversation since it was relatively the same way with me and then Sheena. Though, I noticed that each time Zelos speaks to Raine, Genis would put extra force in stabbing or cutting his food and mutter things along the lines of "leave my sister alone". I notice, though, that Zelos focuses his flirtations mainly on Raine. Remembering from the game that his character occasionally flirts with Colette, I wonder if he keeps from flirting at me since I probably look a little older than Genis. Damn red dress. I don't need people thinking that I'm younger than I naturally look. I'll put up with Zelos' obnoxious flirts in exchange for looking my age.

When Zelos left just a little before we were all done to attend to some lady's physical appetite, Genis' moods started easing due to the Chosen's absence. He focuses less on stabbing his food rather than Zelos and more on trying to get Presea to talk.

"S-so, Presea!" he attempts. "What do you do with the sacred wood?"

Presea keeps silent.

". . . Presea?" Genis goes.

". . . I deliver it," she answers.

Short sentences like that.

Anyway, Raine takes her turn to watch Colette tonight. She says that we can alternate until Colette gets back to normal so tomorrow night will be my turn. So tonight is my free night. Only, I'm feeling restless. The bed is too soft, my thoughts are too busy yet scattered, I don't feel like changing into my pajamas, this, that, and the other.

So, still dressed in my red outfit, I wander outside my room in the now-dark and sleeping mansion. Not bothering to turn on any lights, I just walk alone in the darkness, letting the moonlight guide my way. Once my eyes comfortably adjust to the darkness, I find the couch with a small lamp on a table next to it for reading. I walk over to it and sit down on the dark side where the lamp is, becoming engulfed in the lightless environment.

Due to the fact this is the early hours of the night, some servants still wander around finishing up some chores, but none wander into the room I'm in. They just walk around in rooms and hallways around this particular room.

Then the door opens . . . Soft light seeps in the room and settles dimly on me, barely enough. The servant, a young maid by her outline, looks in . . .

I hear a young lady's gasp and the door slam.

. . . Huh? Never mind.

I adjust myself for comfort and lean my head on my hand with my elbow supporting it on the couch's arm. I begin to drift off . . .

. . . The door opens and light comes in. I open my eyes in time for someone to flip a light switch.

"Tchhhhh . . ." I hiss through my teeth. "Ahhhhh . . . My eyes . . . !"

I hear an exasperated sigh and a man's voice go, "Bridget, go back to bed. Next time, turn on the lights."

While my eyes adjust, I ask, "Did I scare one of the maids?"

"It's nothing. What are you doing here, anyway? Wouldn't you be asleep by now?"

"Can't sleep." Then I request, "Can you turn out the lights? I'll turn on the lamp so we can see."

"Creature of the night, huh?" The lights turn off.

With that, my hand fumbles around the lamp and finds a turning switch. I turn the lamp on. I squint my eyes so they adjust and eventually let them relax. I find Zelos staring at me.

". . . What?" I go.

He says, "You're one of those people who are actually older than they look, aren't you? How old are you?"

"Seventeen," I tell him.

"I thought so," Zelos responds. "You have curves that a fourteen-year-old wouldn't have yet."

I shift uncomfortably and glance at the door. I find it closed. Not good.

Zelos seems amused by my slight discomfort. "What's the matter? Don't like it when someone tells you that you have curves?"

I eye the closed door. ". . . This isn't appropriate."

"No, it's not," Zelos replies, "but what's wrong with that?"

Time to go. I get up from my seat and bid, "Good night."

Zelos casually theorizes, "You're either a prude, or one of those girls who don't know what physical charms they hold."

I stop at that last part and give him a look. Before he makes a response to that, I leave. As I start to close the door, I hear him reply, "So that's what it is."

I've got this feeling that he wasn't even trying . . . and that this wasn't the last of what he's got . . .

Note to self: never, under any circumstances, be alone in the same room with Zelos.

* * *

Me: Take off Flandre's outfit!

Kelsey: Am I pissing you off?

Me: YES!

Kelsey: Good. I'll keep wearing it until I get something else then.

Me: NO!

Kelsey: What? You want me to run around naked? Hell no! Not with Zelos around!

Me: Put one of your old dresses back on!

Kelsey: Actually, this works better for fighting than my dresses. I'll be wearing this.

Me: DAMMIT!

Kelsey: Please review.


	43. One Damn Long Bridge

A lot of this is filler so . . . it'll be entertaining to watch.

Oh, and I need to actually finish Final Fantasy VII for once. I keep playing Red XIII's theme over and over again. I'm doing little half-dances while I type. I love FF7's music so much . . .

* * *

Chapter Forty-Three: One Damn Long Bridge

I walk out of my room in my old red tunic, no matter how torn up it is, and the black travel pants with my brown travel boots on. Feeling more like myself, my mood is much lighter than it was yesterday. Since we'll be traveling today, it makes much better sense to walk around in these semi-raggy clothes. Though, for appearances, I'll put the red dress back on once we reach Sybak. Paying no attention to the maids and full attention to my comfort, I go down the stairs for the first floor to reach the small dinning room where breakfast should be . . .

. . . and unfortunately find Raine coincidentally going upstairs.

Raine stops and gives him a scolding face. "Go back upstairs and change into the newer outfit. All your other clothes, especially the one you have on, are ruined. You can keep your boots on, though. We _will_ be walking a long distance."

"You're not my mom!" I protest.

"Thank heaven I'm not. Back upstairs."

So my mood plummets back to where it was yesterday.

As Raine goes downstairs with me (she had to grab Colette's bag so that she could move it to the front for easy grab on the way out), she tells me, "Look, I _promise_ that we will find suitable travel clothes for you once we reach Sybak. Just please bear with it for right now."'

With that, I decide not to grumble anymore, but that doesn't mean I'll stop being visibly grumpy about the outfit.

When we arrive at the table where breakfast is being served, I find Genis sitting between Lloyd and Presea, quietly watching the silent girl as he barely picks at his eggs. Presea, in the meantime, just wordlessly eats her breakfast, appearing like a little lady but at the same time maintaining the eerie emotionless exterior. Lloyd, on the other hand, is looking a bit happier than he's been in a while. With new Tethe'allan foods to taste and the hope of getting closer to curing Colette, Lloyd's spirits are getting pretty high. He's chattering with Genis whenever he can and also Presea despite the lack of responses. When Raine comes and takes a seat across from Genis, Lloyd starts chattering with Raine. I see Raine regard Lloyd for a moment before smiling, possibly because her student is now in a better mood. I look around the group to see who I want to sit next to. Genis is out since he's between Lloyd and Presea. Presea is a no since she's . . . well, she's even creeping me out. Lloyd is good company but Raine looks lonely just sitting by herself so—

"Good morning!" I hear Zelos' voice proclaim from behind me. I turn to find him sauntering up to the table. "Did everyone sleep well? I know I did~!"

The last statement brings a flat look out of Genis, Raine, and me.

But then Zelos comes close to me. _Veerrry_ close to me. With a sly smile, he tells me, "You didn't have to go to bed alone last night. You know that, right, sweet?"

I feel myself blush as any ability to process thoughts goes out the window. I feel scandalized yet my body betraying my reason by reacting to that little line. Zelos smirking as he gets a visible reaction (the blush) from me doesn't help in the least.

Oh sweet mother of Jesus, I'm such a pushover . . .

Zelos takes a seat across from Presea and next to Raine and pulls me to the empty seat on his left side. He turns to Raine with a pleasant smile. "A little bird told me that you were up quite early. Now what favors did the morning grant you to have such a gorgeous hunny grace this time of day?"

Genis' fork scrapes against his plate. The boy glares venomously at the Chosen.

Raine flatly states, "Nothing other than light to help me grade my students' papers. Speaking of which . . ." She turns her eyes to Lloyd. "You homework was due last night. If you don't get it in by tonight, I will take off thirty points."

"Awww, Professor . . ." Lloyd moans. "Do we really have to do homework now? After _everything_ that just happened?"

"Although I extended the date due to recent events," Raine responds, "there are no excuses to discontinue any studies."

Zelos purrs, "A professor, huh? The bewitching female teacher. May I be placed in your enrollment~? Heheheheh . . ."

Raine shakes her head in exasperation at Zelos' comment.

Genis adds extra stabbing pressure with his fork.

Zelos casually addresses Lloyd, "Lloyd, you must be one of the luckiest guys I know of, besides me of course. Traveling with such pretty hunnies must have been paradise—and with Sheena too! I must ask, though, did you tap her?"

Lloyd gives Zelos a blank look. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you don't catch my drift?" Zelos goes. "Well, I'll put it in a different way. Did you ever have a chance to discover some of Sheena's mind blowing spots?"

Lloyd keeps a blank expression while Raine lowers her head in an embarrassed flush as she realizes what Zelos is asking. I myself am watching keenly to see what will happen next.

Lloyd stares at Zelos for a brief second before saying, "I still don't get what you're saying. If you're asking me if I've known Sheena long enough to know what kind of person she is, then yeah. Sheena's a really good friend. She helped us out a lot in more than one tight spot and she's always been there to support us."

Zelos watches Lloyd in puzzlement. Then he responds, "Ooohh! I think I understand. You don't go that way." Then he offers a pitying yet friendly smile. "Don't worry. I won't think less of you if you go the other way."

Lloyd watches Zelos in puzzlement. Then he just returns to his breakfast. "Whatever . . ."

I lean my head into my left hand. "You're horrible . . ."

Zelos looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I'll tell you later."

Now that three more have joined the table, the maids bring prepared breakfast plates and set them in front of us. I notice that the food set in front of me is a pretty generic breakfast, minus pancakes. The quality, however, is to die for. The ham has a perfect amount of moisture, the eggs are warm and light, the fruit is full of flavor, and—I need to stop or I'll go on and on about my breakfast. It's not as if it's better than what Genis can cook up.

Then again, it's been a very long time . . . no! I've _never_ had a quality meal like this! Genis has been handicapped from traveling so he hasn't been able to cook to his fullest potential, so this is actually a first!

The downside to this meal is, well, Zelos.

Nothing against his personality, but the flirting is getting on my nerves. He continuously ignores Lloyd and Genis and focuses on Raine, Presea, and me—especially Raine. The poor woman can't even open her mouth to speak without Zelos responding with some provocative remark. After a bit he gives up on Presea some since she doesn't respond, thus providing some support to my developing theory that Zelos is nothing more than an attention-seeker and will leave you alone if you ignore him. Although, I'll admit that I am my own evidence that ignoring him is easier said than done. Whenever Zelos turns his charm away from Raine and directs it to me, my brain basically fries. I get butterflies in my stomach, I feel myself blush, and any ability to speak coherent words goes out the window. To me, it's embarrassing since none of the guys I have ever met before have been able to successfully flirt to me. Then again, they either didn't mean it and I could easily sense that, they didn't pull off flirting really well, or they had a malicious double meaning behind it and I understood it. Plus those guys were—what?—sixteen to eighteen? They're only kids compared to a twenty-two-year-old womanizing young man.

I'm sure some are thinking "It's just Zelos! I mistook him for a girl at first!" Well, that's just what anime tends to do to guys. It makes men, especially pretty boys, look like girls. Let's face it: Zelos' anime counterpart was doomed to look like a girl, especially with that chibi pretty boy style they had. In reality, however, there is no thinking that Zelos is a girl.

How to describe Zelos' hotness . . . ? Well, if you like Johnny Depp, I'll list off three things that Zelos has that Depp either doesn't have or has less of: youth, muscles, and radiance. Zelos is not only muscular from all his sword practice, he also has this vibrant pride that borderlines between self-confidence and arrogance, which is a part of his charm. Zelos is just . . . I don't know. I've never had any experience with guys so I can't exactly rate hotness, but Zelos is a masculine hotty. I can at least say that. Anime does this guy no justice.

At the end of breakfast, we check to see if everyone is ready. We all were, including, to some of our surprise, Zelos. He just needed to send someone to bring his bags. I heard Genis moan as soon as Zelos said "bags," probably imagining a ton of heavy bags that he'll demand us to carry. Then, even more to our surprise, what a servant brings down the stairs is a moderately large bag that isn't much bigger than our own with a few hand-sized bags buckled on that most likely contain things such as guld, gels, and navigation tools (map, compass). In fact, it reminds me of the bag Raine used to carry around before the Tower of Salvation.

Seeing our surprise over the size of his bag, Zelos comments, "We're just going to Sybak so I don't need to carry all my things with me."

"Have you traveled before?" Lloyd wonders.

"Not the way all of you have," Zelos states. Then his attitude turns jaunty. "So let's go! Next stop: Sybak!"

* * *

As we finally leave Meltokio, Zelos bids to the masses watching their precious Chosen leave, "Don't worry about me! These Sylvaranti aliens couldn't hurt me even if they wanted to!"

"What a positive image he's helping us make," I sarcastically remark to the others.

"I'll see every one of my sweet hunnies when I return!" Zelos adds just as he departs with us.

When Zelos rejoins us, Genis questions, "Why did you call us that?"

"Call you what?" Zelos wonders.

"You know," Genis gripes. "'Sylvaranti aliens'!"

"Well that's what you are, aren't you?" Zelos states. "You're all Sylvaranti . . ."

Except for me and Presea.

"And you're all aliens," Zelos finishes. "Beings from another planet. It's almost out of a sci-fi comic book."

I screw my face up in a disconcerted and curious expression as I start to picture people of Earth as the aliens from space. It's really an ironic image, to say the least.

"'Sci-fi comic book'?" Lloyd goes. "What's that?"

"A science fiction genre graphic novel," Zelos explains. "Man, what's life like in the declining world?"

I remark, "Very dull and dreary. We all do absolutely nothing all day as we sit around in our mud huts. If we do anything at all, we go hunting and gathering so that we can feed ourselves and maybe even get something for a trade since we have a bartering economy."

Zelos grimaces with his permanent grin. "The sad thing is, for a second there, I thought you were serious until you mentioned the mud huts."

I shoot back, "The really sad thing is that, for a second there, you thought that stereotype was actually plausible."

"Ouch," Zelos goes. "Take it easy. I'm just messing with all of you."

I manage a half smirk. "Who said I wasn't messing with you?"

Raine wonders, "How are we going to get to Sybak? It's on a different continent from this one. Are we going to cross the sea on a boat?"

"If you look at a map, you'll see that there is a transcontinental bridge linking Sybak to Meltokio," Zelos informs. "Rather than taking a boat, we'll just walk across the bridge."

Raine visibly relaxes. "A bridge. I see."

"Can a bridge really be that long?" Lloyd asks.

I remind, "We saw the Balacruf Bridge connect the Asgard continent to the Balacruf Mausoleum, and that was made of wood."

Zelos raises an eyebrow. "Sylvarant built a transcontinental bridge out of wood? I seriously doubt that even if it was made during your last flourishing period."

Raine clarifies, "It was actually connecting the Asgard continent to an island. The distance wasn't as much as you would think. Just a two-hour walk across. Still, this transcontinental bridge sounds fascinating how would something like that be constructed?"

Zelos answers, "With lots of steel and boats. Anyway, it's going to take a lot longer than two hours to walk across this bridge. It takes most of the day to cross that thing."

"Most of the day?" Genis goes.

"My feet hurt already," I utter.

Lloyd reassures, "It's going to be alright. We walked for an entire day on worse than a straight flat bridge. We walked across the Triet Desert with monsters around, for cry out loud! We can handle this."

"We have," Genis points out, "but Presea hasn't." He turns to Presea. "Presea, are you alright with walking across the bridge? We can still get a boat."

Presea looks at Genis. ". . . I have walked across the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge before. I am fine with walking across it one more time."

"Okay. If you say so, Presea."

"_Aooooeeeeeeee!_"

Zelos raises an eyebrow. "What was that?"

Lloyd calls out, "Noishe!"

"_Rrooooooeeeee!_"

Speeding his way back up to us, Noishe bounds straight for Lloyd and knocks him down, giving him puppy love.

Lloyd struggles against the big furry beast. "N-Noishe! Get off! I'm glad to see you too!" When he finally is able to get to his feet, Lloyd introduces, "Presea, Zelos, this is Noishe."

Zelos watches Noishe with stun. ". . . And just what is 'Noishe'?"

Lloyd tells him, "What do you think he is? He's a dog!"

"A . . . dog."

Presea states, "Despite being of canine appearance, this creature is not of any classified dog breed."

Lloyd explains away, "He wouldn't be of any specific breed. Noishe is something of a mutt."

Noishe snorts in an offended manner. A proud protozoan like him demeaned to nothing more than a mere mutt. For shame!

Zelos glances at Raine. "He can't be serious."

Raine reluctantly says, "Until we have the necessary resources to identify Noishe's species, we have decided to call him a dog for the time being."

Lloyd insists, "And I keep telling you that Noishe is a dog."

"I see . . ." Zelos responds.

So with our voluntary pack mule around, we lighten our load onto Noishe's back and head on down to the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge with Zelos leading the way. The bridge really is a stone's throw away from Meltokio since I can see the drawbridge lifts from the city gates. It doesn't take us very long to get to the bridge.

When we get to the bridge, we all gaze up at the immense size of it. Wooowww . . . ! Then I look across it at the length and discover that it's so long that it fades from sight. Oooohhhh damn . . .

"Whoooaaa . . ." Lloyd awes. "That really _is_ a huge bridge!"

Zelos turns about to us, his arms displaying the bridge grandly. "Listen and be amazed, bumpkins. The Grand Tethe'alla Bridge is the greatest drawbridge in the world. It connects the Altamira and Fooji continents and has a control system incorporating three thousand Exspheres."

The rest of us shudder.

"Th-three . . . thousand . . ." Genis gasps.

Lloyd whispers in horror, "Three thousand . . . lives . . ."

Zelos' shoulders droop as he becomes confused. ". . . What? What's with the long faces?"

Raine sighs. "I suppose it's best we tell you. I doubt you would like what you hear, though . . ."

Zelos furrows an eyebrow now. ". . . What do you mean?"

As Raine explains how Exspheres are made, using Kvar's words as a confirmation, Zelos' expression steadily darkens to deep thought. When we finish, his mood seems to have finally shown a drop in the time we've known him.

". . . That's pretty sobering," Zelos finally responds. "Is it really true?"

Lloyd goes, "We wouldn't make up something like this!"

". . . I see . . ." There is a pause before Zelos brushes away a bothersome lock of bright red hair in his face and returns to his usually peppy attitude as if casting the sobering details away like an old cloak. "Well, not like we can reverse what's already happened or bring the dead back to life. So let's look on the bright side of things!"

"What?" Lloyd staggers back. Then he huffs and walks on ahead. "Whatever . . ."

Genis walks after Lloyd. "How anyone can just dismiss something like _that_ is beyond me!"

I look at Raine, who is towing Colette this time, and find that she has an irritated expression but isn't as offended as Lloyd and Genis are. I go, "Professor? What do you think?"

Raine admits, "I can't tell if he just doesn't care or if he's a positive thinker. Until I know for sure, I will reserve judgment."

Then she walks off.

Zelos turns to watch them leave. ". . . A little harsh there."

I start walking by. I pass Zelos without looking at him, thinking that he's just going to rejoin us, and feel my hair get tugged.

. . . Now, considering that I'm continuously going in one direction and that the person who's tugging my hair is stationary, I think we can all realize that the tug hurts a lot more than it should.

"Ow!" I yip. I whip around. "What's the matter with you? If you have something to say, just tap my shoulder."

Zelos reminds, "At breakfast, you were going to tell me something later. Now's your chance."

"Oh." It's a little late and dragged out. Should I bother? Nah. I shrug. "Sorry. It really doesn't matter now. Let's go catch up to the others."

"Really?" Zelos rolls his eyes. "You made a bit of a fuss."

"Now I've decided that it really doesn't matter," I reply as I begin to walk away.

"You're kind of fickle, aren't you?"

"Depends."

As I keep walking, I notice that Zelos is falling further behind. I call, "Catch up or we'll leave you behind."

"Speaking of 'behind' . . ."

Just when I realize that he's actually right behind me, I feel a sharp pat on my butt.

"Yie!" I yip.

Zelos walks by and winks at me. "You have a sweet ass."

I stand there, baffled. What was he talking about? Was he tormenting me? Was he actually complimenting me? Was he just saying? I don't know! I don't know anything about guys!

He calls to me, "Catch up or you'll be left behind."

Asshole.

I hurry up to everyone and find Zelos walking next to Lloyd, taking co-leadership. Genis stays between Presea and Raine while Raine gently hold's Colette's hand as she coaxes the soulless Chosen to follow. Noishe is sort of in the middle of the entire group, between the row with Lloyd and Zelos and the row with Genis, Raine, and Colette. I take the back and watch everyone from there, sort of relieved that I won't have Zelos spying on my so-called "sweet ass." Really? He said that? It had to be a left handed compliment. I'm a stick from head to toe and utterly flat.

After a bit, Zelos turns around and declares, "With all the spare time we have while we walk across this thing, I think it's time we decided on everyone's nicknames! You can all call me Mr. Zelos . . ."

"What are you talking about this time?" Lloyd wonders.

"Great . . ." Genis goes.

Zelos merrily continues, "Colette is Miss Angel, Presea can be Little One . . ."

"You put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?" Genis sarcastically states.

Zelos responds with, "Lloyd can be Hey You and Genis is forevermore Brat . . ."

Lloyd rolls his eyes.

Zelos looks at me. "As for you, I've decided that you can be Scarlet Miss . . ."

What's with me and red? Honestly, it's not even my favorite color.

Then Zelos grins happily at Raine. "Then the sexy professor can be Gorgeous Ultra Cool Beauty!"

Raine sighs, as if exhausted. "Why does my nickname have to be so long?"

Zelos' eyes grow wide in question. "You don't like it?"

Lloyd just tells him, "The Professor is just Professor. Who else could she be?"

Zelos thinks about it. "Hmmm . . . 'Professor' . . . It _does_ have a nice ring to it." Then he smirks. "Professor Raine: the bewitching female teacher. Heheheheh . . ."

"Whatever," Raine goes. "I don't care anymore."

Then after that . . . a long freaking walk . . . across the freaking long . . . Grand Tethe'alla Bridge . . . I miss cars. I seriously miss cars. I had my driver's license too, until I landed myself in Palmacosta, that is. We could have all packed our eight selves into a car and have suffered, what, leg cramps and boredom in a relatively short amount of time? Instead, we now suffer leg cramps, sore feet, and boredom in what seems like forever.

Genis pulls out his kendema and starts playing with it and gets into some cooler and cooler tricks as he goes along. Eventually I start walking next to Presea so I can more easily look around and watch Genis. The tricks start getting really intricate too.

Raine pulls out a book and starts reading as she walks along, perfectly keeping Colette at her side and walking in the right direction. Reminds me of when I really got into one book during fifth grade and would walk through the halls while reading the said book.

Presea just walks along. Nothing more to say.

Zelos' attention span proves fickle as he constantly switches between chatting with Lloyd or flirting with Raine to watching Genis perform tricks to just walking to slowing down and chatting with me. He makes himself out to be annoying, but I find him more and more tolerable as I get a feel for what his personality is like. In fact, he kinda reminds me of someone but I'm not too sure of who yet . . .

Lloyd chats with Noishe every now and then and would chat with Zelos whenever it fit the Chosen's mood. Then sometimes he would sometimes turn around to watch Genis do tricks with his toy or weapon or whatever and keep a hand on Noishe to make sure he doesn't meander away without noticing.

I just watch Genis perform tricks with his kendema or respond to Zelos' obnoxious chatter to me by either blushing or responding with some sort of casual comment.

And we're supposed to be walking all damn day long . . .

"Hey, Zelos," Lloyd mentions, "how common is it for people in Tethe'alla to have Exspheres. It didn't seem common at all from the way Sheena talked about it, yet you and Presea have Exspheres."

"And Sheena told you right," Zelos replies. "I got mine from the guys who call themselves the Renegades. They distributed quite a few of them to the Papal Knights and such. As for the ones attached to machines like the drawbridge, those come from a mine that the Lezareno Company owns, although their Exsphere sales have been suspended a few years back due to some internal issues."

Lloyd grimaces. "Tethe'alla is doing the same thing as—"

"If it is then it's all in secret," Zelos interrupts with a frown. "If the King knew anything like that going on then it wouldn't have lasted even a month."

"So where are the Exspheres coming from now?" Genis asks.

"Some guy named Vharley," Zelos recalls. "Supposedly he's using old dwarvan techniques to develop them, but a few things make me wonder . . ."

"You actually met that guy before?" Genis questions.

"Only once and I never want to repeat the experience again," Zelos expresses. "He had a meeting with the Pope or something."

"Would Vharley be the person who gave Presea her Exsphere?" Lloyd inquires.

"Beats me." Zelos turns to Presea. "Well, Little One? Where did you get that Exsphere?"

Presea doesn't answer.

"She's so talkative."

I look out and excitedly declare, "I think I see the end of this bridge over the horizon!"

Everyone else looks out.

Zelos tells me, "That's just your wishful thinking."

"Damn . . ."

Lloyd sighs, "This bridge is huge . . . !"

"Yes. The engineering is very impressive," Raine admires. "I would love to see the blueprints."

"Isn't it?" Zelos says with a grin. "It was built by the Lezareno Company owned by Duke Bryant, one of Tethe'alla's famous Three Dukes. Their main office building, the one that took on the contract, is in Altamira. If you go there you could probably see the blueprints."

"Altamira . . . !" Raine gasps with delight.

Lloyd frowns at Raine. "No! No sidetracking during this journey!"

Raine goes, "But if we were to go near Altamira, perhaps then we can go visit?"

Lloyd gives in a bit. "Alright . . . But only after we save Colette!"

I smirk. "This is so ironic."

"Yeah, it is," Genis agrees. "Usually it's the other way around."

Then a while goes by . . .

I moan, "I still don't see the end of the bridge . . ."

Genis says, "We'll have to stop soon for lunch."

Lloyd goes, "Yeah, I'm getting pretty hungry."

Zelos sighs, "Man, things are either boring or pretty interesting with all of you. If only Sheena were around . . ."

"That reminds me," Lloyd mentions, "you and Sheena know each other, right?"

"'Know each other'?" Zelos states. "That's a great misunderstanding!"

"What's the deal, then?" Lloyd wonders.

"We're lovers," Zelos informs with a self-satisfied grin. "She's my hunny~."

"What? Really?" Lloyd utters in his surprise.

"From how Sheena talked about you," I tell, "she doesn't like you in the least."

"Well, technically she's my future hunny. She just doesn't know it yet~," Zelos replies.

Lloyd's face turns unconcerned, "So you were just joking."

"It's no joke!" Zelos declares. "Half the world's hunnies are destined to be my servants of love!"

Although Lloyd doesn't take that seriously, Presea takes it upon herself to inform Zelos, "The probability of that statement is infinitely close to zero."

Zelos' face droops to offended despair.

At that expression and Presea's statement, Genis and I howl with laughter.

"_Ahahahahahahahahah . . . !_"

Zelos droops in posture. "Gah . . . I'm so sad now . . ."

When we finally stop for lunch, Genis pulls out sandwich ingredients and starts making everyone's preferred sandwich. Since we just left Meltokio, Genis was able to buy some fresh ingredients from the market. Zelos, however, scoffs at some of the things Genis pulls out.

"If you have something better then by all means cook it yourself!" Genis snaps.

"Cook it myself? No, I'm a lazy bum," Zelos replies. "I do have something better you can cook with, though."

"Let's see it, then!" Genis challenges.

Zelos pulls out an additional amount of ingredients from fish and beef to tomatoes and cucumbers, anything that can be used in a sandwich. Genis stares at Zelos with a relative amount of surprise.

"What?" Zelos challenges. "Do you think I'm an idiot enough to not bring any food? Now I know I can be an idiot but I'm no where near that stupid."

". . . Hmph. Fine. I guess I can add these." Genis takes the offered ingredients and adds them.

"As long as I don't have to do the work~!"

Genis dishes out the sandwiches each pertaining to each person's tastes. Lloyd got his beef sandwich with a lemon to the side, Raine got a dry sandwich with a lemon though she adds a few Tethe'allan sauces to taste (oh, great, more food experiments on the way), Genis made himself what I would call a cheeseburger with tomatoes, Zelos got a fish sandwich (although Genis didn't do anywhere near the best of what he can do), Presea got something of an egg sandwich with lettuce and cheese (and it's clear that Genis did his very best for her), and I got a dry beef sandwich with cucumbers. It was pretty good and a relief from what we usually had to eat back when traveling nonstop across Sylvarant.

After that we had a lot more energy so walking across this bridge wasn't nearly as much of a pain as before. Though that didn't last for long. No matter how you look at this bridge, it's still a damn long bridge . . .

* * *

"Owwwwww . . ." I moan as I sit down on the steps down from the end of the bridge. I slip off my boots and start rubbing my poor aching feet.

"Man, that's a long walk . . ." Lloyd expresses.

"We should have taken a boat . . ." Genis grumbles.

"Stop complaining," Raine says. "The walk didn't kill you and it would have taken longer to arrange a boat."

"Take heart, kiddies," Zelos tells. "Sybak is just a stone's throw away. Won't even take us an hour to walk there."

Lloyd looks up and easily finds Sybak just a ways away. ". . . You're right. It will probably take us a little under an hour to get there."

"My feet are going to fall off by then . . ." I evenly carp.

Knowing I'm just complaining, Genis remarks, "You can walk on nubs when that happens, then."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, haaaa . . . That's so funny," I blandly retort as I slip my boots back on and get up to walk.

After my brief rest, each step felt like torture and my mind only made it worse by daydreaming about when we get to an inn in Sybak and I'm finally able to sit down. I distract myself by focusing on Genis' hair, Raine's orange outfit, Noishe's fur, Presea's giant ax strapped to her back, Colette's chakrams, Zelos' pink coat—

Kaylee's favorite color was always pink . . .

I turn my eyes away from anything pink, including Colette's wings and Presea's hair and focus on the city ahead of me. Although my thoughts occasionally deviate back to the pain, it doesn't bother me nearly as much anymore. The monotonous brown I see in the city seems almost like a relief from the bright hue pink has.

As we start approaching, we gather our things off of Noishe's back and Lloyd sends him away, promising to spend time with him later. After a moment or two, Presea recognizes the city entrance and stops. We all turn to her in confusion.

"What's wrong, Presea?" Genis wonders.

". . . I hate . . . this city . . . Hurry to Ozette . . ." Presea utters, showing the first amount of emotion since we met her.

Zelos assures, "We're just going to be here for just a sec and then we'll drop you off at Ozette. We'll make it quick."

"Yeah," Lloyd agrees. "We're sorry but we will hurry."

Presea nods with reluctance. ". . . Understood."

As we walk closer to Sybak, Lloyd and Genis watch Presea with concern, disconcerted that the first hint of emotion Presea shows is distress, albeit a suppressed degree of distress.

Genis mutters, "I feel terrible now . . ."

"Yeah," Lloyd agrees. "I feel like we took advantage of her . . ."

"Isn't that what you did?" Zelos goes. "You guys used her to get inside the castle and refused to let her leave because it would be suspicious if she left on her own."

"We didn't use her!" Genis protests. "She helped us willingly!"

"That doesn't mean you didn't use her," Zelos informs. "Also, while I'm at it, I may as well point out that if it weren't for Miss Scarlet over here getting Presea away from those guards and me ordering those guards to send all of you to the Crimson Chamber, Presea would have been arrested like Lloyd and Raine were when the rest of you got caught."

Lloyd and Genis fall silent in shock.

Lloyd grimaces while he said, "We needed to get in the castle to see the King. We only want to save Colette."

Zelos rolls his eyes. "Your intentions being for the good doesn't make it any better. You still did what you did."

Lloyd and Genis flinch.

We look out to find a group at the front of Sybak awaiting us, or rather awaiting their Chosen. Zelos adds, "By the way, you might want to let me do the talking. Since gossip doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture on people they're about, folks are going to be a bit nervous concerning these aliens from the declining world that broke into the castle to see the King."

We all flinch.

"How did word travel around so fast?" I wonder.

Zelos dismissively replies, "Servants tend to be notorious gossips. Plus I imagine that a few people contacted friends and family in Sybak to let them know what's going on."

So it becomes a unanimous vote that Zelos the Chosen of Tethe'alla deal with the people of Tethe'alla.

When we arrive at Sybak's entrance, the people waiting on us gather around their Chosen and ask him if he's well, if he's worried about what the declining world wants, if the people of the declining world are going to be civil, if Tethe'alla will soon go into decline, and so many other things that confirm Zelos' words that the people of Tethe'alla are frightened by these weird aliens from the other world. They glance at us but don't spare us any attention or even take an actual look towards us for some reason . . .

A female student, who's extra clingy to Zelos, anxiously asks, "So did you come with an escort? Where are the people from Sylvarant?"

Zelos, with his jaunty mood, points at us. "They're all right there."

They all snap their attention to us with a tense silence. Their eyes finally discover Colette and her wings while they scan over us.

"My Goddess . . ." one male student expresses. "They look almost just like us!"

Zelos teases, "Oh that's just their skin disguise so they can blend in with us without being noticed. You should have seen them right after they got off their mothership."

Although a few of them know better than to take that seriously, a few others actually gasp and crowd closer to their Chosen with wary and suspicious looks towards us. Raine rubs her forehead as if developing a serious headache; Lloyd rolls his eyes; Genis growls; I just sigh. Good job, Zelos. Good job.

Zelos tells, "Alright, everyone. Break it up. Give me some breathing space. There's no need to be worried. The aliens actually come in peace—and these aliens mean it."

"You're still not exactly helping their nerves," I flatly inform.

"Sure, sure." Zelos waves the crowd off. "Go back to your lives, people. I'm just here for a day or two so there's no need to get up from your studies on my account. I do want someone to escort me and the aliens to the Crossroad's Rest Inn. Any volunteers?"

As soon as hands start going up, I don't miss noticing that most of those hands belong to some girl or woman.

The Crossroad's Rest Inn must be a prestigious inn since they're leading their Chosen to it and, indeed, it lives up to that theory. We get checked in quickly and are given our own individual rooms, which are quite nice and comfortable. Seeing a bed in a room of my own in an inn brings some relief and familiarity. For a moment, just a moment, I imagine that we're back in Sylvarant with Kratos still around and we're still in that faux peace that we were in before things went completely to the dogs.

Ending the wishful daydream, I drop my things at the foot of the bed and bring out my spear for care. As I polish and care for the dragon fang blade, I reflect on a few things for today and tomorrow. Perhaps we're going to talk to someone today, but I think not. Most likely, Zelos and Raine, maybe Lloyd too, will go and arrange a meeting for tomorrow since the day is about to end. Dinner should be soon, if that gives any indication of time. Then tonight is my turn to watch Colette. Once I'm done cleaning my spear, I'll go to Lloyd and take her. Hmmm . . . And I'm getting hungry. I wonder who's cooking for tonight. Probably the staff of this hotel.

I let my thoughts drift on and off as I care for my weapon. Time goes by . . .

_Knock knock knock . . ._

"Come in," I invite.

The door creeks cautiously open and I hear an "Eek!"

I look up and find a maid watching my spear warily. I get up and set my spear in a far corner before returning to my bed. "I'm not going to hurt you. What do you want?"

The maid comes in with a platter holding a plate with . . . something. I can't tell since she's holding it at a higher level than I'll see since I'm sitting on my bed. "Um . . . Ma'am?"

"Just say it," I tell her. "I'm not going to bite."

"Well," the maid begins, "it's dinnertime so I brought your plate."

"Well, bring it here," I gently reply. Damn it, Zelos, why did you have to make it worse?

The maid brings the platter and sets it down on the table in the room. As I get up, the maid timidly tells me, "I was told that your dishes were . . . exotic so I tried to make something as close to that as possible."

As I walk over, I wonder, "Why did you have to cook it yourself? Wouldn't the kitchen staff do that?"

"Well . . . no one would believe that you ate anything different from what we would eat," she informs.

Damn it, Zelos. You asshole.

I get to the plate—and gag!

The maid apologetically explains, "I was told that your people eat 'space worms' so I tried to recreate that as much as possible."

Worms! She actually got worms and prepared them like they were some kind of delicacy! I don't know if this is a prank she made up or if someone put her up to this!

I give the maid a look. ". . . You're a gullible idiot in training, did you know that?"

"But . . . Master Zelos told me this was so . . . And he's the Chosen One so he doesn't lie," the maid defends.

I scowl at the plate of worms. "Oh for the love of . . ."

_Bang!_ The door slams to reveal Zelos leaning on the door frame. With his signature grin, he informs, "Just telling you and the others, I'm going to the Imperial Research Academy to arrange a meeting to meet with an expert tomorrow. Don't get too lonely, alright, hunny?"

Oh, I've got an idea . . .

I lift the plate in my left hand and the fork in my right and approach Zelos with as cheery and respectful attitude as possible. After a welcoming grin to him, I use my sweetest voice to offer, "Chosen One! Would you care for the prestigious honor of being fed space alien delicacies?"

Zelos takes a cautious step back. "Are those . . . worms?"

"Yes," I apologetically state. "Although Tethe'allan worms are not nearly at the quality of Sylvaranti worm meals, these will definitely do. It is a great honor and expression of admiration and respect to feed the high lords such fine foods." I stab a worm with my fork and bring it close to Zelos. "Say ahh, Chosen One~!"

"Keep that away from my face!" Zelos growls.

"What?" I gasp. "But, Chosen One—"

"I get the message!" Zelos gripes. "I'll stop with the alien bullshit! Just keep that away from me!"

"What am I to tell my leader?" I apprehensively question.

"I don't care! Just don't bring that any closer to my face!" Zelos points a finger at the maid. "You! Learn the difference between teasing and serious comments! In the meantime, you can get her something normal!"

The maid bows and rushes out of the room, taking my plate of worms with her. Zelos watches her leave before turning back to me. His eyes narrow at my large grin.

"Ha, ha, you got me back. Just don't report her to the inn, alright?" he bargains. "It isn't entirely her fault that she got fooled by my joke."

"After getting the chance to almost force feed you a worm? Nope~!" Then I express, "Though I find it really hard to believe that people are having trouble believing that the people of Sylvarant are human too."

"You wouldn't find it so hard to believe if you've seen the contemporary media over space aliens," Zelos counters.

"Why are my BS senses tingling?" I question as I cross my arms.

Zelos turns to leave. "I don't know. Ask yourself that."

I bid with a sickeningly sweet voice, "Bye, Chosen One~!"

There's no response as he disappears from sight.

I close the door and cackle and laugh as I carve the memory of Zelos' disgusted expression as I offered the damn worm to him. After that, once a plate of actual dinner comes to my room, I finish my dinner of beef strips and baked potatoes, taking as much time as possible to enjoy the meal, and head down to Lloyd's room to collect Colette. I find Lloyd and Raine outside his room with his door open.

Raine thoughtfully goes, "Ozette . . ."

"What is it?" Lloyd asks.

"I feel as if . . . I heard that name before . . ." Raine reflects.

I stop next to the door as Lloyd states, "I know why it sounds familiar! Ozette sounds the same as Colette!"

Raine's face drops to a flat as she swats him on the back of his head.

"Ow! You didn't have to hit me!" Lloyd yelps.

I interrupt, "Hey, guys, it's my turn to watch Colette tonight."

Raine says, "Go on. She's right in the room."

"Owwww . . . Professor . . ."

After I take Colette with me, I do the nighttime ritual of giving her a bath, brushing her teeth, combing her hair . . . It's a lot of high maintenance that requires a lot of patience to do. I seriously have to go as slow and cautiously as possible to avoid triggering Colette's self-preservation instincts. When all's said and done, I close the curtains and shut the door and get ready for bed. I abandon the red dress and get my pajamas out—

_Bang!_ "Miss Scarlet, I heard you—"

"EEEK!" I squawk as I duck into the closet. "_Get out!_"

Zelos notes, "You really do have a nice ass hidden under that skirt~."

With my pajamas on this time, I barge out of the closet and snatch my journal up. With as much strength as I can muster, I fling the book at Zelos.

Zelos uses the door as a shield and blocks the speeding journal. He emerges from cover and comments, "You're a bit violent but if you want to claim first place for the most violent hunny I've ever encountered you will have to work harder than that."

"Keep this up and I'll definitely aim for that!" I snap. "What do you want?"

Zelos tells, "I heard that you were keeping an eye on Colette for tonight and I wanted to be sure."

I gesture towards Colette. "As you can see, you heard right. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to let you know that if you're ever too tired to deal with Colette then I will be more than happy to watch her for you," Zelos generously informs. "Of course, knowing the dangers of handling a soulless angel, it may cost you something~."

Thank God I'm irritated with him, otherwise I'd probably fall for the grin he's giving me and just blush and tell him in a mumble to get out. Instead, I irritably offer, "Hey, Zelos. Want to see my _spear_? It has an actual _dragon fang_ for a _blade_. It's _really_ something that'll _hurt_ if you get _stabbed_ with it."

Zelos quickly withdraws. "Okay! I get it! No need to bring the weapons out!"

I turn away with a huff as Zelos closes the door behind him. Thankfully he doesn't realize that most of my threats are just bluffs. I need to take full advantage of that while I can since it won't take long for him to realize I'm just bluffing.

I sit on the bed with a sigh. I begin to say, "Colette, Tethe'alla is really crazy. A lot of it resembles Sylvarant in so many ways and yet it's so different . . ."

". . . and yet . . . there's a lot that's reminiscent of . . . of Earth . . ."

* * *

Yeah, it's a bunch of dumb stuff. It's somewhat entertaining, though. Saves room for the stuff happening next.

A poem for my OC Kelsey Miller . . .

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

You're stuck in this fic,

So it sucks to be you~!

Please review.


	44. Fate of Those in the Middle

Yes. Two chapters so close. I just had a lot for this chapter and got excited.

As for the Sybak professor's name, I just grabbed something close at hand and chose a random name. No symbolism attached.

**2010 Edit: Oh my gosh, a few mistakes including one big one about military rank (i have no relatives in the military so i don't have anyone to tell me those things) and this site was doing updates and won't let me on . . . No matter, the fixes are done now.**

* * *

Chapter Forty-Four: Fate of Those in the Middle

Brown, brown, brown, brown, brown. That's all I see in this city. This dull, light brown. On the buildings, on the cobbled streets, on the bazaar tables, on everything! It isn't even a pretty brown. As we walk though Sybak, I find myself staring at anything that's not brown. Lloyd's red and blue clothes, Raine's orange cloak, Colette's church white garments and her pink wings, Presea's dark blue dress and her pink hair, Genis' light blue outfit, and Zelos' red hair and his pink cloak. For Zelos, however, I had to divert my eyes when he spotted me staring and winked at me, thinking that I was staring for reasons other than relief from all the constant brown.

When we arrive, we discover a large academy-esq. building . . . that's also brown. Zelos goes in first followed by Lloyd who's keeping hold of Colette and then the rest of us line in. A large entrance hall, with stairways lining the walls, beginning on the first floor, and a giant skeleton of a dragon, the size of the one we had to kill back in Hima, posed threateningly as if it could still attack despite being dead. It doesn't take me longer than a second to sigh once I realize that the inside is _also_ brown. Just like the rest of the city. This school needs some decent school colors . . .

"Ah! Chosen One!" A blond researcher. "Just in time. I am Professor Corneo."

Zelos offers his hand when the researcher offers his and they shake hands. "Nice to meet you, Professor Corneo. You're the researcher that we are meeting with, right?"

"Yes," Professor Corneo confirms. "If you will all follow me, I can lead you to a room where I can better explain things. I work better with visuals."

Lloyd wonders, "What do you mean by 'visuals'?"

Zelos assures, "He's probably just referring to a hologram."

Once Professor Corneo pulls us into another room, he approaches a small machine and activates it with a few extra buttons. A projection pulls up, seemingly primitive compared to what the Desians had, shaped like a sphere. He turns to us with a clinical attitude.

"Upon receiving the report of Colette's symptoms," Professor Corneo states with a glance towards Colette, "we focused our attention on the research data regarding the Chosen's Cruxis Crystal considering that Colette's angel transformation is derived from her own Cruxis Crystal."

"Well now, about time my Cruxis Crystal became useful for something other than decoration," Zelos comments. "When Colette returns to normal, I'll need to make sure she thanks me generously~."

I warn, "Do so and you'll find yourself facing my spear."

Professor Corneo continues, "After a comparison between Exsphere research and the research done concerning Cruxis Crystals, Cruxis Crystals may in fact be evolved forms of Exspheres. One of the similarities we have observed is that both are lifeless beings."

"Is that really so?" Raine demands. "That would explain so much!"

"Lifeless? What do you mean?" Lloyd questions. "Aren't Exspheres just stones?"

"How do I put it? . . ." Raine explains, "Hmmm . . . I suppose you could say that Exspheres are alive but not in the same way we are. This would explain how Exspheres can act as parasitic life forms when improperly handled."

Professor Corneo nods. "Yes. Both of these crystals are like parasites fusing with other life forms. When this happens, the mana within the body loses balance and goes out of control unless a key crest is administered. In other words, since Cruxis Crystals possess the same qualities as Exspheres, we surmise that the angel transformation is actually a parasitical infection caused by the Cruxis Crystal."

"So that's why Exspheres without key crests turn people into monsters," Genis concludes.

Lloyd turns to Colette. "So all this . . ."

Raine finishes up, "I see now. The ritual of releasing the seals is also a promotion for the fusion between the Cruxis Crystal and the Chosen. Fascinating . . ."

Lloyd flinches. "Professor, don't talk like that after all the things that Colette went through . . ."

"All this just keeps piling on reasons why I'm glad to be the Chosen of the flourishing world," Zelos comments. "But if Colette had a key crest, she would return to normal, right?"

Professor Corneo confirms, "Yes, she should be able to freely control the Cruxis Crystal if she had a key crest."

"Then can you provide us with one?" Zelos asks.

Professor Corneo informs, "I'm afraid we suspended our key crest research a long time ago. I doubt we have any in storage. The only place where you could possibly find one is the bazaar."

Lloyd scowls. "You're doing research on Exspheres yet you don't have any key crests to restrain them? That's almost asking for something to happen."

Professor Corneo tilts his head up a little high. "We know what we are doing."

The researcher shuts the projector down and turns to the Chosen. "If that is all you need, Chosen One, then I will take my leave. I have projects that I need to work on."

Zelos dismisses, "Go on. No one's stopping you."

Professor Corneo bows and makes his leave.

When the researcher is gone, Lloyd declares, "I'm heading over to the bazaar to search for a key crest. Anyone else want to come along?"

Genis volunteers, "I'm going with you!"

Raine says, "I'll go, and Kelsey?"

"Yes?"

"This will be a good opportunity to search for a new outfit for travel," Raine informs.

"Yes!"

Genis asks Presea, "Will you come with us, Presea? Help us find a key crest for Colette!"

Presea stares at him. ". . . Very well. I will lend my aid."

Genis blushes. "Th-thank you!"

Zelos states, "Then I take it upon myself to guard over your beautiful little angel and wait for you to return."

Raine warns, "Don't do anything suspicious."

"How could I do anything of the sort to such an innocent hunny?" Zelos merrily defends.

So we all make our leave from the building and head towards the bazaar. Boxes and tables line everywhere with people from students to plain sellers working as vendors in order to gain even a single guld to build their budget. Voices shout and ring out at us, clamoring for our attention and our money, filling our ears with needless noise. We all split up in order to search for anything resembling inhibitor ore or a key crest, Lloyd going by himself, Genis and Presea going one way, and Raine and I going another. Time goes by as we search for even a scrap of inhibitor ore. It took so long that Raine and I found something for me to travel in (this spring green tunic that would contrast well against my black travel pants and red hair) before we finally regrouped with nothing to show for our work.

"Nothing . . ." Genis reports.

"Not even a scrap of inhibitor ore," Lloyd ruefully utters.

"I'm afraid we didn't find any ourselves," Raine informs.

Something glimmers in the sun and catches Raine's eye. She looks over to the booth just a little away, and the ruin mode gleam appears in her eyes. "Ooooh~!" Raine rushes over to what catches her eye. "This is ancient magitechnology carbon!"

Lloyd groans, "Argh! Come on, please! Look for something that looks like a key crest!"

Presea approaches something that catches her eye, sitting on a display on top of a box. She points at it. "Would this be the inhibitor ore that you are referring to?"

Lloyd joins Presea and, when he sees what she's pointing at, a hopeful grin appears on his face. "Yeah! That's a key crest!"

The vendor looks down at it. "What? That piece of junk?"

"Yeah!" Lloyd agrees. "How much?"

"Hmmmmm . . ." The vendor thinks about it. ". . . Ten thousand guld."

Lloyd grimaces. "Taking advantage of people in need . . ."

"This is a business after all," the vendor remarks.

"Heeeeyy!"

We all look over and find Zelos approaching us.

"What's he doing here?" Genis questions. "Isn't he supposed to be watching Colette?"

Zelos rejoins us. "What's taking all of you so long? I got impatient so I decided to help out if I can."

"What about Colette?" Genis demands.

"She'll be fine," Zelos reassures. "I made sure that someone at the academy is watching over her."

Whatever. I approach the vendor. I debate, "You yourself called this a piece of junk. I happen to be in agreement. So this thing isn't worth ten thousand guld. Though you have a business to run, so I'll pay more than what that piece of crap is worth. How about five thousand?"

The vendor just gives me a look. "You're terrible at haggling."

I step away back into the group. "Sorry, guys. No use lying to myself. I can't haggle for crap."

Zelos raises an eyebrow. "What's going on here?"

Lloyd informs, "We found a worn down key crest and this guy wants ten thousand guld for it!"

Zelos scowls. "Taking advantage of people in need? That makes me sick! Call the one responsible for this bazaar right now. I'll make sure he can't do business anymore!"

The vendor snaps, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Zelos leers at the vendor. "You've got some guts to be ignorant of the Great Zelos, the Chosen."

"Ch-Cho—!" The vendor chokes on his words and scrambles for the key crest and hands it to Zelos with a small bow. "I-I humbly offer this up to you, so please forgive me, Chosen!"

Zelos smiles friendly as he takes the key crest. "That's better. I like your attitude. I'll be sure to remember you."

As we walk away, Lloyd smiles as he says, "Thanks, Zelos. That was really cool of you."

Zelos dismisses, "It was nothing. Now how about getting that thing fixed for our cute Colette?"

Lloyd replies, "No problem. I'll borrow a lab and get it fixed."

"How long is it going to take to fix the key crest?" I wonder.

Lloyd looks at the key crest for a moment before his hand dips into his pocket. He pulls his hand out to gaze down at a finished necklace. ". . . It shouldn't take too long."

Genis' eyes widen. "Is that the birthday present you were giving to Colette?"

Zelos takes a look at it. "That's pretty nice for amateur work."

Genis defends, "Lloyd's no amateur! His dad taught him all about crafting!"

Lloyd tunes the bickering out as he calculates on how to apply the key crest to the necklace. By the time we all return to the Imperial Research Academy, Lloyd nods in confirmation and puts the necklace back in his pocket. Up ahead at the entrance stands Professor Corneo, fidgeting as if he were anxiously waiting on something. He looks up towards the group and pales before gathering up his composition.

Lloyd makes note of Professor Corneo's behavior before he says, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to borrow a lab in order to repair a key crest I found at the bazaar."

Zelos adds, "I assure you, my good man, that it has my stamp of approval."

"Er, yes, of course!" Professor Corneo replies. "Make use of the lab that Colette awaits in."

"Thank you," Lloyd politely responds. He turns to us as we go inside. "I'll repair the key crest, so just wait here at the entrance."

Professor Corneo lets us into the building and escorts Lloyd to the room where Colette is. After that, the professor returns and glances at us for a moment before quickly departing.

Raine notes, "There is something strange about Professor Corneo."

Zelos crosses his arms. "I don't like it either. Let's hope Lloyd hurries up so we can get out of here as soon as possible."

Suddenly, Zelos jerks his head to the side. Seeing nothing, he narrows his eyes suspiciously.

"What's wrong?" I wonder.

". . . Nothing. It's nothing."

After a while, Lloyd returns with a lovely necklace in his hands. The key crest, fully repaired, gleams with a golden shine as it serves as the pendant. He leads Colette to us and stops her when he rejoins us. We all watch as he turns to her.

Lloyd frowns sadly. ". . . I never would have imagined that I would be giving you your birthday present this way. I've attached the key crest we found to the necklace so it should help you. I . . . I know it's late but it's my present to you."

Lloyd laces the necklace around Colette's neck. Colette's attention momentarily diverts to the same direction Zelos snapped his head towards but no one pays any attention. We are all focused on her as Lloyd attaches the key crest to the Cruxis Crystal.

Nothing changes.

Lloyd places his hands on Colette's shoulders. ". . . Colette?"

Still nothing.

"Colette," Lloyd goes, "it's me! Lloyd! Genis and Raine and Kelsey are here too! Remember us?"

Nothing.

Lloyd lowers his head. "It . . . It didn't work . . ."

Raine suggests, "We may have to ask Dirk for help."

Genis points out, "Dirk is in Sylvarant, though. Then the rheairds are not only out of fuel but are nearly destroyed . . ."

Lloyd implies, "The people here at the academy might know of a way to fix them."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Zelos nags. "Are you forgetting something that might be a little important? I'm here to keep tabs on you! I can't let you go back to Sylvarant!"

We all look at Zelos.

Lloyd says, "Well, just come along with us, oh compassionate Chosen One. Tethe'alla can trust us if you're still keeping tabs on us."

Zelos gives Lloyd a look like he was just told a tasteless joke. ". . . You can't be serious."

Raine adds, "You're kind to girls, right? Don't forget that this is to restore Colette's humanity."

"Yeah, it's all to save Colette," Genis reminds. "You'll keep quiet about it for us, right?"

I decide to pitch in. "If Colette returns to normal, we will all be grateful beyond what you can imagine, especially Colette. We won't betray any trust you place upon us."

Zelos switches between all of us and scowls with frustration. ". . . Great. How am I supposed to snitch after hearing that? Fine! I'll go with you to Sylvarant."

"Alright," Lloyd confirms. "Now all we need is—"

"Chosen!"

Our full attention is brought towards the direction Colette is facing as fully armored men barge into the entrance hall and surround us, all of them wearing green bulky armor, bulkier than what the guards at the castle equipped, and wielding great halberds. I count each one and number seven, minus the leader in the gold armor. The golden one steps up to Zelos with a sneer peering through the helmet.

"We all heard what you said just now," sneers the leader. "I have to tell you, though, I have waited and waited for so long for this day."

"Then why don't you just get it over with and flatter yourself, General Kirkson," Zelos snips.

"With pleasure." General Kirkson proclaims, "We hereby declare you and your companions to be traitors of the crown attempting to destroy Tethe'alla."

Zelos claps with mock admiration. "I congratulate you on your timing. The Pope decided to send his lap dogs to stalk me for anything you can twist around to make me look like the bad guy?"

"Of course he did," the general jeers. "Now we find you plotting against the throne!"

"Heheheheh," Zelos humorlessly laughs. "That's amusing. I'm the one who's plotting against the throne?"

General Kirkson orders, "Carry out the routine and take a sample. Don't touch the angel unless you want to die."

I tremble as the Papal Knights approach closer to us. My instincts tell me to fight back but I force myself to stand there, knowing what's about to happen. They grab onto our arms and—

"Ow!" I yelp as something sharp pierces my arm. I refuse to look until I feel whatever it was is out of me.

"Ugh!" Lloyd gripes, "What are you doing?"

The Papal Knights keep a restraint on us as the examine these boxes that look something like larger versions what you use to test blood for diabetes. As I watch the knight staring at the box that contains my blood, I remember a crucial detail . . .

I'm a half-elf in this world.

In my growing panic, I don't hear Zelos explain, "Criminals in this world undergo biological tests before they're arrested. It's because of the caste system here. They find it necessary to use in order to find out which criminals are half-elves or humans since some half-elves don't look any different humans."

"What?" Lloyd protests, "That's crazy! Why would it matt—"

"We have a match!"

We turn to the Papal Knights over Genis and Raine as the two are promptly arrested, their arms roughly pulled behind their backs and shackles clamped tightly on their wrists.

"Genis! Professor!" Lloyd cries out.

"What the hell . . . ?" the Papal Knight behind me goes. "The needle keeps switching between human and half-elf . . ."

What?

The Papal Knight slaps his hand against the device. He waits a moment before going, "Here we go. Damn faulty thing. I've got another one!"

Lloyd snaps to me. "Kelsey? Wait . . ." With deep confusion, he switches between Genis, Raine, and me. "I-I thought . . . All of you told me . . ."

I feel my arms get yanked back and thick round shackles clasp onto my thin wrists.

Zelos stares at us with shock. ". . . All three of you are half-elves? Is that really true?"

There is a pause . . .

Raine confesses, "It's true."

"Raine!" Genis cries.

"There is no point in trying to hide it now," Raine informs.

Zelos looks at me. ". . . And you?"

Lloyd follows Zelos' address and looks at me with the same amount of confusion and shock he had with Genis and Raine.

I don't look at them. "It's . . . really complicated, but yes."

Kirkson spats, "Pathetic swine! You filthy half-elves have engaged in caste deception."

Lloyd whips around to the general and snarls, "What did you say? The Professor and Genis and Kelsey are much better people than all of you! Who cares if they're half-elves?"

"Lloyd . . ." Genis utters.

Zelos says, "I don't know what it's like in your world, but over here half-elves are at the bottom of the caste system."

The general states, "That's right. And half-elves guilty of crimes are all executed without exception."

I shudder with a twist of my stomach. Punishment without even a trial . . . Death before my voice is even heard . . .

"That's insane!" Lloyd shouts. "That's not fair at all!"

General Kirkson growls at the rest of the men. "What are all of you waiting for? Arrest the humans too! Again, don't touch the angel."

Lloyd, Zelos, and Presea are jerked back as they too are promptly arrested with their arms behind their backs and shackles ensnaring their hands. One Papal Knight wonders, "Should we just move on ahead with the half-elves?"

"Hold on!" the general stops. "Half-elves can use magic! You will need all of us in order to keep them secure. Now that I think about it . . ." The general sneers at Zelos. "You can use magic too, Chosen One. I'll give you one try to guess what's about to happen to you."

Knowing Kirkson too well, Zelos blandly guesses, "You're probably going to take me along with you and put me in front of the Pope for questioning before throwing me into the dungeon. Then you're going to make sure that I don't escape before the public execution the Pope prepares especially for me."

"You got that right!" The general calls out, "Corneo! Come here!"

Professor Corneo nervously approaches from where ever he was sitting out at. "Y-Yes, General?"

"Take one of my men and shove the kid in red and the girl and the angel somewhere and lock them up," the general orders. "Don't let them out until we come back for them."

"Yes, General . . ."

The general motions towards Genis, Raine, and me. "Take them away!"

"_No! Genis! Professor! Kelsey!_" Lloyd shouts. "_Genis!_"

General Kirkson and the Papal Knight behind Lloyd stops him from chasing after us as the Papal Knights march us out. I hang my head low in shame . . .

Kirkson snatches Zelos' shoulder and shoves him forward. "Go on! You're going too, remember? His Eminence is just _waiting_ to see you again—and I intend to be the one to bring you to him!"

As one Papal Knight drags Lloyd away with Professor Corneo herding Presea and Colette with him, Lloyd shouts in protest, "_No! No! Don't! Genis! Professor Sage! Kelsey! No! Zelos! No! No no NO! Genis! Professor! NO!_"

"_NO!_"

* * *

I keep myself quiet as we march on to our deaths. A few of the Papal Knights would sometimes swat at us or bully us, trying to get a rise out of us so that they have an excuse to beat us around. One or two of them didn't even need excuses. As for Zelos, well the seven underling Papal Knights don't touch or say anything to him, but that general makes up for all the abuse that Zelos isn't getting from them and more. General Kirkson really doesn't give Zelos a break, beating him around, punching him, insulting his personality, insulting his mother, insulting his sister, and all sorts of things. There's a lot about Zelos we found out about thanks to the general.

"As far as anyone knows," the general continues, "you could be a bastard child. If you didn't look like that old blood traitor, I'd say that you weren't even of the Mana Lineage!"

Zelos stays silent, letting that roll, but behind him, I can see his already balled-up fists tighten with rage.

"Heh. What's the matter? Angry?" Kirkson taunts. "I'm surprised you haven't said anything."

Zelos smirks and retorts, "Oh, I'm just imagining what an asshole you must be at your house. What kept me quiet was imagining what your poor pretty wife must do in order to deal with being married to you. Personally, I wouldn't blame her at all if she takes a leaf out of my father's book."

The general punches Zelos with full force, sending the young man down to the ground on his back. Zelos pushes himself onto his feet, with slight difficulty since his hands are handcuffed behind his back, and spits out the blood in his mouth. Suddenly, the general snatches Zelos' hair and yanks him up.

"Ow! Ow!" Zelos snarls, "_Let go!_"

General Kirkson glowers, "Talk about my wife and I'll kill you right here right now. _Now keep walking!_"

"Tch!" Zelos scoffs once the general releases him. Zelos continues walking.

Kirkson jeers, "If you behave, maybe I'll let you have your way with one of those female half-elves before they die."

Genis shouts, "_You filthy bastard!_"

A Papal Knight kicks him.

"GUH!" Genis grunts as he hits the ground.

"_Genis!_" Raine cries out in distress as she drops to her knees next to him. Just as she gets next to him, another Papal Knight yanks her up to her feet.

"Keep moving!" the mentioned Papal Knight orders.

Zelos growls, "Like I would ever force myself on a woman."

The general shoves him forward. "Just shut up and keep going!"

_

* * *

Snip!_

"Dammit . . . !" Lloyd growls as yet another lock pick snaps in half. Tossing away one half of the lock pick, Lloyd digs the one stuck in the lock out and pulls out another. He begins working on the lock once more.

In the basement of the Imperial Research Academy, Lloyd was disturbed to find people working in a lab. It wasn't the lab that disturbed him, though. It was the people themselves. Oversized filthy lab coats drape across their thin and frail bodies as they labor to achieve whatever it is they were sent here to do. Their skin carries this sickly pale hue and almost glows against the dim lights provided. Their hair is greasy and overgrown and they smell as if they haven't had a bath in a very long time.

It was just horrible . . .

They all promptly ignore Lloyd and Presea as best as they can, trying to keep distractions from interfering with them. Though, occasionally, they would glare begrudgingly at them through the darkness.

_Snip!_

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Lloyd growls.

"Quiet," a woman snaps.

"How can you just ignore us like this?" Lloyd questions. "We didn't even do anything!"

"If you didn't do anything then you wouldn't be down here with us," the woman remarks. "Now hush and let us work in peace."

Lloyd ignores her and brings out another lock pick. He maneuvers around the lock more carefully this time, knowing how the lock functions now. He applies pressure in certain areas . . .

_Click!_

"Yes . . ." Lloyd cranes his neck around and beckons, "Come here, Presea."

Presea begins to scoot over to him—

"Presea?" The woman turns around and focuses on the small figure in the darkness, illuminated by Colette's wings.

"Ah . . ." Presea goes as her eyes focus on the woman.

The woman squints her eyes through dirty glasses, and then goes, "Presea! It is you!"

"Presea?" a man goes. The other lab workers turn to observe the scene beginning.

The woman approaches Presea. "Presea! How did you wind up back here?"

Presea emotionlessly says, "G-get away . . ."

The woman stops. ". . . I see . . ."

Lloyd asks, "How do you know Presea?"

"Th-that's none of your business," the woman responds.

In the back, a young voice goes, "But, Kate, he looks like a friend of Presea's."

The woman, Kate, retorts, "If he was her friend then he wouldn't have let her get stuck down here."

"I didn't mean for that to happen!" Lloyd tells. "And I'll get her out of here when I get the chance!"

Kate narrows her eyes at him. "How will you do that with those shackles?"

Lloyd stands and tosses aside the unlocked shackles. There is a pause as everyone watches him.

". . . Oh . . ." Kate goes, slightly intimidated to find a prisoner now free of his shackles.

Lloyd ignores her and walks over to Presea. He gently helps her to her feet and pulls out two lock picks before easily getting the shackles off. Kate and the other people trapped in the darkness watch him as he releases Presea from her bindings.

Kate takes a breath, and then informs, "Presea was my team's research sample."

Lloyd stands straight and asks, "What kind of research?"

Kate answers, "Research to develop a Cruxis Crystal inside the human body."

Sensing a familiarity, Lloyd gets chills down his spine as he inquires, "How does that work?"

"Well, theoretically, they are no different than Exspheres," Kate explains. "By allowing them to slowly feed on the human body—"

"Stop!" Lloyd suddenly says. "That's the exact same way the Desians make Exspheres! How could you treat people the same way that Desians treat others?"

Kate takes a step back, clearly affronted. She growls, "I could ask you the same thing. How could you humans treat half-elves the way you do?"

"I treat them the same as everyone else!" Lloyd defends. "There's no difference between humans and half-elves!"

"Oh?" Kate goes. "So you would lock anyone in a basement and force them to work without seeing the light of day?"

"I wouldn't do that to anyone!" Lloyd proclaims. "I could _never_ do that to anyone!"

"_He isn't from Tethe'alla!"_

Everyone jumps and searches around the room. Scratching sounds and thunking rings as if through a metal pipe.

One of the half-elves points towards the ceiling. "It's coming from the smoke stack!"

The pipe echoes out heavy thudding sounds before Sheena awkwardly slips out of the large pipe ending at the ceiling and onto the ground. Sheena stands and rubs her neck. "Owwww . . . !"

The ninja shakes it off and states, "Anyway, Lloyd's a strange one who was raised in Sylvarant with half-elves and a dwarf."

"Sheena!" Lloyd happily greets. "How did you know that—"

"I'll explain later!" Sheena hurriedly tells him. "Genis, Raine, Kelsey, and Zelos are being taken to Meltokio! If we go after them now we should be able to save them!"

"So you're all going to run away?" Kate goes.

Sheena inquires, "Are you going to stop us? We're going to save our half-elf best friends."

Lloyd reminds, "Zelos is human."

"Oh, plus one stupid Chosen."

Kate crosses her arms. "I . . . I won't let you trick me. There is no way a human would save a half-elf."

Another half-elf, a man, says, "But Kate . . . That girl is from Mizuho, the Chosen himself got arrested, and Presea is here. Out of all the crazy things that have been going on, is it really as much of a stretch to think that half-elves were arrested too?"

Kate presses her lips together.

Lloyd impatiently states, "We don't have any time. If you're going to get in our way, we'll have to fight you!"

"Fine. I'll let you go," Kate concurs. "Though if you come back here and show me that you do have half-elf friends then . . . then I'll release Presea from the experiment."

"You promise?" Lloyd asks.

"I swear upon the name of the Goddess Martel," Kate vows.

". . . Okay."

Kate pauses for a moment before heading to a bookshelf in the back. She reaches up high before swiping her hand across the top of a particular book. The bookshelf pushes open and Kate shoves it to the side like a heavy door. With that done, she moves to the side, isolating herself from everyone as all eyes stare upon her.

Kate informs, ". . . You can escape to the surface through that passage. It's a two-way secret passage so you can come and go as you please, as long as you know the way in or out."

One of her coworkers goes, ". . . Kate . . . You knew this was here? Yet you didn't tell us? Why?"

Kate responds, "I could have also left whenever I wanted. I could have abandoned all of you while you slept. I could have done so many things . . . As for my reasons for staying, I'll keep that to myself."

Lloyd takes Colette's hand and pulls her to the passage with Sheena and Presea following. He gives Kate his most sincere "Thank you."

Sheena nags, "Hurry! We need to get to the bridge!"

* * *

An armored hand swats my cheek, knocking me down to the ground. "Come on! Do something! We're taking you to your death!"

I struggle back to my knees—

The Papal Knight in question yanks on my hair to pull me up.

"OW! OW! OW!" I cry out.

"Shut up!" Momentarily releasing my hair, the hand comes again—

I dodge the hand and back away from—

"_Ugh!_" I yelp as a metal boot kicks my back.

The first Papal Knight goes, "Thanks. I hate it when they dodge."

"I got her, though," the second replies.

Bruises all across my knees, back, cheeks, and arms; a split lip; scrapes down my legs and the back of my arms; and a black eye. I've had worse but I haven't gotten so much damage in even a battle against monsters before. Though I suppose the Papal Knights are just a different kind of monster.

I've never in my life ever wanted to kill someone so much as I do right now.

"You think that's fun?" the general goes. "Watch this . . ."

The general snatches Genis up.

"Genis!" Raine cries.

General Kirkson swings Genis against me, knocking me off balance and back to the ground, and flings the poor boy against Raine. Raine braces herself as soon as she sees the motion towards her, but only manages to catch Genis' fall as they both tumble to the ground from the impact. Surrounding Papal Knights laugh at the admiral's display.

Raine worriedly asks, "Genis, did you get hurt? I'll heal it as soon as I can. I promise."

Kirkson kicks Raine, causing her to grunt. "Like you'll be able to do that when you've got shackles on your hands!"

Zelos gripes, "Grow some balls, Kirkson. The only reason you think you can pull off shit like that is because they're in shackles."

The general spats, "You've got to be joking. I know for a fact that you don't like half-elves. Now you're championing them?"

". . . What I think about half-elves doesn't really matter," Zelos retorts.

"Oh really?" Kirkson reminds, "Did you forget who killed your mother? A half-elf that spawned your father's bastard child! Did you forget that?"

Zelos glowers with pure anger. ". . . Call Seles that again. I dare you."

General Kirkson spits, "Bas. Tard. Chi. Ld. Spawn."

"F**king bastard . . ." Zelos utters as he closes his eyes and concentrates . . .

Only . . . one Papal Knight was far enough to see his hands.

"_General!_" the Papal Knight warns. "_He's casting a spell!_"

General Kirkson advances on Zelos and reaches for his collar—

"Lightning!" Zelos casts.

A strip of electricity crashes into Kirkson just before he reaches Zelos. The Chosen leaps away as his spell electrocutes the general and glares hell upon the man. When the general recovers from the electric shock, he orders, "Block him off!"

Zelos rushes away despite being slowed by the shackles. However, one of the Papal Knights chasing after him flings his halberd with amazing strength that must come from an Exsphere and the halberd crashes just before Zelos, momentarily hindering his run. Unfortunately, that short laps was just enough for the general to catch up.

Kirkson snatches Zelos' black undershirt and thrusts him off the edge of the bridge, dangling just above his death by a hostile hand.

"The only thing—the ONLY thing—that keeps me from dropping you right now," the general snarls, "is the fact that the Pope wants to deal with you personally. That is the ONLY thing that keeps me from killing you!"

Zelos vows, his voice filled with hate, "I will kill you. No matter what it takes, I'll kill you before I die for every single thing you've put me through. Remember that, you bastard."

General Kirkson pulls Zelos away from the edge and flings him down to the ground. "Get going! I'm tired of looking at you! I can't wait for you to die!"

"What a coincidence," Zelos mutters as he gets back up.

A while goes by as we walk in silence again. The sun begins to set once we see the end of the bridge. My hopes begin to drop when I see that distant end.

Genis utters, "Raine . . . Lloyd's going to escape and save us, right? He . . . He has to. He just . . ."

Raine sadly looks upon her brother and fakes a hopeful smile. ". . . He will, Genis. Lloyd will escape and save us. Even while we are imprisoned in Meltokio for execution, Lloyd will come and save us. Don't lose hope, Genis."

Genis' shoulders droop when he sees Raine's face. However, he lets his sister's attempt to sooth his soul and nods in confirmation. ". . . Yeah. Yeah. He will. He was always there for us before. He'll be there again."

"Shut up," a Papal Knight growls. "Even if he did manage to escape, even _if_ he did want to rescue a bunch of filthy half-elves and a no-good lazy Chosen, he wouldn't make it in time. Once we reach across, we'll just put the drawbridge up. There's no way he could get to you then!"

As Genis and Raine get dispirited, I respond, "Lloyd will make it in time."

Genis asks, "Do you really believe that?"

"We kind of have to," I reply. "He's really our only hope."

Genis looks down at his feet. ". . . Yeah. He is."

* * *

"Wait, Sheena!" Lloyd says as soon as they're out of Sybak.

"No! We can't wait!" Sheena comes back. "Every second means the difference between life and death for them!"

"I know how we can get to them faster!" Lloyd states.

"I know too! By running!" Sheena declares.

"No! Noishe!"

Sheena blinks. "Noishe? Oh! You think he can carry us, though?"

"Absolutely!" Lloyd puts two fingers against his lips and sends out a long drawn loud whistle.

. . . . . . . . . . "_Aaarrrroooooeeee!_"

Lloyd grins. "See?"

Sheena grins with satisfaction. ". . . Don't tell anyone I said this, but you're smarter than you look."

Lloyd frowns. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Here comes Noishe!" Sheena points out suddenly.

Noishe bounds up to them with high speeds and halts just before Lloyd. Lloyd gets up on Noishe's back and declares, "Noishe! The others are in danger and we need to get to them as fast as possible! Can you get us to them?"

"Rowr!" Noishe confirms with a dedicated nod.

Lloyd reaches his hand out and Sheena grabs hold of it and swings onto Noishe's back. Then Sheena grabs onto Presea's hand and pulls her on. Lloyd tells Colette, "Colette! Come with us!"

Lloyd braces himself on Noishe and shouts, "Let's go, Noishe!"

"Rooorrre!"

Noishe dashes off with incredible speeds blazing through the land. It only takes seconds for them to reach passed the start of the bridge. The bridge melts away in minutes as they speed through what took them days to walk.

"Lloyd! Look!" Sheena prompts.

Lloyd looks back at Sheena and finds what she was directing his attention to. Colette's wings strain to keep up with the vigorous pace Noishe sets. She steadily falls behind but still keeps up with an amazing pace. Although the Chosen is still soulless, one thing is clear . . .

Colette is following them on her own without active direction from anyone.

"Whiiieee!" Noishe whines in exclamation.

"Keep going!" Lloyd tells Noishe, focusing back to the run.

"Whiiee!" Noishe keeps on.

"Keep go—" Then Lloyd sees what Noishe was warning him of at the far edges of his sight. At the end, the bridge steadily lifts up, reaching up to the sky. The drawbridge is being lifted.

"Damn! They're trying to cut us off!" Lloyd urges, "Run, Noishe, run!"

Noishe puts in his full speed, leaving Colette behind. The drawbridge gets closer and closer to its peak. Then, when Noishe arrives, instead of stopping at the wall forming, Noishe uses his speed to race up the raising drawbridge. He gets up to the top and leaps with all his might . . .

Noishe's feet get closer and closer to the other side. Things seem to slow down as Noishe steadily closes the distance between himself and the edge of the other half of the drawbridge . . .

. . . but it wasn't enough.

Just as they miss the edge, Noishe whines with terror as he claws the air to try to reach the other side and misses by a hair. They arch downward . . .

Lloyd looks up as they begin to fall and find that Colette is still following them despite their sure fall to death. For some reason, he decides to reach out to her, his hand stretched out. He doesn't know if it's his imagination, but somehow he sees Colette's hand reach out for his . . .

Then the two hands catch hold of each other.

"GAH!" Lloyd grunts as his arm pays for him holding everyone's weight with Noishe dangling with him up with Lloyd's legs braced against him, Sheena's arms wrapped around Lloyd's waist, and Presea dangling with her tiny hands clutched on Sheena's kimono. The pain was excruciating! He couldn't let go, though. Yet, Colette wasn't releasing his hand even though their combined weight impairs her flight mobility.

Lloyd stares up at Colette in shock. "C-Colette?"

Once again, he doesn't know if it's just his imagination, but he could have sworn that there was emotion behind her eyes. That there was . . . relief?

"Colette!" Lloyd gasps.

Then those eyes fade back to soulless emptiness.

Colette releases Lloyd's hand.

They fall once more . . .

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Lloyd screams as he falls down. The sea comes closer and closer!

"_Summonmaidenofmist!_" Sheena cries. "HELPUNDINE!"

Undine appears in a split second and raises her arms up. A rushing noise races up and pushes them up, revealing itself to be water. Despite being liquid, the water cushions their fall and rises them up to the top of the drawbridge on the side they were trying to reach. They remain there for a second . . .

With a wave of Undine's hand, the water drops them down to a slide that only feels like a slide when they reach the bottom. They all scream again as they drop down closer and closer to the ground and are sent soaring across the ground once the slide zips them safely to the ground.

All the Papal Knights, and even their prisoners, stare in shock as the group shakily gets back to their feet. Noishe crawls off to a place where he can safely orientate himself. Sheena summons Corrine and has him stand by for orders.

"Damn! They escaped!" General Kirkson curses. "Attack!"

While a few of the Papal Knights hesitate, four of them race in to attack the group while they're recovering.

Lloyd jumps to his feet and dodges an attack and counterattacks.

Colette, her self-preservation instinct triggered, begins attacking immediately.

Presea brings out her ax and begins hacking at the Papal Knights' armor.

Sheena commands, "Corrine! Get the shackles on our friends off!"

Corrine zips around the Papal Knights and snaps the shackles off of us, giving us our freedom back. Genis and Raine flee from their positions and take another spot to safely cast spells. Zelos whips out the sword that's always by his side and goes straight for General Kirkson, rage burning in his eyes. I myself just rush to Sheena.

"What about my spear?" I frantically ask. "I left that in my room back at the inn!"

Sheena reaches to her side and pulls out my spear. I look down and discover the destroyed wing pack.

"It still works?" I gawk.

"Only for things smaller than a rheaird!" Sheena states. "Anything bigger or amounting to more than that is too much! Now go fight!"

As Sheena hands Raine and Genis their weapons, I rush in and attack whoever catches my eye. Colette finishes off a second of two Papal Knights she killed, leaving six including Kirkson, and moves on to the one Lloyd is fighting. Presea slams her ax into the heavy armor and knocks the man completely down. I zip in to that one and, when Presea removes her ax from the armor, I jab my spear into the hole in the armor, finishing a third one off.

Genis casts, "Thunderblade!"

At the center of the Papal Knights, a blade of lighting strikes down and electrocutes all of the Papal Knights, minus General Kirkson who's having his own individual fight with Zelos. We all wait for the electricity to no longer be conductive before taking advantage of Genis' attack.

Sheena sets up a seal. "Lloyd!"

Lloyd rushes up to the seal.

"Mirage! . . ."

"Thrust!"

One more down, leaving three excluding Kirkson. I lash around one of the two that decided to gang up on Lloyd and attack his back. I search for any weak points in his armor and start testing the armor. When I see slight punctures and easy scratches, I realize something . . .

A dragon fang can pierce human armor.

I smirk maliciously.

"Sonic Thrust!"

My spear goes right through the Papal Knight as Lloyd and Sheena turn their attention to the second Papal Knight. The man dies as I yank my spear out of his body. I turn to find Colette and Presea finishing the second-to-last Papal Knight. Concluding that Lloyd and Sheena have the last Papal Knight under control, I back off and let them finish the guy off.

Zelos dodges the halberd General Kirkson swings and slashes at his hand, slicing it completely off.

General Kirkson yells out and is forced to abandon his halberd, due to the fact that the weapon needs two hands to lift.

Zelos coldly asks, "What's it like to feel helpless, Kirkson? Does it suck? I'll bet a lot of people you rendered helpless felt the same."

"D-damn you!" Kirkson curses.

General Kirkson charges at Zelos and misses when Zelos sidesteps him. With a swish of his blade, Zelos throws off Kirkson's helmet, exposing the man's head. When he turns around to face the general, Zelos finds the man lashing around and charging for Zelos' throat with his hand.

Zelos charges at Kirkson with great speed and precision, and slashes off the general's head, giving a quick death.

The general's body collapses. Zelos just stands there, taking in what just happened. Then he goes, "Oh goddess, I just killed him . . ."

We all regroup around Zelos.

Genis reminds, "You _did_ promise him that you would . . . well, kill him back on the bridge."

Zelos shakes his head. "That doesn't change the fact that I still did it . . . Oh man . . . Now I really can't go back."

Genis tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

Zelos throws his blood-stained sword down to the ground. He shouts at all of us, "_What do you mean 'what do you mean'? I just killed one of the highest ranking Papal Knights in Tethe'alla! If I could go back home after all of you dragged me into this mess then I certainly can't now!_"

Sheena snaps, "You were the one who killed Kirkson in the first place! Did you already forget that?"

"_If I weren't dragged and pressured into this I wouldn't have been forced to kill Kirkson in the first place! He would have just been an irritating factor in my life!_" Zelos bellows. "_Now that I'm framed by the Pope with Kirkson's death as proof of my betrayal, I don't even have a bed to sleep in anymore!_"

Sheena snarls, "_What about the others? They're not even in their own world anymore! Even Cruxis is hunting them down! We're all in a delicate situation!_"

"_They could have just left me out of their planning!_" Zelos shouts. "_They could have—_"

"_ZELOS!_" Sheena roars.

The two glare each other down. The fiery tension burns through the air. Then . . .

Zelos gives away with a tired sigh. He turns away from all of us, saying, "Never mind. Just . . . give me a moment. Too many things happened at once . . ."

Lloyd approaches Zelos. "Zelos, I'll make sure your name gets cleared."

Zelos bitterly questions, "And how are you going to do that? Magic? I would love to see that."

Lloyd hesitates before honestly admitting, "I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I promise, we'll get your name cleared and you will be able to go back home anytime you want. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Other than kill a general, no I didn't," Zelos remarks.

"I mean it, Zelos," Lloyd tells. "I don't break my promises."

Zelos sighs. ". . . I just need a moment to calm down and take everything in."

"Alright." Lloyd turns to the rest of us. "Everyone, we need to leave. I'm sure someone saw us fight the Papal Knights. Others are going to come pretty soon."

"They will," Raine states. "They were calling for reinforcements just when they activated the drawbridge."

"Then let's hurry," Lloyd says.

"Lloyd," Genis reminds, "Raine and Kelsey and I are half-elves."

Lloyd turns to him in question. "Soooo what's your point? You're all still my friends. That doesn't change."

Raine turns to the others, "What of the Tethe'allan half of our group? Do you mind if we join up with you?"

Sheena states, "I'm from Mizuho, a village of ninjas that were run off this continent. We're not exactly mainstream, either. We're not as different as you think."

Presea says, "I . . . just want to go home."

I turn to Zelos. "Zelos . . . What about you?"

Zelos looks back to us. At first he doesn't say anything before he blandly expresses, "While I don't exactly like half-elves, it's my problem and not yours. But I guess we're a lot alike since people always treated me differently, saying that I'm a descendent of angels and all."

Raine seems to gain a bit of relief as she says, "I see. Alright then."

Genis looks at Sheena. "By the way, what's Sheena doing here?"

Sheena states, "I have orders from my chief to observe your activities."

Zelos distantly explains, "That sounds like Mizuho. They're trying to decide who they should side with."

Genis raises an eyebrow. "Now we have two people keeping tabs on us?"

Zelos corrects, "Only one now. I've just been lumped into your little group so there's really no point in me keeping tabs now."

Sheena flusters, "Well I'm not trying to do anything or get in your way or anything so . . . so . . ."

Raine assures, "We know that already, Sheena. You're an honest person. Almost to a fault, even."

"After all this," Lloyd expresses, "I'm okay with anything."

"While we're talking about how we're not that different despite our backgrounds," I announce, "we should be heading out now. I don't know about all of you, but I don't want to be around when those reinforcements get here."

Lloyd turns to me, acknowledging my statement, and tells us all, "Kelsey's right. We need to get out of here right now."

So that's when we left, fear of the reinforcements pushing us on.

* * *

. . . Yup. Zelos snapped. If you think about it, it makes sense since he _did_ just lose everything he has except his life in one day.

Anyway, please review. (man, what happened to my creative please reviews?)


	45. Pressing the Pause Button

Kelsey: *presses pause button*

Game: Oh, you want to press pause? Guess what: there's no pause button! Lololololol!

Kelsey: *tosses controller at TV* F**KING GAME! WHY DO I HAVE TO BE STUCK IN THIS SUCKY REALITY INSTEAD OF MY OWN LIFE?

In the meantime, I've got another chapter in progress but I've been in writer's block over it for a while so I decided to post this one anyway.

Also, I've been listening to music themes from Studio Ghibli's movies (movies like Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke) and I'm moved by it. Simply lovely. Why can't any music in the US be like this anymore? Instead of pieces like this, we get Justin Beiber and Hanna Montana. Curse irony.

This chapter feels . . . a little scattered at the beginning.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Five: Pressing the Pause Button

We retreated into the cover of the northwest forest and set up camp there. We all had a bunch of questions in our heads that we wanted to ask the others, especially to Sheena. Though I'm sure there's a bunch of questions she wants to ask us, too, like how did we end up being branded as traitors to Tethe'alla. However, we're all tired from today's events so I don't know how long our Q and A is going to last.

Sheena was the one who gathered wood and built a campfire since the rest of us are all beaten down. Raine, however, was up and about healing our injuries, despite the ones she has for herself. It took some nagging from Lloyd and Genis for her to heal herself before getting back to treating us. I let myself zone out and start watching everyone do their thing until we bring ourselves to ask the most important questions. Raine pulls out some orange gels to revitalize her magic; Presea just sits there; Sheena pulls out a bed roll and makes herself a comfortable pallet; Genis just sits there too, probably calming himself down from today's events; Lloyd busies himself by sharpening his swords; and Zelos pulls out a sketchbook.

Huh?

I look back at Zelos. Yes, he really is holding a sketchbook. I never would have thought of him as the type to sketch but there he is with one, and actually sketching on the paper.

". . . You sketch?" I ask him.

Zelos doesn't look away from his paper. "Stress reliever. Nothing serious."

Oh.

Apparently that broke the silence enough because Genis speaks up and asks, "Sheena, how did you know that we got arrested?"

Sheena answers, "I headed to Sybak once I got my orders since that is where the Imperial Research Academy is. As soon as I got in the city, there was this huge uproar going on about the Chosen being arrested with half-elves and I knew there was trouble. So I started searching the entire city for anywhere they would hold the rest of you."

Then Sheena asks, "What about you? There's not much else I can tell about what I did, so how did all of you get arrested in the first place?"

Zelos points his pencil towards Lloyd. "Blame that guy right there."

Sheena remarks, "If your sketching is a stress reliever it's not doing a very good job."

Lloyd tells, "We found out that Cruxis Crystals are actually Exspheres that evolved. So with that, we got a key crest and fit it to Colette's Cruxis Crystal. It . . . It didn't seem to work . . . So we decided to go to Sylvarant to see if Dad can do anything to help and that's when the Papal Knights came and arrested us."

Sheena frowns. "That sounds like the Papal Knights, alright. Though, there's one other thing that I'm wondering about . . ." Sheena wonders, "Wasn't Colette the one who held us up for just a moment while we were about to fall? If the key crest didn't work then why would she catch us? It doesn't make any sense if self-preservation is the only thing she wants as an angel."

Genis, Raine, and I look up in shock. Colette actually did something that was outside the self-preservation motivation?

Raine goes, "Lloyd, is this true?"

Lloyd accounts for, "Yes, it is. Colette really did catch us. Then, while she held us up, I could have sworn I saw something in her eyes. It looked a little like . . . like relief. Then earlier she was following Noishe across the bridge all by herself! I think the key crest is actually working, even a little bit!"

Genis stands and watches Colette. "Then Colette should be waking up any second now?"

Raine states, "We don't know that for sure. It could be that the key crest can only partially restrain the Cruxis Crystal. It could also mean that it may take some time before the key crest can fully restrain her Cruxis Crystal. We won't know until we find someone who does know."

Lloyd smiles, "It still means that the key crest is working, at least a little bit. Colette could be completely aware of what we're doing but just not able to do anything at the moment."

Sheena mentions, "There's also one more question I have . . . Lloyd, when Colette caught us, she was holding up you, me, Presea, and Noishe. You were the one who caught her hand, too. Since none of us fell until she let us go, that means you were holding up your own weight, my weight, Presea's weight, and Noishe's weight all at once."

If the news about Colette's key crest didn't fully catch our attention, this certainly did. As I set aside my pen, I spot Zelos out of the corner of my eye setting aside his sketchbook, whereas with Colette he just lowered it (although he was fully paying attention).

Presea calculates, "Combined weight approximately five hundred pounds when not in motion. Then with the speed of a fall increasing the total weight, it would be impossible for a young human male to hold that amount of weight."

Lloyd switches between Sheena and Presea in confusion. "I've got my Exsphere, remember? It makes me stronger."

Raine says, "No, Lloyd. Even with your Exsphere you should not have been able to hold all of them up, especially with Noishe. Even an attempt should have dislocated your arm."

Lloyd recalls, "My arm did hurt a lot when I caught Colette's hand. It still hurts."

"Is it dislocated?"

"No."

"See my point?" Raine states, "It should have been impossible for you to hold them up."

I bring up, "What if his Exsphere is growing?"

Attention is brought to me.

Genis reminds, "Lloyd has a key crest on so it shouldn't be growing."

"Actually . . ." Raine's eyes light with calculation. She turns to Lloyd. "Exspheres are dwarvan technology and the method the Desians use to grow Exspheres is of their own design. What was the original method to developing an Exsphere?"

Lloyd informs, "I don't know the details, but Dad told me that dwarves would put Exspheres they wanted on themselves with a key crest attached and just let it grow on its own while they just went about with life. It usually takes years for one to grow under normal circumstances."

I point out, "Is what we've been through in the past few months 'normal circumstances'? I think everything you've been through has been accelerating its growth. Hence you got strong enough to hold all of them up."

Lloyd screws his face up in a deep frown. ". . . Kvar said that my Exsphere was supposed to be an offering to Yggdrasill. So would all this mean that my Exsphere is becoming a Cruxis Crystal even with the key crest on?"

Raine informs, "It may be in the process of becoming a Cruxis Crystal, but I highly doubt it would be complete within your lifetime. You said it takes years for an Exsphere to fully develop under the original dwarvan method, so for a Cruxis Crystal it must take even longer than a normal human could live. I might not even live long enough to see it change."

Feeling reassured, Lloyd relaxes. "I see."

"All this sounds pretty sound," Zelos wonders, "but how would your dad know much about dwarves in the first place?"

Genis gives a slight look at Zelos as if the guy were stupid. "Because Lloyd's dad so happens to be a dwarf."

Zelos blinks in obvious surprise. ". . . So Lloyd is half-dwarf?"

Lloyd states, "I'm human. Dad took me in after my mom died."

Zelos asks, "Where's your real father during all this?"

Genis warns, "Zelos, it's a touchy subject."

Lloyd assures, "It's alright, Genis. I answered questions like this for a while even before I met you." He looks back to Zelos. "I don't know what happened to my real dad. I was told by Mom's relatives in Luin that he's alive but as far as I know he could have been killed by Desians."

Zelos backs off a little. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright," Lloyd says. "I wouldn't trade the dad I have now for anything and I've got great friends with me."

After that, things started to warm up a bit. I tossed my journal back into my bag as soon as I was done with it and start talking with the others, especially Sheena. The ninja is definitely the popular one right now since we haven't seen her in so long. It didn't take long for her to notice Genis' crush on Presea, though, since he's still going over almost everything she does. Although she does indeed relax in our company, there's a reason why she isn't completely relaxed.

"Sheena, when you're done giving them attention, I'll take you away and give you everything you missed about me," Zelos comments with a half grin.

"What is it about you that I could miss?" Sheena remarks.

"Don't pretend, Sheena," Zelos purrs. "Everyone knows that you're my special hunny~."

Sheena growls, "Is _that_ what you told them?"

"Of course! Why would I lie to them?" Zelos goes.

"I see you haven't changed at all while I was gone," Sheena snaps. "You didn't do anything . . . funny to them while I was gone, did you?"

Zelos cheerfully wonders, "Are you jealous, sweet? Don't worry. While I may stray off to one or two other women, I save all of my best tricks for you when we're alone at night~."

"And since when have I let you be alone with me?" Sheena snaps.

I inform, "He's just trying to get a rise out of you, Sheena."

"I know that!"

"Then stop falling for his tricks," I tell her. "Unless you like him aggravating you."

Zelos merrily enlightens me, "I'll just switch to you if I can't get Sheena to react."

"Go ahead," I challenge. "I can put up with you better than Sheena does."

Sheena warns, "You're playing into his hands, Kelsey."

"I can ignore him."

Zelos calls out on me, "That's a nice bluff but it won't fool me."

I'll ignore him.

Zelos decides to sit closer into the group and deems a spot next to me as open. Okay, very ignorable.

"So what are we going to do now?" Genis wonders. "We can't cross the bridge and we certainly can't get a boat. How are we going to bring Presea back home?"

I feel light movement skimming through the bottom half of my hair, starting higher at each stroke. Ignorable.

Lloyd says, "We'll figure something out."

I see a gloved hand with the corner of my eye and swat it away and go back to ignoring him.

Sheena says, "We should probably head to Meltokio to the Research Institute. I have friends there who would probably help us if we asked."

I feel light fingers skim along my jaw. I finally blush.

Zelos whispers in my ear, "Told you."

Damn it.

"Meltokio is going to be in an uproar over what just happened," Raine informs. "Right now probably isn't the best time to go."

"When _is_ the best time?" I ask as I make an effort to lean away from Zelos. "Right now is probably the best time since they're just now starting to get word and not everyone will know of what happened right away."

Zelos states, "This news is too big. Everyone with any sort of power will know of our wanted status by tomorrow. We should wait until most of the hype is gone."

"Or at least the shock," Sheena adds.

"So we're going to be camping for a while?" I go.

"It looks like it," Lloyd says.

"Can't we just hang out at some House of Guidance in the middle of nowhere until it's time to go?" Zelos hopefully asks.

"The time it would take to reach the Fuuji continent House of Guidance would be longer than the time it takes for a messenger bird to reach the same destination," Presea states.

Genis adds, "Presea is right! They would already know by the time we get there."

"Aw man . . ." Zelos moans.

"No use complaining now," I speak up. "We'll just have to bear with it until we find a solution."

So we chatter for a bit after that, speculating on a few things, catching up with each other. Presea hardly speaks up despite the fact that Genis often asks her things and tries to get her involved in the conversation. Sheena once tried to lift Presea's ax and failed to lift it far. Zelos showed pity towards Sheena and told her along the lines of "watch as a man does it" . . . and failed to lift it himself as his fingers slip and drop it near his foot, nearly chopping off a few toes.

A few moments later, Lloyd and Sheena start taking over most of the conversation while the rest of us just listen. Zelos gets up at the side and speaks up, "Raine, Genis, Kelsey, I would like a word with you."

"You actually called me by my name instead of brat for once," Genis notes.

Lloyd welcomingly says, "If you want to talk to them then you can just say it out."

Zelos states, "This is actually about earlier while we were arrested by the Papal Knights."

Raine lets a short pause go by before obliging, "Very well, Zelos. Be sure not to take us too far out."

Zelos assures, "Don't worry. We'll stay in sight but I don't want to be overheard."

As we stand, Sheena asks, "Why not?"

"Just because," Zelos responds as he leads us away. When we finally stop, we can still see the light of the campfire through the trees but it's clear that Lloyd and Sheena aren't going to hear us. Zelos turns to us with a serious expression.

"About everything that General Kirkson said about my family," Zelos begins, "I would like it if you would pretend that you didn't hear any of that."

"Is any of it true?" Genis wonders.

Zelos sighs. ". . . My parents didn't exactly marry because they wanted to. It was arranged by the church. My father got a mistress some time after I was born and after he died there were . . . complications, to say the least."

Raine assumes, "And was your father's mistress a half-elf as Kirkson said?"

Zelos nods. "Yes. There was . . . an accident that involved my mother and that particular half-elf that resulted in my mother's death, and with the discriminating laws passed against half-elves, the mistress . . . was charged for my mother's death."

"That's terrible!" Genis says.

Zelos shakes his head. "Don't feel too bad for her. She didn't help things at all with her challenges to the church, saying that her child, my half-sister Seles, was the appropriate heir to the Mana Lineage. Because of those challenges, my sister is now under house arrest at an abbey."

"So you desire silence over this issue," Raine states without question.

"Yes." Zelos says, "I'm hoping that you three would understand, given the circumstances."

"So because of what happened, you don't like half-elves?" Genis figures. "Is that why?"

Zelos shrugs. "The entire issue is complicated but understand that it was not only being told that a half-elf killed my mother but also because that sort of attitude is what I was raised to think. I haven't been with you long at all but I can already tell that you three are good people. Though knowing that yet not being able to shake the feelings is what discrimination is about."

There is a pause as we take in those last few words.

Raine concurs, "You have my silence, Zelos. Unless you change your mind, I promise I will not tell the others about this."

". . . Yeah," Genis agrees. "I don't like keeping secrets, but I'll stay quiet."

I promise, "We won't say anything if that's what you want. The only one who has a right to reveal that information is you."

"Thanks . . ." Zelos replies.

_Chink!_

The four of us whip around towards the darkness inside the forest. We watch warily as we try to discern just what it is. Nothing moves, but we still feel it there.

Zelos ushers, "You three go on ahead. I'll go check it out."

I go, "And if you need help?"

"How sweet," Zelos pleasantly replies, "but I can take care of myself. If I need help I'll just come back and let all of you deal with it."

Genis' expression turns flat at that comment. "Thanks. We'll be sure to save your ass when you come running back."

Raine steers Genis away. "Come along, Genis. Let's go."

I follow Raine back and leave Zelos be. I glance back to find him leaving to investigate whatever it is that he's watching. The young man disappears behind the trees within the distance.

When we return, Lloyd wonders, "Where's Zelos?"

"He heard something and stayed to investigate," Raine explains. "He will return if something happens."

Lloyd stands. "I'll go see if he needs help."

Sheena says, "Let him do what he wants. I'm sure it's just an animal or something."

Lloyd pauses in consideration for a moment but then allows, ". . . Alright." However, he remains standing and alert, just in case.

"Speaking of Zelos," Sheena goes, "what did he want to talk to you about?"

"Stuff," I simply answer.

"What kind of 'stuff'?" Sheena presses.

"The stuff kind of stuff."

"What was all that about?"

"The stuff kind of stuff was all about stuff."

"Alright, alright," Sheena gives in. "I get it. You can be obnoxious, did you know?"

"I've always known that," I merrily reply.

We wait a short while before Zelos returns. He comes back with a casual and relaxed air so it's clear that nothing happened.

"So what was out there?" Lloyd asks.

Zelos replies, "It was just an animal. I stayed a little longer to make sure nothing else was out there but I didn't find anything else."

"As long as no one gets hurt," Lloyd says.

Zelos gets a contemplative look in his eyes as he goes, "Are we really going to just hang out in the woods until we can enter Meltokio? There's probably something useful we could do with this time."

"Like what?" Genis questions. "It's not like we can just go take a look at the rheairds. Those can't even be used now even if we had fuel."

"What kind of condition are these rheairds in?" Zelos wonders.

"Totaled," I flatly answer.

Raine recalls, "Actually, only two of the rheairds are unusable. For one, magitechnology is supposed to be stronger than what we assumed. Even if all of them crashed completely, the machines should be salvageable. Also, let's remember that Sheena's rheaird slid to a halt and Kelsey's flipped onto the summit."

Zelos smiles and snaps his fingers in a point towards Raine. "That sounds like a plan. Let's go check out those rheairds and see if there's anything salvageable. Chances are we'll find something in the downed rheairds that we can use to fix anything broken in the other two rheairds."

I look around everyone. "And why haven't we come to this conclusion in the first place?"

Zelos smirks. "Because I wasn't there when you first crashed. Let's face it, all of you need my brilliance."

"Even if this works, how are we going to carry the rheairds around?" Lloyd asks. "The wing pack Noishe chewed can only carry anything that amounts up to one rheaird."

"Leave that to me," Zelos assures. "I prepared something just in case something like this happened."

"So what is it?" Lloyd wonders.

Zelos puts a finger up to his lips and winks at Lloyd. "It's a secret~."

"Oh brother . . ." Genis sighs.

"Zelos has a point, though," Lloyd admits. "We need to take another look at those rheairds. Let's head out tomorrow morning."

Sheena groans, "Ugh . . . The climb up is going to be harder than the climb down."

"Please don't say things like that . . ." Lloyd moans. "It's hard enough to believe that we're going to have to climb that damn mountain again."

"Weeelllll . . ." Zelos begins as he takes off his coat. "If we're done planning out the next step, I'm going to hit the sack."

Lloyd glances at Zelos before saying, "I guess I'll take the first night watch."

Sheena says, "Have Zelos do some work, too. He can take the last night watch."

"What? I need to get some sleep too!" Zelos lightly protests as he takes off the black undershirt.

. . . Why hello, Zelos' chest, it's very nice to meet you.

I glance away with slight discomfort at my thoughts as Sheena counters, "Don't expect people to be at your beck and call while you're with us. You get to do work just like the rest of us. That means you also get a share of the chores we do around here."

When Zelos removes his gloves he drops them and the undershirt and the coat onto my lap, probably because I'm the closest person. Then, while I'm staring at the pink coat, Zelos pulls a nice bed roll out of his bag and rolls it out. With his sword unbuckled and set at his side and his belt removed, he slips into the roll in a sit.

He notices that I'm not doing anything other than staring at his pink coat and asks, "Could you be a dear and fold that for me?"

I give him a flat expression and toss the gloves and undershirt at him with an absolute "No. Guys do their own laundry."

I go back to staring at the pink coat.

Zelos goes, "But—"

"No."

"Why not—"

"No."

"Just this once—"

"No."

Then Zelos beckons, "Then at least give me back my coat."

I toss that back. As soon as he catches it he puts it in as nice of a fold he can, although the coat is folded wrong. Looks like Zelos is going to learn how to fully take care of himself during this journey.

"Why were you staring at his coat, though?" Genis questions with a tone that tells me that I was acting weird.

I decided that it's time for me to go to sleep. "Because I did."

"You're just trying to avoid answering my question," Genis states.

"And watch me accomplish that by going to sleep," I reply as I crawl into my own bed roll.

* * *

We all stare up the mountain trail.

"Just looking at it makes my legs hurt," I carp. Thankfully I got out of that scarlet skirt and jacket from Meltokio and put on that spring green tunic with the black slacks instead.

"The sooner we climb it the sooner we can get this done," Lloyd points out. "Just think about something else for a while."

"The Fooji Mountains aren't that tall," Zelos comments.

"It's still a _mountain_," Genis reminds. "It's going to be a pain to climb."

So up the trail we go. The higher we climb the more of a pain I realize that this mountain is going to be. Sure, going _down_ is easy enough but going _up_ is even harder! At least part of it is filled with some of Zelos' meaningless chatter.

". . . so I told this guy not to ever—"

Genis curses, "You're such a loudmouth! Is there any end?"

"'Loudmouth'?" Zelos snaps. "What are you talking about? I have a beautiful voice, like my face, and . . . !"

I groan as the chattering continues.

Sheena complains to herself, "I can't believe how much one guy can talk! It's like he's hyped up on sugar or something!"

"That may just be it," I comment.

"How do you guys deal with him?" Sheena asks.

"I don't know about the others but I just see Zelos as obnoxious," I tell. "I've seen worse guys than him."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Trust me, worse are out there."

About halfway up the mountain, Lloyd stops and points out, "That rheaird over there must be the one I used!"

We look across the chasm between us and the platform where the rheaird is and examine the rheaird. The flying machine itself is crushed at the nose and a wing is torn off. It definitely won't be flying any time soon if it flies at all after this.

"Even I can tell that's totally trashed," Zelos comments.

"Yuan is not going to be happy when he sees that rheaird," Genis notes.

"He can just make more, right?" Lloyd states.

"That doesn't mean it's easy for him to make another rheaird to replace that one," Sheena says.

Raine reminds, "We need to keep moving. I don't recommend we remain on the summit when night falls with the Renegades and Cruxis searching for us."

"Speaking of the Renegades and Cruxis," Lloyd starts, "why haven't they tried to go after us lately? They want Colette, don't they?"

"Only Cruxis wants Colette," Genis corrects. "The Renegades want you. But, yeah, it's bugging me too. Why haven't they gone after us?"

Raine states, "It could mean that they are setting up a trap for us. There also may be something they need and they are just obtaining that before they apprehend us."

"And the rheairds are a perfect spot for the Renegades to set a trap," Sheena finishes. "Keep your guard up, everyone."

"Though why Lloyd? That doesn't make any sense." Zelos walks next to Lloyd and tells, "No offense, bud, but I don't see anything special about you. Got any deep dark secrets that the Renegades might find interesting?"

"No," Lloyd gives.

"Any grudge they may have against you?"

"Not as far as I know."

"Any connections they may want to use?"

"No. There's Colette but they said that they don't need her now."

"Hmmm . . . Tricky . . ." Zelos puzzles over the matter for the moment and then goes, "I know! Do you have any relatives in Cruxis? Like, maybe your real dad?"

"What?" Lloyd gawks for a moment but then growls, "Hell no! What makes you think that?"

Zelos snaps his fingers in frustration. "Damn! There goes _that_ clichéd plot device!"

I can't help myself. "Ahahahahahah!"

Sheena rolls her eyes. "I can't believe you're even mentioning crap like that. Then again, I shouldn't be so surprised."

"What is he talking about?" Genis goes. "It just seems really random to me."

"Let's just say there are a lot of books out there that take advantage of a big plot device that was once really good," Zelos replies.

Sheena explains, "There's this plot device that one story used where the protagonist who's dad mysteriously disappeared and it's later revealed that one of the big villains is the protagonist's father. Nowadays, it's so overused that it's now a cliché itself."

"Why would this be applied to real life?" Lloyd irritably questions.

"Don't pay too much attention to me, bud," Zelos casually puts. "I like to pull things like that out of my ass."

We continue the climb up the Fooji Mountains. As we keep going up, I notice the air getting thinner and the sun setting lower. A need to hurry sets our pace as we climb faster. On the way up, we spot Genis and Raine's rheaird as well and it's in as bad condition as Lloyd's so we just leave it be, our hopes focused on Sheena's rheaird and mine. When we get up, we find my rheaird and Sheena's in the same place as we left it.

"Phew!" Lloyd goes as he bends over, his hands supported on his knees. "We finally made it."

Sheena goes, "Alright, Zelos, what's this 'secret' you've got?"

"Let's first make sure the rheairds aren't totaled like the other two are," Zelos says.

Raine concurs, "Zelos is right. Before we can even think about handling the rheairds, we must first make sure we can fly them if we had the fuel."

Raine starts examining mine first since it's the closest. After some scrutiny, Raine gives the word that this rheaird is fully functional, minus the fuel. Then she moves over to Sheena's rheaird and does minor inspection since all it did was slide to a stop. Raine informs us that this rheaird is fully functional as well.

"So if we could just get electrically charged mana," Raine theorizes, "the rheairds should begin working."

"So where can we get this electric mana?" Lloyd asks.

"Most likely from a summon spirit," Raine states. "Perhaps Volt's mana will do."

Then Lloyd concludes, "And since Volt is a summon spirit, Sheena can make a pact!"

"Volt!" Sheena cries out.

Lloyd turns to her in puzzlement. "What's wrong, Sheena?"

Sheena shakes her head. "N-nothing."

"Are you sure?" Lloyd wonders. "If there's something wrong, you can tell us."

"I said it's nothing." Sheena turns to Zelos. "Hey, Zelos! What about that secret about the rheairds?"

"Alright, then!" Zelos cheerfully proclaims, "Gather around here, kiddies! The Great Zelos made sure to pack something special back in Meltokio! Come over here and look!"

When Zelos starts digging in his bag, we gather around him at the center of the large summit. Colette waits by my rheaird.

As Zelos begins to pull the special object out for display, he announces, "It's a handy little . . . wing pack!"

Displaying a gleaming new wing pack for us to see, Zelos shows off all the item's glory. Lloyd slightly tilts his head as he views it.

"How did you get that?" Lloyd asks. "Sheena got the one we have from a shelf in the Renegade's rheaird hanger."

Zelos says, "I had someone get it for me from Research Institute. I thought that we might need to carry something heavy around while we were walking around so I ordered it—and whatever the Chosen wants, the Chosen gets. It was easy to grab on the way out."

Lloyd smiles approvingly. "That's pretty smart of you, Zelos! This is great!"

"Yup!" Zelos grins widely. "I'm just that _awesome_, aren't I?"

_SHEEEAAAHH!_

A dome of yellow mana surrounds us, blocking us entirely off. There isn't even a whole at the top to jump through. We all clamber around the edges, searching for a weak point, searching for a way out, but we quickly discover there isn't. Renegade men emerge from clever hiding spots. All of us bunch together towards the center, away from the Renegades and the edges.

Yuan emerges from his own spot and steps towards us. His face is filled with frustration and some triumph, and also with some condescending. "You walked right into my trap, you fools!"

"Yuan!" Lloyd growls.

Yuan commands, "Retrieve the other two rheairds and I want all my men to retreat back to the base as soon as the rheairds are in hand."

"Yes, sir!"

We watch as the two remaining rheairds disappear into wing packs belonging to the Renegades and the members depart with the wing packs in hand. Only one, with high rank distinctions (although not Botta), remains.

"As for you, sir?" the high ranking Renegade prompts.

"I will meet you in the base with Lloyd apprehended," Yuan states. He pulls out a device, charged with mana, with a single button placed on it. "My task is the simplest out of everyone's: grab Lloyd and teleport back to the base. I could do this blindfolded."

"I'd like to see you try, you overconfident bastard!" Lloyd spats.

"I would like to see you escape with that dome surrounding you," Yuan returns.

"Shall I arrange for a cell to be opened?" the remaining Renegade member asks.

"Just wait for me back at the base," Yuan dismisses.

"Yes, sir!" The last Renegade member departs.

Yuan threatens, "You won't escape this time, Lloyd!"

"Corrine!" Sheena calls.

_Poooommm!_

Smoke erupts and Corrine dashes for Yuan's throat. Yuan only spares a glance to swat Corrine away with his hand electrically charged. Corrine flies back with electricity shooting across his body and lands harshly on the ground, twitching from the counterattack.

"_Corrine!_" Sheena cries out.

Yuan approaches the dome and reaches at Lloyd, his hand passing through the dome. Lloyd leaps away from Yuan's grasping hand and slices at it, but misses as Yuan retreats his hand. He stares at Lloyd with an expression telling the boy that any resistance is futile.

Then Yuan's eyes widen and he whips around towards the area to our left.

"Oh! Lord Yuan. Whatever are you doing at this place?"

A woman with red armor that covers most of her torso from her throat down to the end of her torso, everything else being revealed in a rather suggestive manner and her armor decorating and outlining what is being covered in an equally suggestive style. Red tattoos mark her legs until blue armored boots embroidered with gold cover her legs. A cloth cape, starting from her hips, trails down to below her knees in a warrior fashion. The woman's gloves, plated with armor on the top, are nothing more than blue cloth.

Then, the most noticeable thing, is the levitating golden ring holding her up as she hovers there in midair, as if she had wings herself. Next to that is her long green hair adorned with a large golden circlet. Oh, and she also wears too much gaudy make-up with flashy colors.

Pronyma does indeed look like a slut granted too much money.

Yuan dismissively replies to her, with a cold tone, "I could ask you the same thing, Pronyma. The role of the Desians is to wreck havoc upon the declining world."

Pronyma narrows her eyes at Yuan's tone. She offhandedly informs, "I have come to retrieve Colette upon Lord Yggdrasill's orders. Please turn her over to me."

Yuan turns his sharp cold eyes towards the woman. "Very well. However, in exchange for the Chosen, I take custody of Lloyd. Understood?"

Pronyma replies, "I received no orders concerning him, so please, do as you wish with him."

"Who said I'm cooperating? I'm not going with anyone!" Lloyd snarls. "Damn it! Keep away from Colette!"

Yuan sharply informs, "Lloyd, I will give you the option of coming willingly or be forced to come along. One ends with you being shoved into a room with a bed and decent meals until I carry out my plans; the other ends with you waking up in a cramped cold cell with just stale bread and water to eat and a migraine from a bash to the head. It's your choice."

Lloyd steps back with a scowl at Yuan. "Damn it!" Then he spots Pronyma moving towards Colette. "_Colette!_" he shouts. "_Don't go with her! Don't go!_"

"Hahahahahah!" Pronyma laughs. She turns to give Lloyd a patronizing smirk. "A futile effort. You should know by now that your words cannot reach a Chosen who has lost her soul."

"_Colette!_" Lloyd screams.

Pronyma turns back to Colette—

—in time to dodge a chakram flung at her.

Pronyma leaps back and stares in shock. "What? But . . . _how?_"

Colette, clutching her chakrams at her side, fiercely glares back at Pronyma.

"Don't you dare come any closer to me!" Colette shouts at Pronyma. "I'm not going with you and I'm not going to Yggdrasill!"

Lloyd gasps with the rest of us and pushes at the caging dome to try to get out and to Colette. "Colette! You spoke! You actually spoke!"

Genis hops up and down as he leans against the dome. "Colette's back to normal!"

"I almost don't believe it . . . !" Raine gasps with elation.

"How is this possible?" Pronyma goes. Her wide eyes scan over Colette for any explanation and discovers the key crest. "That key crest . . . That ugly thing did this?"

Yuan turns his eyes towards Colette in shock. "That thing? That pitiful key crest managed to restrain the Cruxis Crystal?"

Zelos pats Lloyd on the shoulder. "Wow . . . Not bad, Lloyd! That's pretty impressive!"

"No matter!" Pronyma declares. "You are coming with me!"

Colette readies her chakrams for a toss. "_No I'm not!_"

Raine orders all of us, "Search for some sort of projection or magitechnological machinery! That must be what projects this energy dome and traps us!"

We all scramble to search for that hidden object as Colette fights off Pronyma by herself. I strain my eyes for this frantic eye-spy game for anything unusual. Then, just behind a bolder across from where Sheena's rheaird once was, lies a squat machine with a slight amount of mana being sucked into it.

"Over there!" I point out. "That's the trap! Get it, Colette! Break it!"

"No!" Yuan growls as he zips around to protect the machine.

Colette spots the machine and lashes a chakram at it.

Pronyma closes up on her.

Colette finds her and tosses a chakram at her.

Yuan so happens to get too close when going after the machine.

Colette flings her hand out with all her strength.

_SMACK!_

With a brutal slap to the face powered by angelic strength, Yuan flies back in a nice arch and lands harshly on the summit grass. Trapped in a state between stun and unconsciousness, Yuan doesn't move after that.

The chakram aimed at the projector crashes into the trap and breaks the machine. Sparks go flying as the machine breaks down from the impact and the dome fades out from existence.

With us released, Lloyd, Genis, and Sheena race to Colette and catch her in their individual hugs, filled with delight. Raine and I stand by relatively close, since Colette is already crowded, as we join in the cheer.

"Colette! You're back!" Lloyd cheers.

"I'm back, Lloyd! I'm fine now, everyone!" Colette repeats in her joy. "Lloyd, thank you for the present! I was so happy! I just couldn't do anything at the time. Then, sometimes, I could look around by myself or move my hand by myself or make myself go in one direction, but it wouldn't last for very long. The key crest is working now, though!"

"We missed you so much, Colette!" Genis tells.

"You have no idea how depressing it was without you," Sheena expresses.

"Behind you!" Raine shouts in sudden alarm.

We break apart to discover Pronyma back to her feet with a fierce snarl on her face. "Prepare to die, you little brats!"

Lloyd draws his blades and stands between Colette and Pronyma. "There's no way you're taking Colette away from us!"

Pronyma charges at us with an elaborate club in her hand. We all draw our weapons (Colette retrieving the chakram stuck in the trap) and prepare for battle.

"Leonazium!" Pronyma shouts as she slams her club against Lloyd. Lloyd blocks the blunt of the blow but then is sent back by a lion form emerging from Pronyma's attack.

Genis casts, "Air Thrust!"

As the air blades begin forming, Pronyma blocks the attack with what looks like guardian. During the time that she's trapped from shielding herself against Air Thrust, Lloyd gets back into the battle with me, Sheena, and Zelos joining the fry.

Air Thrust dispels and Sheena attacks as Pronyma lowers her shield.

"Haah! Yah! Rah!" Sheena shouts as she attacks with her cards. Pronyma dodges each attack—

"Pyre Seal!" Sheena cries out. The attack sends Pronyma back towards Lloyd—

"Beast!" Lloyd executes the attack, slamming his body against Pronyma in a stun and then flings his blades against her, not only causing two slices in her body but also sending her flying back.

"Downcut!" I swiftly swing my spear in a downward cut at Pronyma while she's down. The Desian dodges my attack right into Zelos' range.

"Sonic Thrust!" Zelos attacks. He zips across Pronyma and whips around to lash out, "Double Demon Fang!"

Her face turning red with rage and frustration at the succession of attacks, Pronyma casts, "Ice Tornado!"

A cold wind picks up, swirling around us. Just as soon as we notice it, ice shards pierce into our skin. Those of us caught in it, Lloyd, Sheena, Zelos, and I, cover our faces and our necks as we cry out in pain. When the spell ends we retreat and work to heal our wounds.

Genis, Presea, Colette, and Raine take our places in the fight. Presea rushes in with her giant ax while Colette backs her up with an exchange of long range melee attacks and angelic spells. Genis casts his higher level spells such as Stalagmite, Thunderblade, Air Thrust, and Spread to support the two in battle. Raine keeps an eye on the ones currently fighting as she casts healing spells at those of us who got punished by Ice Tornado.

Presea swings her ax twice before ending it with Devastation. The sheer power of her ax is incredible! The weapon itself is like a blade and a blunt weapon at the same time, causing immense damage! After Pronyma discovers this from part of that levitating ring getting chopped off, the Desian Cardinal counters with Leonazium.

Presea flies back against the blow and lands on the ground—

"Agarazium!"

A small spell circle appears under Presea and shoots her into the air.

"Presea!" Genis cries out.

Colette looks up and flies out to catch the girl. Pronyma takes advantage of the distraction. "Dark Sph—"

"Photon!"

Interrupted by the Photon spell, Pronyma gets caught in the attack and suffers from the attack. For revenge, Pronyma casts, "Bloody Lance!"

The opposite element spell of Holy Lance surrounds Raine and stabs her with dark mana lances from four different angles with a fifth lance from above dealing the final blow.

"Gaah!" Raine cries out in pain.

"Raine!" Genis snarls, "No one touches my sister! Eruption!"

Fire erupts from the ground and scorches Pronyma's unprotected flesh.

With rage in her eyes, Pronyma casts, "Ice Tornado!"

Colette dodges out of the way with Presea in her arms. Raine yanks Genis out of the spell's focal point but still get caught in the outskirts of the spell. The half-elves retreat to recover their wounds.

Lloyd, Sheena, Zelos, and I rejoin the battle. Zelos, the only one who can cast First Aid other than Raine, attends to Raine and Genis' wounds for a moment while Lloyd, Sheena, and I attack Pronyma directly.

"Wind Blade!" I cast. Pronyma dodges the smaller version of Air Thrust.

Sheena picks up the slack and unleashes a combo of Mirage Seal and Pyre Seal. Pronyma falls back into my range.

"Grrr! Wind Blade!" I cast once more. Pronyma dodges that again.

Lloyd gets in this time, lashing out a fierce combo of Demon Fang and Heavy Tiger Blade. Pronyma once again comes into my range.

Then, something just clicks.

"Air Blade!" I cast with vigor.

A sharp gust of green wind blasts from my hands and sends Pronyma flying. While I'm left slightly exhausted from how much of my usable mana the spell consumed, I feel some satisfaction at the fact I finally managed to not only hit Pronyma but also deal a good amount of damage. I remind myself not to get too smug about this one attack as I dig out an orange gel.

"Let's finish her off!" Lloyd commands. "Union Attack!"

"Eruption!"

"Devastation!"

"Para Ball!"

"Photon!"

"Light Spear!"

"Power Seal!"

"Swipe!"

"Beast!"

Pronyma goes up into the air from all the attacks. Genis casts Eruption onto Lloyd's blades while the two wait for her to come down. When she finally reaches their level . . .

"Fiery Beast!" Lloyd attacks, causing severe damage with his flaming swords.

Pronyma collapses . . . and then gets back up.

"So, you think you have defeated me?" Pronyma growls. "Prism Sword!"

Light engulfs us with all the colors wavering off. Swords of light shoot down onto the ground and stab at us, directly attacking Genis, Raine, Colette, and Sheena and harming those of us in the center with energy waves. Then, for a final hit, a much larger sword, twice the size of the ones that had already fallen upon us, crashes down on those of us in the center, meaning Lloyd, Zelos, Presea, and me, causing much more damage than any of the ones before and radiating more damaging magic upon us. All but Lloyd, Colette, Sheena, and Raine collapse from the attack.

Raine leaps back to concentrate on healing spells. Colette, tolerable to light spells due to being an angel, focuses on distracting Pronyma in battle with her chakrams and light-based spells while the hardier party members, Lloyd and Sheena, go revive the rest of us.

Pronyma grabs onto Colette's arm. "You're coming with me!"

"NO!" Colette slashes her chakram down at Pronyma's arm.

Pronyma releases Colette and quickly teleports away to the other side of the group. Specifically, where Raine continuously casts spells such as First Aid and Nurse and Resurrection.

Raine gasps as she realizes where Pronyma suddenly is and whips around just in time to block Pronyma's mace. Pronyma backs up and casts, "Dark Sphere!"

"Force Field!" Raine cocoons herself in her green veil shield as the dark version of Photon envelopes her. The spell bursts with dark energy, but is blocked by Raine's shield. With that, Raine flees from Pronyma's range.

Lloyd attacks Pronyma this time, with Genis revived and trying to wake Presea up, and keeps her attention away from Raine and the others by attacking her himself.

Sheena dumps a life bottle down Zelos' throat and waits for him to get back up as he stirs and coughs.

"Owww . . . What happened?" Zelos moans.

"Pronyma knocked most of us out with a spell," Sheena quickly explains. "Now get the others back on their feet! We've got a fight on our hands!"

"Phew! I thought I was gonna die!" Zelos sighs in joyous relief.

"Just go, stupid Chosen!"

As Sheena zooms off, Zelos quickly gets up and goes to wake me up as Presea gets to her feet.

"Presea? Are you alright?" Genis asks in deep concern.

Presea examines herself. "Thirty-seven percent of damage detected. Despite recent unconsciousness, my ability in combat is still serviceable."

"I guess that's a yes?"

"Spread!" Pronyma casts.

A pillar of water rises up, sending Lloyd and Colette flying. Colette regains herself and catches Lloyd before setting him back on his feet.

"This is going on for far too long!" Sheena goes. She begins . . . "I call upon the Maiden of the Mist!"

Pronyma recognizes the summoning and charges at the summoner. "NO!"

Lloyd and Zelos rush into her path.

"Cross Thrust!"

The two zip through Pronyma, causing her to stagger long enough for Sheena to finish.

"Come! Undine!"

Undine appears, hovering in the air like mist. She raises her arms up, calling forth pillars of water from underneath Pronyma. The Desian Grand Cardinal screams out in terror as she's sent flying into the sky . . .

Finally, Pronyma collapses to the ground from the fall, finally knocked unconscious from the battle.

We stand there, panting. Most of us still suffer from wounds caused by Prism Sword and Raine is exhausted. Our techniques and spells took up so much of our energy and strength. If we were to fight once more, our endurance would not be able to take it.

We won this by pure luck.

Lloyd states, "We need to get out of here before she wakes up. Another fight like that and our luck may just run out."

"We hear ya," Zelos says but then motions towards Yuan, "but what are we going to do about him?"

"Oh no!" Colette gasps in horror. "I put too much into that slap! I didn't kill him, did I?"

"I can still see him breathing so no," Sheena states.

Raine steps up to Yuan and kneels down to examine his neck and spine. ". . . You didn't twist his spine with your strength so he should be fine. From what I can tell, he's only stunned."

I go up to Yuan . . . and poke his side with the dull end of my spear. "Should we take him captive or just leave him here?"

"No!" Zelos protests. "If we take him captive he'll kick all of our asses once he wakes up! We're weak enough from that fight against Pronyma as it is!"

"So we're just going to leave him here with Pronyma?" Genis wonders.

"It looks like we don't have any other choice," Lloyd states. Then he smirks. "But the look on his face when Colette got him! He was caught totally off guard!"

"Lloyd . . ." Colette goes. "I could have seriously hurt him."

"He's fine, though," Lloyd reassures. "And you should have seen his expression! His eyes were popped out from shock."

"I'm definitely etching that into my memory," Sheena laughs.

_Shiiink . . ._

We whirl around and leap out of the way as a sword lashes at us through the air, pushing us away from its path to Yuan. The wielder of the sword steps up to Yuan, and lifts him up.

Kratos Aurion stands before us once more.

* * *

Yup. Lots of characterization, especially with Zelos. Don't think that General Kirkson would spare some details about his life just so that he could help Zelos keep a few sensitive subjects hidden from his companions. Especially not when they were about to be executed anyway (and the rest were half-elves too).

Oh, and Pronyma is a pain to fight. And yes, she does know Prism Sword.

Weiver esaelp.


	46. Like Shattered Glass

Let's get something from the last chapter's author's notes cleared.

Weiver esaelp.

Spell the letters backwards.

Review please.

Switch the words.

Please review.

There we go. ^^ Are those of you who couldn't figure it out feeling smart now?

* * *

Chapter Forty-Six: Like Shattered Glass

Kratos Aurion stands amongst us once more, this time, in a new outfit of white with numerous belts strapped across his body. He lifts Yuan up to his feet from the ground and goes, "Wake up, Yuan."

". . . Owww," Yuan groans. He pushes Kratos away and stands on his own as his hand rubs the abused cheek.

"Be more careful when confronted by a Chosen of Mana," Kratos lectures. "Their angelic strength rivals our own."

"You can laugh at me later, Kratos," Yuan snips. Then his eyes land on Colette. ". . . Are you going to take the Chosen?"

"No. We leave her be," Kratos states. "It's the toxicosis."

We all stand there in shock as we watch the exchange. None of us, not even Lloyd, move.

Yuan goes, "I see . . ."

Kratos informs, "Lord Yggdrasill has summoned you, Yuan. Then, while you are at that, care to take Pronyma with you?"

"Very well. Yes, I'll take her back to Derris Kharlan."

As Yuan turns about towards Pronyma, feathers emerge from Yuan's back to reveal a deep crimson red with scarlet being the highlight shade. Full angel wings appear as Yuan makes his way to Pronyma and hold our attention as we realize that the leader of the Renegades is also a high member of Cruxis.

Yuan takes hold of Pronyma's levitating ring and takes off from the Fooji Mountains towards the Tower of Salvation.

Kratos looks away from Yuan and lands his eyes upon Lloyd.

Lloyd stares back, as if experiencing shock. Then, Lloyd's face turns deep red with wrath seething from his face.

"YOU!" Lloyd screams as he lashes out his swords and charges straight at Kratos. "YOU TRAITOR! TRAITOR!"

Kratos easily dodges Lloyd's attacks and doesn't even bother to draw his sword. Lloyd continues to attack Kratos in complete abandon. In his rage, his attacks become stronger and faster, but his technique is rendered sloppy and aimless.

"_How could you just turn against us like that?_" Lloyd shouts while he tries to land a blow to Kratos. "_I thought you were our friend! You saved us and helped so many times! You even helped me through that time when we had to fight against Kvar! Then you do THIS? How could you?_"

Kratos finally loses ground on the summit to step back against and finally draws his sword. With, once again, ease, Kratos disarms Lloyd and points his sword at Lloyd's throat, keeping the wrathful youth at bay.

While Lloyd doesn't move any closer, he doesn't stop cursing. "You really are our enemy! I just kept hoping that maybe I just didn't see the entire picture, that you might actually be good, but you're not. I hate you! I hate what you and Cruxis have done to all of us! How could you . . . ? How could . . . ?"

Kratos watches Lloyd, his eyes undecipherable, and finally speaks, ". . . What are you doing in Tethe'alla in the first place?"

Lloyd glares at Kratos. "I came here to save Colette!"

"What good would that do?" Kratos asks. "Even though her soul has returned, all you have done is delay the inevitable. Sylvarant and Tethe'alla will continue on the cycle they have gone through for centuries and their positions will merely be reversed when the regeneration ritual is complete."

"There has to be a way to end this!" Lloyd demands. "Yggdrasill _built_ this twisted world after all!"

"Lord Yggdrasill does not consider it twisted," Kratos states.

"And you don't see how any of this is twisted?" Lloyd snarls.

"If you hate what Cruxis has done," Kratos begins, "why don't you use your own head and come up with something different."

Lloyd glares back at Kratos. "Oh, I'll definitely find something different. It's not right that people like Colette have to sacrifice their lives like this. It's not right that half-elves and humans have to suffer at the hands of oppressors. It's not right that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are forced to compete for mana. I'll find a way that fixes this twisted world."

Kratos just watches Lloyd for a moment, and then says, "Well, do your best."

Kratos moves his sword point away from Lloyd's throat and turns away, his sword now sheathed. Kratos unleashes his wings . . .

"Wait!" Colette cries out. She runs up next to Lloyd and faces Kratos. "So . . . is it really true? It can't be true! Cruxis and the Desians can't be the same . . . can they? I . . . I . . ."

Kratos doesn't look back as he confirms, "The Desians are a sub-organization within Cruxis. I myself command Desians such as Forcystus. You have heard for yourself that the Desian Grand Cardinal Pronyma was ordered to retrieve you by Lord Yggdrasill, leader of Cruxis."

Colette flinches as if burned. Her eyes turn large and wide as tears begin to bud. "So . . . all of it really was a lie . . . It was all a lie . . . !"

Kratos says nothing else and takes off into the sky, leaving the rest of us behind.

Colette remains silent.

Lloyd turns to her. "Colette? What's wrong?" Then he becomes alarmed when tears drip down Colette's face. "Colette . . . !"

"Everything . . . was a lie . . ." Colette goes. "I didn't want to believe it when I could think about it, but . . . here it is . . . Proof that everything . . . I ever believed in . . . was a complete lie . . . Martel . . . doesn't really exist . . . Cruxis and the Desians are the same . . . The world regeneration only brings more suffering than good . . ."

Lloyd tries, "Colette—"

"My entire life was a lie . . ." Colette continues. Full tears go down her face into the beginning of a weep. "Everything I believed in, everything I fought for, everything! . . . Nothing more . . . than a . . ."

Colette finally breaks down into sobs, all of her faith and beliefs shattered before her.

* * *

We didn't stay on the summit. Even though the threat is gone we still felt wary. We stopped to sleep in a little area where there was enough stable ground to sleep on. The camp was made and the night watch arranged so the rest was going smoothly.

Except . . . for Colette . . .

She would do nothing but cry or stare sadly at anything she looked at. Nothing could make her smile anymore. Then she would apologize a lot more often than she used to for being so depressing and such a burden. Then she would start crying again and a cycle would set in.

She did stop crying when she got hungry for the first time in a long time and she became more responsive as Lloyd, the one whose turn it was to cook tonight, gave her dinner. As she ate at the dinner, with a large side of fruit, I realize that this is the first time that I'm actually seeing Colette eat. During dinner, Colette actually chatted a little to Zelos and Presea, although Presea discouraged her with this emotionless response that reminded her of what she must have been like just moments before.

It's still agonizing. Just . . . to see Colette cry like this . . . to be so depressed like this . . . It's like she lost the will to participate in life and will only go through the motions. Her reason to live, to fight, to participate in life is gone and proven to be nothing more than a lie. When someone as cheerful as Colette loses heart and sinks into this . . . then it's just . . . just horrible . . .

Everyone was down. Lloyd focused mainly on what we need to do next and only deviated out of that to point out things that Colette can enjoy now that she couldn't before she lost her soul, to try to see if Colette would smile at least a little at those things. Raine kept silent the entire time and used her strength only to heal our wounds, but she was unapproachable. Sheena brooded, simple as that. Genis tries to pick up where Lloyd would leave off in pointing out wonderful things but gets the same results that Lloyd got. Zelos just seemed to be filled with nothing but sad disappointment and pulled out his sketchbook again, this time his sketching subject being Colette. As for me . . . I don't know . . . I know I'm brooding too. In my journal I just wrote down words stating about what happened today. No expression in that whatsoever other than that Colette has lost faith in everything.

One by one, we all drift off to sleep. Not by our own will, but involuntarily and by demand from our bodies. Finally, the only ones who stay awake are Colette and Zelos, who volunteered to take the first night watch.

Colette looks up at Zelos. ". . . What are you drawing?"

Zelos looks back up at her. He admits, "You. I'm trying to see how you might look with a pretty smile."

"Oh . . ."

Zelos regards her for a moment. He offers, "I drew a few of the others too. Would you like to see?"

Colette watches Zelos for a moment before nodding. She gets up and moves over to his side. Before Zelos turns a page, Colette catches a glimpse of the sketch of her. "That's very good. It looks just like me . . . only happier . . ."

"I know that smile is in you somewhere," Zelos says. "What else could charm this many people? They're all here for you, you know."

". . . I know . . ."

Zelos turns the page. He frowns. "Well . . . Here's a bunch of sketches of Lloyd."

Colette tilts her head. "Why did you draw his hair a lot?"

"I couldn't get it right," Zelos carps. "Lloyd needs a new hair-do—something easier to draw! I hate drawing his hair so much!"

Colette just watches.

Zelos turns the page. "And here's my sweet hunny Sheena. She's such a good model. I love sketching her. Of course, I can't show you some of the pictures in here with her—"

"Zelos," Colette goes.

"Hm?" Zelos responds with a smile. "What is it?"

"You're Tethe'alla's Chosen, aren't you?" Colette asks. "Are you affected by any of this at all? Martel . . . doesn't exist . . . Doesn't that make you sad at all?"

Zelos pauses as his smile fades. ". . . There were a lot of things that happened in my life. Things that . . . upset me, as you could say. One day I just ran out of things to vent those feelings on and just took a piece of paper and just scribbled as a last resort. It just sort of calmed me down so I started actually sketching things rather than scribbling. It's just something I do that helps me sort my thoughts out."

He says, "Colette, I think what might help is for you to find something you can do to just let things out. It can be anything, not just drawing or praying."

Colette remains silent for a moment. ". . . Okay. I'll . . . I'll look into it."

"Just be sure it's something you will like." Zelos turns a page. "Sheena again. Wow, my proportions were off that time. I can do better than that."

* * *

I took the final night watch. Lloyd, who took the second night watch, woke me up early enough to where I could watch the sun come up. I just stared at things while I try to wake myself up from this stupor. When it's time to get breakfast started, I pull out my journal to see whose turn it is to start cooking breakfast (I have a chart in the back of my journal). I look at the chart in the back and realize that I haven't updated my chart yet. I take out a pen and scratch out Kratos' name and replace it with Zelos (since it was decided by everyone that Zelos would take Kratos' shifts). I look down the names and calculate the dates and realize that it's Zelos' turn to cook breakfast and then Sheena's turn to cook lunch, followed by Presea who's going to cook dinner.

I get up and look over to Zelos who snoozes quite peacefully. I take my practice staff (more like a rod) and move over to his side. I gently poke his face with the staff. "Hey! Wake up!"

Zelos stirs and peers up at me. ". . . What? Let me go back to sleep . . ."

"Sorry, Zelos," I unapologetically respond. "It's your turn to cook breakfast."

"Says who?"

"Says the chart we all made up to decide who takes what turn to cook," I state.

"I didn't agree to any chart."

"That's because the chart was first made when it was just Lloyd, Genis, Raine, Colette, and Kratos," I inform. "It got updated the night we got captured by the Papal Knights but we were both asleep by then."

"And you expect me to follow a chart that I had no hand in?" Zelos questions.

"We all follow it whether we like it or not. It's just taking turns," I state.

"Why don't we make a deal?" Zelos offers

"Sure. You cook breakfast right now and take your turn and I take my turn once it comes around." I tell him, "Just get up and cook it. A nice catch for cooking is that you can make whatever you want and no one can really complain."

"Fine. I'm getting up."

Zelos gets up and groggily gathers up the supplies to cook. I watch him for a moment before taking pity and giving in, "Here, I'll help. I'm wide awake anyway."

"That's sweet of you," Zelos purrs. "Here, why don't you set it up and I just cook."

So now I ended up doing half the work. Great.

Lloyd and Genis wake up to the smell of eggs as Zelos cooks omelets. Genis watches Zelos warily, almost expecting Zelos to poison his food, and Lloyd just drools at the sight of food. We leave Raine and Colette, the two catching up on much needed sleep, but I go wake up Sheena.

I poke her side with my practice staff. "Sheeeeeenaaaaaa . . . Wake up. It's your conscious speaking." Seeing no results, I poke her side again, and again, and again. "Sheeeeeeenaaaaaaaa . . ."

"Oh, goddess, you're annoying . . ." Sheena grouchily gets up. Her hair is a tangled mess and her clothes are lopsided. ". . . Who's cooking breakfast?"

"Zelos."

"I'm surprised he knows how to cook," Sheena goes.

"He just needed to know what to do with what," I inform. "Other than that, he's following a basic recipe that Genis wrote down."

"I hope none of it ends up burned."

"Would you rather eat Raine's cooking?" I ask.

"I'll stick with Zelos," she quickly amends.

"By the way, according to the marvelous chart of cooking doom, you're cooking lunch."

"The 'marvelous chart of cooking doom,'" Sheena repeats with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm just being random."

"I see that." As she joins the group, she announces, "Okay, who's up for some practice sparring after breakfast?"

Genis volunteers, "I'm in!"

"Bring it on!" Lloyd cheers.

Zelos challenges, "I'll be kicking ass and taking names!"

"I wanna see someone catch me for once!" I dare.

Lloyd goes, "Wait, let's see if Colette wants to join in!"

Lloyd moves over to Colette's sleeping form but then hesitates. This is the first time in a very long time that Colette has actually been able to sleep. He doesn't want to disturb her yet he wants to see if she'll spar with them. Lloyd debates between the two—

Colette stirs and gets up. Her eyes are narrowed in sleepiness and her hair is frazzled from bed head. "What is it, Lloyd?"

"I'm sorry for waking you up, Colette," Lloyd apologizes.

"It's alright." Her tone calm but her eyes still empty from sorrow, Colette's soft voice wonders, "What is it, Lloyd?"

"The rest of us are going to practice spar and we're wondering if you want to join in," Lloyd offers.

Colette looks down as she considers this before answering, "No, but thank you, Lloyd. I'll just watch."

"Are . . . Are you sure?" Lloyd asks, concerned since usually Colette would join in instantly.

"Yes," Colette confirms. "I'll be fine with just watching all of you."

Lloyd informs, "You're welcome to join in anytime you want."

"I know."

Zelos serves the omelets and we chow down. Though, through the corner of our eyes, we watch Colette eat, almost not able to believe that she's eating once again. Although she takes nibbles off her breakfast, she does swallow them and, as she takes in the taste, she takes bigger bites, most likely taking delight in the fact that she can taste once again. Once she was done with that, there was an uplift in emotion as Colette scavenges for fruit and pulls out an apple.

When everything is cleaned up, Zelos stands and proclaims, "Alright! Time for some fighting! How are we going to do this? Tag team or every man for himself?"

Lloyd states, "Usually it's every man for himself unless someone says otherwise."

"Then bring it on!" Zelos cheers.

We all get out dull practice weapons (Genis gets out his kendama, which is actually a toy) and go out in a wider area. Me with my practice staff, Lloyd with his two wooden swords, Sheena with her regular cards, Genis with his kendama, and Zelos with a practice sword he borrowed from Lloyd.

"It's on!" Genis shouts.

We all go after each other, pulling every trick we know and taking advantage of every disadvantage we find. Sheena flips over all of us whenever we get bunched up and causes our attacks to hit someone else. Genis casts spell after spell, sending us flying or nearly hitting us. Lloyd becomes an outright fighter and attacks with bold moves. I keep to my usual hit-and-run strategy, which causes quite a bit of frustration. Zelos resorts to lots of tricks in fighting from tripping us to parrying our attacks and disarming us.

Raine sighs, "Once they get out of that they will all have battered each other to the point where walking is difficult."

After some fighting, Lloyd comments, "I think I've seen that Pronyma lady before . . ."

"I wouldn't call her a 'lady,'" I reply, "but go on."

Zelos trips Sheena and swings his practice sword for a "killing" blow while Lloyd tries to remember, "I've seen her before . . . It was while Kratos was around."

Sheena rolls away in time and gives Zelos a face full of cards. I prompt, "When would you have seen a Desian while Kratos was around?"

"Well . . ."

"Spread!" Genis casts on us. The two of us go soaring into the air before landing hard with a thud. He scolds, "Unless you want to get hit, keep moving!"

"Now I remember!" Lloyd goes. "I saw Pronyma on the projector at the Asgard human ranch! Kvar was talking to her when we got in!"

Genis joins in, "Wait, so that association is absolute proof that Kratos was deceiving us the entire time? That Cruxis really is our enemy?"

"Looks like it," I comment.

_Thud!_ "Gah!" I cry out as the ground rushes to me.

I hear Zelos crow, "What was that about wanting to see someone finally catch you?"

I attempt to struggle free and nearly dislodge him, but he just applies more pressure to his foot on my back. I feel his practice sword press against my neck. "Dammit!"

"You know," Zelos says, "in history, the barbaric victors in raids would plunder the enemy's goods and ravish the women. You should be grateful that I'm a gentle ravisher."

"Pyre Seal!" Sheena shouts as she knocks Zelos over. With Zelos off my back, I quickly get back up to my feet, my staff ready for a counterattack.

Sheena goes, "Knock it off, Zelos. You can tease later."

Lloyd sorts out, "Okay, so Cruxis and Kratos are our enemies. Then Yuan comes along and is our enemy at first but then wanted to become our allies only so that they can use me in some way which makes them our enemies but then now we know that Yuan is also a part of Cruxis which absolutely makes him our enemy and . . ." He rubs his forehead as if getting a headache. "Agh! It's all so confusing! In other words, they're all our enemies, right?"

Sheena hears the topic and confirms, "Yeah, Cruxis and the Renegades are all our enemies."

"So that's all that really matters," Lloyd concludes. "Their goals aren't our goals. So we just fight them when we have to and work on our goals."

Zelos walks up. "So, while we're having this philosophic discussion, just what are our goals? Colette has returned to normal, so for the moment we're just taking little Presea back home."

Lloyd pauses. ". . . I don't know. I'll figure something out. What does need to change is this system that Yggdrasill forced Sylvarant and Tethe'alla into."

"We'll figure it out soon," Genis assures. "Oh, by the way, ERUPTION!"

The rest of us get scattered like toys dumped from a toy box. When we regroup we go back at each others' throats. Sheena targets Zelos; Zelos targets Lloyd; Lloyd targets me; I target everyone while evading Lloyd; Genis targets everyone and flees whenever we retaliate, which is often. Eventually we just target whoever catches our eyes.

Upon our return to the camp, all sweaty and beaten, Raine just gives us a look as she casts First Aid on each of us.

"Whiiiieeee . . ." Noishe whines. He nudges his nose against Colette, sensing that her soul is finally back.

"I'm sorry, Noishe," she apologizes.

"Whiiieee . . ." Noishe goes off and grabs the flying disk chakram Colette got from Triet. He sits down and wags his giant tail. He gives her his huge adorable puppy dog eyes, the ones that even Kratos couldn't resist against.

Colette droops a little more. "I'm sorry, Noishe. I just don't feel like playing right now."

"Iiiieeeeeee . . ."

Lloyd watches Colette in sad rue for a moment before ushering Noishe, "I'll play fetch with you, Noishe."

Noishe moves towards Lloyd, but not without a mournful look towards Colette. Lloyd takes the flying disk and flings it high in a direction. Noishe races off to catch it.

Colette apologizes, "I'm sorry. It's just . . . I . . . Well . . ."

While Noishe returns with the disk, Lloyd turns to her and gives her a hug. "It's okay, Colette. You've been hurt, so cry all you want. Just . . . be sure to find something that makes you smile. Okay?"

"I'll try, Lloyd," Colette says. "It's just hard to find anything to be happy about. The Goddess Martel doesn't exist. My reason for living doesn't exist. Now I don't . . ."

She stops when Lloyd meets her eyes. He tells her, "Don't ever say stuff like that. Don't ever think that your reason for living doesn't exist. Just because you don't have a reason doesn't mean it's not out there. You can find it, Colette. I know you can."

Colette looks up into Lloyd's eyes. ". . . I want to believe you, Lloyd. I really want to, but I don't know if I can. I don't know what to think anymore. I don't know what to believe anymore . . ."

Lloyd hugs her again. ". . . I think a lot of the things you're trying to find are answers that you must find yourself. I'll help you as much as I can, though. We all will."

"Thank you . . . and, I'm sorry," Colette apologizes. "I should be happy. I have my voice back, I can get hungry and taste again, I can sleep again, I can feel things again! . . . Yet I somehow can't be happy . . . I'm so sorry . . ."

Lloyd tells her, "I think I told you a long time ago that you're no longer allowed to apologize anymore. So what did I say about apologizing?"

Colette almost smiled. Almost, but still didn't.

Lloyd thinks for a moment. ". . . Colette, right now we're working to bring Presea home. So—"

"She wants to go home?" Colette goes.

"Yeah," Lloyd says. "Her parents must be pretty worried sick about her."

Colette nods. "Then let's work on getting her home as soon as possible."

"Alright," Lloyd concludes with a slight smile.

"Lloyd." Raine comes up to Lloyd and Colette with a map of Tethe'alla. She points in a specific line curving around Tethe'alla. "We are going to take the long way from here to Meltokio. This means we will go around and into the northern forests, passed the capital city cemetery. Then we will go around Meltokio and enter when we get there. Is that alright with the two of you?"

Lloyd confirms, "Yes."

Colette nods.

With the map in hand and Sheena's navigation, we walk around west of Meltokio, taking a time consuming route to the capital city. After a few hours, we begin to walk through an old church area with graves surrounding us, just west of Meltokio.

"Interesting . . ." Raine expresses. "Most of these grave markers are dated to about fifty to forty years ago. Was there an epidemic?"

"Yes," Sheena confirms. "It affected most of the civilized world in Tethe'alla. It was a stroke of luck for the people of Mizuho since we were banished from this continent about sixty years back so we were able to avoid the disease entirely."

Genis warily watches the graves. "There aren't going to be any ghouls or ghosts or zombies, are there? With monsters starting to reappear and all, we might find some."

Zelos assures, "Don't worry. There aren't any ghouls or zombies here. The coffins are all nailed shut and buried deep to prevent grave robbers."

Genis sighs in relief.

"It's the dreaded Chapel Trio you must worry about," Zelos mentions.

"Th-the what?" Genis goes, his face growing pale.

Zelos tells, "The Chapel Trio are three vampires who have lived in the old chapel built years back to guard the oldest part of the cemetery. After drinking the blood of the priest who foolishly invited them in, thinking them as starving travelers, they made their nest in the cellar out of the sunlight and wait for any travelers or mourners to come into the cemetery."

"These are chapel grounds, though!" Genis interrupts. "Vampires are demons! They shouldn't be able to come close!"

Zelos gives a cold smile. "In light of the fact that Cruxis isn't as good as they led us to believe, do you think any institutions they built would be able to keep evil bloodsucking demons out? I think not."

"Even if they are real, I doubt they would be able to beat us!" Genis proclaims.

"Is that what you think?" Zelos goes. "One of the vampires, Murial, spies on all travelers passing by the old chapel during the day, shielded by the darkness inside the chapel. She watches all who pass by her sight and uncovers their weaknesses and their strengths and forms the best plan of how to pick each one off. Sometimes, when she is especially weak from her demonic thirst, she will lure unsuspecting travelers into the chapel with her alluring beauty and magic, and drain their blood and share whatever harvest she has left with the other two vampires in her coven."

Genis begins to quiver. ". . . I know you're just trying to scare me, Zelos."

Zelos glances around until he finds what he was looking for. He makes his usual half-smile and points towards this old building, a stone chapel with some fallen structures, just a distance away. "That's the old chapel. Anyone in Meltokio will tell you that. If you watch the darkest window carefully, you might find Murial staring back, watching us, plotting on how her coven can kill us without wasting any blood."

As Genis searches the windows from the distance we're at, Zelos gravely adds, "I heard that the three of them like to drain the largest victims first and drag the smallest victims into the cellar to save them for later. No one knows what happens to those who get dragged into that cellar. No one has ever escaped to tell. Do they get locked into the cellar with them? Are they chained up somewhere in the chapel? Maybe the Chapel Trio drains their leftover victims' blood into old wine bottles the chapel once held for communion wine. Who knows?"

Genis quivers as he walks. "Z-Zelos! You're just . . . pulling that out of your ass!"

"Now, now," Zelos replies, "I know I pull a lot of things out of my ass, but could I pull something as elaborate as this out of my ass? No, the Chapel Trio is very real. Let's hope that they're full and won't bother with us."

Sheena goes, "Don't fall for it, Genis. The real reason why that old chapel was abandoned is because some priest got jumpy and thought it was haunted and left. It fell apart from disrepair after that."

Zelos playfully scolds, "Sheena, you nonbeliever, don't tell him that. Today's kids need to be educated."

"In what? Blind idiocy?"

"Tch." Zelos turns his head away from Sheena. "A nonbeliever like you ought to be shunned!"

Genis watches the old abandoned chapel, sounds of Zelos and Sheena's bickering drowning out, and eyes a pitch black window shrouded in darkness by the shadows. The boy concentrates on that particular window, something catching his attention . . .

. . . and sees a face.

"_Aaaahhhh!_" Genis cries out in fear. "_I saw her! I saw her!_"

Our eyes snap to the empty window and back to Genis as he clutches onto Raine. "_I saw her! I saw Murial! She's watching us!_"

Sheena turns against Zelos and growls, "_Zeloooooossss!_"

"Okay! Okay! Geez!" Zelos retreats before attempting to reassure, "Genis, the Chapel Trio sticks to ambush tactics. Now that their hiding place is uncovered, they won't bother attacking us. It would be too much effort."

Sheena smacks Zelos over his head.

"Ow! Hey, I was making an attempt!" he defends.

"Oh, just shut up! You're not helping at all!" Sheena snaps.

Lloyd reminds, "Let's just hurry on."

"And not stick around during dark," Genis nervously insists.

Colette attempts, "Don't worry, Genis. I'll protect you if they come for us. Nothing will happen to you, I promise."

"O-okay . . ." Although Genis does let Raine go, he pulls out his kendama and eyes his surroundings.

Going through the cemetery during sunset was creepy enough without Zelos' ghost story, or rather vampire story. Just being inside the cemetery just sort of amplified the effects as our imagination did the rest of the work. Or I'm just a big chicken since I could never stand any stories remotely scary.

As soon as we got to the very end of the cemetery, with the old chapel long behind us and out of sight, the twilight ends and makes way for the night. We all stop, knowing that we can't risk going any further.

"This is as far as we can go, guys," Lloyd announces. "We will have to stop here for the night."

"In a _cemetery?_" Zelos carps.

"_Here?_" Genis yelps.

"I'm not too happy about it either but it's even more dangerous to walk around in the dark," Lloyd says.

Raine observes her student. ". . . Lloyd, you have grown much more mature over the last few days."

Lloyd gives her a blank look. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"No, never mind. I was just speaking out loud," Raine dismisses. "In any case, yes, with monsters starting to appear, it would be safer to stay in the cemetery for the night."

"What about Murial?" Genis goes.

Raine sighs. "Genis, Zelos was only trying to spook you. These vampires do not exist."

"But I _saw_ her!" Genis insists.

"It was only your imagination and a trick your eyes made," Raine explains away. "You can calm down, now. Nothing is in that chapel."

Genis eyes his surroundings before declaring, "I'm taking the first night shift!"

Sheena watches Genis for a moment before saying, "I'll take it with you. It's no good if the night watch is jumpy."

"But I really did see her! Murial is real!" Genis maintains.

Sheena glares at Zelos.

Zelos defends, "It's not my fault that he saw whatever he saw."

So after Presea took her turn cooking dinner (she's not much better than Raine but at least she doesn't experiment), we all cozy up among the gravestones and settle down for the night. I'm a little creeped out and feeling unforgivably barefaced by sleeping among the graves but there's no avoiding it. I would rather be out in the open than hidden amongst the darkness of the trees for monsters to pick me off.

Let me get something clear: I'm a terrible sleeper. It takes a while for me to get to sleep even in a normal bed. So with these gravestones around me it's ten times wor—

"_Everyone up! Something's there!_" Genis shouts.

I leap up like everyone else, my spear ready to parry or quickly stab something. All I end up seeing is Sheena scowling at Genis.

I'm not going to get any sleep tonight, am I?

Jinxed myself or not, I still set my spear down, grumpily, and try to settle down into my bed roll. I keep my eyes shut from the world and life as I drift off into oblivion . . .

. . . . . "_There it is! Get up!_"

I jerk myself up to a kneel, my hand at my spear, and search the area for any monsters like everyone else is doing. Then, as we all realize that it's yet another false alarm, there are a few grumbles and some glares shot in Zelos' direction as we get back down to sleep.

Genis mutters, "I could've sworn I saw something though!"

"It's your imagination, Genis," Sheena tells. "Settle down, already, and forget everything that stupid Chosen said!"

This time I pull the covers over my head and do my best to block out anything that I could possibly hear, mainly Genis' voice. It's going to be so hard to go to sleep now that I'm probably not going to get any sleep whatsoever. So what's next? Is Genis going to up at his own shado—

"_Monster! It's a monster! Get up!_"

That had better not be his own shadow . . .

Then Sheena cries out, "This time it's real! Get up!"

_That_ gets us up.

I snap up with my spear ready and discover a large humanoid shape that towers over us charging right for us. We dodge out of the way and I scan my eyes over it while it dashes close to the flames of our campfire. I catch a glimpse of a pair of horns, a tail, and hooves that resemble oxen features along with a dark brown hide. I begin to get this feeling of déjà vu, like I know what this thing is but I can't quite place it yet. The charging monster knocks down several gravestones and then whips around to face us down. Using the dim campfire light, I scrutinize the monster's details to identify this raging creature. It looks like a minotaur . . .

The monster charges us again, this time aiming for Lloyd and Zelos to run them down. I dodge out of the way and get a better look at the monster.

Oh god it is a minotaur! What slut committed bestiality with a bull in this world and produced this abomination?

Colette flies around and tosses her chakrams at the minotaur's neck, but the thick hide blunts Colette's attack. In light of that, Lloyd goes around the minotaur and searches for a weak point in the monster's hide. I focus on taking out the minotaur's legs, chased off each time it charges at us.

The minotaur charges at Genis and Raine. The two dive out of the way and race around to separate areas. Colette flies around, distracting the minotaur from its attack as it swats at her like a fly. Lloyd slices at its stomach and draws its attention as his blade slices deep enough for blood. The minotaur stamps wrathfully at Lloyd, missing his leg and the opportunity to completely shatter it. I go around to the side that the minotaur isn't focusing on and jab my spear into its lower leg.

"RAUR!" it cries out in pain. I snap my attention up and flee when I see its hand speeding down towards—

"AHH!" I squawk as the giant hairy hand snatches me up. It pulls me up towards its mouth for a huge chomp. I scream as I yank my spear up to block the mouth.

My spear blade ends up jammed into the roof of the monster's maw. I keep firm pressure and grip on my spear, that being the only thing that keeps the monster from eating me alive.

"Someone get me down!" I shout.

"Thunderblade!" Genis casts.

The white blade of lightning crashes down and stuns the minotaur as jolts of electricity shoot up its body. I feel an exploding pain as the electricity conducts to me. Then the final shockwave electrocutes the minotaur and then me along with it.

The minotaur drops me and I fall, taking my spear with me. I don't move from the intense pain brought down on my nerves.

Seeing the danger placed upon me, with the minotaur stamping around and stumbling about from Genis' spell, Lloyd drags me out of the way and slips a lemon gel down my throat. As soon as he gets back into the battle, I start recovering from the shock and get back to my feet.

Presea goes into the battle with her ax. As the minotaur backs away from Lloyd to get enough room to charge, Presea zooms in and slices down the minotaur's right leg in one chop. In retaliation, the minotaur grabs hold of Presea's ax and tosses her and her ax a long distance away.

Now, however, it can only grab hold of people and try to bite them, throw them, or head butt them to the ground. When Sheena catches its eye, it aims for her and slams its head onto the ground. Sheena narrowly dodges and slaps her cards onto the minotaur's face. She too gets grabbed hold of with the monster's giant hand.

"Ah!" Sheena yelps. She slaps her cards onto the minotaur's arm and, when the minotaur's jaws start opening towards her, she aims them for the monster's head.

"Light Spear!" Zelos leaps up in a spiral and slices the minotaur's arm. With its right arm now disabled, the minotaur drops Sheena and roars in pain.

Sheena lands and leaps away from the minotaur. She tells Zelos, "Thanks."

"No problem, hunny," Zelos replies with a half-smile. "The champion of women will always be there to save you."

"Uhhh yeah. 'You're welcome' works just as well. Just thought I'd let you know."

Lloyd zips across to slice at the minotaur's chest, aiming for its heart, and thrusts his left blade into its chest. The minotaur roars in pain and rips Lloyd from his sword. The monster slams him down to the ground. It rears its head for a head slam against Lloyd's gut.

I fling my spear at the minotaur, praying that I don't miss or hit Lloyd.

My spear jabs into the minotaur's shoulder as the monster nearly slams into Lloyd, showing disturbing proximity to Lloyd. The swordsman jerks in shock at suddenly finding a spear so close to hitting him but scrambles away as soon as the minotaur flings back in pain—

_Shink!_

Presea's ax dives into the minotaur's back. With the monster now dying, Lloyd returns to grab his blade and finishes it off with a thrust to the heart, finally able to kill it.

The minotaur now dead, I go over and yank my spear out of the monster's shoulder. I spot Lloyd turn his attention towards me.

"Now . . . I think I know how Chocolat felt when you threw your spear at the Desian who held her captive," he expresses, still taking in the shock of nearly being skewered by my spear.

While giving a side kick at the minotaur's attached left arm, Genis recalls, "Oh yeah. Back at the Palmacosta ranch."

Raine sternly tells, "While we are grateful that your attack distracted the monster from attacking Lloyd long enough for him to get away, don't ever pull that stunt off again."

I give a surrendering shrug. "Alright. I'll keep from throwing my spear at the enemy."

"So what's this story?" Zelos asks as he saunters up while wiping the blood off his blade.

Genis jokes, "How Kelsey nearly skewered her best friend."

"Very funny," I flatly retort.

Zelos expresses, "I almost feel like I came in the middle of a story or something."

* * *

We moved out of the area pretty quickly, to Genis' relief, and snoozed in a very different area. The next day rolls around and we take our sweet time going around the city. We could have made a straight line to the city but we didn't want to be around while people were going through the initial panic. So we just wandered around and stopped several times for training before moving on around the back of the city and around to the front. We did stop for a while during lunch, though.

It was Genis' turn to cook lunch this time. As he cooks risotto, I notice this vengeful gleam in his eye whenever his eyes land on Zelos. After noticing that I watch him carefully and spot him pulling out certain ingredients that will definitely ruin whatever he's cooking, although it won't poison the food.

Should I warn Zelos?

I glance over to Zelos and find him sneaking up behind Sheena. His arms cautiously go around and he gropes Sheena's breasts from behind.

Sheena sends him flying about ten feet in a nice arch.

No. No, he has it coming. Especially after that stupid vampire story.

Genis sets down individual bowls and places the damning special ingredients in one specific bowl. Then he pours the risotto into each bowl and announces, "Lunchtime!"

A huge rush for lunch snatches the bowls away, Lloyd being the first one. Genis eyes the bowl that he put the strange ingredients in. He sees Lloyd's hands and Zelos' hands and Sheena's hands all grab for the bowls in that respective area and even nearly loses track of who got what. He eyes Zelos with expectancy as Genis takes the last bowl left.

I watch everyone and the entire process while I grab my own bowl. When everything is said and done with everyone's bowl in hand yet not taken a first bite, I grimace and then hide my smirk as I bite into the cheesy rice, knowing exactly what's about to happen.

Zelos asks, "So is the brat's cooking really as good as everyone says? I know I tasted the sandwiches but anyone can make a sandwich."

"Except for Raine," Genis comments.

"I can too make a sandwich!" Raine defends.

"Not without experimenting on it!" Lloyd joins in.

Colette reassures, her voice still quiet and sad, "Don't worry, Zelos. Genis cooks the best food I have ever tasted."

Zelos raises an eyebrow as he isn't reassured by Colette's doleful expression.

Raine redirects, "Now that we are about to enter Meltokio, we should note that the gates might end up being locked down now that we are wanted fugitives. We should search for an alternate entrance."

Sheena volunteers, "I can send Corrine out to scout. He can easily find a different path."

"We can also use the sewers," Zelos offers.

We all turn with wide eyes at the Chosen.

". . . Did you seriously just say that we can take the sewers?" Sheena goes.

"It may be our only way in," Zelos states. "I didn't say I was happy about taking it."

Genis watches as Zelos picks up his spoon.

"Why would you know about the sewers?" Sheena questions.

"The city gates close at night and I needed a way back in," Zelos informs as he draws his first bite of the risotto close to his mouth.

Genis eyes the spoon with intensity.

Colette tilts her head. "Why would you need to go outside during the dark?"

Zelos gives her a cocky grin. "Welllll, I'll give you a little demonstration as to why if you wait until tonight, sweet Colette."

Sheena hisses, "Leave off Colette, you philanderer!"

"Are you jealous, Sheena~?"

"Oh please!"

Colette tilts her head. "Professor, what is Zelos talking about, and why is Sheena so mad?"

Raine rubs the side of her head. "You will find out when you are older."

Zelos brings his spoon close. Genis could almost sweat from the intensity he's feeling as he waits for the expected horror Zelos will suffer from tasting something so horrible as what he prepared. Then, finally, Zelos takes a bite.

Zelos tastes the rice with an anticlimactic reaction as he judges Genis' cooking and then nods in approval. "Not bad, brat. Not bad at all."

"Huh?" Genis goes. His eyes bug out in stun.

Zelos smiles. "I guess everyone has their own special talent."

"See?" Lloyd says with a big grin. "What did we tell you? Genis' cooking is the best!"

Then Lloyd takes his first bite.

"_Ptoo! Augh!_" Lloyd chokes and gags on the horrible food. "_Genis! What did you do to my food?_"

An expression of absolute horror overcomes Genis' face. "Uh-oh . . ."

Lloyd growls, "You did this as a prank, didn't you? Well, you're asking for it!"

"Uh, Lloyd, I can explain—"

"This means war, Genis!" Lloyd proclaims. "Not just any war! A prank war! You had better stay on your guard!"

I knew it. While I could easily keep track of who got which bowl, Genis lost track of which bowl everyone got. I watch the chaos as Lloyd declares war on Genis and finish the rest of the delicious risotto that Lloyd is sadly missing out on.

Thankfully, risotto is a very light meal. I wouldn't want to vomit while we're going through the sewers . . .

* * *

Me: T.T

Zelos: You'll find them eventually.

Me: I don't wanna end up replacing those DVDs . . .

Zelos: Don't worry. Eventually you'll find Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind and Grave of the Fireflies in some weird random location.

Me: T.T

Zelos: Anyway, review this chapter for this sorry sucker.


	47. A Reunion with Your Breakfast

Me: Well, this should get RBL excited.

Zelos: She really needs to see about changing those initials. ZWL, preferably.

Me: Pick girls that won't rip you to shreds, Zelos. You might actually live to see old age.

Zelos: By the way, this chapter seems relatively short for what you normally post.

Me: I found a stopping point and it so happened to be earlier than usual.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Seven: A Reunion with Your Breakfast

Oh god, I'm gonna be sick . . .

Genis certainly has been as we've been going through the nasty sewers with pipes and sewage and, literally at several points, crap. After the second time he threw up in a corner from the hideous smell there was pretty much nothing left in his stomach so he would just plug his nose and turn green.

The rest of us are just as happy as Genis is. Lloyd has this perpetual grimace on his face as he tries to keep himself from throwing up like Genis did. Then Colette and Sheena managed to find some perfume and doused their noses with that and passed it along so we could at least smell something pleasant before reality gives us another scented wake-up call. Raine is distracting herself with anything she can from books to speculating about how a sewer is possible for Meltokio. I'm covering my nose and avoiding to look at the polluted water next to me. Presea is just . . . well, the usual.

What of the brilliant man who suggested we sneak into the city through the sewers? Well, he's not as bad as Genis, but he certainly is suffering more than the rest of us. Zelos is positively green and has this miserable look on his face. He looks as if he's about to throw up.

Sheena questions, "Wasn't there any other way in that we could use?"

Zelos grumbles, "If there was I would have told you in the first place. I never used the sewers because I wanted to . . ."

Sheena watches him for a moment before offering the perfume she and Colette found.

I glance around the corridors and find an assortment of animals ranging from rats to vipers to spiders. I really am grateful that the sewers aren't a dungeon like they are in the game. I don't think I'll enjoy any battles against rats or snakes . . .

Gaaaahhhh! My brain is _dying_ from the fumes! When can we get out? I wanna get out!

Lloyd looks at me with concern. ". . . Are you going to throw up too?"

Although Lloyd is oblivious to that, the others start scooting away from me.

I tell him, "I've got a stronger stomach than that."

"I don't . . ." Zelos mutters as he hobbles over to a distant corner.

Colette regards Zelos for a second before going over to pull his hair back from his face while he hunches over. After casting up his lunch, Zelos returns with Colette at his side while he wipes his mouth with a tissue Colette gave him.

"Thank you . . ." Zelos tosses the tissue away. Although he isn't as green, he still looks sick.

Genis wonders, "How often did you use the sewers to get in?"

"Twice. After that I made sure to haul my ass over here before I got shut out."

"How much farther until we get out?" Lloyd asks.

"Shouldn't be too far."

I can't wait until then. To smell fresh air, to get a good bath to scrub all the scum off of me, to relax in a bed, to have wind blow gently on my face, to feel the coolness of the summer night . . .

And I'm forgetting something . . .

We walk along with the smell penetrating our noses. Just walking through the air makes me feel tainted. Rats scramble across pipes and climb along whatever paths they find. As for snakes, every once in a while I would see two eyes gleam from holes. Then I spot something slither by my foot—

"SNAKE!" I cry as I leap back.

Everyone around me flinches at the sudden loud sound I made.

Genis grumbles, "It's just a snake."

"I don't want to get bit!" I whine.

"Are you afraid of rats, too?" Genis questions.

"Just keep walking," I go.

I'm forgetting something . . .

After this feeling bugs me for a while, I dig in my bag and take census of all my things. Okay, there's my clothes, I did clean my spear before coming in, all my things are organized, I finished the history homework Raine still assigns me, and my journal is up to date. What am I forgetting?

Colette looks over to me as I keep digging through my bag. ". . . Did you lose something?"

I look up at her drooped face and shake my head. "No, I didn't lose anything. Though I feel like I'm forgetting something?"

"Did you forget to do your homework?" Raine suggests.

"No."

Sheena wonders, "What about chores?"

I stare at Sheena for a moment. ". . . Oh yeah. I forgot that today it's my turn to . . . do the . . . laundry . . ."

And we're in a sewer.

I mutter under my breath, "Dammit . . ."

Colette softly volunteers, "I'll help. You will have a hard time washing clothes by yourself."

Zelos mentions, "We're going to my place after this so you can just let the servants do the laundry."

"Zelos," Sheena reminds, "we're wanted criminals. Are you sure it's safe to stay at your mansion?"

"Since we're inside the city, the Pope is going to be breathing down our necks no matter where we stay," Zelos points out. "We might as well go somewhere where we won't get reported by some random stranger. I know a few back ways that lead to the mansion so getting there won't be a problem."

Sheena regards Zelos' solution for a moment before nodding. "I don't see anything wrong with that."

Lloyd ushers, "Then, when we get out of this sewer, lead the way, Zelos."

"You can count on me!" Zelos confirms.

. . . Why is that nagging feeling like I'm still forgetting something there?

Okay, I didn't forget my stuff, my homework is done, my journal is updated, I still need to do laundry, and that's pretty much everything. What the hell am I forgetting? I'll probably call myself an idiot once I realize what it is.

Zelos goes a little further ahead and directs, "See that stairway up ahead? There's large corridor passed the door up there that and that leads up to a ladder that goes up into a back street."

"Alright! Then let's go!" Lloyd takes the lead.

We head up the stairs, gaining distance from the sewage flowing down the way. I feel a sense of relief as I sense an end to all this agony. Everyone else is getting a little brighter too, probably imagining scrubbing themselves clean or just being rid of the smell. At least we didn't have to roll in it, though.

Lloyd swings the door open and we all cram our way through the door, eager to get out. When we finally get some space in the large corridor with large sewage pipes lined on the ceiling, we see the ladder that leads to the surface and eagerly head towards it.

The pipes above us rattle and clang as three figures leap off. We halt instantly and draw our weapons. The three figures land on the ground. They glare and leer at us, their teeth rotting and their bodies covered in grease. Two brandish thick clubs while one wields a filthy knife.

Convicts.

"Who are you?" Lloyd demands.

"We've been waitin' fer you, travelers frum Sylverunt," convict number one, with a club, leers.

The convict with the knife, convict number three, informs, "We don' have anythin' personal agains' you, but since the Pope promised tah lighten our sentences if we killed you then we need you tah die. We wanna make this quick so stand still."

Zelos scoffs, "So the Pope now sends convicts out to kill us. He must really be desperate now that General Kirkson is dead." He turns to us. "I can take care of these bozos by myself."

Genis criticizes, "You're going to get yourself killed."

"I'm too pretty to die," Zelos casually replies.

Convict number two sneers, "Yes, Chosen One. Fight us alone and get yerself killed! We promise we'll make it quick!"

Zelos steps up to the challenge. "You guys really don't know what you're in for."

Lloyd sighs. "I'll join the fight with you. You're just asking for it if you fight alone and outnumbered."

"No way!" Zelos protests. "I can take care of them! Just sit back and watch!"

Lloyd ignores Zelos and steps up to his side.

The three convicts charge and swing their weapons at Lloyd and Zelos. The two easily sidestep from the charge and counterattack. Lloyd blocks convict number two's club and knocks him back with Beast. Zelos zips through convict number one with Sonic Thrust and slashes at the hand that holds convict number three's knife.

Convict number one rounds about and leaps onto Zelos' back in a restraint.

"Get off me!" Zelos snarls as he struggles to throw the convict off.

"Get 'im!" the convict tells the knife-wielder.

Lloyd kicks convict number two away and slams his right sword's hilt on convict number one's head.

With the convict's grasp loosened enough, Zelos throws off the convict on his back and slams the first convict against convict number three, who had just retrieved his knife.

"Raaaaaahhhhh!" roars convict number two as he charges at Lloyd and Zelos again. The two exchange a look, and Lloyd shrugs in allowance and Zelos gives a casual half-smile as if Lloyd had just said "Do what you want."

Lloyd steps to the side in time to let the charging convict through, and Zelos just trips the convict where the man falls on his companions. After a grunt and a curse or two, the three scramble back up.

Zelos rolls his eyes. "Do you three really want to get back up? Cause we can do this all day."

"Please not all day. I feel like I'm gonna throw up again . . . !" poor Genis groans.

The convicts exchange a look. The one with the knife goes, "Look, let us get up an' we'll leave. Okay?"

"Hmmm . . . I'm not sure." Zelos turns to Lloyd. "What do you think, bud?"

Lloyd dismisses, "Let them go. It's not like they can do anything to us."

Zelos points his sword at the convicts. "You three got lucky. Now get up nice and slow . . ." When the convicts heed his command, Zelos casually orders, "Now drop your weapons. I want to see two clubs and a knife on the ground—and not to be touched!"

The convicts drop their weapons and back away. Zelos follows them and begins to herd them to the wall. The trio backs further away and Zelos moves with them, being further cut off from us.

Colette hears something and looks up. Then she warns, "Zelos! Look out—"

"GAH!" Zelos grunts as an incredible weight slams into his back. Lit up by only the dim light provided by sewer maintenance, a large and tall figure straightens and keeps stunned Zelos pinned down.

I stare in stun.

Regal Bryant is a towering man, some taller than even Kratos, and is built by nothing but huge muscles. The power behind those muscles is an incredible thing; you can just see it even if he doesn't move. His hair is this wild mane that flays at each end of a lock and travels down to a tie that can barely keep such thick and untamed hair. As he turns his face towards us, I can tell that his eyes are sharp in alert and guarded at the same time.

I stare . . . in instinctual fear. If Kratos could break me in two without his Cruxis Crystal, then Regal can shatter me. Yes, yes, Regal is soft at heart . . . but try remembering that when you're staring at a wild-looking man with vast amounts of strength and that will attack you if provoked.

Regal looks like a beast.

"Don't move," Regal warns with a deep voice. "If you move, the Chosen dies. Understood?"

Raine gives Regal a cold glare. "You are actually going to do that to Tethe'alla's Chosen?"

"One who plots the destruction of the world should not be deemed as the Chosen," Regal counters.

Genis debates, "It's not like that at all! The Papal Knights framed us!"

"You are not the first to claim that," Regal states.

"Oooowwww . . ." Zelos hisses as he stirs. "Wh-what happ—" Then he realizes what just happened. "Get your foot off my back! Do you know who I am?"

Lloyd cautions, "Zelos, now's not the time to be shouting."

"I say it's the perfect time!" Zelos snaps at Regal, "I swear you will pay for this! Just wait until I—ahh! Ah! Ack!"

Zelos silences as Regal applies slight pressure with his foot, clarifying that he's not making a bluff.

"O-oh . . ." Zelos looks up to Lloyd. "H-hey, Lloyd. If you abandon me here, I swear, I'll come back to haunt you!"

Lloyd's face turns flat and slightly offended at the thought that he would actually abandon someone, especially when the person who said that should know better. To combat that, Lloyd teases, "I just had a sudden violent urge to abandon you."

Zelos whimpers, "You . . . You really would? Please tell me you were teasing . . ."

"Zelos," Lloyd flatly goes, "would I really just abandon someone?" Then Lloyd looks up to Regal with a serious expression. ". . . Are you after our lives too?"

Regal turns his full attention to Lloyd. ". . . I was sent to—"

With surprising speed, Presea charges at Regal and slashes her ax at him, driving the convict away. With Regal now off Zelos' back and at bay, Zelos leaps up to his feet and stumbles onto Lloyd's shoulders, dragging his weight down on Lloyd.

"Phew! For a second there, I thought I was a goner," Zelos expresses as he hangs on Lloyd.

Lloyd gets this uncomfortable and slightly irritated expression. ". . . Zelos . . . please get off me."

Regal stares at Presea for a moment. He clamps his eyes down and shakes his head, as if trying to shake something out of his mind, and then opens his eyes again. He nearly gawks at the young girl in shock. Then he collects his wits and recomposes himself.

". . . Retreat for now," he commands.

The other three convicts huff and grimace.

"Gahhhh . . . I can't believe these guys are that tough . . ." the second convict groans.

Lloyd shrugs Zelos off and joins Presea. He draws his sword and says, "You're first going to let us through."

Regal regards Lloyd for a moment. ". . . Of course."

Presea tells the rest of us, "Go on through . . ."

We walk on by, eyeing Regal and the other three convicts. In return, they watch us warily. As soon as we're through, Lloyd and Presea back away and hurry to join us. The two are the last to climb up the ladder to the surface.

The third convict goes, "What's with th' hold-up, Regal? Ya could've taken them!"

Regal doesn't bother to reply.

* * *

As soon as we get out of the sewer we gasp in the fresh, moving air. Each breath is sweet and healing heaven to our senses. Despite the fact that we still feel like we've got gunk covering our bodies, just being outside the sewers is a clear and definite relief.

Genis expresses, "I never thought I would appreciate fresh air _so_ much . . . !"

"Owwww my back!" Zelos hisses in pain as he slightly hunches forward. "If I ever see that blue-haired bastard again I will pay him back for every bit of pain I'm going through—_with interest!_"

". . . You did have a bit of trouble climbing up those stairs," Colette quietly notes. Her dull eyes focus on Raine. "Professor Sage, can you use First Aid on him?"

"Considering that Zelos was able to walk and move around, I can tell that the most he will have is severe bruising," Raine comments. "If he wasn't able to move then I would be worried for his wellbeing."

"Still doesn't change the fact that I'm in pain . . ."

Sheena tells, "We won't be able to rest until we get somewhere where we can. So lead on, Zelos."

"Alright, alright."

Zelos leads us in a path that only he really makes sense of. We continuously take paths that would seem obvious but, as I glance about, I notice that no one ever looks in the side allies and back ways. The path that we take is always the least conspicuous way to some place and attracts very little attention. Although it takes a while, Zelos' path proves conveniently uneventful. As soon as we reach the side of his mansion, Zelos relinquishes the lead to Lloyd.

"I can't believe I have to break into my own mansion," he carps.

"It's not like we can let anyone see us go in," Lloyd states as he picks the lock on the side door. When Lloyd gets the door unlocked, we all go in, eager for baths and then bed—

"_Master Zelos!_" squawks a young maid, passing by at the second, as she leaps back in shock.

Zelos responds with lackluster, "It's nice to see you too, Bridget."

As nearby servants rush around to see what's going on, the nervous and nearly panicked maid fidgets, "Errr is there anything—no! Ah, I mean, what brings you here—no, no! Ah! I don't care anymore!" Bridget's face turns red. "You owe us all an explanation—especially to Sebastian! None of us are going to do a _thing_ for you until you tell us what's going on!"

"I'm sure you all think that but before I tell any of you anything, I want a bath and some fresh clothes," Zelos returns with.

"Then . . . Then I shall . . ." With a violent shake of her head, Bridget renews her conviction, "Then you can get it yourself! So, unless you want to do it yourself for a change, start talking!"

Zelos glares at the rebellious maid. "You think you can just talk to your employer like that?"

Bridget hesitates but returns with, "I can talk to you however I want! You're not my employer anymore!"

"And who do you think _is_ your employer?" Zelos argues.

"Your grandmother."

"What?" Zelos turns to the side and finds his butler. "Sebastian!"

Sebastian keeps his expression professional and calm, despite the fact that his long-time employer is now a wanted criminal. He mentions to Bridget, "There is no need for shouting, Bridget. Move along and finish your duties."

"But, sir—"

"No 'buts.' Just do so," he directs.

"Yes, sir."

As Bridget leaves, Sebastian informs, "Master Zelos, after the Pope declared you as a traitor and enemy of the world, her ladyship swiftly came in to transfer all your assets under her name so to protect your servants and possessions from arrests and seizures. Although many of us have been questioned, your grandmother has kept us all safe from the Papal Knights. She even pays us with money from her own accounts and leaves your accounts be."

Zelos shows absolute stun. ". . . Wow. I never would have thought that she would actually care. I really do need to thank her."

"Yes. You do," Sebastian heavily emphasizes. "While I'm at it, you may want to explain the circumstances that lead to your criminal status."

Zelos rubs the back of his neck, showing clear discomfort. ". . . I do owe you that much."

"Yes. Please start explaining."

I watch Sebastian's face while Zelos explains the complex matters that surround our arrest. Although Sebastian keeps his expression calm and collected, he did raises his eyebrows at the real reason why we wanted to return to Sylvarant, at Kirkson's provoking insults, and Kirkson's eventual death. The observing servants, however, make a much more animated audience than Sebastian as they gasp at certain moments such as the arrest. In fact, while Zelos was explaining about Colette's supposedly failed key crest and the disappointment that lead to everyone deciding to move to Sylvarant, one of the servants melodramatically went "That's so tragic!" I conclude that these people have very good imaginations and love to be swayed by emotions and stories since Zelos isn't exactly what one would call a moving storyteller—although he is good at making elaborations and pretty talk when he wants to.

With this dramatic of an audience, I can add one more reason why I'm glad Zelos decided to omit the part where Cruxis, the Desians, and the Renegades all get involved in one spot.

Sebastian pauses as he takes in everything that Zelos just told him. ". . . So you really were framed and the Pope decided to finally act against you."

Zelos nods. "Yes. Can I have a bath now?"

Sebastian readily says, "Yes, of course. I will have baths ready for you and your companions. As soon as possible, as a matter of fact."

"I would _really_ appreciate that," Zelos heavily puts.

"We all would . . ." Sebastian walks away.

Zelos was, of course, the first to get a bath. Then we all drew lots to see who would get the next bath prepared and so on. Those of us that would get them last grumbled and complained but we put up with it. After that we made sure to keep our activities low so that the façade that the servants were only here to keep the house in order wouldn't be disrupted.

We mainly just rested and took whatever supplies we could take with us from Zelos' mansion. Sheena left to make arrangements with the Imperial Research Institute stationed in Meltokio during the day and returned to report that they will have everything ready by the next morning, though she decided to do this before her bath so she could get every bit of dirt off of her, so I doubt that the people there were happy about her direct physical presence. Since the lots cast her as the last to take her bath, she had to wait a while before she could scrub the smell of the sewers off of her.

Sheena waits patiently, like the rest of us who haven't had our baths yet, while Corrine lies down on the floor before her with his belly up. He makes this sound similar to a purr as Sheena scratches his belly.

Zelos walks by—

Corrine instantly snarls, "Don't you dare peek at Sheena during her bath!"

Zelos takes a startled step back but returns with, "Now that you mention it, I might as well!"

"Do it and I'll rip your ear off!"

Sheena sooths, "Don't worry about me, Corrine. I'll kick his ass if he tries. You don't need to rip anyone's ears off."

Zelos wonders, "He wouldn't really rip my ear off, would he?"

Corrine intimidates, "I ripped off that angel Remiel's ear off back at the Tower of Salvation!"

". . . You're just bluffing."

Sheena informs, "Just because we don't have a picture doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"Alright, I get the message. Though, FYI, Corrine . . ." Zelos smirks mockingly. "At the moment I was thinking about how good my back felt once I cast First Aid on it. Now that you mentioned Sheena taking a bath, my imagination's just filled with—"

"Shut up, Zelos!" Sheena growls.

"Don't be embarrassed, Sheena," Zelos purrs. "You have wonderful breasts that any guy would like to squeeze. Be proud of them!"

"I don't warn people a third time, Zelos!" Sheena warns.

"I think . . ." Zelos sits by her side. ". . . that you need . . ." He wraps her arms around her shoulders. ". . . a little . . ." Then gropes her breasts. "Zelos love~"

And that's how Zelos went to bed with a black eye.

For dinner, Genis decided to experiment with the new and fancy Tethe'allan tools in the kitchen, much to the horror of the cook. There was just no way to convince the cook that Genis is actually very talented and won't make a mess in the kitchen despite reassurance from the entire group. Though Raine was able to persuade the cook by offering him the chance to read through Genis' recipe book and, after some skimming, this brought a sense of relief to the cook as he let Genis in. After explaining how each tool works, from the oven to anything electric, Genis went about in experimenting with each thing and fixed our meals.

It . . . was . . . heaven . . .

By bedtime, we all get individual rooms. Zelos takes his own while the rest of us get guest rooms in the guest wing of the mansion. While Zelos leaves for the master bedroom, he bids, "Sheena, this is your last chance for tonight to make it up to me for giving me a black eye. I promise, though, you _will_ have a great night~"

"Would you like a second black eye to match the one you already have?"

"What a disappointment, Sheena. Oh well . . ." Zelos waves her dismissively as he leaves. "Your loss."

"Ugh! I don't get him!" Sheena scoffs as she and the rest of us go to our respective rooms.

I tell her, "He's just obnoxious. When he gets older he'll learn a few more limits."

"How do you know something like that?" Sheena asks as she holds the doorknob.

"I know someone with a similar personality as he does," I inform.

"Who?"

I pause in contemplation. ". . . I don't know . . ." I reply, "I'll get back to you on that when I figure it out, though."

Genis watches Presea begin to enter her room and bids, "G-good night, Presea."

Presea doesn't answer as she closes the door. Genis sighs and turns around to his door—and spots Lloyd's expression in the meantime. Genis gulps at the sight of the determined glare targeted at Genis, knowing that Lloyd is planning something as payback for the prank accidentally pulled on him with the risotto.

Genis declares, "I know that look, Lloyd! I know you're about to do something!"

"And just what are you going to do about it?" Lloyd challenges.

"I'll lock my door!" Genis boldly informs.

Sheena wonders, "Doesn't Lloyd know how to pick locks?"

Genis gulps and revises, "I'll _barricade_ the door!"

"Who said I was going to do anything, anyway?" Lloyd questions. "I can bide my time for the perfect prank to pay you back for messing with my lunch."

Genis retreats into his room. The doorknob jiggles to signal it being locked before I hear something scooting in front of the door on the other side.

Colette softly says, "I'm sure Genis didn't mean to mess with your lunch like that."

Lloyd smiles and tells her, "I'm just giving him a hard time for right now. Don't worry, I won't do anything while he's asleep. Okay?"

Colette, although reassured, still doesn't smile.

Lloyd frowns in sorrow.

Colette quickly protests, "N-no, Lloyd. Don't let me bring you down. There's just a lot of things I need to think about . . ."

Lloyd places his hand on her shoulder. "When you do find your answer, please smile again—at least just once. It's . . . not the same. We all want you to be happy, Colette, but we also don't want you to suffer alone. Please, let us help in any way we can."

Colette just nods. She turns her sad eyes up to Lloyd and bids, "Good night, Lloyd."

"Yeah. Good night."

After Lloyd enters his room, I begin entering my own room since nothing else is going on. But, as I'm entering my room, I so happen to glimpse this strange expression on Colette's face . . .

* * *

After scribbling down the date (May sixteenth), the last thing I do when I write in my journal, I set it aside for the ink to dry and go change into pajamas (I switched to my scarlet dress after getting out since my travel clothes were being washed by the maids). With my pajamas on, I stare into the lit lamp and clear my mind of everything. I let time pass by until my ink dries. Then I close my journal and tuck it into my bag.

_Knock knock._

"Come in," I bid.

The door opens. "Kelsey . . ."

Recognizing the voice, I look up and greet, "Hey, Colette. What's going on?"

She closes the door and peers at me with a sad and serious expression. ". . . I just want to talk to you for a moment."

"Talk away."

Colette approaches me and regards me for a moment. ". . . While I was . . . affected by the Cruxis Crystal, nothing mattered except just living. Once that changed, I could look back at a few things but a lot of details are blurred or a big blank. It's like trying to remember a dream you had last night. A lot of it is a big blank, but I still remember a few things, like a few stray words or some big thing happening."

I can tell something's up. "Is something wrong, Colette?"

Colette meets my eyes. ". . . I remember a few things you said to me—and to me alone before my key crest worked. While we were both alone."

My heart starts pounding.

"While I don't remember all of it," she continues, "I still remember some strange words or bizarre descriptions or just things that don't seem . . . native to anywhere I've seen."

My palms grow sweaty.

"It sounds crazy, but I clearly recall one thing you said, and it makes everything else make sense," she states.

I take an unconscious step back.

"Kelsey . . ."

My breath catches.

". . . Are you really from somewhere other than Sylvarant like you said?"

She remembers . . .

I attempt, "C-come on, Colette. Really? Maybe you have a few things muddled or confused. I know I get things confused all the time."

Her conviction demonstrates that she isn't going to be misled at all. "Kelsey, you're not going to distract me. I remember those small things clearly. Please, don't avoid me like this."

I turn to dig in my bag and pull out my blanket from Palmacosta. "Seriously, Colette, I don't know what to tell you. I think you're forgetting a few details like the fact that I just got separated from my family and landed in Palmacosta."

I need to leave. I need to disappear. She knows, and then everyone will know.

I spread my blanket onto the guest bed. "You may have dreamed something that seems completely real and then got it mixed up with reality. That's not crazy, since it can happen to anyone, but it's just a dream, okay?"

I need to leave. I need to disappear. I don't care what the others think of me when I run off. It's better than them knowing what I really am.

I laughingly finish, "You should probably get to bed, Colette. We've all had a very long day."

Colette just watches me as her face slowly displays this light in her eyes that indicates a steady revelation. ". . . It must have been so hard for you. So . . . painful."

I watch her in confusion as she continues.

"You didn't come to Sylvarant like Sheena did or the way we did to Tethe'alla. Sheena went to our world willingly and the rest of us came here the same way too, even though our reasons were different," she continues. "You didn't come here willingly; you were forced to. You had no choice. You couldn't say goodbye to your family or friends; you didn't know what would happen to you next; you couldn't even prepare for what would soon happen. You were just forced into our world, weren't you? I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for you in the beginning—or even how hard it is for you right now."

I drop my eyes and gaze at the floor in stun as I take in Colette's reaction.

Colette sheepishly states, "Then while you traveled with us, we just took it for granted that you would come along and travel with us like we all did. Even with that lie about getting separated from the traveling family, as sad as that was, we still weren't as concerned for you as we should have been. Here we were, just enjoying ourselves, when you were alone and suffering. I was so self-centered, too. I just focused on my own problems and barely noticed anyone else's, especially yours. It must have been painful to watch me, Lloyd, and Genis all laugh together as friends who have known each other for years while you couldn't even see your friends ever again. I can't believe how blind I've been."

"D—!" Despite my growing panic, I manage to say "Don't blame yourself for not noticing! I didn't want anyone to know! I _still_ don't want anyone to know! I'm not good at on-the-spot lying, but if I practice in front of a mirror and tell the same lie to others, I can pull it off. Don't blame yourself. You were suffering worse than I was."

"My suffering was physical," Colette points out. "Everything else was just my fears. You were suffering from the _heart_. You lost everything—and none of us were able to see any of it!"

"Ah-ah-I . . ."

A tense pause slowly goes by as my mind rages with chaos and confusion. Then . . . I finally make a decision.

"It . . . I-i-it was so . . ." I begin. ". . . _agonizing_ for me. I didn't know what happened at first and I just . . . just immediately _panicked_. I have more of a . . . flexible or imaginative or accepting mindset than most people of . . . of my world so . . . so I could quickly figure out what generally happened. All sorts of things went through my head. In this world of strangers, what would happen to me? I was a young girl, completely alone and defenseless, and anything bad could happen to me. I was so scared—_so_ scared . . . I really did think I was about to die."

I go on, "During the first few weeks, there would be days when I would go to bed and think 'I'm about to wake up in my own bed and this will all just be a twisted nightmare,' and then I would wake up in the morning and feel my own horror and disappointment again, and again. I tried to find ways to return home, but I didn't find a thing. Not a single thing. Then, as time went by, everything just sort of . . . numbed. I got used to the fact that I'm stuck in this world, this strange reality, and that I'm not ever going to see . . . no. No, 'got used to' isn't right. I'll never get used to any of this; to the loneliness, to the pain of knowing that I would never see my family again. The word I'm looking for is 'accepted.' I accepted my irreversible fate. I eventually accepted what happened to me and the pain just got numb. It was always there, but just numb."

I recall, "I guess . . . the loneliness is the reason why . . . I was so _happy_ . . . to _finally_ make a friend, my first friend in this world. I have so many friendly acquaintances, they're easy for me to make, and I could never really consider them as friends since there has to be some sort of strong bond, especially one that I could feel. So when I made friends with Chocolat . . . it really did help me a lot. She helped me accept my fate and not sink into despair. She'll never know how much she helped me, but I really did . . . I mean . . . Ugh! I don't know how to describe it! Her friendship just . . . I mean . . . !"

Colette kneels down in front of me and relates, "Your friendship with Chocolat meant a lot to you. She was one of the few people who helped you through your pain, whether she's aware of it or not."

I feel something in my chest, or in my lungs, shudder as I look back up to her. ". . . Yeah. That's exactly it. That's part of the reason why it hurt so much . . . the whole incident with her getting kidnapped and . . . and then her just . . . leaving us for the Desians like that. With slapping me in the face, completely disregarding everything I say, and listening to only Magnius despite everything. Despite _everything!_ I mean, she didn't know about what she's helped me through, but I was still her friend! She should have believed me over _Magnius!_ It was . . . literally, through all perspectives, a betrayal. She betrayed me. Chocolat . . . betrayed me . . ."

I bow my head. "So . . . I was lonely again. And guilty, since I did promise to protect her. I had to go after her and save her. I didn't want her to suffer what the Desians would put her through and . . . and I didn't . . . want Cacao . . . to suffer losing a child . . . as I imagine my parents suffered. I had so many nightmares of my parents suffering through the loss of a child, and I didn't want to see anyone go through that. So . . . lots . . . and lots . . . of things . . ."

I look up to find Colette tearing up . . . and I finally start crying myself, for the first time in a long time.

"I-I miss them," I utter. "I miss my sister, I miss my parents, I miss my family. I can live without the conveniences, the technology, and I can live without all the things my world has to offer. It's my family that I miss! I-I couldn't . . . ! I couldn't . . . I couldn't even say goodbye . . ."

Colette hugs me as we both shed tears. ". . . Kelsey, please don't cry. You're with us now. We can all help. So please . . . let us help you."

I tell her, "It's not your secret to tell. I . . . I can't face anyone yet. I couldn't even face you. So don't tell anyone. Leave that right to me, and just . . . just . . ."

"I know. I see what you mean. I'll keep your secret," Colette reassures. "Just let me help you. I've been so blind to your pain and everyone else's. So let me help you now. It's my turn to support all of you now."

I regard her for a moment. ". . . In return, you must let us support you. To me, friends help support each other respectively and let their friends support them. It's a two-way thing."

Colette nods. "Of course. That's part of friendship."

I utter, "Thank you . . . Thank you . . . Thank you . . ."

"Thank you . . ."

* * *

Zelos: Well this is an interesting turn of events.

Me: You're really chatty today, aren't you?

Zelos: And since I'm your muse, you get to hear every. Single. Word.

Me: Oh god . . .

Zelos: Sodes perligo.

Me: I really hope what you said is correct Latin.


	48. I'm on a Boat!

Alright! Here's everyone's Halloween present! Have fun.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Eight: I'm on a Boat!

"_What was your world called?"_

After a good night's sleep, I find that Colette's knowledge of my origins somehow doesn't frighten me anymore.

"_Earth. It's really big compared to Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. There are lots more people."_

As I change into that red skirt and vest I hate so much (my new travel clothes are still with the maids), I contemplate over this newfound situation.

"_What is it like on your world? Is it anything like Sylvarant or Tethe'alla?"_

Dressed and ready for the day, I step out of my room with everything packed and ready for when we leave after breakfast. A door opens and I glance to the side to find Colette walking out.

"_Umm . . . Yes and no. People are the same no matter where you go, but the culture I lived in is really different from Sylvarant's and Tethe'alla's. There's not very many comparisons you can find. Though there is something about this world's culture—and Sylvarant's too—that's a . . . bit of a relief to me; that really sets it apart from my world."_

"Good morning," I greet. Then I give a sympathetic half-smile. "Crick in your neck?"

"_What do you mean?"_

With her head stuck in a sharp tilt, Colette rubs her aching neck as she concludes, "I think I must have slept funny . . ."

"_Things over here are . . . well, clearer. There's a more definite line between right and wrong, despite it all. I know it doesn't seem like it from your perspective, but trust me, things seem a lot clearer over here. On Earth, there are so many ways to be 'right' or 'wrong' or 'good' or 'evil.' There are so many ambiguous things and so many gray areas that it's sometimes hard to decide where you stand on a single issue."_

I let myself chuckle sympathetically before heading down the hall. "Let's get breakfast before there's nothing left."

"_. . . I don't understand . . ."_

Colette catches up to my side.

"_Join the rest of Earth's population. We're confused too."_

I wonder, "So after breakfast we're going to meet with Sheena's friends, right?"

"_. . . But do you like it in Sylvarant?"_

Colette nods. "Yes. That's what the Professor said we were going to do."

"_It's not the world that I'm growing attached to. It's the people that live in this world."_

"That's right," I reply as my brain begins to wake up.

Maybe . . . this time . . . I'm not alone.

* * *

After breakfast, and picking up our travel clothes from the maids, Sheena led the way to the Elemental Research Laboratory. I keep looking off to the side from the alleys towards the people in the streets, hoping that no one spots us. When we finally arrive at this building that's kind of tucked to the side, Sheena opens the door and lets us in.

As we walk in, I glance around the reception room. A blond receptionist waits at the front desk; elaborate stone engravings of a kitsune embellish the walls; the stone tile, although gray, gives off this clean shine in the light; smooth wooden railings off to the side lead down to a lower room. Everything is polished and well cared for.

Sheena walks up to the receptionist. "I'm here about the EC . . ."

The receptionist instructs, "If you go down to the lab, they'll tell you about the EC. I just got here for my shift so I don't know anything about it."

"I see. Thank you." Sheena walks down to the stairs. "Follow me, guys."

Zelos wonders, "Why would we need an EC?"

Sheena hesitantly answers, ". . . Well, it's our ride to the other side of the bridge."

"We're not packages, Sheena!" Zelos mildly protests.

"What's an EC?" Lloyd asks. "And how is it going to get us across the bridge?"

Presea states, "Elemental cargo, typically called 'EC.' It's a compact transport vehicle controlled by Exspheres. Its maximum load weight is fourteen-hundred kilograms and maximum speed is three times faster than an upgraded Exsphere-equipped carriage. They are currently used primarily by shipping companies for delivery services."

Lloyd theorizes, "Oh, that's what it is. I think I get it. We're going to sneak through the bridge by hopping on one of those."

Sheena corrects, "Actually, with Undine's power, we can have an EC surf so we don't even need to cross the bridge."

Raine pales. "S-surf?"

"It gives us a lot more freedom to move around," Sheena adds.

"Getting a land-based vehicle to surf?" Lloyd goes. "Even with Undine's power, it sounds a little risky. Is there any other way?"

Sheena states, "Well, none of us have identification to use an ocean liner, the bridge is closed, and we're wanted criminals. I don't think we have many options to choose from."

"Alright, we'll stick to the EC," Lloyd closes.

Zelos informs, "I'm not sitting in the cargo."

We go down and around the stairs into a large, well-lit lab. Everything is neatly organized and serves as sharp contrast to the basement lab in Sybak, or at least what I remember from the game. I haven't seen it yet due to a certain arrest . . .

Some people, obviously half-elves from their appearances and then their mana, turn to look as soon as we come in. As I glance about, I sense the mana signatures of not only half-elves but humans as well. So that's why this lab is so neat and tidy—this is the only lab in this building so humans work here too. Although, it doesn't look like the humans are disconcerted about the presence of half-elves. Huh . . .

As everyone in the lab draws their attention towards us, one half-elf, a man with this teal hair, comments, "So what you said is true. You really do have half-elves among your new friends."

Sheena nods. "Yeah." She introduces, "Everyone, this is Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine, Kelsey, Presea, and you know who the idiot is."

"Harsh, Sheena."

An older human woman to the side notes, "And the Chosen really is with you. Are you finally friends with him?"

At that, Sheena glances at Zelos. Zelos beams back at her welcomingly. Sheena turns away and answers, "That's a big maybe."

"Aw, come on, Sheena! Give a guy a break."

The half-elf with the teal hair steps up to speak, "Everything is ready, Sheena. You can go find Kuchinawa at the bridge."

Sheena frowns in confusion. "What are you talking about? Where's the EC, and what does Kuchinawa have to do with it?"

"Who's Kuchinawa?" Genis asks.

"A friend of mine," Sheena answers to the side. "We grew up together in my village Mizuho."

Another half-elf suggests, "Maybe they didn't talk it over. After all, Kuchinawa didn't say anything about talking to Sheena about the EC. He just said that he would give it to her at the artificial beach at the bridge."

The man speaking to Sheena frowns and glances down for a split second as if feeling flustered and awkward. ". . . Oh. I guess we should have waited to hand it to you."

Colette tilts her head to the side. "How could anyone hand something as big as an EC over? Wouldn't it be too heavy?"

The man explains, "If you have a wing pack then you can carry an EC around with ease."

Lloyd remembers, "Zelos had one, right? We can carry the EC around with that."

"Least we can use it now," Zelos adds.

"Um, by the way," the man goes, "Sheena said you need the EC to get to Sybak, right? Are you, by any chance, going to go see a woman named Kate that works in the Academy?"

Lloyd nods. "Yeah, but . . . there's something you should know about Kate. She—"

"Is locked up in the basement lab of the Imperial Research Academy?" the half-elvan man sadly finishes. "Yes, we know. The only reason why conditions here are different is because this is the only lab this building has."

The blond human woman adds, "The supervisor is also out a lot so the de jure discrimination is often ignored since we're all working on the same projects and often sleep in the same building. Though, this is one of those rare exceptions . . ."

Colette sadly questions, "Why can't everyone get along? . . ."

"This is the kind of world Tethe'alla is," the half-elf speaking to us replies. Then a speculative gleam comes into his eyes. "Though from the sound of things, Sylvarant must be much better than Tethe'alla."

I grimace, remembering a few instances in Palmacosta such as being stuffed in a barrel. "Not . . . really . . . It's just de facto."

The man insists, "Still, it's better than the law cutting you down than just people." Then he changes the subject. "Anyway, when you meet with Kate, tell her we said hi."

* * *

Returning to the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge brought back bad memories. Kirkson and his soldiers' bodies have been removed for proper burial and all the blood washed away, but the memory of their abuses against us and then their deaths as well hang in the air like a smog. Not to mention, the first time we crossed this bridge, Colette was soulless. So coming here isn't exactly pleasant for us.

Sheena leads the way to the far right of the bridge to this concrete port that I'm guessing is the artificial beach. She stops at this locked gate and prepares to leap over it—

"I can just unlock it," Lloyd reminds.

"Oh, right."

Sheena steps to the side as Lloyd approaches the bolt lock with his lock picks. Lloyd kneels down to the lock and begins picking at the lock . . .

Zelos wonders, "Why would you need to learn how to pick locks?"

Lloyd pauses in his work. ". . . I would rather not talk about that. Ever."

"Traumatic childhood experience?" Zelos guesses.

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

"Ignore him, Lloyd," Sheena tells him.

Lloyd picks the lock and swings the door open. "There we go. Let's go meet with Kuchinawa."

"Thanks, Lloyd." Genis walks by into the restricted area leading to the artificial beach. "This is much easier than jumping the fence."

"Well, it turns out that Lloyd really does have a useful talent," Zelos casually remarks. "His face still loses out to mine, though."

Lloyd snaps, "What does my face have to do with anything?"

On the way down, Colette stops to look at the bridge and finds these weird plates lining the mechanics of the bridge. A sense of déjà vu overcomes her as she observes them.

"What are those things?" Colette asks as her finger points towards them.

Zelos stops just as he's passing by and looks over. ". . . Those are Exspheres. This bridge is . . . powered by Exspheres."

Colette's finger droops down. "It's . . . kind of . . . gross looking," she sheepishly confesses.

Zelos glances away. "Yeah, it's grotesque looking, but given the nature of where Exspheres came from, it might not be appropriate to describe them like that."

Colette's continuous slight frown deepens. "Yes, you're right . . ."

At the end of the way and on a concrete pier, Sheena stops on the farthest point and pulls out one of her cards. She starts folding it in parts like origami . . .

Lloyd scans the area in search of anyone else here. "Where's this Kuchinawa person?"

"In hiding," Sheena states as she continues to carefully fold the card into some unknown shape. "Whenever anyone of Mizuho meets outside the village, we have to be cautious and give out our personal signature to signal that it's safe to come out and meet."

"Personal signature?" Genis goes. "Like a calling card?"

"Yeah, like a calling card." Sheena finishes her folding and holds it up high for all to see. Perched in her hands is the most elaborate origami paper crane I have ever seen and, I suspect, that I will ever see aside from ones Sheena might make when she's more experienced. Resting in a sitting position, this paper crane strikingly resembles its real-life counterpart and carries the due grace. It really is a marvel to behold.

Sheena lets out a puff of air from her lips that carries the paper crane up soaring through the sky. Then, by magic obviously, the crane literally takes flight and carries through the air by itself as if truly alive. After taking some distance, the crane arches down towards the sea water and dives down into the water, aiming for the fish that caught its eye. With that, the crane doesn't appear again.

"Wow! That was so cool!" Genis awes.

"It was really alive!" Lloyd proclaims in admiration. "It just started flying on its own!"

"How did you _do_ that?" Genis questions excitedly.

Sheena tells, "Sorry, guys, but that's a secret of Mizuho. My lips are shut on that."

"Awwww!"

I express, "Hey, at least we got to _see_ it! I'd be satisfied on just seeing it one more time in my life!"

Suddenly, a pillar of smoke erupts before us all. While the rest of us have a near heart attack, Sheena stands relatively unsurprised—almost expectant—and friendly greets, "It's nice to see you again, Kuchinawa!"

As the smoke clears, a young man of average height, dressed in elaborate ninja garments dyed a deep red, appears from the smoke. Every bit of skin, except for his eyes, is covered by either the red outfit or the black cloth wrapped around his flesh. His eyes are sharp and guarded with cold regard to all of us, and that doesn't change even when his eyes crinkle as if the man were smiling.

"Hello, Sheena," replies Kuchinawa with a deep regal voice. "It was a relief to hear word from you. Though, I also hear that things have become rather complicated now."

Sheena nods in confirmation. "Yes. There are certain revelations that I must present to the vice chief. First, though, one of our members must be placed out of harm's way since that is in the same direction as Mizuho."

Kuchinawa's eyes narrow. ". . . Are you going to take these strangers to the village?"

"Of course not," Sheena instantly answers. "However, I can easily keep track of them since taking Presea Combatir home won't be too out-of-the-way with personally reporting to Mizuho about the severe turn of events."

"I see." Kuchinawa's eyes return to the normal sharp coldness with that apparent smile. "Concerning these severe turn of events, do you care to elaborate on them right now or am I to wait until the entire village is to hear of them."

Sheena frowns in slight anxiety. ". . . I'm not even sure the entire village will hear about it. Kuchinawa, what I learned really is . . . it's . . . disturbing, to say the least. It's really the kind of information that I'm not allowed to tell anyone until I inform the vice chief face-to-face. The only ones who know about it all are the ones who are currently traveling with us, and as you can see, all of us are here."

Kuchinawa nods his head slightly. "I see, then. I will wait until it is time for everyone to know. Also . . ."

Kuchinawa turns to the side where the water begins. He pulls out a wing pack and presses a button. A huge machine, seemingly one crafted to hover above the ground rushes out of the wing pack and splashes into the sea water. We all stagger back in shock at the sight of this.

"Whiiiiieeeee . . ." Noishe nervously whines.

I jump a little as my eyes momentarily fly to Noishe who follows us towards the back. "Hooooly cow I forgot he was back there . . ."

Lloyd displays so much excitement that he'd probably wet his pants. "Cool! It came out of no where!"

Genis cheers, "Do it again!"

Kuchinawa shoos, "Enough fooling around! You have someplace to be, now go!"

"Alright!" Lloyd hops on board and moves down the deck. He looks out to Noishe and beckons, "Come on, Noishe!"

Noishe bounds passed us and leaps onto the EC. Lloyd opens the door to the inside of the large craft and herds Noishe in as the rest of us catch up. Colette and I board first with Genis and Presea next followed by Zelos. Sheena goes last as she helps the queasy Raine up on the EC while Zelos pauses nearby to make sure the unusually shaky Raine gets on safely.

Kuchinawa watches even as Sheena disappears into the craft.

Sheena walks into the roomy control room where we all gather, with Raine huddling in the most secure spot she can find in the room. She heads for the controls and is immediately drawn to a simple hand-size bag tied to the controls. Sheena unties the small bag and pulls out a note reading "Be careful" signed by Kuchinawa. She smiles at the note and then pulls out the next thing inside: a beautiful white stone carving of a crane with a complex charm carved gently into the back.

"A protective charm?" Sheena goes. Then she smiles deeply. ". . . Kuchinawa . . ."

I lean around and ask, "Are we leaving soon? Oh! That's so pretty! Can I see it?"

"Nosy thing," Sheena softly chastises, but hands over the crane anyway. "Sure, look as long as you like."

As Sheena manipulates Undine's offered mana to turn the EC into a sea vehicle, I take the charm in order to admire the craftsmanship. As soon as I touch it, I sense something strange about the mana.

"Hm?" I peer at the charmed crane with a strange puzzled expression.

"Arrrr!" Lloyd cheerfully growls. "A vast ye hardies!"

While Sheena steers the EC across the water she critiques, "Lloyd, you don't even know what you're saying. Drop the pirate act."

"Ye be a ninja!" Lloyd proclaims. "What would ye know 'bou' pirates, anyhow? Pirates are cool!"

"I'd have to differ on that, bud," Zelos states as he saunters up to Sheena's opposite side. He places a hand on her shoulder. "Ninjas are way cooler than pirates."

"No way! Pirates are cooler!" Lloyd argues. "They live lives of adventure! On the sea!"

"Then again, ninjas have a lot more tricks that can outwit any pirate," Zelos debates.

"Pirates are better swordsmen than ninjas!" Lloyd sets out.

"Ninjas have stealth, years of training, and a large variety of weapons and techniques on their side," Zelos hands out. "What do pirates have?"

As the two bicker (with Sheena dedicatedly ignoring them), Genis notices my attention to the crane and inquires, "What's wrong?"

I wonder, "Genis, do you think there's anything . . . strange about the charm on this?"

"Yeah, but Mizuho seems to have a different way of casting spells than what's normal for us," Genis points out. "It could be that."

"It's definitely that," Sheena adds while leaning around Lloyd and Zelos so their debate doesn't get in her way of speaking to us. "Mizuho had different methods of doing things. We rely mostly on written or inscribed charms more than the common way of doing things. It's a more permanent way of doing things and keeps our charms strong, although it's also dependant on the lifespan of the object the charm is set in. It's kind of like the dwarvan method of making key crests work."

"I see. So that's how it works," Genis figures. He turns to me, "Yeah, what you're sensing is the unique way that Mizuho casts spells. That's what's so weird about it."

I touch the crane's body and feel the mana from the spell. ". . . Still . . ."

"Let me see it," Genis volunteers. I hand the crane over to him and he examines it with a slight unfocused expression in his eyes before blinking and returning his focus through his eyes. He nods and agrees, "Yeah, it is kinda weird, but I still say it's because it's from Mizuho. Here, Sheena . . ."

Sheena reaches around Lloyd and takes the crane then goes back to steering the EC.

"By the way," Genis mentions to me, "you can sense mana by feeling it, right?"

I blink. "What do you mean? Can't all half-elves feel it?"

"Not in the same way." Genis explains, "We all feel mana in a different way but it's all channeled through the five senses. There's sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Raine and I hear mana. We don't physically hear mana but it feels like it's coming through our ears. With you, I'm thinking that you sense mana through touch. It's probably the most sensitive way to sense mana since it's like you can feel mana through your skin like you would with everything else. It would explain a few things, too."

"I . . . guess . . ." I go, unsure of what to make with this information.

"Though . . ." Genis glances at Lloyd, Sheena, and Zelos and walks away, beckoning me to follow. I stay by his side until he stops near Raine's little secluded security spot. He finishes, "It still doesn't explain why you were in so much pain at the Tower of Salvation. Sure, you could instantly feel the difference in mana density but you looked like you were on fire—and that's not much of an exaggeration on my part!"

"Uhhh . . ." I shift nervously at the direction of this conversation.

Why did I think that everyone would just forget what happened at the Tower of Salvation—concerning me, that is? Of course they weren't going to forget. None of them acted like that so why should I be any different since I'm supposedly from the same world they are?

After an awkward pause, Genis says to himself, ". . . I still can't figure it out. Mana is a key component for life so why would the increased mana level in the Tower of Salvation cause you pain?"

I scrutinize him to see if he's focusing more on his dilemma and less on me. I check around to see if I can make a quiet escape, and inch my foot away . . .

"I have a theory . . ."

Genis and I turn to Raine as she approaches from her spot with careful steps. Although she is still pale with fright, Raine shows evident delight in something to occupy her mind. "Perhaps Kelsey has unusually keen sensitivity to mana. Those with keener senses tend to be more easily pained with sharper exposure to things. With this theory, such momentarily severe pain provoked by the difference in mana levels would make better sense."

"I guess," I respond. Well, the sensitivity would certainly be an explanation. I've never even been exposed to mana before I landed in Palmacosta so of course I would be sensitive to it. Everyone else has lived in it all their lives so naturally their bodies tune a lot of it out.

"Though I would still like to know the degree of sensitivity you have, Kelsey," Raine continues with a growing gleam in her eye.

"Uhhh . . . Sure?" I warily reply as I take a step back.

"We have some time before we reach the other side. Let's begin research immediately!" Raine declares.

"Oh crap . . ." I go as I slowly back away.

My hopes, however, are dashed as Genis gives me a sympathetic and apologetic expression. I know I'm doomed.

Raine snatches my hand and yanks me away. "We shall begin testing right now! For your sake, we must uncover every detail about this!"

"Help!" I yelp out as Raine pushes me in the next room from the control room with her enthusiasm providing an unusual amount of strength. The door shuts closed and seals my fate.

As Genis watches with a helpless grimace, Colette approaches and wonders with her quiet voice, "Was there any way we could have helped Kelsey?"

Genis shakes his head. "Colette, you know how Raine gets when she's in Ruin Mode. There's no stopping her then."

"Then could we at least distract her?" she wonders. Colette looks to the door with a worried expression.

Genis reassures, "Colette, Raine's not going to hurt Kelsey. Don't worry. She'll make sure that whatever she does won't end up really hurting Kelsey."

Colette frowns a little more than her usual frown, contemplative of the situation. Then she nods. "Okay, I'll see what I can do in a moment. If I can't do anything right now then I'll just try again later."

Genis offers a smile. "Then that should do it! We just have to wait until then!"

Colette frowns a little less, although still not smiling, and nods in agreement.

* * *

"And what of this?"

I jump in astound as a sharp amount of mana suddenly appears next to me.

"I see. Interesting . . ." Raine makes a few mental notes.

"Can we try for something that's not as sharp this time?" I warily demand.

For the passed several minutes, probably a half hour, Raine has been testing to see what level of mana begins to cause pain for me. We started reaching that in the last three tries, albeit very tolerable and annoying pain, so I'm not a very happy camper.

Raine concurs. "Very well. Then we will change to something simpler. I found the appropriate level, in any case." She holds her hand palm up and directs, "Tell me the moment you sense mana collecting in my hand . . ."

The door opens in a rush and Genis hurries in. "Sis! I can't get this spell right! I'm trying to learn this higher level spell but it's just not working! So far I've . . ."

As Genis goes on nonstop about the spell, completely hogging Raine's attention, I begin to back away as stealthily as I can. I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn and find Colette with her finger up at her lips in a shushing sign and motioning me to follow. I sneak out of the room . . .

When I'm safe and away from Raine and walking down the hallway for the control room, I express, "I really need to thank you and Genis later."

"Don't worry about it. Though . . ." Colette wonders, "Did Professor Sage find out about . . . where you're from? I was a little worried for you that she might figure it out."

I shake my head. "No, she didn't. Thank you, though." I figure, "I don't think she has the right information to figure it out. When the right pieces of evidence come together for her, she'll figure it out very quickly. I mean, you had to hear it from me in order to know, and then Kratos . . ."

Colette frowns deeply. "What about Kratos? Did . . . Did he find out too?"

I nod. "Yes. He did. He had some previous knowledge, though, and noticed the right things at the right time. So for him it was a matter of timing and certain conditions being met. After he found out, though . . . he pretty much left me alone. Curious question or two, but he just let it be. It was . . . very surreal."

"Do you think he will tell anyone?" Colette wonders.

I grab the door knob to the control room and casually tell her, "This is Kratos we're talking about. He won't even tell anyone what he ate for breakfast."

I open the door and the two of us join the others at the control room.

"Hey! Wait up!"

We stop and find Genis rushing down the hall from the room Raine is still in and hurries to catch up to us. I close the door behind him when he catches up to us.

With a victorious smile on his face, he informs, "Raine's really mad at us! Hopefully she'll calm down once we reach Sybak."

I joke, "For some reason, the knowledge that Raine's really mad at us doesn't really bother me."

"Maybe we should apologize later, still," Colette guiltily says.

"You can if you want," I gently reply. "I won't, though. I don't want to become an experiment subject for the professor. I saw how she obsessed over poor Corrine when she found out that he's a manmade summon spirit."

Genis frowns in a grimace. "At least she didn't try to dissect him . . ."

"Yo!" Zelos saunters up to us. "What's going on over here? Having a party?"

"Oh . . ." Genis blandly acknowledges. "It's _you_ . . ."

"Hello, Zelos," Colette greets in her subdued voice.

"No party right now," I reply to him.

"Of course not," Zelos brushes off. "No party starts without the Great Zelos!"

"Unless you want to be fashionably late," I add.

"Why are you here?" Genis rudely questions.

Zelos snips, "The brat can keep his attitude to himself."

"_I'm_ the one with an attitude?" Genis growls. "Well take a good look at yourself!"

The two begin to bicker and I look to Colette to see if she has some solution. Colette seems just as bewildered as I am and just gives me an answering helpless shrug. I glance at the two and contemplate on how to stop them . . .

I loudly tell them, "You BOTH have attitude problems! There, you're tied! Now will you two shut up already?"

The two turn to me with matching cranky glares.

I respond, "Just glaring at me like that proves you both have attitude problems. Can we move on, now?"

The two grumble to themselves.

Colette looks between the two and attempts, "Uhhh . . . It's my turn to cook today! So what would you like to eat for lunch?"

Zelos turns his eyes towards Colette and lightens back up. "You can cook anything you want, sweet angel. I'm sure that no matter what you make it will be delicious."

Genis suggests, "Could you stick with bananas and strawberries when adding fruit to whatever you make?"

"Sure," Colette agrees.

Then Genis turns about for the door, heading in Raine's direction. "I'm going to go see what Raine wants for lunch."

Colette decides to go off. "I'm going to go see what everyone else wants . . ."

Then there were two.

Zelos wonders, "Whatever happened to that social side of yours? It disappeared when I came over."

"It's nothing personal," I reply.

"Is it? You don't seem to like me too much."

". . . I like you well enough," I tell him.

"It doesn't look like it," Zelos notes. "You even take my compliments offensively."

"Are they supposed to be honest compliments?" I suspiciously question.

"Of course they are!" Zelos proclaims. "If I wanted to insult you, I wouldn't use backhanded compliments."

I awkwardly glance away. "O-oh . . ."

"Who would insult such a pretty hunny like you, anyway?" Zelos coaxes. "It's a crime that someone like you doesn't have many admirers."

"I'm not that pretty . . ." Wow, this is getting awkward for me . . .

"You aren't the ideal hottie or gorgeous beauty," Zelos admits, and then he grants a dazzling smile. "But you have that classic elegance that will show when you're older. It's different from the other hunnies' good looks so don't think that you come up short compared to them."

I feel myself blush as I take in those words.

"Am I interrupting something?"

I step further away from Zelos as soon as I discover Genis giving us an odd look of suspicion.

"Yes, you were," Zelos tells the kid.

"No he wasn't," I gruffly correct. "Anyway, I'm going to see if we're getting close to the other side yet."

"I'll go with you," Genis volunteers.

Zelos jauntily taunts, "Then it's up to me to care for the lovely Professor Sage~!"

A look of sheer horror strikes upon Genis' face before he erupts, "Don't you dare touch my sister! If you do I'll burn you to a crisp!"

Lloyd calls, "Genis! Zelos! Kelsey! Come here!"

Zelos leaves us behind and joins Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena. "What's up, bud?"

Genis and I walk slower to put some distance between us and Zelos.

Genis moodily questions, "You aren't going to fall for Zelos' sweet talk, are you?"

"Don't worry, Genis," I assure him. "I'm not going to turn into one of Zelos' groupies. I've got more self-esteem than that."

"That's good," Genis comments with a more pleasant tone. "I was starting to wonder there for a second."

* * *

Docking the EC was relatively easy. Sheena landed the thing on a sandy beach to the side where a nice cliff slopes up to stable ground. Raine was the first—and most eager—to get off the EC. Her color returned to her face significantly. Once everyone was out, we returned the EC to the wing pack (the good one, not the nearly-destroyed one Noishe chewed on) and left for Sybak.

Arriving at the university city, we have Noishe stick around the outskirts of the city while we go in. Presea, again, shows deep reluctance to go inside Sybak but Lloyd and Genis coax her into continuing with us, saying that it will take even less time than the last time we all went in. Inside Sybak, we notice this excitement going around us as scholars meet everywhere, proclaiming about this exciting event that happened just inside the university. Since it distracts people from our presence, we simply take note of it and continue on.

Lloyd and Sheena guide us to this sewer hole off to the far side of the academy.

Zelos takes one look at it and carps, "Oh no, I am _not_ going down into another sewer. Meltokio is the one exception where I'll actually go into a sewer but there is no—"

"Hush, Zelos," Sheena shushes. "This isn't doesn't go down into a sewer. It's a secret passage to Kate's lab."

"I'm rather curious about the conditions that this Kate and her fellow researchers are placed under," Raine states.

As Sheena goes down first, she tells, "Raine, Genis, Kelsey, you three aren't going to like what you see . . ."

We climb down to a dark corridor and walk down a short ways before encountering a dead end. Lloyd and Sheena search around for a secret way in—

The dead end mysteriously opens to reveal a very somber woman with dark aqua blue hair and awkward and askew glasses, cracked in one lens, standing in our way. Her lab coat is filthy and many sizes too big for her, her dark aqua blue hair is tied back in a sloppy dirty bun, and her complexion seems paler than most anyone's I've ever seen before and seems almost sickly. As she gazes upon us, her eyes widen beneath those glasses at the sight of us.

Lloyd tells her, "Just like I promised, here are my friends, safe and sound, and Presea is with us."

"Your half-elf friends . . ." Kate utters as she examines the members of our group who she has not seen yet. She skips over Zelos but focuses on Genis, Raine, and me as if she can see obvious evidence to our half-elf blood. ". . . The strange mana produced by the fusion of elvan and human blood . . . You really do have half-elf friends."

"Yes," Lloyd confirms. "Genis has been my best friend for years. Professor Raine has been my teacher and has helped me through a lot that I wouldn't have been able to do without her help. Then I only met Kelsey recently but she's been by our side, and I owe her my life."

Kate nods, trying to take all of that in. "Then . . . Then I'll tell you about how to cure Presea. Listen well . . . The project we have been assigned with Presea as the experiment subject is a project to develop a Cruxis Crystal from the basic Exsphere form using the human body. It is called the Angelus Project."

Lloyd cringes and grasps his left hand as if burned. "The Angelus Project? That's the same project that took . . . !"

Genis states with stun, "That is the same project that Kvar was working on!"

"So his information truly was being stolen," Raine grimly notes.

"How did it get all the way into Tethe'alla?" Sheena exclaims with even volume.

Kate takes a few steps back in shock at our reactions. "What? How . . . ? The Angelus Project is supposed to be classified information!"

Lloyd tells her, with a scowl aimed towards the project, "The Angelus Project was something that the Grand Desian Cardinal Kvar came up with. He used it to create a Cruxis Crystal to offer to his leader Yggdrasill! He killed countless innocent people—in-including . . . !" He clutches onto his hand, where his Exsphere is. ". . . including my mom . . . !"

"N-no . . ."

We all turn to the back of our group to find Presea shaking her head in denial, with evident emotion albeit subdued. She flees us and recluses herself to the beginning of the corridor where the exit is.

"N-no . . . No . . . No . . ."

"P-Presea!" Genis calls out.

Raine grabs hold of Genis' shoulder and tells him, "No, Genis. Let her be for right now."

All attention is brought back to Kate while she stands there.

Kate gasps, "Th-the Angelus Project . . . is actually brought forth by Desians?" She shakes her head. "Then . . . it truly is an abomination . . ."

"Then tell us how we can keep Presea from becoming another victim!" Lloyd nearly demands.

Kate nods again. ". . . The Exsphere itself is nothing special. It just has a special key crest placed on it. Rather than halting the parasitic process, this key crest delays it, which can take place from over a few days or to several decades. From research and evidence, this can cause Exspheres to mutate into what we call Cruxis Crystals."

Raine questions, "Is the parasitic infection of the Exsphere the reason why Presea's emotional response is so subdued?"

Kate confirms, "Yes, it is."

Genis looks back at Presea. "So she's just like what Colette was when she lost her soul!"

Colette gasps, showing only alarm. She whips towards Presea and back at Kate. "What will happen to Presea if we leave her like this?"

Kate takes a breath, and informs, "According to the information we gained, when the parasitic process is complete . . . she will die."

While Lloyd takes off his Exsphere and examines it, Genis exclaims, "That's just horrible! What did she ever do to you?"

"Nothing," Kate guiltily answers. "She just matched the compatibility test and was sent to us." She regards something for a second. ". . . I truly am like the Desians . . ."

Lloyd places his Exsphere back on his hand. He looks Kate in the eye and says, "At least you show remorse and are willing to fix what you've done. The Desians don't even regret what they have done to other people."

Kate eases a little, taking Lloyd's statement as some bit of forgiveness.

Lloyd says, "You're going to save her now, right?"

Kate nods. "Yes, I will do what I can. You don't discriminate against half-elves . . . I will keep my promise."

The shadows of her co-workers shift and utter in protest and warning, silent yet heard by those with the sharpest ears.

Kate tells the shadows, "A promise is a promise." She turns back to us. "In order to save Presea, speak to a dwarf named Altessa who lives off of Ozette in the Gaoracchia Forest."

"So there are dwarves in this world, too?" Lloyd goes.

I wonder, "How's that much of a surprise? There are half-elves and humans here, too, so why not dwarves as well?"

Kate continues, "Altessa and I participated in this experiment by order of the Pope."

Zelos interrupts with a grouse, "Not that pathetic old man again."

Kate snaps, "_Don't call him a pathetic old man!_"

Zelos smirks condescendingly. "Oh, my. That's unusual. A half-elf siding with the Pope. I never thought I'd see that."

Kate flinches but returns with a grumbled, ". . . I'm not siding with him. Anyway, have Altessa repair Presea's key crest."

Colette wonders, "Can't you fix it, Lloyd? You can carve the charm on key crests and the one you gave to me is what brought me back to normal."

Lloyd lowers his head. ". . . To be honest, I can't even tell the difference between this and a normal key crest. It's going to be a lot faster and safer for Presea if we search for that dwarf, Altessa."

Sheena nods. "Then it's settled. We will head for Gaoracchia Forest."

Zelos rubs his arms as if chilled. "Ah man . . . The evil forest of death . . ."

Genis growls, "You're not going to scare me with another ghost story, Zelos!"

"No, this time I'm serious. It really is the evil forest of death."

Lloyd ponders, "Professor, do you think there's a connection between the Pope and the Desians?"

"I wonder about that too . . ." Raine expresses. "We will just have to wait and see."

I worm my way through Lloyd and Raine and ask Kate, "By the way, there was a lot of excitement going on in the city. Is something going on?"

Kate looks at me and then gets this unfocused dreamy expression. "Oh . . . Yes . . . You see, there was a machine of magitechnology that was said to have been used to produce and refine adamantite during the Ancient War. It was stored here since it no longer worked and its origins were only theoretical."

"Do you really mean adamantite?" Lloyd asks with renewed interest.

"What's adamantite?" Genis asks.

"Scrap diamond used by dwarves to sharpen crafting tools," Lloyd answers. "Though I've never seen any."

Raine, with that Ruin Mode gleam in her eyes, "Adamantite is a scrap diamond transformed into a special state by strengthening its atomic structure. It cannot be found since the magitechnology used to produce it no longer exists. Kate, do you really mean to say that one of those machines rests here and has produced adamantite?"

Kate nods, still wielding that dreamy expression. "Yes. That handsome man . . . He came here quite frequently and repaired the machine. It produced what must be adamantite and took a small sample and left. Everyone is going insane about it."

"Who was the man who repaired such an intricate machine?" Raine demands, entering Ruin Mode.

Kate sighs with a small smile. "That handsome man . . . That wonderful human . . . He was so kind to us, so courteous . . . He treated us all with so much respect and even let us speak to him."

One of her co-workers groans, "Oh please! He's out of your league and you know it! Knowing how things turn out, he's either married or gay!"

Kate ignores them. "I don't care if he's taken or unavailable. I know I won't be the one to win his heart. It was enough just to meet him." She sighs again. "I will never forget Kratos Aurion . . ."

"_What?_" Lloyd gasps. "_Kratos? He was here?_"

"You _know_ him?" Kate responds in surprise.

Lloyd shakes his head. "Never mind that. What did he need the adamantite for?"

Raine concludes, "He must be crafting something, but what in the world could he want?"

Lloyd ponders this for a moment. He decides, "We don't have enough information so let's just see what's going on for now. Right now, we need to concentrate on saving Presea."

Kate wonders, "Is there something wrong?" Obviously she's stunned at how a man who was so kind to her could be enemies with us.

I tell her, "There are a few situational things that happened between us and Kratos. You don't need to worry about it."

Kate nods. "A-alright . . ."

We leave and find Presea down the dark corridor huddled in the farthest corner. She leans her head against the stone wall, uttering a repetitious chant of monotonous "No . . ."

"No . . . No . . . No . . . No . . ."

Genis places his hand on Presea's shoulder. "Presea . . . We're going to leave Sybak and we're going to save you. Okay?"

"No . . . No . . . No . . . No . . ."

Genis tries again, "Presea, we're leaving now. I promise that everything is going to be alright."

"No . . . No. . . No . . . No . . ."

"S-so let's go . . ."

"No . . . No . . . No . . . No . . ."

* * *

Zelos: Happy amature . . .

Me: No.

Zelos: You must be lonely, huh~?

Me: I'm _not_ my OC. _And take ten feet away from me!_ Personal space, man!

Zelos: Hmph. Anyway, review.

Me: Say please next time!


	49. The Evil Haunted Forest of Slow Death

This is really a last-minute update since I'll have to go up to classes in thirty minutes at the latest but I could finish this in time so why not?

Since there are many forests called "The Forest of Death/Evil" I decided to clarify . . .

* * *

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Evil Haunted Forest of Slow Gruesome Inevitable Death

"This place is really creepy . . ." Lloyd expresses as his eyes shift back and forth between the towering trees. Passed Raine's beacon of light emitting from her staff, darkness creeps into the spaces left untouched by Raine's light as a sign of what happens when we can no longer keep it at bay. The surrounding darkness cloaks everything in a perpetual night no matter what the actual hour is. I look out into the black void and find nothing . . . yet I could have sworn . . .

Sheena peers suspiciously into the darkness. "I feel as if I'm being watched somehow . . ."

"Are you certain it isn't your imagination?" Raine wonders.

"I don't know," Sheena replies. "I just have this . . . feeling. It's kind of creepy."

I wonder . . .

I glance at Zelos and discover that his eyes are focused on Sheena's body, mainly her butt since he's directly behind her at the moment. A smirk shapes his lips as devilish fantasies dance in his eyes.

And that would be one mystery solved.

Genis asks, "So where is Ozette again?"

Sheena answers, "It's on the edge of the Gaoracchia Forest. Just follow me and you won't lose your way."

"What if you get lost?" Genis questions.

"I'm not going to get lost," Sheena states. "I know this forest."

Lloyd peers into the vast darkness. "What kind of monsters will we encounter?"

"To be honest, I don't really know," Sheena admits. "There have always been monsters in the Gaoracchia Forest and those stay in the outer areas of the forest but with Cruxis recently releasing monsters into Tethe'alla, I don't know what kinds we'll find unless it's already native here."

Lloyd narrows his eyes, determined and guarded. "Then we'll just have to prepare ourselves for when we find any."

Zelos responds with, "At least the monsters can be killed. Anything of the supernatural and we're toast."

"Say what you want," I casually say, although slightly unnerved by the eerie silence, I'm not too creeped out as long as we are all making some noise. "My problems came from the living."

"Easy for you to say," Genis remarks. "You didn't face that specter back at the Tower of Mana. I was the only one who could see it!"

"Aww. Poor brat got frightened by a ghost," Zelos mocks.

"I would like to see _you_ face that thing all by yourself!" Genis snaps. "And stop calling me brat!"

"Only if you stop acting like a brat," Zelos casually bargains.

"Knock if off, already," Sheena calls out.

A while goes by with the silence creeping in. Noishe, our only absolute sign on if there are monsters around, keeps sniffing the air and twitching his ears around and whining miserably. Still, it means something if Noishe is still around. Lloyd keeps at Noishe's side and pets him, trying to soothe his pet. Occasionally, Sheena would send Corrine out to scout the area up ahead and Corrine would return with a negative on the presence of any monsters. As I observe my surroundings, I start to wonder if the rumors of monsters come from the harsh silence and the choking darkness. It just adds to the tension, like silence can be in movies or video games just before the monster comes out to eat you.

Raine allows her hand to skim across the bark of a towering looming tree. "This forest is ancient . . . It must have taken a millennia to grow to such an extent."

"Yeah . . . Though why does it have to look so twisted?" Lloyd wonders. "It's so dark down here I can't tell if it's night or day. Then the trees look like they could reach down and attack us."

Genis grimaces. "I wonder what kind of monsters could hide in the shadows and come get us . . ."

"Please don't say things like that, Genis," Lloyd flinches.

Zelos a-matter-of-factly informs, "You know, the Gaoracchia Forest used to be a normal forest a long time ago."

"Really?" Genis goes as he imagines the forest being normal.

Then Zelos frowns with a mournful expression. "But then, one day, a thief hid a stolen treasure deep inside the forest."

"Treasure?" Lloyd wonders, "What kind of treasure?"

"A gem worth several billion gold." Zelos continues, "So, to protect the treasure, the thief slaughtered anyone who came looking for it."

Genis frowns. "That's pretty gruesome . . ."

"Over time, the forest became stained with blood, turning it into a cursed place, haunted by the lingering resentment of those that were killed here," Zelos gravely tells.

Lloyd goes, "Are . . . Are you serious?"

Genis says with a shaky voice, "Y-you're just trying to scare us . . . right? I know you are . . ."

Zelos doesn't falter in his grave tone or expression, "Even now, when travelers enter the forest, the thief's ghost comes to kill them, still seeking to protect his stolen treasure; and the ones who were once killed also seek to increase their numbers."

Lloyd feels a chill down his spine. "Wow . . . That's really creepy . . ."

Genis attempts, "You're still just trying to scare us . . . You can't fool me . . ."

Suddenly, Noishe halts and sniffs the air. The protozoan quivers as he lowers himself down to the ground with a fearful expression. "Whiiiiiiieeeeeee . . . !"

"Hey, boy, what's wrong?" Lloyd tries to soothe.

Zelos looks passed Lloyd and Genis out into the darkness and widens his eyes in dread. He cautiously takes a step back and places his hand on his sword, ready to fight to the death. He whispers, "They're heeerrrreee . . ."

Lloyd and Genis pale with terror as the rest of us scan the area where Zelos is watching. Not able to take any more . . .

Lloyd and Genis race in the opposite direction from where Zelos is watching. "_Aaaahhhhhh!_"

"_I don't want to diiiieeee!_"

Lloyd and Genis flee into the darkness . . .

There is a pause of silence . . .

Zelos laughs, "Ha! Not even three-year-olds believe stories like that these days!"

Feeling rage and irk like I've never felt before, I violently thrust my spear into the ground and back away from it, keeping the temptation of running Zelos through with it at bay.

Raine and Sheena, however, gang up on Zelos with their fury.

"Damn it, Zelos! You couldn't refuse, could you?" Sheena shouts

"Now that Genis and Lloyd are separated from us they could get lost!" Raine bellows.

"Who knows what will happen to them now! You had better start praying that something bad doesn't happen!"

"I will be certain to personally repay you for this if Genis and Lloyd are hurt!"

Zelos cows, "Okay! Okay! I'll go after them! They couldn't have gone too far by now!"

"Ugh!" Sheena summons, "Corrine!"

Smoke erupts in front of Sheena and Corrine appears before us. "What is it, Sheena?"

Sheena instructs, "Go with this idiot Chosen and help him find Lloyd and Genis. Those two ran off."

"That's stupid."

"I know."

"So, uh," Zelos wonders, "who's going to help me light the way? Not like I can light something up like Raine can."

Raine rolls her eyes and glances between me and Colette, determining who can go with Zelos.

Colette proclaims, "I'll go with him. I'm worried about Lloyd and Genis."

Raine replies, "No, Colette. You don't know how to cast anything like what I did to light the way. Besides, it will be best if we be sure to keep our numbers from being divided too much." Then she addresses me. "Kelsey, can you do a variation of Horizon in order to imitate my spell?"

I just retrieve my spear and light the dragon tooth blade with Fire Ball. I hold my spear up so it can light as much of my surroundings as it can and walk towards Corrine. "Lead the way. Let's go find them."

Corrine goes off in the direction Lloyd and Genis ran off to. I follow him with my lit spear high in the air to provide as much light on the surroundings as possible. I only stop to wait on Zelos. The awkward silence between us gives me a chance to calm down completely and just be slightly annoyed by the situation.

Zelos goes, "Please say something . . . This silence is creeping me out . . ."

I keep silent.

". . . I get it. You're still mad," Zelos concludes. "You aren't the type who holds grudges . . . are you?"

I answer this time, "Oh yeah. I hold grudges. I like to wait a long while and devise the most gruesome punishment for those who provoke my bloody wrath."

Zelos challenges my bluff, "You're just kidding with me."

I just remain silent. I don't know if I unnerve Zelos or if he caught on (most likely he knows I'm bluffing), but I don't exactly care at the moment. Let him think what he wants.

After a bit of walking, when Raine's white light is gone and the only light provided is from the fire I cast, Corrine sniffs on the ground, once more out of the countless times the summon spirit has, and proclaims, "The smell is getting stronger! They're just this way!"

Corrine dashes off. I chase after him, carrying my fire with me. "Wait up!"

"Lloyd! Genis!" Corrine cries out.

Corrine races passed the large tangles of roots, pushing me and Zelos to focus on running without tripping on our faces rather than shouting for Corrine to slow down and let us catch up. Then—

"EEEEIIIIIIEEEE!" Corrine screeches as he skids to a halt and gawks up at something in the shadows. When I tumble next to Corrine, I pant and try to recover my breath as my eyes attempt to gauge the surroundings. When my eyes turn to my right, I find Lloyd and Genis frozen standing in place, bone pale in complexion, eyes wide in horror, and staring transfixed before them.

I hear Zelos gasp, "Oh my goddess . . . !"

Finally, I force myself to look forward.

With what little light provided, I gaze at the shadowy figure. After squinting my eyes and adjusting them to the darkness, I discover that the figure, a skeleton of charcoal-black bones easily three time my height. It lays on the ground, bones scattered, stiller than death, gazing upon us all, with a dark presence peering through the skull's empty eye sockets. The next I find after the empty eye sockets are the ram horns twisting out of its head. With a gulp, I warily drift my eyes across the fallen form . . . four arms . . . each one wielding a wicked blade that's much larger than I am . . . along with an unmoving tail draped across the forest floor . . .

Zelos whispers, "Corrine . . . Get the others . . ."

A scurrying fading out into the darkness signals Corrine's immediate flight for the other half of our group.

Genis utters, "Not this thing again . . . Not this thing again . . . !"

Zelos hisses in a whisper, "You've seen this thing before?"

"If . . . If it weren't for . . . Kratos then it would have . . ." Lloyd forces out, "killed us . . ."

"What's the long story short?" Zelos wonders.

Lloyd states in a hush, "We found this thing, we fought it, everyone but Kratos got knocked out and he—somehow—finished it off after that. I didn't think we would see it ever again . . ."

Genis adds, "Now that we know what Kratos really was, how he managed to beat this thing makes sense . . ."

Sword Dancer shifts and hisses, "f . . . figh . . . f . . . IGHT . . . ng . . . ry ry ry THING . . ."

Zelos questions, "What did it say?"

"'Fighting is everything' . . ." Genis translates.

"I i r . . . re-e . . . memBER m-my r-r . . . ASo . . . to . . . o . . . to e . . . i . . . st . . ."

"'I remember my reason to exist' . . ."

"S S S . . . STRONG . . . o . . . n . . . e . . . fi . . . igh . . . ight ME!"

Genis gulps. "'Strong one, fight me' . . . !"

Sword Dancer shifts, picking itself up from the dust on the forest floor. "wa . . . a . . . GER your-your-your li . . . fe . . . and COME . . . !"

As the skeleton reassembles itself, pieces and bones coming back together like a self-solving puzzle, Lloyd nearly shouts, the volume from his terror, "Genis! What did it say next?"

Genis squeals, "'Wager your life and come'! That's what it said!"

Zelos protests, while Sword Dancer is halfway finished, "There's no way I'm dying here because of that thing!"

"Can't we just run?" I question.

"We tried that last time!" Genis cries out. "It followed us and kept attacking!"

"Okay, stay calm!" Lloyd orders. "If we panic right now, we're already done for!"

"Easier said than done!" I come back with.

"Don't you think I know that?" Lloyd demands.

Finally, its head joining as the last piece, Sword Dancer is complete. It slices down at us.

"MOVE!" Lloyd shouts.

We all dodge out of the way. Genis flees into cover and starts casting away with all his spells and any spells he remembers on the spot. Lloyd goes in immediately, dashing in to clear the way for any further assaults. Sword Dancer uses a cross slice attack. Lloyd slides to his right and zips in, attacking the skeleton's limbs. In counterattack, the monster prepares for an attack . . .

Lloyd gasps in recognition and flees . . .

Sword Dancer spins its entire torso, slicing everything within range. Lloyd gets away, but gains a large gash on his back for being just a second too late.

"Damn! First Aid!" Then Zelos begins casting again and questions me, "Can you use First Aid too?"

"No! Can't even grasp the concept!"

"So I'm the only one—First Aid!—here who can heal until Raine gets here? First Aid!"

"Yup."

"Damn it all to hell!" Zelos curses. "First Aid! Cover for me, then!"

"That's basically my job for every spell caster in this group," I remark, mainly to myself, as I pull out a lemon gel. I race to Lloyd, keeping an eye on Sword Dancer—

I leap out of the way as Sword Dancer targets me. Each swing is just a hair's breadth away from killing me and my fight is just to dodge and stay alive. Finally, I dodge that death spiral swing by ducking under and zipping under the fan-blade rotations. Finding Lloyd in my sight, I shout, "Lloyd!"

Getting his attention, I fling the lemon gel out. Lloyd catches the bottle and finishes healing his back wound with it.

I sense movement at the corner of my eye and jump backwards—but not far enough. The cross slice slashes horizontally and catches my stomach. Although not enough to kill me or open up my liver, it certainly brings enough torment for excruciating pain. I flee as far as I can and dig out gels while Zelos switches from healing Lloyd to healing me.

"Thunderblade!" Genis casts.

The giant blade of lighting crashes down on Sword Dancer. The initial spell stuns it for a moment but the skeleton returns to going after Lloyd—and then stumbles as the end of the Thunderblade spell hits it. Then, to our dismay, Sword Dancer recovers from its stumble and attacks Lloyd.

Lloyd dodges the vertical cross slice and then ducks when the horizontal slice rushes through. The swordsman dashes in and drops to the ground when the death spiral attack slashes around. Then Lloyd leaps up and attacks.

"Tigerblade! Beast! Hunting Beast!"

Lloyd's final attack sends Sword Dancer to the ground. He leaps back out of range and pulls out any healing gels he has on him.

"Stalagmite!"

The spell sends Sword Dancer staggering back . . . and turns its attention towards Genis.

"No! Genis!" Lloyd shouts in protest. Lloyd races between Sword Dancer and the half-elf . . .

"First Aid!" Zelos finishes healing my wound. I stand and whip my spear in an attack position.

"Thanks," I tell him before I race off to protect Genis.

Sword Dancer begins to cast a fire spell . . .

"Genis! Move!" Lloyd commands. Then he turns to me. "Let's use our union attack!"

"Cross Thrust?" I guess.

"No! Grand Slam!"

"What are you talking—GAH!" I yelp when Lloyd grabs hold of me and leaps into the air. He flings me down to the ground and I hastily orientate myself for a land.

_Thud!_

As the union attack causes, a shock wave goes through and causes some damage, but not enough to disrupt the spell. I just stand there as the spell is nearly finished being cast, stunned by the pain in my legs.

. . . It's been a long time since we did this move . . .

Just when the spell is cast, Lloyd jerks me out of the way and dives to the ground when Flame Lance strikes down where we just were.

Lloyd amends, "Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea . . ."

"Ow my knees . . ."

Sword Dancer suddenly charges us, its swords ready for a killing blow—

"JUDGMENT!"

Beams of light, thinner than anything we have witnessed before shoot down from the heavens and onto the entire area, hitting many parts of the very large Sword Dancer. The skeleton stumbles back and collapses, down but not out yet.

Lloyd shouts out in relief, "Colette!" Then he discovers the others running closely behind. "Professor! Sheena! Presea!"

Genis races out of his cover. "Raine! Colette! Presea! Sheena!"

Zelos sighs in relief, "Phew! Now someone else can take care of the healing."

Genis cries out, "Raine! It's back! That demon from the Ossa Trail mine is back!"

"So it is!" Raine replies. "How could it have returned?"

Presea monotonously informs, "The enemy has recovered from its stun."

"We have to focus!" Sheena proclaims.

As Sword Dancer turns back against us, Lloyd shouts, "Everyone scatter!"

We all race around to dodge the oncoming attack from Sword Dancer. Raine and Genis continue to stay at the distance and in cover. Colette and I stay continuously between them and Sword Dancer, protecting the mages from harm and disruptions, alerting them if any spells come their way. Lloyd continuously charges in to clear the way for Sheena, Zelos, and Presea and attacks Sword Dancer relentlessly, even occasionally distracting Sword Dancer in order to allow someone else to place in a surprise attack.

Sword Dancer quickly casts Flame Lance and aims it at Raine and Genis.

"Run!" Colette cries out just as we all dive out of the way. However, it makes no difference as the shockwave sends us flying out.

Once back up on her feet, Raine immediately starts focusing on healing spells and stats boosters. Genis waits for his sister to heal his burns and immediately gets back into the battle. Colette gets up into the air for safety and advantage and keeps herself hovering between Raine and Genis. I keep an eye on the battle as Raine gets around to healing my burns.

Lloyd and Zelos charge in, Lloyd going first and Zelos following closely behind. The two unleash combos and break Sword Dancer's guard enough for Sheena and Presea to come in and finish the attack. However, just as soon as they begin to make way for Sheena and Presea, Sword Dancer unleashes a cross slice attack and sends the two sliding off and quickly casts Spark Wave. Now, bleeding and severely wounded, the two are punished with an electric orb electrocuting them, leaving nothing but twitching bodies.

"Lloyd! Zelos!" Sheena cries out. The ninja races around and unleashes her wrath on Sword Dancer.

Just as soon as Raine heals my wounds and focuses her attention towards Lloyd and Zelos, I dash around and keep myself as a barrier between Sword Dancer and the two injured swordsmen. I watch while Sheena attempts to successfully land a hit on the skeleton.

"_Raaahh!_" Sheena roars. "_Corrine!_"

Corrine leaps out of the shadows and illuminates dimly in a form that gives me a sense of déjà vu, although still the same size Corrine is still in. This new form of Corrine leaps out at Sword Dancer and chomps down upon its throat with amazing strength, his aura causing small corrosive damage by mere contact. When Corrine's fangs finally break through Sword Dancer's neck bones, its head collapses and Sword Dancer falls to the dark forest floor.

Victorious, Corrine jumps off the remains and lands on Sheena's shoulders, his aura disappearing. "I did it! It's gone now!"

There is a silence from relief, aside from Raine casting her highest healing spells on Lloyd and Zelos, and all of us winding down from the battle . . .

Genis looks over at the remains . . . and gasps. "It's not through with us yet!"

We whirl around at Sword Dancer, who brings itself back on its feet and feels around its neck for its head, and stare in shock.

"No way!" Sheena protests. "Corrine was using his full strength! How could it still be—"

Resigning to the fact that its head is gone and there is no way to place it back on, Sword Dancer turns against us once more as if it can still see us despite losing its head. It swings its swords at Sheena, forcing her to dodge.

Sensing its coming, I begin casting Air Blade . . .

Then with its death spiral, Sword Dancer succeeds in driving Sheena off, although not succeeding in killing her off. It takes another step towards me and the still-recovering swordsmen.

"Air Blade!" I cast. A gust of wind rockets out of my hand and straight at Sword Dancer. Unable to move out of the way due to its size and lack of speed, Sword Dancer takes the hit and staggers back.

Genis joins in, "Air Thrust!"

While Sword Dancer is trapped in a sphere of wind blades, Colette begins casting her angelic spells as well. "Oh sacred powers . . ."

Sheena rushes in to keep Sword Dancer where it is. "Mirage Seal! Pyre Seal! And take _this!_ Serpent Seal! Pyre Seal!"

"Yeah!" Sheena suddenly calls out. "Mirage Seal Pinion! _Hah!_"

"Union attack!" Genis calls out. "Presea!"

Presea races in. Genis casts a fire spell on her ax. Presea gets close to Sword Dancer and attacks with, "Fiery Destruction!"

Upon contact with the ebony bones of Sword Dancer, Presea's ax explodes with fierce flames, spreading throughout the skeleton's body. As Presea retreats from Sword Dancer and her flames . . .

"_Judgment!_" Colette casts.

Colette's beams of light cast down from the sky upon Sword Dancer once more.

Then, with Raine's healing complete, Lloyd and Zelos dash around me to join the fry. As I continue to cast spells along with Genis and Raine, everyone else, Lloyd, Colette, Sheena, Zelos, and Presea, bring upon a full-on assault upon Sword Dancer. Lloyd continues to lead the way in breaking Sword Dancer's guard while Colette flies around and attacks the skeleton's vital joints. With the way cleared, Sheena goes in with her speed and accuracy and deals additional damage where ever Lloyd and Colette left off and hurries away to safety. Then Zelos and Presea follow up with the final damage count in the group's combo attacks. Raine backs everyone up with healing spells and stats enhancing spells while Genis and I add to the total damage with our spells.

Eventually, it gets to the point where it becomes a system. The only thing we need to do to keep ourselves from getting hurt is approach Sword Dancer differently or move out of the way.

Then—

"Hunting Beast!" Lloyd attacks. He brings Sword Dancer down and, his enemy weakened enough, scatters its bones apart. Three of its arms are gone, its spine is snapped in half, its tail is blown to bits, and its legs are no longer attached and can no longer be attached.

We all stare it down, expecting it to reassemble itself, but . . .

"I i I . . . remEMBER . . ." the ghostly voice rasps. "I am the . . ."

Genis tilts his head. "It remembers what it is but it didn't say . . ."

Then Sword Dancer hisses, "strONG oNeS . . . I . . . ait . . . next time . . . NEXT time . . ."

Then he fades out from existence . . .

Zelos expresses, "I don't like the sound of that . . ."

Lloyd notes, "That thing's gotten stronger. I know we got stronger since last time, but I can just tell . . ."

Raine wonders, "Could it be recovering more of its former power? Its words are more coherent and it gains more traits belonging to the demonic kind."

Sheena states, "Then it'll come back for us, only stronger than ever."

"But what can we do about this?" I say through my pants for air. "If we keep fighting it eventually and it gets stronger and stronger each time we might end up becoming overpowered."

"A wandering spirit that seeks only combat . . ." Raine puzzles over this for a moment. "If we confront it at its most powerful state and best it, then it will deplete itself from the fight and vanish."

Lloyd concludes, "So we have to be stronger than its true power and force it to give up . . ."

Colette wonders, "If we do that, will it finally be at rest?"

Sheena shrugs. "Probably. We'll just have to beat it and see."

Then I sigh, "But let's get to Ozette asap. I don't think I'm the only one tired . . ."

Murmurs of agreement answer me.

We all regroup and heal our wounds, which leaves both Raine and Zelos exhausted and chugging orange and pineapple gels like soda. When we finally get a move on, we have Corrine guide us back to the path we strayed from in a roundabout way and continued on from there. Eventually the gloom and the darkness drains us of all emotion and stifles us.

Genis asks, "Sheena . . . Are we lost?"

"N-no!" Sheena goes. "That is . . . um . . ." She turns to Corrine who now leads the way. ". . . Corrine? Are we lost?"

"No! I know the way!"

Sheena turns back to Genis. "No, we're not lost."

Colette gloomily expresses, "I feel like we're never going to get out of here . . ."

Zelos offers, "If all else fails we can always use the Legendary Strategy."

Lloyd utters, "The 'Legendary Strategy'? What's that?"

Zelos places his right hand and skims the path with it, "If we stay to the right side of the path and always go to the right, we'll reach the end of a labyrinth in no time."

Genis states, "But this is a forest without any set paths—and that strategy only works if we use it from the very beginning, which we didn't do. So we'll get lost either which way."

Zelos chirps, "That's absolutely right, Genis! Good job!"

I respond by covering my eyes with my hand and say, "Oh wow . . . That's just . . ."

Eventually things become a blur. All we do is follow and trust Corrine. In a nutshell, that's all we can do since even Sheena lost her way through the forest.

"Ozette is just this way! We're almost there!" Corrine announces.

"Really?" Lloyd responds.

Sheena peers out around her surroundings. ". . . Corrine's right. This is starting to look familiar."

"It all looks the same to me . . ." Genis utters.

"Come on! The path is just right . . . Uh-oh!" Corrine suddenly halts.

"What's the matter, Corrine?" Sheena goes.

Colette reports, "I hear people up ahead. There's also a bunch of clicking noises, like they have armor on."

Lloyd states, "It could be the Papal Knights. Be careful."

Sheena asks, "Corrine, is there a way around them?"

Corrine guides us into another direction. "Yeah! This way!"

The summon spirit races off and we follow him as quietly as we can. As we go along Corrine's alternate route, we discover a problem . . .

The Papal Knights are closer than Corrine originally suspected.

As soon as we spot them, we dash into hiding and douse our lights and watch as these Knights, equipped with much lighter armor than the typical Papal Knight, inspect the area.

"Scouts," Sheena identifies in a whisper. "Their main troop must be closer to Ozette."

Lloyd deems, "We can't go to Ozette right now with the Papal Knights so close. We need to wait them out."

Zelos questions, "Where can we wait them out? Here? In the forest of death?"

Raine wonders, "Sheena, perhaps you know of a place?"

Sheena states, "Mizuho is a secret village so that's out of the question, but I don't see any other escape—"

"Hey! Over there! I think I heard something!"

My heart begins pounding as the scouts turn towards us. I hiss, "What do we do?"

"Stay still and quiet!" Sheena answers.

The scouts cautiously approach. The one closest to us pauses just some feet before the bushes . . .

He suddenly scrambles away. "Something's there! I saw something red! Shoot the flare!"

Another scout, way in the back, pulls out something that looks like a primitive flare gun.

Sheena is the first to react. She dashes out of the bushes first . . .

The scout pushes his arm with the flare gun up into the air . . .

Sheena gets right up in the scout's face and reaches for the flare gun . . .

The scout pulls the trigger . . .

Like any flare gun from Earth, the flare rockets out of its barrel and shoots out into the sky. It blasts out with scores of colors in the red hues with a big _bang!_ And slowly fizzles down to the earth as it dies.

"Damn!" Sheena curses.

A third scout shouts, "It's the wanted criminals! Retreat!"

We all begin to charge at them.

"Stop!" Lloyd tells us, "Let's get out of here! Reinforcements are coming no matter what we do! We just need to run!"

While the scouts get away, Sheena agrees, "Lloyd's right! Fighting them isn't going to change the fact that flare is signaling for reinforcements. It looks like I really don't have a choice here . . . I'm taking you to the village of Mizuho!"

Zelos replies, "Seriously? Aren't outsiders forbidden from the secret village of ninjas?"

It really is a whole village of ninjas like in Naruto? Seriously?

"Yes, but we don't have a choice right now, do we?" Sheena emphasizes. "So let's go now!"

With that, Sheena and Corrine lead the way as we all race out of the area. We rush through all the trees, getting as far away from the flare as possible. Although already exhausted and thoroughly winded and out of breath, the thought of facing that many soldiers with Exspheres after wandering around in the Gaoracchia Forest and facing Sword Dancer pushes us forward. It is only when all light that we—even Colette—can see is from Raine's staff.

When we finally stop to catch a breath, I drop down to a sit and gasp for air while my hands massage my left leg. It's so strained . . .

Lloyd looks back at the way we came. "Okay . . . I think we can rest here for a second . . . before moving on . . ."

Zelos groans, "I have never ached so much in my life . . ."

Raine says, "Colette, if you hear anyone approaching, will you warn us, please?"

"Yes, Professor . . ."

Lloyd examines each one of us and goes to every one of us to make sure we're all fine. Colette gives her usual saddened reply, trying to convince Lloyd that she's fine although she really isn't—and it's obvious that she isn't. It just succeeds in making Lloyd feel useless and sad. He's not alone, either. We all want to see Colette smile one more time, even if it's just once.

Presea just monotonously confirms her condition. Nothing to say there.

Genis responds with, "I tripped back there, but I'm fine. It's funny how I keep tripping in the most inappropriate times."

When asked, Raine reassures him, "I'm fine, Lloyd. You don't need to be concerned about me."

When he approaches me, Lloyd discovers that I'm massaging my left leg and grimaces. "Is that the same leg that—"

"It's fine," I interrupt. "My left side was never my best side to begin with."

"I'm so—"

"Don't. We're both alive and that's what counts."

Lloyd frowns and pauses for a moment before moving on.

Then he addresses Sheena, to which she replies, "I'm just exhausted. That's all. I'm a little worried about how Mizuho is going to receive us, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Are you sure it's alright?" Lloyd wonders.

"We don't exactly have much of a choice in the first place," Sheena points out, "but we'll all see when we get there."

Then it's Zelos' turn.

"Do I really have to answer?" Zelos asks. "Aside from the social stigma and losing everything I had, I'm fine. Just tired and aching like hell."

"I'll make things right for you again," Lloyd promises. "I'll get your name cleared."

"That'll be nice."

Colette looks up and scans a particular area . . . She suddenly gasps and jabs her fingers up, "Look out—"

Landing with strength and grace, a new figure appears out of the darkness. This very—_very_—large figure straightens up from his land and regards us calmly. Although his air is calm, the rest of us . . .

Genis whips out his kendama. "The convict from the Meltokio sewers!"

Zelos sneers as he readies to draw his blade. "I've been waiting for a chance like this. You're going to pay for nearly breaking my back!"

I remind, "He could have also broken your neck but he didn't do that either."

Regal informs us in a polite tone, "I do not wish to fight. I merely wish to speak to that girl." He motions towards Presea to indicate who he means.

Genis immediately hurries himself between Presea and Regal. "As if! You attacked us before! Why should we trust you now?"

Regal explains, "Although I cannot speak for any others, I never intended to take your lives. My orders were to retrieve a girl by the name of Colette who was identified as the Chosen of Sylvarant."

Colette points at herself. ". . . Me? The Pope wanted me?"

Raine reminds, "You are Sylvarant's Chosen. Remember?"

Regal asks, "What is her name?"

Lloyd assesses the situation before him and replies, ". . . Presea."

"Lloyd!" Genis barks in protest.

"Presea . . . ?" Regal's eyes gleam in confirmation. "Yes . . . That was . . ." Then he promises, "Presea, I promise you no harm. I wish to speak to you."

Presea regards Regal for a moment, and then addresses Genis, "Please. Stand aside."

"P-Presea . . . !" Genis gawks in stun. Then, he backs away, grudgingly. "Alright . . ."

Regal steps up to Presea and kneels down to her eye level. "Presea . . . I don't know if—" Then the gleam of Presea's Exsphere catches his eyes. Regal peers down at it . . . "An Exsphere? . . ."

Regal's eyes burn with rage.

Although he doesn't hear Regal's whispered words directed towards the Exsphere, Genis does catch the wrath within the convict's eyes. Genis swings his kendama and slams the ball—charged with fire—into Regal. "_Get away from her!_"

Genis' battle cry warns Regal in time for him to leap away, but the attack still manages to hit Regal and burns his arm.

"Genis! What happened?" Lloyd goes.

"He was about to attack Presea!" Genis accuses.

Oh no . . . Not this fight . . .

I begin to back away enough so my movement isn't entirely noticed and so that I won't be in the range of melee attacks. I wouldn't be surprised if Regal could kick as hard as a horse can. Or harder . . .

Everyone crowds around to protect Presea (except for me). Lloyd, Colette, and Genis go immediately in with Sheena and Zelos attacking as supports for the trio. I just stay by Raine's side next to Presea.

Raine questions, "Why aren't you joining the fight?"

I pause for a quick second to come up with an answer before I reason, "Well, Genis is out there acting like a melee fighter—rather idiotically—so I figured I would take his place for the moment. Though . . ."

Regal, sent on the defensive, executes a combo of kicks from basic kicks to Crescent Moon to Eagle Dive and then Spin Kick to knock Lloyd and Zelos away while merely shielding himself and then dodging when it came to Sheena, Colette, and Genis. I keep my eyes on Lloyd and Zelos as they recover from the painful attacks.

". . . I also don't want to get kicked," I add. "Four broken rips from anyone are enough for my lifetime, thank you."

"Healing Circle!" Raine casts upon Lloyd and Zelos. Then she regards the fight and notes, "You might not be harmed after all. This convict merely blocks attacks from Colette and Sheena—who are both young women—and Genis—who is a young child. It is only Lloyd and Zelos that he counterattacks and yet he refrains from fully attacking them."

"So he doesn't hurt women and children," I mirror. "At least I can add another reason for being glad that I'm female instead of—"

"Raaahhh!" Zelos roars as he full on attacks Regal. The convict blocks Zelos' first attack but the Tethe'allan Chosen sidesteps and slips in through Regal's guard and slices at him. Regal counterattacks with a massive side kick.

"OOFF!" Zelos grunts as he goes flying.

I finish, "Instead of being a guy . . ."

"First Aid!" Raine casts once more.

I lean around Raine and peer at Presea. "Sooooo . . . Why aren't you fighting with the others?"

Presea monotonously answers, "I sensed no hostility directed towards me. Therefore, I will not attack."

I motion towards the others. "They're fighting. In fact, they're fighting to defend you."

"They instigated this fight and so they participate in this fight," Presea states. "However, there has been no aggression directed towards me so I see no need to defend myself."

Raine examines Presea. "If you sensed no hostility from this convict, then why did he . . . ?" Then she sees it. ". . . The Exsphere? Is that what inspired his ire?"

"PROFESSOR!"

"RAINE!"

"Sis! Lloyd's hurt!"

"Zelos is hurt too!"

"Colette, Zelos doesn't count."

"BRAT!"

Raine sighs. "Healing Circle!"

I inquire, "So how are we going to get them to stop?"

Raine finishes casting Healing Circle and motions towards the fight. "Do you want to get in the middle of that?"

I look over. In a desperate attempt to shake all of his melee attackers off, Regal counters with a massive spin kick and knocks all but Genis (who's a little farther away) to the ground. With that, Regal flees away for space, leaving the others in pain.

I grimace. ". . . No, I really don't."

"I didn't think so."

"But we started a fight over a big fat misunderstanding," I state. "What if . . . they end up killing . . ."

Raine says, "I'm sure that at least Lloyd has noticed that this convict has remained defensive rather than attack. I highly doubt they would kill him in such a case."

"Hunting Beast!" Lloyd attacks. He slams into Regal and the shockwaves caused by the attack itself sends the convict flying. Regal slams against a tree, his head taking a hit too, and slumps. I begin to worry as I can't tell what Regal's condition is from the distance I'm at.

While Raine, Presea, and I rejoin the others, Lloyd pants heavily as he poises his sword at Regal's throat, keeping the convict two arm lengths away should he decide to attack. "Who . . . hauh . . . are you?"

Regal doesn't answer.

Raine moves towards the convict and examines him in a very clinical fashion. She reports, "He is in a stunned state, most likely due to the head injury he sustained."

Zelos comments, "I noticed that two certain people didn't help us fight him at all."

What? While you were getting your ass handed to ya?

I decide not to vouch for my case. Instead, I comment, "Strange how even Presea didn't fight to defend herself—as if she didn't have to in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Genis snips.

Lloyd wonders, "So Presea wasn't attacked in the first place?"

Presea repeats, "I sensed no hostility directed towards my person, therefore I did not attack."

Raine voices, "With Presea's perspective in mind, I conclude that the convict's anger was directed towards Presea's Exsphere—the only thing I am aware of that anyone could express ire towards."

Sheena goes, "We just attacked someone based on a misunderstanding?"

"Looks like it," I add.

Lloyd pulls his sword away. "So that's what was going on. I was wondering why he didn't fight back."

"Even still," Raine points out, "it sounds as if he has reasons for his actions. Shall we take him prisoner? I am sure he has much to tell us."

Sheena asks, "Can we do that and get to Mizuho as quickly as possible? We wasted enough time in one spot. The Papal Knights will be here any minute now!"

Raine nods. "Very well. I can heal his head while we run." Then her eyes meet Zelos. "Zelos, carry him for us."

Zelos baulks, "Me? You want me to carry this ogre by myself? Are you kidding?"

"I'll help . . ." Colette volunteers with her now-typical sad tone. "Zelos . . . will have a very hard time by himself . . ."

Colette reaches down and pulls Regal up. While we all react to seeing Colette easily lift the heavily muscled man (myself raising my eyebrows in mild surprise since I remember this scene from the game), her eyes gleam in a note and she states, ". . . He's much lighter than I thought. I can carry him by myself."

"Hah . . . Hah hah . . . I . . . see . . ." Zelos forces out.

Sheena ushers, "Come on! Hurry up before they get here!"

* * *

"No, 'maiko' does not mean 'girl' and we do not call our men 'samuri' and women are not called 'geisha.' And no, our houses are definitely not made of gold and . . . shoes being called 'geta'? What? . . . We what with our shoes to tell what? If we have a good crop this season? . . . No! I don't eat mist! . . . No, we don't live in Shintor shrines . . . Wha . . . Who told you all of this? . . . _Zelos Wilder! You idiot Chosen!"_

"Heheheheheh . . ."

* * *

Please review while I hurry out the door. And yes, that last bit about Mizuho "added" to the end is a part of the fic. And no, I don't know how to get Zelos' "Idiot Chosen" title (i've yet to get it).


	50. Ninjas FTW!

I tried looking up honorifics and customs for Japan that I may not have already known and well . . .

I got confused.

I did the best I could, but I end up failing a few times so please forgive me on that.

Anyway, I'm trying to set up a few things on the relationship thing on more than one person. Trying to get people from meh-he/she's-alright to this-person-is-actually-pretty-nice is kinda hard.

* * *

Chapter Fifty: Ninjas FTW!

I don't know if it's just me but something tells me that none of us are welcome in Mizuho . . . or anywhere even close to Mizuho for that matter. Maybe it's the glares peering at us through the darkness, the cautious way Sheena words her explanations, or the general air of distrust. Perhaps it's the hostile stealth that these denizens of Mizuho executed as they surrounded us in the dark and aimed crossbows and bows at us when they expose themselves and the fact that they have us trapped. Then again, it could be the one ninja, shrouded in the darkness crafted by the Gaoracchia Forest and the midnight hours, who used a demanding tone when he said, in near-shout volume, "_Sheena! How could you lead outsiders to the village?_"

A wary explanation about Papal Knights, a convict, the dangers of sleeping in the forest, and being almost too exhausted to fight later and we all have our own personal escort of ninjas guiding us to the village. Under blindfolds. Yeah, all of us except for Sheena and Regal (who's currently unconscious) got blindfolded by ninjas and are being herded towards Mizuho. It's all a security issue despite the fact that we wouldn't expose Mizuho's location. I can't help but note, however, that the only ones that Mizuho's location could be kept hidden from would be the Papal Knights since Cruxis and the Renegades would know where Mizuho is no matter what anyone does, so that would probably mean that being a hidden village is all about comfort and a sense of security (aside from the Papal Knights).

And I'm blabbering again . . .

Irritated and bruised from numerous tripping, we get shoved into this tiny house. How do I know this is a house? Colette tripped over a step and landed on a wooden floor and we all heard the drop. Knowing that a step is approaching, I kick around and find the step and climb up . . . only I underestimate the height of the step.

"Eep!" I yelp as I trip and fall flat on my face.

I hear Sheena sigh, "Orochi-san, let them take off those blindfolds already. It's not like they know what direction to take to get out of the area, let alone the village's exact bearings."

"If they wish to remove the blindfolds they may do so. As for you, you have much to explain to us all and to Vice Chief."

"I know. I'm ready for whatever Vice Chief and Mizuho deems fit for me."

"Then come with me."

"Wait!" I hear Lloyd protest. "Sheena didn't do anything wrong! She was trying to—"

"Whatever Fujibayashi-kun's motives may have been will be voiced when she reports of her actions to the Vice Chief. If you want to aid her in any way, you will stay here and wait to hear of what Mizuho decides concerning all of you."

"But—"

Sheena's voice assures, "It's alright. Besides, this is a chance for all of you to rest and the Papal Knights won't be able to find our trail. Everything will be fine."

With that, the villagers of Mizuho leave us all alone to our own devices . . .

". . . Damn it . . . That isn't fair. Sheena was only trying to help us!" Lloyd protests.

"No matter what Sheena's intentions were, she broke the law of her village," Raine states. "It isn't our place to judge."

I utter half muffled curses as I claw at the knot keeping the blindfold tightly around my eyes.

"Here, sweet." The blindfold falls away as something cuts it. The first thing I see is Zelos with a knife walking away going, "Who else needs their blindfold cut?"

After we all discard the blindfolds, firsts things first, we turn to the convict and exchange over him.

"He still hasn't woken up yet," Genis states. "One of us needs to keep watch in case he wakes up and tries to get away or attack us."

I remind, "We have Mizuho ninjas watching us from outside in case we do the same. I don't think he'll do anything to us during the night."

Raine cautions, "We cannot be too careful. I suggest we all take turns with the night shift. Who will go first?"

Lloyd volunteers, "I will."

Colette softly points out, "But Lloyd, you're the most exhausted out of all of us."

"You did the most work," I put, "so you get the most rest."

Presea adds, "Over exhaust breeds inefficiency."

"Okay, I get it," Lloyd sighs in surrender.

"Quite the stud, aren't you, with all these chicks clamoring for you," Zelos teases.

Lloyd just takes the teasing and asks, "But who's going to take the first shift?"

I go, "I will. It takes forever for me to get to sleep, anyway."

"Wake one of us up once you start nodding off," Lloyd advices.

"Will do. Good night."

So everyone turns in for the night, some dropping down to sleep as soon as they lay down and others suffering from some degree of insomnia like I typically do nowadays. However, our exhaust takes everyone else one by one. Towards the end, Zelos is the only one up as he is the last one to settle down, leaning against the wall.

A little while passes as the silence and my exhaust get to me. I know that Regal won't do anything, but I still volunteered to watch him in case he does do something. I pace to the window and fidget around, trying to stay awake.

Zelos comments to me, "You can just get someone else to watch him if you're drooping off."

I reply, "I haven't even been watching for a few minutes . . ."

"So?" Zelos goes. "Just get some sleep."

"Made a promise . . ." I mumble.

"And Lloyd told you to wake someone up to replace you once you start falling asleep," Zelos reminds.

"They need some sleep too . . ." I insist. "We all do . . ."

Zelos states, "If this convict does do anything and gets out, Mizuho's ninjas will catch him. We don't have anything to be afraid of."

". . . A promise is a promise . . ." I then say.

Zelos raises a sardonic eyebrow. "So you're scared you will end up losing their trust?"

I pause as I consider what he just said and what I want to say. ". . . I guess that's it. Things have been so . . . hard for them all ever since . . . the Tower of Salvation . . . and Kratos' betrayal . . . I don't want to add to it."

Zelos informs, "They will understand if you just fall asleep here. All of you have a mutual bond between each other. It won't break that easily." Then he smiles. ". . . I wish I could say the same about me."

I watch him for a moment before sitting down next to him. ". . . That mutual bond took a lot to make. It definitely didn't spring up overnight. I know I'm still forming a close friendship with some of them. So give us all some time. Once Colette starts smiling again, a lot of the ice will break and you may find some of us a lot friendlier."

"Oh, thank you for your kind words of wisdom," he mocks.

"Heh . . ." I stare out in front of me and begin to drift off.

Zelos taps on my shoulder to get my attention. "Hey, I'll take over for you, right now. Just get some sleep."

I go, "What about you?"

"I'll just wake someone else once I start going," Zelos answers.

"Thanks . . ." I finally close my eyes and let my mind drop off from consciousness.

* * *

Raine is the one who took the last watch. When the convict wakes up, she gets us all up and we gather around our prisoner. Regal, in the meantime, orientates himself to his surroundings and works his brain to try to figure out just where he is.

Lloyd steps up and catches his attention. "You're our prisoner now," Lloyd warns. "Don't try anything funny."

Regal remarks, "I like to think that I'm smart enough not to start trouble if I don't understand the situation."

"Come on, Lloyd," Zelos says, "give the guy some credit. He's not going to do anything."

"Not right now, anyway," Genis growls as he readies his kendama.

"So what's you're name?" Lloyd asks.

The convict regards all of us for a moment before answering, ". . . Regal."

"Well, Regal," Raine goes, "we have some questions we want you to answer. First, why were you after Colette?"

Regal turns to Raine and informs, "The Pope summoned me and gave me a task to capture Sylvarant's Chosen and bring her to the capital. That was all that I was to do."

Genis questions, "The other convicts had some sort of reward for killing us. So what was _your_ reward for kidnapping Colette?"

Regal doesn't answer.

"Moving on," I interrupt the silence. "Why did you follow us? To kidnap Colette again?"

I know I'm dead wrong. I'm just pretending to know as little as the others.

Lloyd states, "It was to speak to Presea. I could tell he was being honest." Then he turns back to Regal. "But why did you leave that task the Pope gave you in order to speak to Presea? Won't that get you into trouble with the Pope?"

Wow. Yet another moment that demonstrates Lloyd's hidden intellect. Now if only he'll actually apply that to his school work and he may actually be smart.

Regal watches Lloyd for a second before saying, "I have information for Presea and her family. It is exclusively for them and I have an obligation to give this information, and so that comes before all else."

Genis hisses, "So why did you attack her?"

I remind, "If Regal did attack Presea, then why didn't Presea defend herself?"

"He—"

I continue, "Then if Regal really did attack, why didn't he do more than use defensive moves when you, Lloyd, Colette, Sheena, and Zelos were all out attacking him? Note that he didn't even go after you despite how many spells you cast."

"But—"

"No buts, Genis," I gently finish. "Next time you're being Presea's protector, please don't get us into any unnecessary fights."

Genis grumbles at me.

Regal directs our attention away from me and Genis as he says, "Forgive me for any perceived hostility. When I saw the Exsphere lodged inside Presea, I recalled someone . . . close to me who had . . . had perished because of Exspheres. I wanted to remove Presea's Exsphere before she fell to the same fate . . ."

Lloyd widens his eyes. "You were about to remove Presea's Exsphere? Then it's a good thing we stopped you. Presea doesn't have a proper key crest so removing the Exsphere might have hurt her. That's why we're going to Ozette: to find a dwarf named Altessa who can help her."

Regal takes the information and mulls over it, putting together pieces that he already has to the pieces we just gave him, and turns grim.

I wonder, "Is that all we need to know of him now?"

"Be patient, Kelsey," Raine replies to me. "He still hasn't told us what it is he needs to speak to Presea about."

Regal repeats, "That is something that I can only tell Presea and her family."

"Then we cannot let you go," Raine firmly states.

"So now that it's established that this guy won't be going anywhere anytime soon," Zelos suggests, "how about letting pops fight too? He isn't going to do anything until he gets to talk to Presea or someone in her family."

Raine considers that. ". . . Actually, that isn't a too bad of an idea. There are some flaws, but we can work around them."

Lloyd nods then turns to Regal. "Is that alright with you?"

Regal regards Lloyd before confirming, "When the time comes, I will fight. I bear no desire to cause any of you harm."

Colette bows. "Then welcome to the group, Regal."

Genis reminds, "Colette, he's our prisoner. He didn't join our group."

The door opens and a ninja dressed in dark blue appears. "The Vice Chief is ready to speak with you. If you would follow me, I will lead you to the Vice Chief."

Lloyd demands, "Where is Sheena?"

The ninja informs, "Fujibayashi-san is with the Vice Chief. If you follow me, you will meet with her once more."

Lloyd regards the ninja determinedly. ". . . Alright. We will meet with your Vice Chief."

"Then follow me."

All of us, including Regal since we're watching him, follow the ninja out of the shabby house and out into the open. Looking around, with daylight and lack of blindfolds, I can finally see what the village of Mizuho looks like.

Mizuho is a small village built in a large clearing on the edge of the Gaoracchia Forest. Their homes are what you would expect of a feudal era Japan and the people pretty much look like villagers. Those fancy kimonos that you see in the game are nonexistent whereas the actual people wear something a lot simpler and homemade. Every once in a while, especially close to the path we are guided through, I would spot a ninja, watching us with a small glare, warning us not to try anything suspicious. However, that was only occasional and most of the people are villagers doing their daily chores and living their lives.

The ninja who guides us herds us over a bridge where a river passes through and to the center of the village where a more prestigious (or just fancier than the other rough buildings) home. When we arrive, we see Sheena waiting at the front door. She and the ninja bow in greeting.

"Thank you, Orochi-san," Sheena greets.

The ninja, Orochi, doesn't reply. He merely steps to the side after his bow and lets us through.

"Sheena!" Lloyd goes. "We were worried! Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Lloyd," Sheena reassures. "The Vice Chief heard my entire report, every bit of it. Now he wants to hear what you have to say."

Lloyd nods. "Okay. Let's go meet with him."

Lloyd steps forward and enters the home, followed by the rest of us. Sheena stops at the entrance and kneels down to remove her boots in favor of some violet house shoes in front of her. In the corner of her eye, she spots Lloyd stepping into the home with his red boots still on. Sheena snaps up and snatches Lloyd's streamers to stop him.

"Gack!" Lloyd chokes as he's forced back. "Sheena! Why did you do—"

Sheena evenly says, "Take off your shoes." Then she turns to the rest of us. "All of you."

"Why?" Lloyd asks.

Sheena insists, "It's just good manners. Now take them off."

As Lloyd sits down and takes off his red boots, he comments, "I don't remember seeing you take off your shoes before."

While I slip off my own boots, I tell him, "That's because you didn't look."

We all enter, shoeless, with Sheena commenting, "I don't have enough time to run through all the mannerisms but I can at least go through a few things."

Sheena continues to instruct us before letting us continue, trying to impose certain customs for fear of the Vice Chief becoming offended and lose respect towards us. When the list of must-does grows too long for me to remember at once, I ignore her and decide to just use common sense. I see Colette and Genis desperately taking in as much as they can while Lloyd casually takes in what he understands and Raine absorbing all this information heartily. Regal puts the information into notes, though I think he'll keep himself to the side since he's just our "prisoner" now, and Zelos is just ignoring Sheena, probably viewing her lectures as a temporary outburst.

"Sheena," calls a deep, stern voice. "Come here."

Sheena stops and answers, "Yes, Vice Chief!"

Sheena departs from us and immediately joins whoever called her. Then the voice summons, "Travelers from Sylvarant, you may enter."

"Thank you," Lloyd says. He walks in followed by the rest of us. When I step into the room where Tiga awaits, I see Sheena sitting just to the side and a little behind him, completely horrified at our actions and glaring warningly. Remembering Sheena's speech over Mizuho etiquette, I wrack my brain and then remember from what I know about Japanese culture that I'm supposed to bow before entering. However, I'm supposedly from Palmacosta and am not supposed to know anything that even resembles Mizuho's culture so I'm supposed to be completely ignorant of the fact that I'm supposed to bow and yet I don't want to offend Tiga and Sheena did give a quick rundown of basic mannerisms we're supposed to follow so I suppose that I can afford to bow plus being polite doesn't hurt at all but then again everyone else has already passed by and if Tiga was going to be offended despite everyone's ignorance of Mizuho customs then he's already offended by everyone else so me bowing won't exactly redeem us and—

Genis pushes me in. "Get a move on. We don't have all day."

We enter a meeting room of a sort where I'm pretty sure that Mizuho's influential members gather to speak. We all sit across from Tiga and Sheena and face them. Sheena, in the meantime, uses silent cues to try to get us to at least sit in a "proper manner." She only succeeds in influencing Raine and Colette, the first who was using Mizuho's conduct rules to put on an as favorable image as possible towards the leader of Mizuho and the second just wanting to be polite. Raine succeeds in sitting in that style Mizuho prefers but Colette continuously loses balance. Lloyd, who's sitting next to her, puts a hand up to give her balance.

Vice Chief Tiga is a man with a stern build and expression. He shows that he has aged and yet the man has aged so gracefully that if I were to guess his age I would probably end up guessing ten years lower than his true age. However, I notice something a little strange about his build. Nothing wrong, but Tiga seems to have been born with physical qualities of both Japanese and European decent. Now that I think about it, the other civilians of Mizuho have this kind of build too.

This gets me thinking . . . The rest of the humans of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla have more of a European build, although that's not to say that they're the same kind of humans as anyone on Earth (it's two completely different worlds after all). But what I guess I'm trying to say is that it's strange to find this little village with a culture completely different from everything else in this world. Perhaps . . . Just perhaps . . .

Perhaps I'm not the only one . . .

Tiga speaks, "Our leader, Chief Igaguri, is currently ill. I, Tiga, the Vice Chief, shall speak on his behalf."

Then the Vice Chief states, "Due to Sheena's failure to assassinate you, we, the people of Mizuho, are facing severe persecution from the Tethe'alla Royal Family and the Church of Martel. Our emissary has been banished from the capital with only one option provided to us in order to redeem ourselves in the eyes of their court. We are to declare our allegiance to Tethe'alla, capture and send every one of you to them, and punish Sheena for her betrayal in a manner that the capital approves of."

Lloyd's eyes widen in shock. "Is this true?"

"From what I have heard, yes,"

Tiga continues, "However, in light of the information Sheena has revealed about the nature of Cruxis, this is not a matter that we can easily decide upon. While we have never worshiped the Goddess Martel, everything that Sheena has learned from the Renegades is greatly disturbing and necessary to take heed to. Now, before we decide anything, we wish to know all we can from the information we gather and act upon what we learn. And so, I ask you this . . ."

Tiga questions, "People of Sylvarant, what do you seek to accomplish in Tethe'alla, the land of your enemies?"

We all go silent at that. I glance nervously at Lloyd, wondering if he can answer that question he's been asking himself for a while now. He didn't have a plan back when Kratos asked him this. All Lloyd knew, at least as far as I know, is that he didn't like the system Yggdrasill set up. All of us are getting a little nervous, especially Raine and Sheena. Sheena realizes that if none of us has an answer to Tiga's question, chances are that Mizuho will give in to Tethe'alla's demands and turn us all in. Raine realizes the same and is probably also worrying over the fact that she has relinquished some leadership power over the group and that shifted over to Lloyd, so now not only does Lloyd have that influence but he also has that heavy responsibility that may prove too much for a child to bear.

So all of us are pretty close to shitting bricks made of panic.

After the pause, Lloyd goes, "I've been thinking about that for a long time now. Someone else asked me that a while ago . . . what it is that I want to do. At the moment, I couldn't completely answer him. But now . . . if I could face him asking that again, I believe I could answer him."

Lloyd expresses, "I want a world where everyone can have a normal life. Where everyone can live without fear or some compromised peace. Everyone, no matter their race or their background, deserves a chance to live their life to the fullest, and yet I see the complete opposite here, in both worlds. I'm tired of people becoming sacrifices; I'm tired of people becoming victims; I'm tired of it all."

"You are an idealist," Tiga observes. "However, the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla survive only by victimizing the other. It is a system that has remained for as long as both worlds remember. What you dream of is mere sophistry so as long as this system remains."

"So we need to change that system!" Lloyd proclaims as he begins to stand—but then stopped by Raine as she gently, yet firmly, pulls him down so he stays at Tiga's eyelevel. When seated back down, he continues. "This world was made by that Yggdrasill guy, right? If a human or elf or half-elf made this then we should be able to change it as well! All we need to do is find a way to do that!"

Tiga smiles, amused at Lloyd's antics. "Ahahahah! You speak like the hero Mithos!" Tiga reflects, "Mithos was a sublime and noble idealist. He found a way to end the long Ancient War and put the two warring kingdoms of the past to coexist in peace. His feats are still remembered and praised to this very day, despite his time being of legends and myths if remembered at all. Are you saying that you can become the next Mithos?"

Lloyd frowns and shakes his head. "I'm not Mithos. I want to save the two worlds my own way with the help of my friends."

Tiga regards Lloyd. ". . . So you are not concerned with following past methods."

"No," Lloyd confirms.

"Then your desire is to bring about this ideal of yours using a method of your own," Tiga reflects. "Now I have another question. How are you going to bring this ideal of yours to reality?"

This gets Lloyd. He hesitates a second before admitting, "I don't know yet. I'll find a way, though! It's not right for things to remain the way they are!"

"You are right," Tiga tells him. "It is time to search for a new path."

Sheena turns to Tiga and wonders, "Vice Chief, do you mean that . . ."

"Yes, Sheena. We will use our information network to aid you," Tiga informs.

"Really?" Lloyd goes, feeling elation at the news.

"You wish to discover the path of prosperity for both worlds without sacrifice or victims," Tiga reminds. "All you need is information in order find that path. That resource we can provide with our information network. All we ask in return is that you aid us in a move to Sylvarant."

Lloyd backs off. "I don't have any right to decide something like that . . ."

Tiga smiles. "This move is our decision. It is in our best interest to move when possible considering the hostility Mizuho has been receiving in recent years."

Then Tiga asks, "And so what do you say to our offered aid?"

Lloyd turns around and asks, ". . . Is everyone okay with us joining forces with the people of Mizuho?"

Colette goes, her sad eyes brightening up to determination, "If it will help change the relationship of the two worlds and make certain that no one else has to sacrifice their life."

Raine answers, "This could give us a dependable ally, so I have no objections against joining forces with them."

Genis just says, "This is great but let's hurry up and save Presea!"

When Lloyd looks over me, I give my own little piece, "It's not like we can just say no. We obviously need their help."

Zelos comments, "As long as Tethe'alla is safe, I don't care what you guys do."

I notice that Tiga glances at Zelos after that comment with narrowing eyes, questioning.

Lloyd turns back to Tiga. "Then it's settled. We're going to find a way to change the two worlds, so let's work together."

"Very well," Tiga settles. "Under these new circumstances, the people of Mizuho reject the Tethe'allan court and allies with this company. Then I hereby order Sheena Fujibayashi to continue to accompany you, this time as a representative."Tiga turns his head towards Sheena who looks almost as if she could bounce up and down in elation. ". . . Make us proud."

"Yes, sir!"

Zelos frowns in question. ". . . Tiga, are you sure you want to turn the Royals and the Church against you like this? You will be labeled as a village of traitors and if they find this village they will attack you. This is a big risk."

Tiga narrows his eyes at Zelos and sternly questions, "Why don't I ask you the same? Given the choice between one force which desires the sacrifice of one world and another force which desires the preservation of both worlds, which side would you choose?"

Zelos smiles casually and says, "I suppose the side that wishes to preserve both worlds."

Tiga austerely tells, "With the attitude you currently have, I strongly suggest you return to the capital. I can provide you with an escort and ask only that you yourself tell the Royals and the Church of Martel that Mizuho rejects their offer and now sides with their enemies. This journey is not the sort that the light of heart can partake in."

Whoa. Talk about telling someone off! Tiga just really rebuked Zelos for taking such a casual attitude about this. I can see that Genis and Sheena have expressions that are along the lines of "Finally!" and most of the rest of us are pretty surprised. Most of the time the others just ignore Zelos. As for Zelos, I glance over and find that he's just as surprised as I would think. I don't think he's encountered someone like Tiga before.

Tiga redirects the discussion, "The first thing we need to do is locate the rheairds. Fortunately, Sheena attached a guardian seal onto one of the rheairds before the Renegades retrieved them so it won't be too difficult to locate them. I believe that we will locate them in a short amount of time."

Raine asks, "How are you going to locate the guardian seal?"

Tiga answers, "The guardian seals give off a very specific energy signature. You need to be trained in order to recognize and track the signature."

I speak up, "Ahh. So even if Yuan, their leader, was able to notice it, his subordinates who would handle the rheairds won't be able to at all."

"Exactly," Tiga confirms. "So now all you need to do is continue on your journey or any business you need to take care of while we locate the rheairds. Once we confirm their location, we will find you and send you a message with information regarding the rheairds. If there is anything else you need us to do then feel free to tell us."

"Understood," Lloyd politely accepts. "Thank you for your help."

* * *

As we leave, we all exchange glances and look at Lloyd. We all, or at least those who knew him for more than a month, could tell that Lloyd was a humanitarian at heart, but how much he has grown has definitely shown. I could hear in his voice, in his tone, that he really did have passion behind his convictions. It's really just something when you hear it in person. Lloyd's just . . . wow . . .

"Sheena-kun."

Sheena turns about and finds Orochi approaching her. "Yes, Orochi-san?"

Orochi steps up to her and asks, "I was wondering if you had seen Kuchinawa of late. He hasn't been reporting to the village."

Sheena frowns in contemplation. "That's weird. He only misses reporting if something . . ." Sheena stops herself and attempts to reassure, "I'm sure he's just in a delicate situation. Kuchinawa-kun can take care of himself."

Orochi nods. "That he can . . . But from what I saw of him last time . . ." Orochi stops himself. ". . . It's too early to assume things."

"Yeah," Sheena agrees. "Let's just wait a bit and he'll come back out."

"Hey, Sheena! Come here!" Lloyd beckons.

Sheena returns to the group and finds everyone surrounding Regal as Lloyd tells him, "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to keep you prisoner for a little longer."

"So what's going on?" Sheena asks when she arrives.

Lloyd tells her, "This is Regal. He's our prisoner for right now."

Sheena raises an eyebrow at Lloyd's manners before she says, "Okaaayyy, it's nice to meet him."

I shrug as I see that Regal is going to be a prisoner in name only.

So Lloyd runs down the situation concerning Regal to Sheena. She raises her eyebrow when Lloyd mentions that Regal will be fighting along with us if a monster comes by but she doesn't put up a fuss. After that, Sheena accepts Regal into the group.

Then as we wait for the last of the Papal Knights to clear out of the forest around Ozette, we wander around Mizuho and take in the unique sights. To me, it's a little surreal. I kinda feel like I'm Kagome from that one anime called InuYasha, only I don't have some idiot half-dog-demon guy jumping around at my side. There is a pervert who's a "man of the cloth" but no half-dog-demon guy.

. . . Maybe my description is a bit off. I'm actually quite fascinated by the village. There are lots of people staring at each one of us as we pass by but that doesn't really bother me. I'm more interested in learning what I can about Mizuho's culture from observation and comparing any similarities with what little I know of Japan. Every once in a while I reflect on how lucky I am to see this.

To think . . . that if I stayed at Earth . . . I would probably be wasting time on the internet rather than seeing magnificent sights like this . . .

". . . I can take those off, you know."

I banish my thoughts as I turn around and find Lloyd and Regal just nearby. Lloyd holds up one of his infamous lock picks and is pointing down at Regal's shackles. Then I see Regal shake his head in denial.

"These handcuffs are a symbol of my crime," Regal gravely tells him. "They shall remain around my wrists."

"A crime symbolized by handcuffs . . . ?"

There is a silence. I begin to approach so I can join them.

Lloyd proclaims, "I know! You were a handcuff thief!"

That gets Regal off his guard as he stares back a bit befuddled.

Lloyd gets a little discouraged at Regal's expression. "That's not it? Hmmmm . . ."

I join them. "Hey."

"Hi, Kelsey." Lloyd thinks for a moment before suddenly guessing, "Did you uhhh go around causing trouble by putting handcuffs on people?"

Regal apologizes, "I'm sorry. I should have said that in a way that was easier to understand."

I tell Regal, "You did fine. Lloyd's just our village idiot."

"I'm not a village idiot!" Lloyd protests.

I ask him, "Lloyd, do you know what symbolism is?"

"Uhhhhh . . ."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "You . . . honestly don't know?"

"No. What is it?"

I start walking away. "Oh I am so telling the professor."

"Don't!" Lloyd stops me in desperation. "Just tell me what it is!"

I turn back to Lloyd and spell out, "Lloyd, when someone does a crime, what do we put on their wrists?"

"Handcuffs."

"Yes, handcuffs or shackles." I continue, "So a criminal would have handcuffs on. Do you understand me so far?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, I feel a presence behind me. "Then depending on the crime, we put fuzzy handcuffs on them!"

I put my hand against my eyes. "Oh for the love of . . ."

Lloyd's eyes grow wide. "Fuzzy handcuffs? I've never heard of those. What kind of criminals are those for?"

Zelos answers, "They're for the not-so-hardened criminals and the bad girls. I've had to use a few before."

Lloyd goes, "R-really? You actually arrested people before?"

I finally say, "Zelos, shut up. Lloyd, ignore Zelos, he's just confusing you."

"Uhh, okay . . ." Lloyd uneasily replies. ". . . So what were we talking about again?"

I roll my eyes and drop my hands in surrender. "I give up."

"Heheheheheheh!"

"I don't get it . . ." Lloyd responds with wide eyes.

I tell him, "Just don't take off Regal's handcuffs."

"S-sure."

I turn to Zelos. "You . . . You never cease to amaze me . . ."

"Of course! Someone as incredible as I needs to make a lasting impression!" Zelos crows.

"Just where do you get so much energy?" I wonder. "It's like you ate too much sugar."

"Kelsey!"

I turn around and find Colette coming up to me.

"Hey, Colette," I greet.

"Hello, sweet little angel! Did you come to bless us with your presence?" Zelos chirps.

Colette greets, "Hello, Zelos." Then she leans around towards Lloyd and Regal. "Hi, Lloyd." Then she starts waving. "Hi, Regal!"

Zelos notes, ". . . I think that may have been the cheeriest I've yet to see her."

Colette turns back to me. "Um, Kelsey? Can I talk to you for a second?" Then she notices the others crowding in. "Alone?"

Ah. I see. "Sure, Colette," I provide. I turn to the others. "Nothing personal. Just girl-to-girl stuff."

Colette and I wander off to a point where no one will hear us, although they will see us, and we sit down. I watch Colette as she tries to come up with the words to say what she wants to ask. As this begins to take a little bit, I look back at Lloyd, Zelos, and Regal as they watch us and speak amongst themselves.

Finally, Colette asks, "I'm just curious but . . . Um . . . Did angels exist in your world?"

I look back at Colette. "That depends on who you ask, but I think so. I think there's a god out there too who looks after us."

"Why do you think that?" Colette wonders.

"Well, I'm alive, for one. That's a miracle in of itself." Then I wonder, "Why do you ask?"

"It's just . . . I just don't know any more," Colette says. "Martel is a lie and yet I can't just accept that there is no such thing as a goddess or angels or heaven. I . . . I guess I just needed to ask someone else. Plus I was curious about your world."

"Be as curious and ask as many questions as you want," I invite. "When Kratos found out about me, he asked me so many questions whenever he could. Most of them were pretty deep questions and I couldn't answer all of them, but I answered as much as I could. As for angels and heaven, you don't have to think that there's no such thing. Life is more than what we see, after all."

"I just feel . . . so lost . . ." Colette expresses.

I assure her, "It's okay to feel that way—well, no it's not okay, but it's very natural to feel that way. I'd feel lost too if I was in your place. As a matter of fact, all of us were pretty . . . Well, it was bad after what happened at the Tower of Salvation. It's just . . . There's no words to describe it."

Colette shakes her head. "No . . . There isn't . . ."

"I can't tell you the answer," I tell her. "This is something you need to figure out for yourself. Is there a god? Are there angels? Is there life after death? Only you can answer that for yourself."

Colette stares ahead for a moment. ". . . What was your answer?"

I release a breath of air. ". . . I think I'm still trying to answer that for myself. Ever since I got to Palmacosta, my faith was the only thing that kept me from becoming depressed and giving up on my life. I had to keep reassuring myself that there is someone looking out for me even if I'm alone, that I'm being taken cared of. There were a lot of questions I eventually had to face and things I had to come to terms with, and I'm still doing that. It's also involved a lot of reconstructing my faith, but mainly on the little issues rather than the basic whole. As for if there's a god or life after death, I believe there very well is. My proof is the fact that I'm still alive even after everything I went through. That I'm still able to smile."

I turn to Colette. "So that's all I have to say."

"Heeeyyy!"

The two of us glance over to our left and find Sheena approaching us. When she gets to us, she asks, "What are you two talking about? Lloyd and Genis and Zelos are just dying from curiosity."

"Genis?" I go. I turn towards the group of guys I just left and find that Genis joined them. I look back at Sheena and tell her, "We're talking about angels."

"Really?" Sheena sits down next to me. "I don't know if angels exist after all this, but I know that spirits exist. We made a pact with Undine, after all."

"That we did," I reply.

"There were also the ghosts from the Tower of Mana," Colette reminds.

"Oh god, I'm getting flashbacks of that chandelier falling and Marian Susan . . ."

Sheena looks at me and says, "Please don't remind me of Mary Sue."

"Okay. Now on a different subject," I point out, "Lloyd's walking over here."

Colette bashfully admits, "I . . . I really don't want to talk to any more people. It's not that I don't want to talk to Lloyd, I just—"

"Two people are enough for you right now," I finish. "Don't worry. I'll be rude for you."

"Um, please don't be rude," Colette begs.

"I won't be unforgivably rude," I assure her.

Lloyd makes it to us. "Hey, guys! What are you talking about?"

"The homework Professor Raine gave a couple days back," I tell him.

Lloyd frowns. "R-really? That's what Colette pulled you aside for?"

"Yeah, we're study buddies," I tell him. "Wanna join? We can compare notes and maybe even look at each other's test grades."

"Ahhh no thank you. I'll just leave you two at that," Lloyd goes as he backs away. "I'm sure you don't need me distracting you . . ."

"Awww!" I moan. "Well, if you change your mind, you're always welcome to join us."

Lloyd leaves.

Colette expresses, "I feel guilty . . ."

I tell her, "You wanted a private discussion so don't feel bad. At least we didn't hurt his feelings."

Sheena observes, "Looks like Genis and Zelos are disappointed at what we were 'discussing.' They'll probably not believe Lloyd and come over here themselves."

"I guess they don't understand that this could very well be a very deep and personal discussion," I guess.

"You did just tell Lloyd that we were studying," Colette reminds.

"Oh, look. Genis is coming over," I notice. "What does he not like to talk about?"

Sheena points out, "He doesn't like Regal."

"That's kinda pushing it," I comment.

"Raine's cooking?"

"I don't know if that will chase him off."

"We could give it a shot."

Colette frowns and mentions, ". . . Have you two noticed that—"

"Hey, Colette, Kelsey," Genis goes, "Sheena, do you mind if I ask what you're talking about? I know you're not studying like Lloyd said."

Screw this, I'll just be nice. "We just wanted to talk among ourselves," I tell him. "That's all."

"Oh, it's a private discussion," Genis notes. "Sorry for bothering you. I'll just leave you three alone."

"Thank you," I say to him as Genis walks away.

Sheena goes, "You decided just to tell him that?"

"Couldn't really think of anything," I reply. "Besides, it's Lloyd and Zelos who were there when Colette said she wanted to talk to someone alone. Genis didn't really know better, at least I don't think."

"Nah, that kid knows better than to intrude on private conversations," Sheena states.

"It's not really private anymore, is it?" Colette mentions.

"No it isn't," I laughingly comment. "We're just chasing people away."

"And here comes Zelos," Sheena brings up.

"Okaaayyy, what is an absolute turn-off for sex-minded guys like him?" I ponder.

Colette looks at me with wide eyes. "I don't understand what you mean . . ."

"Don't try to understand it," I tell her. I think for a moment and then come to an idea. "I've got one now. Neither of you will like it, but it'll work."

"Are you sure?" Sheena questions me. "Zelos is pretty sick."

"Trust me, he'd have to be completely deranged to get a turn-on with the topic I have in mind."

"I hope it works."

"Oh, it'll work."

Zelos finally makes it to us. "Hey, hunnies. You know, if you need a man to talk private matters to, you can always come to me~"

I tell him, "I don't think you want to ever talk about what we're talking about."

"Nonsense! You can talk to me about anything!"

"Okaaayyy, you weirdo!" I chirp. "Just so you know, we're talking about our periods."

Zelos' face completely falls. ". . . What?"

While Colette and Sheena blush as they look at me with questioning expressions, I clarify, "You know, that one time of the month when a woman bleeds for five days and brings absolute terror upon all men around—"

"Okay, okay! I get the message! Just spare me the details!" Zelos hastily retreats.

Sheena turns to me. ". . . As embarrassing as that was, you were right. It did work."

"Yup. Now what were we talking about before they started interrupting?"

Off in the distance, Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos discuss things before taking a final look at us and then letting us finally be. Regal looks between the guys and us and, after a while, he approaches to join us. When he stops, Regal stands in a respectful distance.

"Excuse me," he says. "Would you mind if I joined you? If I'm intruding then I can leave you be."

Colette and Sheena look at me.

I defend, "Hey, I'm not the one in charge of who can join our conversation. I just chase people away."

Colette invites with her typical solemn tone, "Come sit with us, Regal."

"Thank you."

Colette watches Regal sit down and gains a slightly confused expression. "Um . . . You don't . . . trip a lot . . . do you?"

"No need to worry," Regal assures.

"Oh okay. I trip all the time. So I thought, if you so happened to be the same way, it might be rough for you, especially with those handcuffs," Colette tells.

"It's very kind of you to be concerned for me." Then Regal says, "So they tell me that you are the Chosen from the other world."

"Yes . . ." Colette frowns deeply. "Though I'm not very Chosen-like . . ."

Sheena and I exchange looks as Regal goes, "On the contrary, you seem to be a very kind and compassionate person who puts others before yourself. Your world must be happy to have a fine Chosen like you." Then Regal balks when he sees Colette only get more upset. ". . . Oh, I'm sorry. Perhaps that wasn't appropriate for me to say about the declining world."

"No, it's okay," Colette assures despite her sad demeanor. "But I'm . . . I'm a Chosen who couldn't save the world. Even now, I value my own life more than the world. So . . ."

Regal tells her, "A Chosen who knows the value of life will surely bring forth new salvation and regeneration."

Colette utters, "Do you think so? I hope so . . ."

Sheena declares, "Colette, weren't you listening to Lloyd earlier at all? We are still looking for a way to save not only Sylvarant but Tethe'alla as well! How can you say that you failed if we're still trying to save them?"

I add, "Sheena's right. The only difference is that we're looking for a different way since what Cruxis has is more of a problem than even a temporary solution! Don't give up on yourself like that!"

Regal points out, "With your friends supporting you with such determination and a heart like yours, world regeneration is more than feasible. Your journey hasn't yet ended."

That's it. I'm too charmed by Regal's politeness. I chirp to Sheena, "He's so gentlemanly~! I feel like giggling like an idiot and making him slightly embarrassed."

"Hush, flake," Sheena mildly shushes.

Colette looks back and forth between Regal, Sheena, and me and then makes a ghost of a smile. "Thank you . . . All three of you . . ."

* * *

Me: Now I kinda see why RBL likes Regal so much. He's so nice~!

Zelos: No! You're still MY fangirl! Mine! Not Regal's!

Me: But I don't see Regal, or even you, like-

Zelos: You're _my_ fangirl!

Regal: The number of fangirls I have isn't something I particularly care about-

Zelos: I'm not losing a fangirl to you!

Me: *sigh* Regal, if you would, please?

Regal: Of course. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If you would, please review.


	51. Phantom of the Sleepy Village

Zelos: Okay, happy, I know you've been really into that Okami game but now it's time to start the new chapter . . . What are you listening to?

Me: Just one of the prettiest and most epic themes for one of the most epic video game characters ever. It's called Ushiwaka's Appearance. Listen. Listen to it. Isn't it pretty with the flute solo?

Zelos: Yeah, it's pretty. I'll give you that. Is this from Okami?

Me: Yup. Now I am officially a Waka fangirl.

Zelos: What? No! You're my fangirl! What's so special about this Waka anyway?

Me: Well, Waka is a Japanese French-speaking Jedi from the moon who can walk on water.

Zelos: That's not epic. That's just ridiculous. None of what you just said makes any sense at all.

Me: Oh, and did I mention that, even in his ridiculous outfit, Waka's anime counterpart can pull off looking pretty and manly at the same time? I'm afraid that he beats you there while everyone mistakes you for a girl.

Lloyd: I better start the chapter. This looks like it could go on for a while.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-One: Phantom of the Sleepy Village

Mizuho stocks us in supplies with a more welcoming attitude than before. Each one of them speaks and acts as if they heard Lloyd's speech with their very own ears, which is possible considering that each one of them probably had at least a little training as a ninja. Poor Lloyd, in the meantime, is a little overwhelmed by the extra attention. He hasn't gotten so much ever since we saved Luin from Kvar.

Anyway, Orochi reports to Sheena that the Papal Knights have cleared the way to Ozette and we can now travel there without fear of encountering them. Lloyd states that we can wait for a little bit and let Sheena catch up with the villagers before we all head off. Sheena thanks Lloyd, but denies the offer since she already did so and that we can head out. As we do so, though, the villagers gather for one final goodbye to Sheena as we leave. I keep my eyes away from the people of Mizuho as they offer their heartfelt farewells like a huge family would.

Genis looks over to find Presea watching Sheena and assures, "We'll get to Ozette really soon, Presea, and then you can see your family again. I promise."

Presea remains silent as Sheena returns.

"Sorry about the delay," Sheena says. "We can go now."

"It's alright," Lloyd tells her. "You haven't seen them in a while."

I refuse to look . . .

"So where's Ozette?" Genis asks.

Sheena answers, "It's at the very tip of the Gaoracchia Forest. It'll take a day or two to reach there but we will make it out of the main area of the forest by nightfall."

"Mizuho is that close to Ozette?" Zelos speculates. "It makes sense that Mizuho would be in the Forest of Death but are we really that close to the main road to that village?"

"I have no authority to give you the answer to that question," Sheena states.

Taking it as a yes, Zelos smirks. "Wow. The mainstream population really underestimates all of you from Mizuho."

"What do you expect?" Sheena questions with some confidence showing. "There's a reason why we were able to hide an entire village for so many years."

Genis wonders, "Why do all of you hide, anyway? I can see that it really helps out now that Mizuho decided to side with us, but why before?"

"It's to protect our unique culture," Sheena explains. "We can bring in new ideas that can improve our health and life expectancies by using our information network but we bar outsiders in order to keep our culture from drastically changing."

"Isn't change inevitable even if you isolate yourselves?" I ask.

"Maybe," Sheena goes as she shrugs. "Though what we aim for is to keep our culture from dissolving into the mainstream."

Raine asks, "Do you think the people of Mizuho would mind if I studied their culture and lifestyle once this journey is over?"

"I don't think so as long as you don't have access to any of our secrets," Sheena speculates. "Though, this may end up being a case-by-case situation. It really depends on what the Vice Chief thinks."

Hmmm . . . Some people aren't chiming in. I look around and find that the only ones who haven't spoken, besides Presea, are Colette and Regal. I find that both are listening quietly to the discussion as we walk along. I begin to wonder if maybe the two will perk up once Presea is back to her normal self.

. . . When does Presea become her normal self again? Let's see . . . First, Rodyle has to make an appearance, looking like a creepy pedophile in a turtle outfit, and then Colette has to get kidnapped by dragons as if this were all a fairy tale. It's on one of our visits to Ozette, I know that. Okay . . . I know we visit Ozette a bit but . . . Oh gosh it's been so long since I've played Tales of Symphonia that some of the events are scrambling out of order in my brain . . . How many months has it been since I left Earth? I take out my journal and count the months . . .

Four months. Four months since I've been here, including my time in Palmacosta. I sigh with a sad frown. If time is going back at Earth like it is here then . . . then the community I lived in would have given up on finding me by now and . . . and the police would probably be ignoring my parents now . . . If my parents gave up too . . . then . . .

They would probably be holding my funeral by now . . .

"What's the matter?"

I look up and find Lloyd gazing down at me with obvious concern. I close my journal and utter, "It's nothing . . ."

"It didn't look like nothing," Lloyd says as he gently tries to usher me into speaking.

"I'm just a little down at the moment," I tell him as I attempt a smile. "I'll be fine in a moment."

"Will you really?"

"Yes, Lloyd," I assure him. "I just need some time."

_

* * *

Chut!_

The sound of something closing wakes me up. Total darkness surrounds me. I hear indistinctive muttering in the darkness around me. Confusion fills me.

I shift and feel cushioning under my body. Am I in bed? I don't feel a cover over me, so maybe not. Where would I be, though?

The muttering grows and yet is not becoming clearer. There is a sense of finality to the muttering. I raise my hand up—

Something blocks my hand. Something cushioned and soft, yet having a firm layer underneath, or rather above, it. A sense of panic clogs my throat as I throw my hands around to feel what obstructions box me in . . .

. . . I'm literally boxed in . . . I'm literally boxed in . . . !

As I realize that I'm locked inside a box-like container, I feel my cage suddenly move upward, as if being lifted. I bang my fist against the padding above me and cry out against whatever is being done with me, but to no avail! Everything goes on as if I were still and silent. The box moves a long way, with me feeling even the tiniest sway or tilt, until finally being set down, though not far down as if on some contraption.

I pause at the brief silence added with the mutterings and then renew my efforts to escape or at least catch someone's attention. Then . . . I feel the object I'm trapped in steadily lowering . . .

"N-no . . . ! No!" I whimper as my actions become more frantic. "_No! Nooo!_"

The box finally lands on the ground below . . .

I gasp, truly awake this time, and take in my surroundings, lit by campfire. I curl up to get myself to calm down a little only to find my body tangled in my bed spread. With added frustration, I pull myself out and straighten the spread before burying myself under it.

"Kelsey?"

I look up and find Lloyd, taking his turn as the night watch, watching me with worry. I wonder if I should talk to him or just get back to sleep . . .

Then I make my decision. I wave at him. "Nothing, Lloyd. Thanks, though."

I just . . . need time . . .

* * *

May Twenty-First.

It took a while for me to get caught back up in my dates. When I did, though, I figured out that it was May the twenty-first when we arrived at Ozette. The trip there was a bit of a rush due to Genis' nagging and how awful we felt whenever Presea moaned "I wanna go home . . ." Though, we still kept at a reasonable pace all the way there.

Towards the end of our journey to Ozette, Zelos discovered that I don't know how to cast First Aid.

"But wouldn't the lovely Raine teach you?" he questions.

"She tried several times . . ." I sheepishly tell him.

"Maybe you just need a different approach," Zelos suggests. He exposes his arm and reveals a healing scratch, the kind that's better off healing by itself since First Aid would be overkill and, thus, a bit of a waste of needed energy. Though, I guess it's good if I need practice on a spell. "Healing spells can be hard to get since it's the complete reverse of how a typical spell is cast."

"I know that," I inform. "I've done what I can yet nothing happens."

"What may help is your attitude," Zelos continues. "While you cast First Aid, picture this scratch healing. Practically demand that it heal! And don't worry. It's a little thing so it's no big deal if the spell doesn't work."

With a half sigh, I follow his instructions. I feel the required energy flow to accomplish my demands as I picture that one scratch disappearing. Then, I cast, "First Aid!"

". . . Ow! What the hell?" Zelos yips.

Devastation overcomes me. "D-did it just . . . ?"

"It got worse!" Zelos yelps. "It's actually bleeding again!"

Genis, who was watching, laughs, "Ahahahahahahahahah! You found a new spell, Kelsey! Reverse First Aid! Ahahahahahahahahah . . . !"

Where's the nearest rock I can crawl under and die?

While Zelos heals his worsened scratch, Raine decides to intervene. "I suppose that the only way you can learn how to cast First Aid is by a spell chant. Although it will never be as effective as learning the spell thoroughly, a spell chant can be a starting point for you."

"Will it work?" I ask while my misery shows.

"Yes. In fact, the chant will do a lot of the work for you," Raine informs. "A chant serves as a cast or a basic format, so to speak."

I begin to perk up with confusion. "In that case, why doesn't everyone use chants when they cast spells?"

"Using a chant isn't nearly as strong as a fully learned spell and it takes precious time," Raine states. "The chant for First Aid: 'Oh, healing powers, restore this soul unto its rightful form; First Aid.' Do you understand this?"

"Yes, ma'am," I respond, memorizing the chant.

"Now to test what you have learned . . ." Raine moves over to Zelos' side. Zelos watches her with curiosity just before Raine swiftly whacks him on the head.

"Ow! What are you doing?" Zelos yelps.

Raine snatches Zelos so he can no longer move. She turns to me and orders, "Demonstrate the First Aid spell on the new bruise on Zelos' head by using a spell chant."

"And risk it getting worse? That's cruel!"

I do my best to ignore Zelos' protests and begin, "Oh, healing powers, restore this soul unto its rightful form . . . First Aid!"

Zelos cringes away as the spell is cast and waits for the expected pain to arrive. When it doesn't, Zelos carefully reaches up into his hair and feels around the area where Raine struck him. Then he sighs with relief, "Phew! It worked. I was worried there for a second."

I sigh with relief since I didn't split Zelos' head open.

Genis mentions, "You can still use Reverse First Aid in battle. Think about making a monster's wounds even worse!"

"Shut up, Genis . . ."

Sheena announces, "Ozette is just this way. We should be there in a couple of hours."

With that information announced, Regal speaks up, "There is something I feel you must know."

Gaspa! The person who rarely speaks has spoken! We must pay attention!

. . . Seriously, Regal doesn't really talk to us much right now (he's our "prisoner") so anything he has to say to us is going to be, at the very least, relatively worth listening to. We all turn to him to listen . . .

"Aside from being the source of sacred wood," Regal informs, "Ozette is particularly known for its contempt towards half-elves. Considering that there are half-elves within your group, a low profile may be best."

Genis, putting aside his antagonistic behavior aside, questions, "How bad is it there?"

Zelos bluntly states, "The more extreme haters have been known to kill a half-elf or two."

Oh, shit! Time to pretend that I'm human. Good thing some humans in Tethe'alla have red hair. I wouldn't be able to pull this off in Sylvarant where humans have more earthy colors for hair.

Genis goes, "So Raine and I have to pretend that we're elves again?"

"Looks like it," I tell him.

Genis furrows his eyebrows into a slight scowl at me. "You're lucky that you look so human. You could live for years pretending that you're human and no one would be the wiser."

I say to him, "I wouldn't be able to do that in Sylvarant. It can work in Tethe'alla since it seems like almost everyone here has multicolored hair."

"Multicolored hair?"

I ask him, "How many humans have you seen in Sylvarant that have red or pink or blue hair?"

Genis mentions, "Kratos had red hair. Though, maybe he doesn't count."

"Kratos the Cruxis angel doesn't count at all."

Kratos might even be originally from Tethe'alla before meeting Mithos and becoming a Kharlan Hero.

Lloyd interrupts, perhaps getting a little irritated at mentioning Kratos, "So the point is we need to be even more careful." He turns to Regal. "Thanks for telling us."

"You're welcome."

So with that vital information in mind, Raine, Genis, and I get our old façades back in place. It wasn't too hard for me since my façade is that I'm a half-elf from this world while I'm actually a human from another world. Raine and Genis, in the meantime, look like elves enough to pull that off once more. Should be relatively easy since we're not going to parade this about.

Upon reaching Ozette, I gaze up and around at the village that rests on low tree trunks and sloping short hills. It had this strange sleepy aura to it that was a bit muffling. Despite it still being daytime, lanterns shine to light up the village that was darkened by the trees overhead. As we begin to enter the village and encounter people, I notice that the skin tone of these villagers is a very pale tone, as if sunlight were foreign. They would probably start glowing if we put in a bunch of black lights.

I notice about these people that, low profile or not, they still show scorn and unwelcoming airs at the sight of us. So xenophobia is going to get us even if we act like normal humans and elves who aren't wanted criminals.

Presea takes one step into the village and wordlessly bolts through the village and away from us.

"P-Presea!" Genis calls out. He dashes out, followed by Colette.

"Wait, you three!" Lloyd calls. However, the two and Presea are already gone and disappear within the village. We hurry after them but it was all for naught. We completely lost them.

"Where could they have gone?" Lloyd goes as he ponders this.

Raine provides, "Presea has most likely gone to her own home. We will probably meet with Genis and Colette on the way there if they were able to keep track of her."

"I'll go ask for directions," Sheena volunteers. The ninja leaves and approaches an elderly lady. After asking a single question, the old woman scowls disdainfully and speaks. Although, as it seems like, she points to give directions, the old woman's opinion is clearly shown. Sheena returns with the directions.

"That was weird . . ." Sheena expresses. "She acted like Presea is some unwelcomed outsider."

Raine observes, "The village may be frightened of her condition due to their ignorance. We need to find Presea now."

"Right." Sheena leads the way to Presea's home.

As it turns out, there was one declining slope to the ground that we missed. It was off to the side so without directions we were sure to miss it anyway. As we go down, a figure with a large green cloak approaches, going in the opposite direction. With violet spiked hair and circular glasses rimmed on a hooked nose, the figure is both familiar and strange at the same time. A smirk forms the man's thin lips as if he was enjoying a private joke and it grows almost to a snarl when he sees us. When we get closer, I finally recognize him.

Rodyle.

As he approaches, Rodyle's sneering self says, "Oh? More visitors for Presea? I'm afraid that she has work to do so your visit can't last too long. She _is_ the only one who has the strength to harvest the sacred wood. Heheheheheheh."

We watch him pass by with a disturbed expression. When Rodyle is gone, we all rush down, each getting an uneasy knot in our guts.

Presea's house is a rickety thing that looks like it's about to fall apart from neglect. Potted house plants are dead, the roof looks like it might have several leaks when it rains, and weeds sprout everywhere. The building looks like an old abandoned ruin rather than a home where someone lives. Everything looks dead and a lot worse than what I could imagine, with images from the game not really helping.

Colette and Genis, in the meantime, choke and gag on the dying wild grass outside her home. Colette coughs while tears stream down her face and Genis leans against the rotting faded picket fence slowly gasping for air as if trying to keep himself from puking. Lloyd dashes to Colette and goes between her and Genis, trying to figure out what's wrong. Raine goes to Genis first to make sure he doesn't end up puking his guts out and then switches to Colette to make sure she doesn't do the same. Regal stands just in front of Presea's home with this worried expression while the rest of us just kind of stand around Colette and Genis.

Finally, Regal is the first one to enter Presea's home. He takes one step through the halfway-open door and coughs as soon as he takes a breath of the lifeless air inside. Regal gets his bearings when Lloyd and Raine join him, followed by Sheena, Zelos, and me.

I know what's in there . . . I'll go in . . . I just won't look . . . I know my limits . . . I won't look . . .

"_Augh!_" Lloyd groans. "What's that _smell?_ It smells like something's rotting!"

"Oh, no . . ." Raine moans.

As soon as I take a whiff, I start gagging. _Gugh!_ This is worse than anything I've ever smelled in my life! I retreat, knowing that if I stay in the smell for too long I'll end up throwing up and making things worse.

". . . Weak stomach . . . ?" Genis asks me.

I turn to him and shake my head. "No . . . I don't think so, anyway . . . I just pay attention to warning signs . . ."

". . . What was this warning sign . . . ?"

"It was 'you're going to throw up if you stay in this smell' . . ."

The others stay in the rotting house for a little longer, a feat that I find admirable considering how much self-control it would take to stay in such a horrid smell. Then, suddenly, Sheena bursts out of the house and throws herself halfway over the fence and throws up. When she stops, Sheena gasps and begins muttering.

"It's horrible . . . It's just horrible . . ." she utters.

Wondering what she thinks is so horrible, I ask, "What's horrible . . . ?"

Sheena glances at me before going, "Oh yeah . . . You didn't go in . . . You didn't see . . . _that_ . . ." Sheena leans back down over the fence. "P . . . Presea . . . She's in some sort of limbo because of the Exsphere . . . Someone must've been sick in there and . . . and they died . . . ! Presea doesn't even seem to notice! That someone is still there . . . in their bed . . . dead . . . for who knows how long . . . It's horrible . . . It's horrible what happened to her . . ."

Genis sits up more. "Wait! _That's_ what Colette saw? She wouldn't tell me! I was out here trying not to puke from the smell while she was in there!"

After a pause, I wonder, "Is there some way we can give them a decent burial?"

Sheena continues to gasp for fresh air. "I . . . I don't know . . . Hopefully we can . . . if Presea doesn't think that they're sleeping or something like that . . ."

I question, "How could she not notice something like this?"

"I-I don't know!" Sheena declares. "She just doesn't! All she did was tell us not to mess with anything! She's probably trapped in her own little dream world because of that Exsphere!"

Genis firmly states, "Then we have got to see whoever this Altessa is right now and save her!"

Zelos is the next one to leave the building. The rest of us gather around him to get news.

"What's going on in there?" Sheena questions.

Zelos pauses before reporting, "We tried to move the corpse so we could give him—least Raine thinks it's a him—a proper burial. Presea kept stopping us telling us not to disturb him. It looks like that she just thinks that the guy is sleeping or something. I left while they were trying to convince her to come along with us to see Altessa."

"So Presea really is in some kind of world of her own . . ." Sheena concludes.

"It's kind of obvious at this point," Zelos replies with a grimace.

Then, after a while, Lloyd finally comes out with a grim expression and looking quite green. He carefully steps out of the house and down to the grass as if he were a little disoriented. Raine and then Regal follow behind, both looking quite grim.

Presea, however, didn't come back out.

"Lloyd!" Genis goes as those of us who were out gather about. "Where's Presea? She's coming with us to see Altessa, right?"

Lloyd shakes his head. ". . . She's not moving. We tried to convince her to stay with us a little longer but she kept saying that she needs to do her job and won't go anywhere. Then she won't even let us give her dad a decent burial."

"Her dad?" Genis goes.

Raine explains, "The corpse in there belongs to an older man. The most likely person he could be is Presea's father."

Lloyd continues, "And now if we do anything else, Presea is just going to fight us. All we can do now is go to see this Altessa and ask for help."

"So let's go now!" Genis demands. "It's not right that things remain like this! I can't even believe that we're just going to leave her here like this! Then what about that guy from earlier? The one who just met with Presea?"

Raine goes up to her brother and places a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Genis. We are going as fast as we can. We will leave right now and come back as soon as we can with the key crest Presea needs."

Genis turns to Lloyd. "Lloyd, can I borrow Noishe for a little bit?"

"Genis," Raine sternly goes.

"Yes, sis . . ."

"We're leaving right now," Lloyd announces to all of us. "Let's go so Presea doesn't have to stay like this for much longer."

As we begin to leave the area, Raine turns to Regal. "I suppose what you have to say will have to wait a little longer."

"If I must then so be it," Regal returns with.

* * *

This is where I was.

I was using Zelos as my avatar and had gone through the scene we're about to go through.

I may be forgetting little details and get things out of order, but I remember this much . . .

We will enter and meet Tabitha. Then we will see Altessa. Altessa will refuse to help us. Then we will head over to that mine place where we find the inhibitor ore . . .

And then I will be passed the file I saved, where I last played this game.

What a surreal feeling . . .

Speaking of feelings . . .

I stop for a moment and, letting the others pass by me, I take off my left boot and massage my poor foot. We've been walking all day and the thought of just sitting down leaves me with a longing sense.

As I begin to notice that the others stopped to wait on me, I quickly slip my boot back on and hurry to catch up to them.

Lloyd assures, "We're almost there."

As we get onto this rocky area that hugs a cliff, my mind flickers images I remember from the game. Altessa kicking the group out, Raine leaving for the Otherworldly Gate, and then Kratos' Darth Vadar scene. I block them all out but then I begin to wonder, if Tales of Symphonia were organized like Star Wars was, what would that episode with Kratos revealing his connection to Lloyd be called?

Tales of Symphonia: Revenge of the Seraph.

. . . That wasn't very funny.

Anyway, we make it there, with the sun steadily lowering into the horizon, and pause just at Altessa's door for a second. Lloyd steps forward to the door and knocks . . .

A moment or two passes, and then the door opens to reveal a taller young woman with fair skin that's been slightly tanned and this true green hair with highlights of Kelly green braided back. Her eyes, this vivid deep green, seem empty yet knowing at the same time.

So this is Tabatha. If she really is in Martel's exact image, then Martel was a very beautiful and graceful woman.

"Who is it?" responds Tabatha in a robotic monotone voice painted with a lady's mild sound.

"My name is Lloyd." Our swordsman tells, "We are here in regards to Presea. We want to speak with Altessa, if he's around."

"You desire a meeting with Master Altessa," Tabatha registers. She opens the door wider and steps aside. "Please, come inside. The master is in his workshop. I will guide you to him."

"Thank you," Lloyd replies.

We all step inside and follow Tabatha to wherever Altessa is. As she leads us there, I take a good look around. Being underground, the place is rather warm for what we think a cave would be and yet quite cool due to being away from the elements outside. Everything about the rooms is a warm earthy yellow and is neatly carved from the earth. In fact, this reminds me more of what a hobbit's house would be like. I notice in the corner of my eye that everyone is stopping and so I stop and continue to look around . . .

. . . "Master Altessa. These people wish to speak with you."

Okay, I'm now paying attention.

. . . But everyone is blocking my way. Squirming through everyone, I make my way to see what Altessa looks like.

"Who are you people?" a gruff voice questions.

"My name is Lloyd."

I'm getting passed Regal and Sheena . . .

"We came here in regards to Presea. A woman named Kate from Sy—"

"Leave!"

I'm getting passed Zelos, Raine, and Colette . . .

"Wh-whah . . . ?"

"Tabatha! Show them to the door!"

Now I can see!

A dwarf, easily as tall as I am, stocky in build with neatly kept clothes and a long grey beard, glares down at Lloyd. Red in the face, Altessa shows nothing but hostility.

Lloyd states, "All we need is for you to—"

"I want nothing more to do with that girl!" Altessa growls. "Get out of my house!"

"We want to save Presea!" Lloyd declares. "She needs a new key crest and you're the only one who can—"

"And I told you to get out!" Altessa continues to growl. He turns on Tabatha. "Tabatha! What did I say? I told you to send them away!"

"What about Presea?" I speak up.

Altessa repeats in a snarl, "Get out!"

Colette speaks up, "All she needs is her key crest to be—"

Altessa just turns on her. "I want nothing more to do with her or Kate or that Exsphere! Get out!"

Lloyd steps in front of Colette to shield her from Altessa's growing rage. Calm, and yet showing clear disapproval, Lloyd says, "Fine. We'll go. You don't need to shout any more."

"It's about time!" Altessa gruffs. "Now leave!"

Tabatha ushers us out and we leave for the front door. Before we go, however, Lloyd turns to the calmer Tabatha and carps, "What was that all about?"

Tabatha bows. "I apologize. The master no longer wishes to be involved with Presea."

Raine notes, "So Altessa participated in the Angelus Project like Kate had said?"

"Yes. Master Altessa regrets this very much," Tabatha reports.

"So then he can just fix her key crest and help her turn back to normal!" Genis protests. "Does he realize what kind of condition Presea is in now?"

I redirect, "So instead of Altessa acting on this guilt and taking responsibility for his actions, we must go save Presea ourselves. What is it that we need to save her?"

Tabatha turns to me. "Please, do not judge Master Altessa too harshly. He really does suffer from his guilt."

Lloyd tells, "But now Presea is in this emotionless state just waiting to die because of the Exsphere. What she needs is a regular key crest, right? If Altessa won't make the key crest himself then he can give me the inhibitor ore we need and I can make the key crest."

"I am afraid that inhibitor ore is a restricted resource," Tabatha informs. "Master Altessa orders however much inhibitor ore he needs for a specific job and only that. We do not have inhibitor ore among our supplies."

Colette goes, "Then we can just order some, right?"

"Under our current status, we are not only unable to legally order inhibitor ore," Raine states, "but we also do not have enough time."

I provide, hoping that someone will take my subtle hint, "So where can we get the inhibitor ore? Take it from some sort of mine? That'll be straight from the source."

"That can be done."

We all turn towards Regal.

Regal informs, "The Toize Valley Mine has a vine of inhibitor ore that we can take from. It lies on the continent south of this one. I can provide you with the exact coordinates."

"How would you know this?" Raine questions.

". . . I used to work at the Toize Valley Mine."

Zelos raises an eyebrow with a smirk playing at his lips. "You used to work at the Toize Valley Mine. Right."

Regal turns to Zelos. "Do you question my honesty, Chosen One?"

Zelos waves at Regal. "No, no. Not at all. Don't mind me."

Regal dismisses Zelos and turns back to speaking with everyone. "If we head towards the mine then we can find more than enough inhibitor ore to provide Presea with a satisfactory key crest."

"So let's go now so we can save her!" Genis proclaims.

"Alright, but we'll need to rest first," Lloyd states. "Let's camp outside since Ozette isn't friendly towards us."

Genis dashes out the door right then while the rest of us start walking out.

When half of our group is out, Zelos speaks to Regal, "You know, this has been bugging me for a while. Haven't we met somewhere before?"

Regal ignores Zelos' question as he walks out the door.

Zelos huffs, "Fine. Ignore me. Not very friendly, are you?"

I walk passed him . . .

Zelos grabs onto my hair and teases, "But are you friendly~?"

Death to the one who pulls my hair! "Not when you yank on my hair like that, no!"

* * *

About a day later, we stand at the rocky beach area just passed Ozette. Lloyd, Raine, and Regal stand towards the sea with the Tethe'alla map in hand and debate about the best route and how long it will take to reach the mine and return.

"Can't they decide already?" Genis carps. "We have been standing here for hours! We need to save Presea now!"

Sheena tells him, "It's going to take a while to get to the mine in the first place so calm down already. We are all going as fast as we can."

"The reason why they're standing there is to decide which route is the safest and fastest way there," I add while I stand extra still as Colette braids my hair. Why is she braiding my hair? Because she wanted to see what it would look like braided instead of down all the time.

"I know that but—"

"If you know that then calm down," I gently tell him. "Shouting will only make it worse for everyone, especially for you."

"Just ignore him," Zelos says. "He'll calm down on his own."

"Shut up, Zelos!"

I sigh as Genis continues on his rampage.

Colette comments to me, "You should wear your hair up more often. You look so cute when it's up."

"Maybe I'll wear it like this for a while," I reply. "It's nice to have it out of the way."

Then I suggest, "Why not braid Zelos' hair? I'm sure he'll look very pretty with his hair in a braid."

"What was that?" Zelos goes as he approaches. "Did I hear something about me being pretty?"

"Absolutely," I confirm. "You're _very_ pretty, Zelos. You must be the prettiest man I have ever seen."

"Not just pretty." Zelos combs his hair back in a flair. "Gorgeous!"

"Stunningly beautiful," I chirp. "No other man can compare!"

I can't believe that went over his head. Then again, he doesn't catch how feminine "pretty," "beautiful," and "gorgeous" are.

Lloyd, Raine, and Regal return. Lloyd tells us, "We found a way from here to the mine. Professor Raine says that it might take a week to get there."

Genis questions, "A week to get there and back?"

"Actually, it will take a week to get there and then another week to get back . . ."

"That's too long!" Genis protests.

Raine reminds, "Genis, we are doing what we can."

"So let's get on the EC!" Genis demands.

Lloyd frowns with narrowing eyes at Genis, like he would get that anime sweat drop if this were an anime cartoon, and says, "Sure, but let me get it out of the wing pack first."

Lloyd hops down into the rocks below and moves over so there is enough deep water for the EC to fit. He stops at one rocky platform and let's the EC out. Then, Lloyd turns to us and calls out, "Alright! Come on, guys!"

Zelos leaps down (it isn't that far of a drop) and stops just under the short cliff and waits. Genis leaps down and goes a ways to wait on his sister, who so happens to be next.

Seeing Raine, Zelos calls out, "Jump into my arms, beautiful Raine! I'll catch you!"

Raine jumps down and lands on the rock next to Zelos. As she joins her brother, Genis sticks out his tongue at Zelos. "Nyeeeeeehhhhhhhh."

Zelos narrows his eyes at the boy. "Twerp."

He looks up again and finds Colette simply flying down. Then Sheena appears. Zelos opens his arms once more and calls out to her, "Jump, Sheena! I'll catch you in my strong arms!"

Sheena leaps down and lands on the rocks. She passes by, completely ignoring him.

In the meantime, I'm in a bit of a debate . . .

"Okay, jump and risk falling awkwardly or do I just get this over with and jump towards Zelos which would be safer?" I ask. "Gaaahhhh . . . I don't know . . ."

Regal stops as he was just about to jump. "Are you afraid of heights?"

"I'm afraid of falling from heights . . ." I admit. "I'll be fine, though. Just go on without me."

". . . If you wish," Regal offers, "you can hold onto me while I jump down."

"Really?" Then I see Zelos' slightly dejected expression. "Though Zelos looks as if he's about to cry if someone doesn't give him attention."

"In this moment, Zelos can be ignored," Regal informs.

I think about it. ". . . Well, it's safer for me if I just get on your back."

I hear Zelos call up to me, "Jump, Kelsey! I'm more than strong enough to catch you!"

"But he'll probably end up moaning forever if someone doesn't play along with him," I then say. Which is true. He one time complained for about two hours after Sheena refused to kiss him after he fought along side her in a fight against a monster. Spoiled crybaby. "Thank you, though."

"If that's what you want."

Regal leaps down. I look down the short cliff once more and begin to feel queasy at the sight. What if I jump and miss? I should have taken Regal's offer and ignored Zelos. No thoughts like that, Kelsey! You're only going to scare yourself over the cliff! Just jump!

So I brace myself and jump, praying that either Zelos will catch me or I'll hit the water if not. When I land and hit something, I hear a "Got ya!" and then conclude that Zelos was able to catch me and that I didn't go splat.

. . . I should have taken Regal's offer and let him carry me down. The terror I felt on the way down was not worth keeping Zelos from complaining . . .

"See?" Zelos chirps. "You're safe and sound on the ground! Have faith in me!"

I get my feet onto the ground and carp at his "have faith in me" line. "I did have faith in you, you idiot! I wouldn't have jumped if I didn't think you could catch me!"

"Whoa, calm down," Zelos responds.

I turn away to head towards the EC. "Yeah, let me calm down . . . Me and heights don't mix . . ."

". . . How did you do when all of you crashed the rheairds?"

"I fainted . . ." I tell him.

"Seriously?" Then he catches up to me and offers, "You can ride with me if we ever get the rheairds back."

"Knowing my fear, I'll definitely consider that." I might end up crashing whatever rheaird I drive. Of course, this means I'll be hitching rides with the others.

"Of course. You and any of the lovely ladies here are free to ride anything of mine," he adds with a smirk.

It takes me a second to realize what he just meant. I put my hand into my face. "I can't believe I'm surprised that you said that . . ."

"Heheheheheh."

I hurry on ahead, not wanting any more lines Zelos can cook up. When I make it onto the EC, Sheena feels it's her duty to inform me, "You know that giving him attention only encourages him to act more obnoxious."

I tell her, "But then ignoring him also encourages him since to him it's a challenge. We're screwed either which way."

Sheena moans, "If that's true too then this is going to be a very long week . . ."

* * *

Most of everything at the end was filler. I needed to get to my page limit.

Anyway, I finally got my hands on a copy of Okami, and it is a _beautiful_ and amazing game! It's so great that fan fiction should never touch it! It is such a work of art!

I've got plans for this next chapter and the chapter after that so don't think I've got nothing planned.

Psalee Rieevw.


	52. What Gaia Swallowed

Phew! Lots of things in this chapter. I don't know how to comment on them all.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Two: What Gaia Swallowed

"After we make it through the front entrance there will be a passageway linking the first area where inhibitor ore is mined."

Regal guides us all into the dark mine, which is actually more of a giant tunnel leading into the ground than cave which is what I imagined. As we go down into the sub-surface mine, I can see from looking around that the mining techniques used are more modern, some machines proving to be ahead of Earth's technology by about a few decades. At the moment, some of the machines are in a sleep mode to cool down. It's really interesting to look at these machines. I kinda want to take them apart and see how they work.

. . . Yes, Raine and I have some things in common. I just don't dissect my friends' unusual fantasy pets.

"Uh, oh . . ."

We stop and find the entrance to one area, the same area Regal leads us down. This entrance is blocked off by a security wall (like what's in the game) but smashed into bits, the entrance forced open. The security mechanisms malfunction and spark as they fidget about as if under a seizure. None of this could attack us like in the game, but it's clearly something we don't want to touch for fear of getting electrocuted. Looking over this, I can tell exactly what happened.

Regal voices, "Someone forced their way in."

Lloyd says, "So thieves are in there now? What would they want?"

Regal informs, "This part of the mine contains mainly raw Exspheres, which are sealed off. It is likely that whoever broke in aims for the Exspheres."

"So we might end up finding the people breaking in?" I ask.

"Where we want to go is the minor vein of inhibitor ore located just to the side connected to this area," Regal states. "If they do not manage to break into the Exsphere mine, they might search through the inhibitor ore vein."

In other words, yes.

Raine cautions, "Be careful, everyone. Stay together."

With that, Regal leads us inside the mine. As the tunnel opens up to a large area where connecting tunnels meet, the area appears large and . . . a bit like small open-pit mine, only underground. We currently stand on the top level of several underground levels and are led down to the third highest level towards a tunnel to the right from the main entrance.

The first thing we find is a transportation system designed to carry as much raw ore as possible to the front of the mining. Raine observes the system as automatic robots work the system.

"Fascinating!" Raine expresses. "These machines are built quite sturdily and function well despite the lack of human supervision."

I watch one machine move crates probably filled with inhibitor ore out of the mine. As fascinating as it is, the lack of people is creepy . . .

Regal informs, "This mine is from ancient times when they had the technology to produce machines capable of surprising endurance and preservation. Most of the machines here are from that time as well while the rest are mere replicas and replacements of ones that could not be repaired."

"WHAT?"

We all stop and stare as Raine, turning crimson in her face, gangs up on poor Regal.

"_Instead of preserving these artifacts they put them to work here?_" Raine shouts.

Regal takes a cautious step back to regain space. "You may view it like that but—"

"BLASPHEMY! _I demand to see the one in charge of this mine now!_" Raine bellows.

Regal gets a stricken look on his face followed by an expression of helplessness. "I . . . I'm so sorry . . ."

Sheena tells Raine, "If you go to Altamira then you can complain there. It's a really long way off, though, and we really don't have time to waste—"

"_No time is wasted when it comes to preserving the past! Our next stop is Altamira!_"

Colette protests, "Professor, we have to save Presea first! She doesn't deserve to suffer under her Exsphere like this!"

Raine calms down at this. "Hmmm . . . You are right, Colette. Presea must come first."

We all relax.

"_But THEN we will go to Altamira to right this wrong!_"

Genis reminds, "Raine, we're wanted criminals. They won't listen to us right now."

"_Then we need to rectify our status immediately!_"

Lloyd sighs at his teacher before turning to Regal. "So are we going to have to mine the inhibitor ore out or is there something else we can do?"

"You could mine enough inhibitor ore out of the earth if you wanted," Regal states, "but the rock surrounding us is made of stern composition. It won't be an easy task."

"We could just take some out of a crate before they carry it out," Zelos points out.

Regal admits, "That would certainly be easier."

"Oh, I simply MUST disassemble and analyze this!"

"No, Raine! We have things to do!"

I report to Lloyd, Regal, and Zelos, "We need to go before Raine's Ruin Mode completely takes over."

With that we all continue on, Genis pulling Raine along with us by the hand. It takes a while before we come upon a large area where crates are mounted up and taken down to wait on transportation. We move over to search the crates to find that they're sealed tightly. Weapons would be at risk if we use them as crowbars.

Raine crosses her arms. "It looks as if we will have to find a proper tool to open them. However, in this automated mine, I doubt we will find one for human use."

"Could we get a machine to open one up?" Lloyd asks.

"That would require someone from the Lezoreno Company in order to do so," Regal states. "Manipulating the machines is not an option for us at the moment."

I glance at Regal with the irony of that statement in my mind.

Genis remembers, "Didn't a bunch of machines shut down for a moment in the front? Maybe some of them over here did." Then he uses a very emphasized tone. "Maybe then Raine can _disassemble one_ so we could use it—"

"_Let's get searching right now!_" Raine rushes a command at us.

"Wow, that was quick," I comment as Raine starts ordering people to search in different locations. I begin searching when Raine turns towards me to avoid her shouting.

After a few moments, we all hear Lloyd shout, "Hey, I found something!"

Raine dashes over to Lloyd who's in a deeper area of the mine while the rest of us just walk. I weave myself around all the people and take a look at what Lloyd found.

"What do you losers want?"

Oh yeah. I forgot about this guy.

The gnome before us, whose name I cannot remember, stands about eight inches tall (roughly twenty centimeters), wears a little gnome-ish outfit in the style of Peter Pan, and looks like Kirby in the face. It definitely doesn't look like one of those Santa Claus clay figures that are so popular for the garden, although it definitely isn't nearly as ugly as Harry Potter's version of a gnome.

Lloyd tells us, "Maybe this thing knows where those machines could be."

"Hey! Them's fightin' words, loser!" the gnome gripes. "I ain't a thing! I'm a gnome—and you had better remember it!"

Though it certainly acts like one of those Harry Potter gnomes albeit smarter . . .

"It's so cute," Colette expresses with a more cheery (though not quite happy) tone than her usual sad tone, most likely in response to the cutesy voice the ill-mannered gnome was granted.

The gnome smiles cockily towards Colette. "Then you have fiiiiine tastes, missy. I'm a prime example of good lookin'!"

"Gee, I wonder who that reminds me of," Genis pointedly remarks to himself.

Zelos snips, "I heard that, you little twerp."

"What are you doing here in a mine?" Regal asks.

The gnome dramatically declares, "I'm on a journey to eat some potion! One day, I remembered that miners like to drink a lot, so I came to a mine to look for some people, but only you losers were here and some fat guy with guards. So it's back to the road again."

"Don't you mean drink?" Sheena corrects.

Raine asks, "Could you show us where the machines that box inhibitor ore are resting? We need them in order to retrieve something."

The gnome scratches his-its-whatever-it-could-be's chin. "Maaaaybe I could help you, but it will cost you. Got any potion on you?"

Raine shakes her head. "No, I'm afraid not."

Lloyd sighs in slight frustration. "So where could we get potion? I know there's the palma potion from Palmacosta, but that's in Sylvarant."

Sheena informs, "Mizuho has our own brand of potion we could buy there."

Regal then adds, "Flanoir is also known for a very exquisite potion called a Flanoir potion."

"So we don't have any potion," Zelos states. "We're just out of luck here. Let's keep searching."

"That reminds me . . ." Sheena suddenly says with her eyes focusing on Zelos. "Didn't you have your own secret stash of Flanoir potion?"

"I did but it's all out," Zelos tells.

"Really?" Sheena questions. "I could have sworn that you took a fresh bottle out just on the EC."

"No, no, I . . ." Then he sees us all focusing our full attention on him with expressions demanding for the potion. ". . . I . . ." Then Zelos sighs. "Fine . . . Though I'll do this only for you, Sheena."

"Yeah," Sheena dismisses as Zelos, after pulling it out from his bag, hands over this small bottle of what looks like wine. She takes it and hands it over to the gnome.

"He had better savor every drop," Zelos grumbles.

"I will!" the gnome cheers as he takes the potion. He-it-whatever opens his-its mouth wide . . .

_Chrunch! Kunch! Krunch!_

. . . He's . . . He's . . . literally eating the potion. All of it, including the small glass bottle and the . . . everything. The game just did it as a joke, but here . . .

We all stare with jaws hanging open as the gnome chews and bites at the glass bottle, alcohol spilling everywhere and dying whatever it touches with a deep crimson. The gnome munches on the glass, tasting it as if he were unsure, and even swallows a few times before spitting out the last. He-it-whatever holds up the remains of the bottle.

"_This_," the gnome distastefully remarks, "is what I was searching for? This is the stuff that makes grown-ups happy and makes them feel good? This stuff is nasty!"

We all just stare.

The gnome tosses the remains over his shoulder and goes, "Well, it's lame, but I gotta pay up to you losers. You did give me a potion."

"So . . ." Lloyd begins, still a bit stunned at what he just witnessed. "So . . . where are those machines?"

The gnome points towards the area behind us. "Just over there. Thanks, losers! If ya find the rest of us, you can tell them that Big Brother is back home. I owe ya."

We turn around and, lo and behold, there were the shut down machines, hidden by a long line of crates. Raine and Regal move over towards one of the machines and begins to carefully disassemble one of the mechanisms for opening the crates. They gently remove the tool and head to one of the boxes. The rest of us follow and watch. Regal is the one who takes the makeshift crowbar and applies it to a chosen crate. It doesn't take much for him to add some pressure and then—_Chuk!_ The crate lid pops off.

After a quick look to check if he opened the right crate, Regal turns back to Lloyd and says, "Inhibitor ore is stored in this crate. Take as much as you need to make Presea a key crest."

"I don't need a lot," Lloyd states as he picks a small amount from the crate. "All I need to do is carve the charm onto the inhibitor ore. To be honest, only a dwarf can do it right since they are the only ones who can process the ore, but the charm will serve as a key crest until we can get my dad or Altessa make a proper one."

Looking a little troubled at this, Regal asks, "Will the charm be enough to restore her to her true self?"

"It will," Lloyd firmly declares, as if willing this to work.

Genis then wonders, "Can you do this on the EC? We don't have much time."

Lloyd confirms, "I can carve the charm anytime. So, yeah, I'll do this on the EC. We don't have to stay here for much longer."

With that, we all head out towards the exit. We leave the inhibitor ore vein and enter into the large open area that looks like an underground open-pit mine. After climbing up to the top floor, we spot a group of armed men listening keenly to the words of an obese man with a Mohawk hair do.

"I don't believe it!" Regal gasps. He dashes after the group.

"Regal!" Lloyd calls out. When that proves useless, Lloyd chases after Regal followed by the rest of us.

Regal halts as soon as the bodyguards begin to draw their weapons. The convict roars, "_Vharley!_"

Vharley turns and gives Regal a mocking expression. "Well, well, look who's here. Didn't think I'd see _your_ face around here."

Regal growls, "Vharley! What are you doing out here? The Pope promised me that you would be arrested for your crimes!"

"And that's _if_ you take care of the Chosen of Sylvarant," Vharley smugly reminds. "But look at you now! Instead of doing your end of the bargain, you joined them!"

Regal only replies by continuing to glower at Vharley.

"Besides," Vharley laughingly adds, "why would the Pope keep a promise to a _murderer_ like you? Hahahahahah!"

Regal flinches and snarls, "You won't get away this time!"

"Oh, I think I will!" Vharley pulls out a little grey orb and flings it down to the ground. Smoke erupts and cloaks the area, blinding us all.

"No!" Regal protests as he dives into the smoke.

"Wait, this isn't right!" Sheena cries out. "This was a—!"

All of us but Regal retreat from the smoke. We can hear Regal's attempts to find Vharley in the smoke, but as time passed and the smoke slowly begins to dissipate, it becomes clear that Vharley and his men got away.

As Regal returns, downhearted and defeated, Sheena continues to stare at the clearing smoke with shock. The rest of the group focuses on Regal.

"Who . . ." Colette goes, her worry showing. "Who was that man?"

Zelos identifies, "That was Vharley, an Exsphere broker. He was probably the one who destroyed the guard system earlier. I bet he wanted to get his hands on the Exspheres here."

When Regal rejoins us, ready to explain himself, Genis gravely comments, "Regal, he called you a murderer . . ."

Regal takes a breath before saying, "I was imprisoned for the crime of murder. I won't blame any of you if you look down upon me."

Lloyd's expression, although showing clear shock, shows no fear at the fact that one of our companions was imprisoned for murder. "What happened?"

"Explaining myself would only be an excuse," Regal replies. "I committed a heinous crime and that is all that needs to be said."

Lloyd grimly frowns and states, "My stupid actions cause a lot of innocent people to die . . . I don't know what you did and your crime won't go away, but if you're suffering then at least let us help you through it. Carrying something by yourself like this can crush a person."

Regal regards Lloyd for a moment before saying, ". . . Perhaps one day, when I have the chance, I can explain the circumstances. I apologize for any inconvenience I may pose . . ."

Zelos focuses on Sheena. "Hey, hunny, what's wrong?"

"I'm not your . . . Never mind!" Sheena gripes. "I have bigger things to focus on!"

Zelos smirks as if he were keeping a thought to himself, but then questions with a more serious tone, "Let me take a guess. It's the smoke bomb that Vharley used, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Sheena exclaims.

Genis crosses his arms. "I wondered if everyone in Tethe'alla could use that . . ."

Raine immediately concludes, "The use of a smoke bomb is a secret technique used by only Mizuho, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Sheena confirms. "That means one of our secrets got leaked! This isn't good at all! I need to report this to the Vice Chief right now!"

Lloyd wonders, "Could it have happened accidentally?"

"No, not at all," Sheena quickly explains. "We keep all of our supplies secure so nothing slips off of us and then we don't let anyone likely to let any secrets slip out on missions. But I still need to leave for the village as soon as possible!"

Lloyd announces, "Alright, we're leaving right now! Presea needs to be saved and Mizuho needs to know about what happened. Let's go!"

We exit the mine, our thoughts filled with all sorts of different things. Lloyd slows down enough to where he meets up with Raine and me.

"Didn't we see Vharley somewhere before?" Lloyd asks.

"I remember," I tell him. "We saw him in Meltokio before we entered the castle. He was talking to Presea. I also made a note in my journal about someone he mentioned reporting to. Let me get it out . . ."

Raine gravely states, "With Presea involved with that man, we need to hurry to her and remove her from this situation."

I finally get my journal open to the right page. "Here it is. Vharley mentioned reporting to Rodyle while around Presea."

"Rodyle?" Lloyd goes. "Who is that?"

Raine thinks about this for some time while I stare in confusion. They don't know who Rodyle is? Wouldn't we have figured it out by now? Maybe I shouldn't have known who he is at this point since even Raine has to think about who Rodyle could be . . .

Finally, Raine expresses, "I have a bad feeling about this . . . We need to hurry."

In the meantime, towards the back of the group, Genis meets with Regal.

". . . You've . . . killed another person . . ." Genis states.

". . . That's correct," Regal confirms.

An awkward pause goes by . . .

". . . I apologize," Regal says, breaking the silence. "I realize that it must be difficult traveling with a criminal. I only ask that you tolerate my presence for until we save Presea."

Genis turns downcast. "I . . . I'm a murderer, too . . ."

Regal becomes flabbergasted at Genis' ridiculous statement. A child calling himself a murderer? ". . . What?"

"I've hurt countless people in order to protect myself," Genis admits. "I don't know what you did . . . but I won't tell you to leave just because you hurt other people. Because, when it comes down to it, we're all the same . . ."

Regal continues to stare at Genis as he takes in these words. ". . . I see . . . Thank you."

Genis then proclaims, "But—but that doesn't mean I like you!"

Regal relaxes as Genis still acts as Presea's little knight. "I see."

"Noishe!"

Lloyd hurries forward out into the open area, outside of the mine and back into fresh air. "Noishe! Where are you?"

We rejoin Lloyd and find that Noishe still isn't calling. Lloyd stares out into the grassy area with steep inclines and occasional trees as his arms lower from calling out to Noishe. ". . . That's weird . . . I left Noishe here and there shouldn't be any monsters around to scare him off."

Raine reassures, "Noishe will meet up with us once again when we are about to leave."

Lloyd considers this for a moment and then turns to Sheena. "Could Corrine go out and tell Noishe that it's time to leave?"

"Sure. Come out, Corrine!" Sheena summons.

A puff of smoke bangs in front of her and Corrine appears, ready for instructions.

"Noishe is off somewhere and we are about to leave," Sheena explains. "Could you go find him and tell him to come back?"

"Sure," Corrine agrees as he runs off.

We continue walking, expecting Noishe to come out any second now. Lloyd keeps a lookout for his friend as we go along. Moments pass before—

"RENEGADES!" Corrine's voice cries out.

We all jump and prepare ourselves for a fight. Alas! Renegade soldiers suddenly jump out of hiding and reveal themselves, surrounding us.

It was a trap!

I glance around me, trying to figure out what's about to happen. I don't remember this happening from the game! The only traps the Renegades set was on the Fuuji Mountains and when Yuan uses Lloyd to blackmail Kratos. This didn't happen at all!

Botta comes out with the soldiers closing in on us. "Surrender, Lloyd Irving!"

Lloyd keeps a tight grip on his swords. "Damn it!"

The soldiers close in on us, closer and closer. We tense up with apprehension, wanting to fight but clearly outnumbered. Sheena watches as one soldier begins to overtake her, and whips around and catches the soldier with a hidden knife at the soldier's throat.

"Don't move!" Sheena commands, bringing attention to her and her hostage. "Take any of us and he dies!"

"She's got Mark!"

"B**ch!"

Then one soldier next to Botta scoffs. "Oh yeah? Well I've got your pet!" The soldier holds up Corrine who struggles futilely against the soldier's firm hand. "Kill Mark and your pet dies!"

"Corrine!" Sheena exclaims.

"You don't want your overgrown gerbil to die, do you?" the soldier mocks. "So let Mark go."

"Take us and he dies, anyway!" Sheena proclaims.

"Kill him and your gerbil dies!" the soldier threatens.

"Kill Corrine and this soldier dies!"

"Then if you kill Mark you'll die!"

"Try to kill me and you die!"

"Kill me and you die!"

_Poof!_ Corrine disappears with a puff of smoke, escaping from the soldier's grasp. The Renegade member that held the summon spirit hostage gawks at his empty hand before turning towards Sheena and Mark the hostage.

Then, in a flash, Mark whips out his own hidden knife and stabs our ninja.

"_Gaahh!_" she yelps as she quickly releases Mark and leaps away to remove the knife.

"Lloyd must be captured alive!" Botta shouts in command.

All hell broke loose.

Lloyd takes on the numerous Renegade members going after him and takes advantage of his speed and strength to fight them, dodging and attacking them. Raine and Genis immediately go for cover and begin casting spells while I take my usual spot and protect the mages of our group. Colette flies up and provides backup for anyone who needs a hand. Regal takes on the task of guarding Lloyd's back and fights the soldiers with him.

As for Sheena, Zelos comes to the rescue and heals her wound once the knife is out. He assures her, "I've got your back, Sheena."

"Thanks."

As it turns out, I've got my work cut out for me since it seems like that a favorite target, aside from Lloyd, for these soldiers are mages. I now have Colette helping me out with this as several soldiers gang up around us. Raine continuously casts healing spells to keep up with the wounds we gain. Then the occasional giant stalagmite rising from the earth helps too. Genis really works to make sure that the soldiers around Lloyd and Regal and us get a good beating from his spells, although it attracts more and more soldiers.

"Zelos!"

"I've got it!"

Dark smoke surrounds the soldiers going between us and between Lloyd, wrapping around them tightly. "None of you are going anywhere!"

"Dark Serpent!"

The smoke lashes through the soldiers and sends them spiraling away from the battle. Colette watches the two and gets an idea.

Colette brings out one of her hammers and cries out, "Genis!"

Genis gets the idea. "Lightning!"

With her hammer sparking with lightning, Colette throws it out towards Botta. "Go! Thunder fury!"

Electric bolts zap at Botta and the stray sparks jump to any soldiers close by. Lloyd waits for the electricity to finish attacking Botta and starts his own combo, ending with Beast.

Botta blocks Beast and keeps his ground. Then he stabs the earth, shouting, "Rock Breaker!"

"Guardian!" Lloyd's spherical veil flashes up and blocks the blunt impact of the attack, although it still hits and promises some bad bruises.

Regal dives in and attacks with linking combos that go up to eight before Botta is sent flying. Botta lands on his feet and begins casting a spell. As soon as he started casting, the Renegades fly in to cover their commander. Genis casts his own spells to break Botta's concentration, but to no use as Botta focuses only on his spell and trusts his comrades to protect him.

"Ground Dasher!" Botta casts.

Glowing red fissures in the earth dash in an area that encompasses all of us. We all flee from the spell but the soldiers who aren't protecting Botta stall us with fights and—

The spell activates, sending scorching heat and earth up at us, causing us an immense amount of pain. I myself managed to get to the very edge, but I was lucky. Lloyd and Regal couldn't get away from the center, Raine and Genis were at the edges, and Sheena and Zelos were caught between the center and the edges. Colette was the luckiest of all of us since she was above the spell's range. Now that I see her, I find that Colette wasn't just watching us get caught in the spell. She was casting her own spell as a counterattack.

"Judgment!" Colette casts.

Thin beams of white light dive down in the area, catching soldiers right on the dot while some got caught in the energy waves from the beams. Botta himself was caught by one of the beams Colette cast. When the spell ends, the Renegades move away from us to recover.

"Nurse!" Raine casts.

After the visage of healers running around and treating our wounds disappears, our most concerning wounds heal up and give us a second wind.

"That does it! Genis!" Lloyd calls.

"I know!" Genis casts a large fire spell onto Lloyd's blades. The two blades erupt into fire and burn with fiery rage. Lloyd dashes at Botta.

"Fiery Beast!"

The flaming beast visage leaps onto Botta and sends the half-elf Renegade down. Botta leaps up onto his feet and glances around the battlefield, taking in how many casualties his soldiers obtained.

". . . Retreat!" Botta orders.

As the soldiers retreat, the one Renegade that held Corrine captive curses, "Damn! If only Lord Yuan could have been here! F**king Cruxis!"

"Huh?" Lloyd goes at that statement. Confusion sets in.

Then the Renegades escape.

Lloyd stares out into the empty space that the Renegades once occupied. "So the Renegades really are enemies of Cruxis? But their leader is with Cruxis! I don't get it!"

"Now of all times they attack?" Genis carps. "How did they know that we were here in the first place?"

Lloyd goes, "Gah! We're just getting more questions than answers! Let's get out of here before they come back!"

Raine affirms, "Yes. Pondering about it here will only give the Renegades a second chance to attack. We need to move on."

As we hurry out, Regal catches up with Sheena and asks, "What do the Renegades want with Lloyd?"

Sheena answers him, "We don't know. We're trying to figure that out along with everything else."

* * *

There, just where we landed from the EC to get to the mine, lays Noishe, snoozing under the sun.

Lloyd stares, feeling the settling irony of sending Corrine out to search when Noishe was here, as he considers what to do with Noishe.

Colette sighs, "At least Noishe was safe and sound. If the Renegades captured him . . ."

At that moment, Noishe stirs and awakens from his nap. He yawns and then goes up to Lloyd, his tail wagging delightfully.

Lloyd sighs and scratches behind Noishe's ear. ". . . You won't believe what just happened earlier."

"Woooe?"

As Lloyd brings out the EC, Zelos approaches Sheena after stepping out for a moment.

"What is it?" Sheena questions, then she sees what he holds.

Zelos offers the large wild flower in his hand. "For you, hunny."

Sheena blushes a soft pink as she takes it and regards the flower. "It's so pretty . . . Wait, is there some vulgar request attached to this?"

Zelos places a hand over his heart. "That hurts, Sheena. I can be suave when I want to. If I was a complete lecher then I wouldn't be nearly as loving."

"Ehhh . . . Yeah. Um . . ." Sheena shifts awkwardly. "Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome, my lovely lady," Zelos coos.

"Again, I'm not yours."

Once everyone is boarding, Zelos suddenly takes Sheena's hand and helps her up onto the EC. Then another incident where he helps Sheena drive the EC when it's her turn. Then other things during that day and the next.

As Regal takes the controls of the EC (under Raine's supervision), Sheena comes up to me while Lloyd, Colette, and I wander on the outside of the EC for some fresh air.

"Hey, Kelsey," Sheena calls.

I turn to her. "What is it?"

Lloyd stands on the nose of the EC and throws his arms up, shouting, "I'm the king of the woooorrrrld!"

Sheena asks me, "Has Zelos been acting a little . . . strange to you?"

"Not to me but certainly to you," I tell her.

"Colette, is this what flying feels like?" Lloyd asks her with clear delight.

"I knew it! He's been more . . . well, polite," Sheena tells me. "It's kind of weird."

"You mean he's acting like a gentleman," I say.

Colette looks up to Lloyd, her sorrow no longer showing and yet her happiness not yet back, and nods. "It is! It is a bit like flying!"

Sheena carps, "Zelos probably wants to flatter me to the point where he thinks I'll sleep with him."

I shrug. "Be as innocent as a lamb yet as shrewd as a serpent."

Lloyd cheers, "This is so cool! I wish I could fly!"

"Huh?" the ninja goes.

I reword, "Just enjoy him being a gentleman and if he starts to come on you then make him go away. You don't have to act defiant towards him while he's being polite. In fact, we should probably encourage this kind of behavior."

Colette watches Lloyd, and then starts rubbing her shoulder as if something hurts.

"You said that last part as if he were a dog," Sheena points out.

"Sometimes people don't act that differently from animals," I state.

Lloyd looks at her with concern. "Are you okay, Colette?"

At that sentence, Sheena and I turn our attention towards Lloyd and Colette.

Colette reassures, "I'm fine. I just need to lie down for a moment . . ."

As Colette passes by, Sheena and I begin to express our concern—

"I'm fine," Colette tells us as she enters the EC.

Sheena and I exchange expressions of concern and confusion.

* * *

After a hasty six days pass, with almost no breaks for those who drive the EC, I write down the events of the day in my journal. Colette has been experiencing some minor aches in her shoulder and chest area that much I can see, yet she won't go to Raine about it. Even if Raine confronts her, Colette just evades the healer. It's worrying all of us . . .

On another note, Zelos is still acting like the gentleman he can be. It's almost like a complete personality change. Even his sense of humor has been restrained, which I don't like. I know a lot of people will get offended at his jokes but I know a few people from Earth who have a similar sense of humor as Zelos and, to be blunt, I don't get offended at every little thing. So I'm not much of a happy camper. His advances have stopped completely and that's very nice, but I want his sense of humor back . . .

Genis has been pacing to and fro, getting more and more restless as more time passes. He keeps asking "Are we there yet?" over and over to whoever's driving the EC. Raine sent him to his cabin so many times just to stop the questions.

As for Presea's makeshift key crest, Lloyd crafted a nice little necklace and carved the key crest charm directly onto the inhibitor ore. Despite the ore being raw, it looks more like a stone pendant, which shows clever craftsmanship.

Raine . . . I think she's getting used to the EC, despite her hydrophobia. She'll walk around the cabins and the control room, but that's it. She won't go out onto the deck or anywhere where the ocean can come up at. She falls into a pile of nervous fits whenever we must cross into rocky areas, though, almost expecting us to crash and sink. Poor Professor . . .

Everyone has been gentler and more accepting towards Regal now as they begin to get to know him more. He's now only a prisoner by name and more of a part of our group. Lloyd is certainly getting more attached to Regal. Regal even invited Lloyd to train with him . . . at four in the morning. That got Lloyd to politely decline Regal's offer, causing the man to smile with amusement.

Overall, it's been an interesting week.

I close my journal and set it down then get up to turn off the light switch near the door. Darkness and the sound of waves and the EC working are the only sounds I hear. Once I return to bed, I fall asleep with those sounds around me . . .

. . . The door quietly opens.

I stir from my sleep and awaken.

The door closes.

Despite being a bit groggy in my drowsiness, I retain enough of my brain to keep quiet and listen for tale-tell sounds so I can identify the intruder. All I hear are soft footsteps approaching my bed.

This is starting to seriously creep me out . . .

I open my eyes and adjust them to the darkness as the intruder approaches. When the person stops just at my bed, I hastily get up to face the intruder, using my right arm to push me up.

"Hey, it's just me," the intruder speaks in an assuring voice.

. . . Zelos? What the hell?

"Let me keep you company for tonight," he purrs.

What . . . is he doing?

"I'll be gentle, sweet," he assures.

Oh god! Is he seriously going to . . . ? No!

Panic clogging my voice, I reach up with my shaking right hand to search for his face and find his cheek.

Fist: apply directly to the nose.

"Gah!"

There is a thud on the floor as Zelos falls down. When he gets up and moves around I hear him curse. "Damn it, Sheena! You could have just said—"

The lights turn on. Zelos' expression turns to shock. His straight nose and bruising right cheek tell me that I narrowly missed my target. Curse my left hand.

". . . Oh . . ." Zelos goes. "Wrong room."

I'm too angry to even speak.

Zelos shifts awkwardly. "Look, I'll make this up to you somehow . . . Okay? No hard feelings?"

I hold up my right fist. ". . . If you don't get out of my room, I'll use my right fist this time and I won't miss breaking your nose."

"Okay, I get the message!" Zelos opens the door and retreats. Before he closes it, however, he asks, "So which room is Sheena's?"

"OUT!"

The door swiftly shuts.

I continue to glare at the door, calming myself down. Finally, after swallowing some air, I growl, "What the hell possessed him into thinking that sneaking into someone's room was a good idea? Asshole!"

* * *

After we finally hit land, we move swiftly to Ozette. A sense of dread fills us as we get closer, as if something bad will happen soon. I feel it a lot more than most of the others especially since I know that Rodyle will show up this time. With at least two dragons coming, my heart pounds at the thought of the encounter. The worst part about it . . .

I can't even warn Lloyd and Colette and the others without revealing myself.

But I'll be prepared . . .

We enter Ozette and stop when Lloyd halts to take out Presea's key crest. He sighs with relief at the sight of it.

"Lloyd! What's the matter with you?" Genis carps.

"For a second I forgot where I put it," Lloyd explains. "But I got it. Let's hurry to Prese—"

"That them! The wanted criminals!"

Lloyd curses, "Dammit! We don't have time for this!"

A group of Papal Knights, about twelve, gather around us. The leader mocks, "Well, well, if it isn't Master Zelos. I trust you are well?"

"I know the procedure," Zelos blandly replies. "Surrender or die."

"Yes." The leader questions, "So what will it be? A quick execution at Meltokio and the offering of the Chosen of Sylvarant or a slow death here?"

"Slow death here," Zelos chooses as he draws his blade.

"Fine. Attack!"

We all begin fighting as the Papal Knights charge at us. Lloyd stays near Colette and takes on three knights while Colette backs him and anyone nearby up with her own airborne attacks. Sheena takes on two with some occasional assistance from Regal as he himself takes on two others. Zelos, in the meantime, takes on the leader and one other Papal Knight. As for me, I'm taking on two along with protecting Genis and Raine as they make sure no one makes a sneak attack on any of us.

I use my typical hit-and-run tactic, using my speed as an advantage. I rush in for another hit and slice at the thin armor on the arms and rush out.

"Little coward!" one of the two snarls at me.

I don't take the taunt and just focus on keeping these two at bay.

"Beast!"

Lloyd's attack creates a serious dent in one Papal Knight's torso armor, leaving the knight unable to move at all. With that one down, Lloyd turns to the other two remaining in his challenge. As he turns fully to those two, he spots one Papal Knight unaccounted for heading towards the Sage siblings.

"Colette!" Lloyd shouts and points.

Colette spots the Papal Knight and attacks. "Para Ball!"

Balls of lightning strike the Papal Knight.

"Stalagmite!"

Genis' spell sends this Papal Knight flying and out of the battle.

Raine turns to one of the two I managed to weaken and casts, "Photon!"

The sphere of light surrounds the Papal Knight and implodes on him. I finish him off with Hurricane Thrust.

Sheena finishes off one of her own two and whips around to fight the other one and one that Regal is fighting. She lashes out three special cards and leaps up at the Papal Knights. She slaps the three cards on each of the enemies and dives at Regal. "Move!"

Regal takes the hint and leaps out of the way. Sheena performs a hand motion charm . . .

_Boom boom boom!_

The cards explode and take down those three.

Sheena and Regal leap in between Zelos and the two Papal Knights he faces. Sheena tells him, "We'll take these guys! You help Raine with healing!"

Zelos nods and moves out of the battle.

The Papal Knight leader shouts, "Come back here, you coward! Fight me!"

"Fight us!" Regal tells the leader.

"Now, Lloyd!" Colette shouts as she tosses her hammers at Lloyd.

Lloyd catches them and slams them into one of the two Papal Knights they face. "Pow Blade!"

That finishes that knight off and they turn to the next, who backs off after seeing so many of his comrades die off.

I slash at the last Papal Knight I face. His halberd swings down and I easily dodge that and counterattack.

"Hurricane Thrust!"

I manage through the armor and get into the flesh. I cringe as I feel this, and quickly pull back. Though my attack was enough to finish my foe off.

Now that there is no one fighting me directly, I return to Genis and Raine (who have been joined by Zelos) and protect the spell casters from anyone else.

Lloyd and Colette perform one more combo and Sheena finishes off the Papal Knight aiding the leader of this fallen band.

Now with only the leader remaining, we surround him, providing only one chance to escape.

"I . . ." the Papal Knight pants. "I'll be back! With more men! You'll see!"

He runs as we let him escape.

Colette lands and approaches us, rubbing the area between her shoulder and her chest as if in pain, with a downcast expression. "They were after me again . . . I'm so sorry, everyone . . . It's all my fault . . ."

We all turn to her, a little surprised that she would say this after a fight yet having come to expect this of her. Zelos says, "Don't say that. They're after all of us. I'm the one supposedly plotting to destroy Tethe'alla, Genis and Raine and Kelsey are half-elves and members of this group, Sheena is from Mizuho now considered to be a village of traitors, Lloyd is probably thought to be the ring leader of you people from Sylvarant, and Regal is considered a traitor as well. So don't go blaming yourself for everything that happened."

"Zelos is right," Lloyd agrees as he steps up to Colette. "Stop thinking everything is your fault. Okay?"

Colette continues to massage her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lloyd . . ."

Lloyd grows a little more frustrated at this continuous attitude. "You don't need to apologize for this."

"O . . . Okay . . ."

Lloyd then drops his frustration for concern, seeing Colette visibly show pain. ". . . Colette? Colette, what's . . ."

"I'm . . . fine . . ." Colette starts to sink to the ground.

"Colette!"

"Ow . . . Ow . . . Ow . . ." Colette whines as she shudders from her intense pain.

Lloyd catches hold of her. "Colette! Professor! Colette's—"

Raine kneels down and checks over Colette. "She's running a fever. Though this pain . . . Colette, is this the same kind of pain that you have been trying to hide from us?"

"Move . . . aside . . ."

Presea appears and weaves around us.

Raine looks upon Presea. ". . . Presea?"

"Please leave this . . . to me . . ." Presea tells her. "I know how to handle this . . ."

Raine and Presea stare at one another, and then Raine steps aside. "A-alright . . ."

"Professor?" Lloyd goes.

"Let's trust Presea . . ." Raine goes. "She may know what is wrong with Colette."

Lloyd nods and reluctantly moves aside.

I frown. "Wait, shouldn't we ask what she's going to do?"

As Presea approaches Colette, Raine says, "Presea is not our enemy. We can . . . trust her."

Raine must be trying to trust others more, considering that complete trust has been something she has had trouble with. However, in this case . . .

"Good intentions or not," I debate, "Presea might end up doing more harm than—"

The blade of an ax swings out, forcing me to leap back. Presea keeps us at bay with her ax, threatening those who dare to come near.

"P-Presea!" Genis cries out. "What are doing?"

Presea doesn't answer. Instead, she rises the blunt side of her ax and drops it down on Colette's head—

Colette catches the ax blunt before it hits her, overcoming her pain as she struggles to defend herself. She pulls Presea's ax away and tosses it to the side. ". . . Presea . . . !" Colette gasps. "Why are you . . . ?"

"What a shame!"

Presea turns around and faces a creepily familiar voice. We turn towards the center and find none other than Rodyle.

"Though fate has been so kind as to turn circumstances towards our favor so knocking her unconscious is merely optional now," Rodyle adds.

Lloyd dashes to cover Colette. "Who the hell are you?" he shouts.

Rodyle reaches into his green turtle-like cloak and pulls out a whistle. He brings it up and blows a long note out of it.

_Flah . . . !_

I search the skies.

_Flah . . . !_

I spot two shadows.

_Flah!_

We all dive out of the way as the two heavy shadows drop down on us.

Two dragons, not as large as the one fought back at Hima but certainly larger than the game shows, land on the ground with menacing roars and snarls. Shaped more like wyverns, their wings are two times larger than their own bodies and their tails lash around to keep their balance, knocking over buildings in the process.

Rodyle leaps up and mounts on one dragon. The dragon he rides snatches up Colette in its claws and begins to take flight.

Rodyle announces, "I am Rodyle, the most cunning of the Desian Grand Cardinals! I hope you don't mind me taking the Chosen One! Heheheheheheheheh!"

"_No! Colette!_" Lloyd cries out.

_SCHREEEEEEE!_

The dragon Rodyle rides screams out. It drops Colette with a new gash on its leg. Colette scrambles back to us with a chakram coated in dragon blood. Lloyd dashes in front of Colette.

"I won't let him take you!" Lloyd tells her.

"I know you won't," Colette reassures him.

Rodyle growls, and then commands, "Presea! Fight them!"

"Damn!" Sheena summons, "Corrine! Distract Presea!"

Corrine appears and rushes at Presea as she grabs her ax, keeping her at bay while the rest of us focus on Rodyle.

Raine keeps close to Colette and focuses on not only healing us but keeping Colette's strength up. Genis stays off to the side where he can see the battle and cast spells whenever needed. Colette focuses on long distance attacks and casting what spells she can use despite her pain. The rest of us just attack.

Lloyd and Sheena go after the dragon Rodyle is on while the Desian leader just simply watches the fight on his seat, simply letting the dragons do all the work.

I join Regal and Zelos as they go after the other dragon, working to be the distraction while they do all the vital attacks. I stab at the dragon's legs and race away as the dragon retaliates with snaps and talons swipes. Regal and Zelos go in and bash at the head. When they are forced to retreat, I go back in and attack the dragon's legs and repeat the process.

Lloyd and Sheena dodge the spew of fire from the dragon.

"Psi Tempest!" Lloyd shouts as he attacks the dragon's neck.

_SHIIIIIEEE!_ The dragon hisses in pain as its neck is viciously sliced. Rodyle forces the dragon to pull up its head and keep it above Lloyd and Sheena.

The two then attack the dragon's legs.

I stab at the legs of the dragon I'm attacking once more and flee for my life as the beast goes after me again.

Then I trip.

I curse, "Of all the clichés—!"

_SCHIIIIIII!_

Turn around and find the dragon about to breathe fire down at me.

. . . You know when some dumb broad in horror movies trip and scream at her doom? When you're shouting at her to just get up and run? Well, in the flight or fight instincts there is also the option to freeze. Those dumb broads are victims of the freeze option. Just like how I'm victim to that, too.

The fire comes flying at me.

I cringe.

. . . The burning death doesn't come.

I open my eyes and find Zelos using Guardian to block the stream of fire. In the distance, Regal attacks the dragon's head and draws attention away from us and towards himself.

I owe those two big time.

Zelos helps me back up and says, "I hope that makes up for last night's mistake."

"It does." Then I tell him, "You missed your chance to be Mr. Hero with a free chance to brag."

"I'm focusing all my attention on Sheena."

Asshole. "Good luck. You'll need it. Now let's help Regal."

The two dragons back off as we weaken them down, ready to be finished off.

_SHIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!_

Okay, maybe finishing them off won't be that easy . . .

"Judgment!"

Wait, Colette isn't strong enough to cast that yet! Plus that's a guy's voice!

Oh great . . .

Large beams of light dive down and strike the earth, demolishing whatever is in its way. One beam casts down on the dragon without Rodyle while the one Rodyle rides successfully survives the attack.

I whip around and find a figure illuminated by blue wings.

Hello, Kratos.

Rodyle scowls at Kratos and forces the dragon into flight, leaving the corpse of the other behind. Before he flies off however . . .

"Get the girl!" Rodyle shouts as he directs the dragon towards us.

Colette unleashes her wings, finally strong enough to send them out, and flies away. Rodyle's dragon, however, doesn't go after her. Instead . . .

It goes after Presea.

"No!" Colette cries. She flies after Presea . . .

The dragon's talons circle around Presea . . .

Colette manages to push Presea out of the way—

And the dragon's talons close suddenly before Colette can get away.

With that, Rodyle's dragon takes off.

"_Colette! No!_" Lloyd screams.

The dragon disappears into the sky . . .

Colette is gone . . .

"Colette . . . No . . ." Lloyd slums down.

Kratos begins to approach, his wings dissipating into nothing.

Lloyd turns around with an angry gleam in his eyes. "You!"

Lloyd dashes at Kratos and slashes his blades at him. Kratos easily dodges.

"If you hadn't come and chased Rodyle off," Lloyd shouts, "Colette wouldn't have—"

_Clang!_

Kratos sends Lloyd's swords flying and stares the boy down. ". . . Have you forgotten something?"

Lloyd glares at Kratos, and then remembers. ". . . Presea!"

Lloyd hurries to Presea and pulls out the makeshift key crest. He slips the small necklace onto Presea and places the key crest pendant onto her Exsphere.

Presea's eyes brighten from the empty dullness that they usually hold.

Presea turns about, confused, and searches the area. ". . . What? What have I been doing?" Then an urgent thought comes to mind. "Wh-where's Daddy?"

Lloyd begins, "Prese—"

Presea bolts off, her vague memories flashing before her. She races back home, desperate to locate her father, and slams open the door.

"Gugh! Kogh!" Presea gags as the scent of rotting flesh pierces her nose. Dread comes upon her when she recognizes the scent. She rushes into the bedroom and scrambles to her father's bed.

"Daddy? Daddy!" Presea cries as she places her hands on her father's shoulder to shake him awake—

Presea cringes as the body beneath the sheet doesn't feel like actual living flesh. Her heart pounding, her palms sweating, Presea lifts the sheet just enough to reveal her father before her eyes . . .

And she screams.

"_KYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!_"

* * *

Yeah, I had the nerve to make a Titanic reference. What of it?

Emotional end, isn't it?

Please review.


	53. Reunion of the Past and Present

I thought something might have been confusing in the last chapter. I got quite a few ppl who asked me about this (maybe it was the wording?).

When I said in the last chapter that Colette wasn't strong enough to cast Judgment yet she cast the same spell earlier in the chapter, I meant she wasn't strong enough because she was basically very sick and Judgment is probably an intricate spell. Who's up for some intense spellcasting when they're in severe pain and running a fever and whatever else?

But I'll see into getting that cleaned up. Not a big deal. :)

And here's the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Three: Reunion of Past and Present

Presea's first emotions in so many years were dismay and sorrow and guilt.

We gave as decent of a burial and funeral as we could give to Sieg Combatir. Lloyd, Zelos, and Genis dug his grave, with a lot of help from Genis' Stone Blast spell. Then Lloyd and Regal acted as pallbearers when that part came, despite not even having a coffin since the villagers are too intimidated by what just happened to get themselves involved with this.

There was a little bit of bickering before we held our makeshift funeral over the details. Considering that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla have relatively different cultures, the details about a funeral and what is respectful and disrespectful were different for each of us. I myself didn't know how a funeral works since, before Symphonia, I was very lucky. The only family death I had experienced was with a great-grandmother and a great-uncle who actually fell to cancer. I wasn't as close to them as I was to my parents' immediate family so, as callous as this may sound, I never experienced the grief of losing a loved one. So, with funerals not being something I understand, I just kept silent while the others decided on what would be most appropriate for Sieg Combatir.

After the burial, Presea placed the ax she carried with her against the headstone. Tears stream down her face as silence and time pass. A long time goes by . . .

Then Presea finally turns to us, her tears no longer flowing but are still staining her cheeks. "Th-thank you . . . for helping me with my daddy's . . . burial . . ."

Silence stills everything, and then Presea lowers her eyes. "I've . . . been a great burden . . . on all of you . . ."

"How much do you remember?" Lloyd asks.

"Most of it . . . It is all vague and a bit blurry . . . but my memories are steadily coming back," Presea states. "I remember a lot of the things that you have done for me . . ."

"Presea," Genis warily wonders, "why did you have that Exsphere on you?"

Presea thinks about this for a moment, and then recalls, "My daddy got sick and needed help, but my mommy died when I was a small child and my younger sister left to serve a noble, so I was the only one around. I wanted to save my sick daddy and learn how to wield an ax so I could work in his place. So I met a person named Vharley who introduced me to Rodyle, and then I was taken to the Research Academy in Sybak. I received my Exsphere there."

Zelos asks, "Were the experiments on you carried out by order of the Pope?"

Presea nods. "Yes . . . I believe they said something along those lines . . ."

"That means Rodyle is in league with the Pope!" Lloyd concludes.

Raine states, "That would mean that Tethe'alla is under the influence of the Desians despite being the flourishing world. This relationship poses a large number of serious threats."

Regal puts all of us aside and asks, "Presea, do you have an older sister as well?"

Presea turns to Regal and shakes his head. "I only have my younger sister. However, I haven't seen her in a very long time."

"Do you have any other family you can turn to?" Raine adds.

"No . . ."

Sheena looks around at all of us. "We can't just leave her here in this village by herself if she doesn't have anyone to turn to."

Raine agrees, "Yes, you're right. The people of this village seem to avoid her."

I look up with a sarcastic attitude at the villagers peering at us from above. "They must be enjoying all the drama that just happened. Oh how they stare . . ."

Presea shifts onto one of her feet. "I . . . uhhh . . . I would like to go with all of you, if that would be alright. It's my fault that Colette was taken away, after all. I would like to help you rescue her."

Regal turns to us as well. "I would like to continue to travel with all of you as well. It appears that my fate is linked to your enemies and I wish to give any assistance as I can to your efforts."

Lloyd looks back and forth between the two and nods. "Of course. Help us save Colette!"

"I will," Presea promises. "I will repay all of you for everything you have given me."

"I am in your debt," Regal replies. "I will never betray your trust."

"Thank you," Lloyd returns with. "But now . . ."

Lloyd turns to Kratos, who was earlier chased off to the side by Lloyd, and approaches him. "What do you want? What did you do with Colette?"

Kratos tells him, "I was sent here by Lord Yggdrasill's orders to apprehend Rodyle since he has been ignoring his orders and acting on his own. I am not connected to Colette's kidnapping."

"Internal strife. How pathetic," Raine hisses.

"Say what you will," Kratos remarks. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have business with Rodyle to finish."

Just as Kratos was turning away, Lloyd goes, "Wait! Where did Rodyle take Colette? Do you even know where he could have taken her?"

Kratos pauses and turns back to us. "That is information I cannot share. I only know the countless possibilities where Rodyle could be."

"But where Rodyle is, Colette is there too!" Lloyd protests.

Kratos regards Lloyd for a moment, causing the boy to shift awkwardly under the man's staring. Then, Kratos states, "It seems as if your goals and my goals are the same."

"Huh?" Lloyd goes, his anger offset by confusion.

"Disgusting," Raine growls. "You actually suggest such a thing after everything you and Cruxis put us through?"

"Professor," Lloyd asks, "what is he saying?"

Raine explains, "Kratos is suggesting that he work alongside us to find Rodyle and Colette."

"What?" Lloyd turns back to Kratos with shock. "But . . ."

Now understanding the situation better, I tell the others, "This isn't something that we can just say no to. Kratos has more resources and more connections, and not to mention he won't be hounded by the Pope should he ever step into a city and end up being slowed down. If anyone's going to find Rodyle and Colette in as short amount of time as possible, Kratos will."

Genis protests, "But he could just betray us again and take Colette to Cruxis!"

Kratos states, "The Chosen is useless to Cruxis as she is now. We have no desire to take her. My only orders were to apprehend Rodyle and punish him for his seditious actions."

Raine narrows her sharp eyes and ponders about a matter in her mind.

Lloyd continues to stare at Kratos with confusion. ". . . Just what are you trying to do?"

Zelos shrugs. "Who cares at this point? If he's useful, make use of him."

Sheena adds, "I have to agree. Kelsey is right, too. Kratos has access to all of Cruxis' resources and can find Colette faster than even Mizuho probably could. If he's willing to help us, then let's have him help us."

With all that said, Lloyd stares down at Kratos with determination, his mind made up. "You're after Rodyle, and where ever Rodyle is, Colette will be there too. As you said, our goals are the same. So . . . help us."

Kratos lets a second go by before replying, "Very well. I will go out and search for where Rodyle and Colette could possibly be. In the meantime, you can retrieve the rheairds and meet me at the House of Guidance south of the Fuuji Mountains. I will provide you with whatever information I collected concerning Rodyle and Colette. Then, should situations deem it necessary, I will join you until we find either Rodyle or Colette."

Lloyd nods. "Alright. We'll meet you at the House of Guidance."

Then Kratos begins to leave. ". . . By the way, you may want to speak with Mizuho about the location of the rheairds. I'm certain that they have found them by now."

Kratos disappears.

Lloyd stares out at where Kratos once was. ". . . That guy just gets more confusing."

Sheena then states, "We'll be heading to Mizuho anyway since I need to tell them about our secrets possibly being leaked. We can check to see if they found them while we're there."

"Yeah." Lloyd declares, "Let's ignore Kratos for now and focus on what we need to do."

* * *

Let me tell you something. Two days of traveling from one place to another in a group that's in a big hurry makes time seem longer than it really is. Most of us can't even sleep with the worry we have for Colette's health. I can sleep some, but the thought of what Rodyle may be doing to Colette continues to disturb my sleep. Things are a lot more personal and intense now that it's all real . . .

But as soon as we got close to Mizuho our pace quickens to get us there faster. Everything has to be there now, everything must be done now, we must get somewhere now. It's all a rush. Our daily lives have even been disrupted by this cycle. Our meals are either quick fixes or hastily made with waiting times giving us all an added impatient edge. Laundry is washed and folded carelessly in our haste to get back to traveling again.

To say that we have a strain in our lives is an understatement.

We enter the village and head straight for Tiga's home, Sheena leading the way. When we make it to the Vice Chief's home, Sheena turns to us and says, "Let me go in alone. Although I will learn where the rheairds' location is, it may help with reporting about leaked secrets if I go in by myself."

Lloyd nods. "Okay. We'll wait for you out here."

So we spread out a little and try to relax. Our impatience gets us a little irritable but we keep that moodiness ourselves. We're here in Mizuho and are about to learn the rheairds' location.

. . . The fact that the Renegades have them is no surprise to anyone. We all know that the Renegades have them, most likely in a base. I know where their Tethe'alla base is, but without the precise location any information I may hint out will be completely useless. It's not worth the risk of my past being exposed.

But I digress . . .

The door slams open and Sheena bolts out, crying fits sounding from her. We all jump up but can do nothing but watch as Sheena quickly disappears into the village.

"Sheena!" Lloyd calls out. When Tiga comes out of his home, Lloyd turns around to him. "What's wrong? Why was Sheena—?"

Tiga pauses before he says, ". . . We did locate the rheairds. However, even if you were able to obtain them, should their mana fuel run dry, they will crash once more. Therefore, Sheena must overcome a test."

"A test?" Lloyd questions, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Yes." Tiga tells us, "She must form a pact with the Summon Spirit of Lightning, Volt, and use his power to fuel the rheairds." A second goes by. ". . . Sheena once failed to make a pact with Volt. She participated in the pact experiments by the Imperial Research Academy without knowing what she was about to get into. When Volt violently rejected against her request for a pact, several of our villagers died. Chief Igaguri protected her with his life and fell into a coma as a result . . . This tragedy still haunts her to this day, and will be the hardest thing for her to overcome."

Lloyd takes a gasping breath. He looks out to where Sheena ran and goes after her. We watch him as he leaves.

Zelos tells us, "It's a pretty famous incident. A quarter of Mizuho's population died. She puts on a strong face, but she's really alone in this village."

"So this is why Sheena didn't want to form pacts . . ." Genis utters.

Regal sighs, "Sheena is still too young . . . too frail to accept the cruel fate forced upon her."

I frown. "The guilt of having a hand in something that caused so much pain is going to be there, even if we were innocent in it. It's hard to overcome something like that . . ."

Chocolat and Cacao . . . I could have done something more to help them . . .

Presea shifts onto one foot as she considers her opinion. ". . . I believe . . . the deeper the wound, the more important it is to overcome it . . ."

Raine says, "Lloyd understands the pain of involving others in an incident he caused. He will help Sheena back to her feet."

Lloyd, following the directions of the villagers, passes the crop fields and into a little spot overgrown with wild plant life. He hears sniffling and tiny gasps, the last remains of crying.

"Don't worry!" he hears Corrine declare. "If something happens, I'll save you, just like you saved me from the Imperial Research Academy's experiments!"

"I . . . I can't . . . I can't risk that to anyone . . ."

Lloyd pushes the plants aside and finds Sheena sitting down. When she hears him approach, she hesitantly gets up and turns to him. Her tears stain her cheeks, her eyes are red and puffy, and her sad frown is set.

"I-I can't . . ." she tells him. "You heard, right? So many people died because I failed to make a pact with Volt. If we go, I may wind up killing all of you too."

"We won't die," Lloyd steadfastly tells her.

Sheena looks at him doubtfully. "You can't be too sure of that . . ."

"I am sure of that," Lloyd continues. "I'm sure of this because I know you're going to succeed."

"If I failed once, I can fail again . . ." Sheena sternly points out.

"But if you try again, you can succeed." Lloyd reminds, "You're not the old Sheena. You've already made pacts with two Summon Spirits who have helped us countless times before."

Sheena glances down. ". . . But . . ."

"Dwarvan Vow Number Nine," Lloyd recites, "Fall down seven times, stand up eight. You're going to succeed this time. All of us will help, too. We'll cut Volt down if he attacks again!"

"He's right, Sheena!" Corrine proclaims. "I'll help, too! You won't fail with us there!"

Sheena looks between the two, and goes, ". . . Alright. I'll try."

Lloyd smiles encouragingly at her and says, "Let's go back and meet with the others."

The two leave the overgrown bush area and return to Tiga's home. Sheena steps up to Tiga and bows deeply to him.

"Tiga-dono! I accept your test!" she declares. "I will go to the Temple of Lightning—" A slight break in her voice, but she goes on. "—and I will forge a pact with Volt!"

Tiga smiles. "Very well. Once you have formed your pact with Volt, Orochi will meet you at the temple and give you the location of the rheairds. I shall pray for your success and safety."

* * *

Luckily for us, this is real life were we could set out for sea in any place where there's a body of water and not where there's a dock like in the game. When we board the EC and Sheena takes the controls, Lloyd opens up the Tethe'alla map and asks, "So where is the Temple of Lightning?"

"It's to the north on an island not too far from here," Sheena states. "If we could walk there, it would take a few days, but on the EC it's not even half a day's worth of traveling."

"That island right there?" Lloyd points to it on the map.

Sheena glances and confirms, "Yes, that one. Do you see the dot right there on that island? It has the words 'Temple of Lightning' written in bright red."

"Oh . . ."

"You're not too observant when it comes to these things, are you?"

In the back of the main room (which is roughly the control room), Raine reads over some of the books she managed to gather during our time in Tethe'alla. A grim look carves her expression. "Volt . . ."

Regal overhears her and looks over to her. "What is the matter?"

"From what I read of Volt," Raine reports, "the language he speaks is unusual and impossible for a human to decipher. Unless I can somehow translate his words, this pact may be impossible to make."

"Will you be able to translate any of the words Volt will say?" Regal asks.

"I know that I will be able to decipher some, but I don't know if it will be enough," Raine expresses with a discouraged tone.

Regal reassures, "When the time comes, you may find yourself more than capable to translate Volt's words."

Raine relaxes. "Thank you, Regal. There really is nothing I need to be concerned with as long as I prepare for the upcoming challenge."

When the island comes into view, the drivers for the EC switch out with Presea holding the map and Regal driving under Raine's semi-lax supervision. Sheena goes outside to stare out to the island with Corrine accompanying her. I sit off to the side while Lloyd and Genis watch Sheena with concern.

"I wonder if Sheena is alright?" Genis goes. "She puts on a strong face, but I wonder how she must really feel . . ."

"No matter what happens," Lloyd assures, "we've got her back so everything will turn out for the best."

Genis perks up more. "You're right. With all of us pitching in, we will all make sure that Volt doesn't go berserk again."

Zelos, who was watching, sighs blissfully, "Ahhh. What a beautiful mutual trust."

Lloyd scowls. "Don't make a joke about it."

"I'm not! Listen." Zelos explains, "If I was the one about to make the pact, even Lloyd wouldn't be able to freely put his faith in me."

"No kidding," Genis remarks.

"The brat can shut up, thank you!" Zelos snaps. With that out of the way, he continues. "So, anyway, I was saying how all of you have this beautiful mutual trust built off of the time all of you spent together."

"Sheena's our partner. Of course we trust her." Then Lloyd adds, either hesitantly or sheepishly, "And you're our partner, too. I trust you, too."

Zelos regards Lloyd with a strained smile. "Hmmm . . ."

* * *

We landed during the night and entered, some with heavy thoughts and some with brighter thoughts. Lloyd continuously looks around, especially at the main entrance and then again after we used a portal to get to the higher grounds where Volt's altar should be. Genis and Raine glance around as well, but they must have come to their conclusion sooner than Lloyd will.

Lloyd comments, "We got in pretty easy. I didn't see an oracle stone anywhere."

Raine concludes, "This is the flourishing world so I doubt that the temples here are acting as seals."

"Okay." Then Lloyd wonders, "So if this temple isn't a seal, would that mean that the puzzles here are already solved since Sheena and the people of Mizuho already came here before?"

Since I already was going on ahead, I enter the other room and call out, "Not from how it looks over here."

The others join and look into the room.

In numerous platforms are numerous retractable lightning rods, each with a different elevation. Many are retracted while some are up and reaching into the air to snatch stray bolts of lightning. I try to count them all but begin to lose count at fourteen, reaching about halfway through the area.

Genis goes, "Cruxis renews the puzzles in a temple once someone has gone through it? I would think they would do this once a Chosen has completed the regeneration journey or even when they are about to start their journey."

Sheena adds, "It's been ten years since I came here, but this is a bit soon to renew the puzzles."

Genis wonders, "Do you remember how to solve any of the puzzles here?"

"Actually," Sheena sheepishly admits, "I only did the pact. The people who were with me did the puzzles."

"Then we will solve the puzzles ourselves," Regal concludes.

"Be careful, everyone," Raine warns. "Lightning strikes in the highest places. With the puzzle before us, there is a chance we could get struck."

Zelos shivers. "Ugh . . . ! There is no way I'm getting up on the higher areas!"

"None of us want to," I remark. "We'll just have to be extra careful."

"That reminds me . . ." Lloyd goes as he holds up the hand with the Sorcerer's Ring. "What will the Sorcerer's Ring do now that we're in the Temple of Lightning?"

Genis encourages, "Give it a try."

Sheena and I back away from Lloyd and his aim.

Little white sparks bounce up and down on the ring. It's such a small spark that it's almost pathetic. Lloyd watches it with confusion and disappointment. ". . . Is that it?"

Raine theorizes, "Perhaps there is some mechanism that will effect the Sorcerer's Ring. Keep your eyes out for something like that."

With the promise of a bigger show than what the Sorcerer's Ring gave, Lloyd brightens up. "Alright! Let's go!"

Sheena reminds, "We still have this puzzle to solve first."

Zelos looks across the room. "There's nothing blocking the door over there."

"No, I definitely remember having to solve this puzzle," Sheena states. She glances around, taking in the area and each part of the puzzle. Then she says, "I think I've got this one. Stay here . . ."

"You're doing this puzzle by yourself?" Genis asks while Sheena walks a ways into the room. Sheena doesn't answer as she finds something on the floor and steps on it.

_KEOOWW!_

A bolt of lightning streams down and strikes only a certain number of the few lightning rods that are up. The bolt seems to jump and branch out from one rod to another until finally fizzing out. Sheena continues to step on the switch that causes the lightning bolt and watches the movement of the bolt before finding some secret to it and turning back to us all.

"Okay, I've got it all figured out now," Sheena announces. "There's a switch that we need to hit and the only way to do that is to arrange the lightning rods so the bolt of lightning can travel to it."

"So I'm guessing that someone not afraid to get hit by lightning will have to go and arrange the lightning rods," I comment a little dryly.

"Don't worry about lightning in this room," Sheena assures. "If any lightning comes down here, it'll be because of this switch."

"And you'll be the one at the switch, right?" Lloyd asks.

"Right."

Zelos proclaims, "I volunteer the person Sheena likes the most to go up there."

"Zelos," Sheena growls.

Zelos defends, "Hey, at least that way you won't be tempted to press that switch."

"If you're volunteering people," Sheena commands, "then you go up there yourself."

"But—"

"No buts. Just go."

Zelos sighs and leaves for the lightning rods. Sheena instructs, "Put them all down, except for that one right there!"

"All of them?" Zelos whines. "That's going to take forever! At least give me a little help!"

Lloyd watches Zelos for a moment before volunteering, "Here, I'll help. It's going to take a while with just one person, anyway."

"Buuuuuuud~!"

So, while Zelos' mood shoots up to chirpy again, the two follow Sheena's instructions and take down all the lightning rods with the exception of one which stands somewhere in the middle in terms of elevation. Then Sheena instructs each one to put up certain lightning rods. Once she tells them to clear the area, what the ninja had them put up resembles something along the lines of those "Raising the Bar" commercials for Cingular cell phones, only slightly out of order and leading down to one spot that only Sheena can identify.

In the corner of my eye, I spot Genis reaching his foot over to the switch while Sheena is distracted making sure that Lloyd and Zelos are out of the way. Seeing that Lloyd is almost out of the way while Zelos is still in range of the lightning strike, I can tell that whatever Genis has in mind is not good news.

I grab onto Genis' shoulder to restrain him. "Don't."

"But you know that Zelos—"

"It doesn't matter who. It's not right. You'll end up putting the blame on Sheena and then putting Lloyd at risk too."

"Fine . . ."

Kids . . . Sometimes you just have to wonder if their brains are properly wired.

When both Lloyd and Zelos are out of the way, Sheena steps on the switch and lightning strikes down, jumping and branching to the next lowest lightning rod, until finally reaching the lowest and fizzing out. A second passes, and nothing happens. Sheena observes the lightning rods and contemplates what she could have done wrong . . .

"Okay! I've got it this time!" Sheena announces. "Lloyd, go lower those three lightning rods and put that one and that one and that one up. Zelos, you put that one up!"

As they work, each on their own side, the lower lightning rods are rearranged so they end in a slightly different spot. Sheena orders them to clear and presses the switch . . .

_KEOOW!_

The lightning streaks across the lightning rods and, instead of fizzing out, hits something and sparks fly out. I begin to wonder if something went wrong again.

An electric door on the floor opens up and lifts a pedestal up, this one holding some sort of object that resembles a miniature version of the machines used in the game to change the element of the Sorcerer's Ring, only illuminating with a blue light.

Sheena tilts her head at this machine. ". . . What is this?"

Raine guesses, "Perhaps this is something to change the electric charge the Sorcerer's Ring acquires here. Lloyd, try using the Sorcerer's Ring."

"Okay." Lloyd follows Raine's instructions and places the ring near the object. Before Lloyd does anything else, the blue radiance divides a piece of itself, like some sort of light-form of mitosis, and transfers over to the ring. Lloyd's eyes grow large at the sight of this. "Whoa! That was kinda cool!"

Then Lloyd turns around and aims the Sorcerer's Ring into empty space. A blue bolt of lightning leaps out from the ring and zaps whatever is in front of it.

Lloyd takes in the moment before chirping, "It shoots lightning! That's so cool! Let's try it on something!"

Regal observes, "Lloyd is easily amused, isn't he?"

Genis comments, "That's nothing. You should have seen him at the Temple of Water when the Sorcerer's Ring started shooting water."

I glumly recall, "I was so miserable that day . . ."

Lloyd runs on ahead into the next room with us chasing after him. The young swordsman searches the large area and finds nothing, but the second floor above proves promising enough for him to dash off right when we catch up and climb up the stairs. Then, we all hear him call out, "I found the altar!"

We finally make it to him and find that, indeed, he found the altar where Volt should rest. I don't see any of those weird colored blocks but the lightning rod is still there. Strange how the lightning rod is up and yet Volt hasn't arrived.

Lloyd crosses his arms. "This is a little too easy . . . Don't these places usually put more puzzles than what was in that room over there?"

"Let me take a look." Raine takes Lloyd's spot and inspects the altar. She raises an eyebrow after a little exploration. ". . . Do you see this strange apparatus on the altar?"

This time, Sheena hesitantly approaches while Lloyd answers, "Yeah. What about it?"

"It appears as if this apparatus needs a special charge—three of them, to be precise," Raine notes. "The main puzzle of this temple may be charging the apparatus. Until then, we cannot meet with Volt."

At this, Sheena sighs quietly with relief. Then she adds, "We already have one of the special charges, though."

"That blue lightning? I'll give it a try." Lloyd aims the Sorcerer's Ring and zaps the apparatus. It takes a second for the charge to set it, and then a blue light of three, the other two turned off, comes on.

"Two more to go," Lloyd comments.

Sheena takes a tense breath. Corrine hops onto her shoulder and rubs his head against her jaw in a comforting manner.

As we go down, Genis steps next to Lloyd and asks, "Lloyd, I know you said we should ignore this for now, but what do you really think about Kratos joining us again while we search for Colette?"

Lloyd sighs, slightly downcast. "I don't know, Genis. He betrayed us, but he's also the only one who can help us find Colette. We're just going to have to trust him again."

"But . . ." Genis goes. ". . . He betrayed us."

"I know . . ." Lloyd says. "But we have to save Colette from Rodyle. So, for Colette's sake, let's work with Kratos for now."

"Okay . . ."

We enter the next room which is this tall cylinder room with several different balconies, some with lightning rods and some without. In the center of the circular room is a lower floor with two of those pedestals, one on a tall platform connecting to a different floor and the other on a platform connecting to the floor below. As I look around, I find a large generator to the far right of the room with a lightning rod on it that was put down. On the other side is a set of stairs leading to probably a corridor connecting to a different room. After that, I look back down on the lower floor of the room and look at it, wondering what about the Temple of Lightning I remember from the game. I remember a bunch of yellow blocks I had to destroy but I know that's not that part.

Lloyd sees the pedestals in the center of the room, especially the one in quick reach. "Look, guys! There's another one of those things! We can change the charge on the Sorcerer's Ring!"

As Lloyd hurries away, I notice some cords lining from the floor below and up along a wall. I follow the cords all the way up . . .

. . . to a lightning rod getting struck repeatedly by bolts of lightning.

I turn to shout at Lloyd but too late. His foot drops down to the water—

"Gak!" Lloyd chokes as he's pulled back by his cape streamers.

Regal had recognized the situation before I did and saved the day.

Lloyd turns to him and complains, "What did you do that for?"

Regal looks Lloyd right in the eye. "Did you not notice that there are cords on the floor that are connected to a lightning rod above?"

Raine exclaims, "Oh merciful heavens!"

"Really?" Lloyd looks back at the area. "There's water all over the floor too."

Sheena flinches. "That was a close one . . ."

I lecture to him, "Lloyd, water conducts electricity. If you stepped in that you could seriously die."

Anyone who has ever watched the Pokémon anime would have this little fact drilled into their head, although 4Kids believes that you just get hurt rather than end up dead.

Lloyd gets the full impact of how close of a call he just had and turns to Regal with great gratitude and relief. "Thanks, Regal."

"You're welcome."

Then Lloyd looks back at the water. "But how are we going to get across this water? We don't have Colette . . . We don't have anyone with us who can fly across this."

Presea looks at the lightning rod above and notes, "That lightning rod is positioned on a balcony above us. If we can put it down then the lightning will strike elsewhere and it will be safe to walk around."

"It seems so," Raine agrees. "Let's explore the temple more to get a better perspective."

The first direction we go is up the stairs I spotted to the left. We enter the corridor at the top of the stairs and are overcome by darkness. The first thing Raine does is try to light the way with her staff, but the darkness around quickly snuffs the light out.

"So this is yet another obstacle," Raine observes.

_KEOOW!_

Light flashes and the path before us is illuminated for a second or two. Then the light dies off and the darkness covers us once again.

"We need to use the light from the lightning or we'll fall off," Lloyd tells us. "Be careful where you step, everyone."

The paths that you can fall off . . . Oh god . . .

And I hate heights . . .

I feel my dread overcoming my senses as I take each step with great care, only walking where the others have. The others talk to one another but I don't pay attention, for fear that dividing my attention would result in me falling. My heart pounds with rapid speed as I restrain from crying out in fear. Can one of the guys be a knight in shining armor and carry me to the other side? Lloyd? Zelos? Regal? Could even Genis hold my hand? Anyone? Could one of the girls take pity on me and let me grab onto their shoulder? Please? Anyone . . . ?

"_Eeek!_"

What the—? Was that Sheena?

"Stupid Chosen!"

"What? I didn't do—"

_Thuk!_

A second passes before I feel a large force fall against me, sending me off balance and tripping against my feet. Before I know it, nothing but air lays beneath my feet. When I realize this, three things went through my head . . .

1. OMG! _I am falling!_

2. Zelos is falling with me. I really hope he doesn't land on top of my gut.

3. What have I become? An extension of Zelos' comic relief?

After that, thoughts are blurred out by my sheer terror as I fall.

"_Naaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!_" I scream as air rushes through me. The pitch black area blinds my eyes, giving me a sense of falling for eternit—

"Guh!" I land on a downward slope and slide down towards the bottom. When the bottom finally comes, I tumble in with Zelos right behind me. The curved slope shoots us out and onto the floor. I land first, followed by a sharp jab in the stomach, sending me into a stun.

"Owww . . ." Zelos groans. He gets up and finds my stunned self just laying where his shoulder was after landing on his side.

"Sorry . . ." he goes. "Can you still move?"

". . . Huuhhh . . ." I exhale a pathetic whine, showing that I'm starting to recover.

Zelos huffs a sigh and lifts me to my feet by wrapping my arm around his shoulders. Thankfully, we only fell into the lower floor of where Volt's altar awaits and don't have that much of a walk to go. By the time the others meet up with us in the room with the electrically charged water, I can manage to walk some.

Sheena goes up to me. "Kelsey! Are you alright?"

I begin to answ—

Sheena turns against Zelos. "Zelos! Why did you have to drag Kelsey into that too?"

Zelos crosses his arms. "Excuse me? Is it somehow my fault that Kelsey fell down too? From what I recall, you were the one who punched me and sent me off balance!"

"You groped me!" she hisses.

"You punched me," Zelos counters.

"You knew how I would react!"

"And I orchestrated the whole thing so that you would end up punching me so that I fell into specifically Kelsey despite the fact I didn't even know where she was."

"You knew where I was! And don't change the subject!"

"Funny. Didn't you just accuse me of dragging Kelsey into this?"

The only way those two can end the day without feeling like they missed something is to argue over something pointless, isn't it?

I turn away from the bickering duo and return to the group. "I don't wanna repeat that experience. Ever. Can I please hold onto someone while walking through that?"

Lloyd tilts his head slightly with this pitying look and offers, "You can hold onto me while we go through those dark halls."

"Thank you . . ."

With that done, Lloyd turns to the two bickering. "Okay, you two, that's enough! Kelsey is safe and we need to keep going."

Sheena and Zelos glare at each other, almost eager to continue arguing for the sake of one-uping the other. They let the subject drop, though, and return to the group.

This time as we go through, I make sure that my hand stays on Lloyd's arm and I keep a safe distance away from Sheena and Zelos. Whenever an obstacle, like stairs or a turn or the path getting narrow, is coming up, Lloyd would warn us all about it and we would accommodate for that change. Sometimes we would have to line up in single file just to fit through one space and sometimes Lloyd will have to back track and end up causing a bit of confusion. Then, light meets us as we finally exit the corridor.

In the next room I find a machine that is connected to the wall before it with pipes containing probably a bunch of wires climbing up the wall all the way up to some unknown destination. Recognizing this place, I peer as far up as I possibly can and don't find a ledge that holds a boulder. Now that I look around, I don't find that bridge that was supposed to collapse when the boulder hits it. Instead, I find a stairway with a fence made of electricity that we can't cross. Then, at the bottom of those stairs is a closed electric door.

I also notice that, to the immediate right, is an open door to a balcony. From the flashes streaking across the open doorway, I can guess that the lightning rod electrocuting the water in that bottom floor is there.

Huh . . .

Raine places her fingers around her chin. "That apparatus . . ."

Genis goes, "What is it, Raine?"

Raine says, "I'll take a look at that contraption. The rest of you can go and lower the lightning rod."

"I'll do that," Lloyd volunteers. While Raine goes to inspect the machine connected to the piping, he leaves to the balcony and finds the lightning rod.

Raine looks up and down and notes, "It appears to be fueled by a separate generator. But what are these pipes for? Genis, could you take a look at them from the platforms above?"

"Sure, sis." Genis climbs up the stairs leading to the platforms that give access to the pipes themselves.

Meanwhile, Lloyd times the lightning strikes so he will be able to approach it without getting struck . . .

After Genis inspects the pipes, he finds switches on the connections between the pipes and reports down to her, "It looks like you can control where the power goes."

"Interesting . . . Keep looking."

After one strike of lightning, Lloyd dashes to the lightning rod and hastily lowers it.

Genis reaches the top and calls down, "The pipes lead off to four places but I can't tell where it goes. There's also this hole in the ceiling but it's too dark to see where it goes."

"Hmmm." Raine takes note of that. "In the end, we will have to see what it does once we find its power source."

Lloyd jumps away from the lowered lightning rod, just in case, and finds that the lightning redirects to another lightning rod. This time to the one attached to the generator in the room. With lightning fueling the apparatus, the generator turns on and begins working.

Raine jumps in sudden surprise when the machine before her turns on. She takes in the moment and wonders, "What could have caused this to suddenly turn on?"

Right then, Lloyd walks out and announces, "Hey, when I lowered that lightning rod, the lightning started hitting the lightning rod on that machine down there."

Regal asks, "Do you mean the generator? So that was how the machine in this room began working. The generator supplies power."

"Yes, that's it." Then Raine tells Lloyd, "Now that the lightning isn't striking the water, it should be safe to step onto that lower floor and change the charge on the Sorcerer's Ring. Lloyd, could you take care of that? And be careful, please."

"I will, Professor," Lloyd promises as he leaves us.

Raine turns back to the contraption before her and inspects everything, including the electric fence blocking our way. After a bit of time passes, she turns back to us and instructs, "I have a theory on how this works. I want each of you to stand next to each switch and to activate it should I tell you to. Now Zelos . . ."

"Yes, lovely Professor?" Zelos purrs.

Raine tells him, "Stay here and press this button when I tell you to. Now, I need everyone else to follow me."

Raine gives us each a spot and takes a spot herself. Then she calls out, "This is a control test run. Zelos, if you would."

Zelos presses the button. The pipes hum as electricity runs through it. It goes up the fourth pipe . . .

Nothing happens.

Raine speculates, "As I suspected, change is in order."

Zelos steps out to say something—

_KEOOW!_

Lightning dives down through the hole in the ceiling and strikes Zelos.

"Ouch . . ." I flinch in sympathy. ". . . Is he still alive?"

While Raine rushes down to take care of the Tethe'allan Chosen, Sheena replies to me, "Yeah, he's alive. It'll take more than that to kill him."

Genis speculates, "Zelos is the type who will outlive everyone."

Raine patches Zelos up, telling him how fortunate he is that this lightning is more along the line of the spell Lightning than lightning from nature. She keeps him at these duties, telling him not to step away from the machine, where it is safe for him, until they solve the puzzle. Then Raine has some of us activate our respective switches and tests out certain combinations. The result is a lot of lightning strikes that end up striking just a few feet away from Zelos.

_KEOOW!_

"Yike!"

_CH-ROW!_

"Ah!"

_KOOW!_

"Gah! That one almost got me!"

Well, this disproves that myth about lightning never striking the same place twice.

We finally get down to one combination and wait for another lightning bolt . . .

_Click!_

_Zroooo . . ._

Hearing this unusual sound, we turn around and find that not only has the electric fences been shut down but the closed door on the other side opened. We wait for a moment so that Lloyd can catch back up with us.

Then, Lloyd finally returns. "Sorry, guys. I kept falling on the way back up here . . ."

Raine questions, "Did you remember to apply the charge to Volt's altar?"

"Yes, Professor Sage. I did."

Sheena then says, "Then let's keep going. We just solved the puzzle here so we need to move on to the next."

We walk down the stairway into the next room. When we make it there, we find that we just entered the room with the water on the floor, only this time we stand on the inaccessible platform that had the third, and last, pedestal. Lloyd goes up to it and changes the charge. He turns to us and says, "Alright. Next we face Volt."

Sheena begins to tremble . . .

With that, we make our way to Volt's altar. Through the dark corridors a few of us nearly fall over though we do manage to stumble our way to the other side. Then, back at the altar room, we all gather around as Lloyd and Sheena step up to it. Lloyd applies the last charge . . .

The lightning rod gives off a strange and powerful energy, and then—

_KEOOW!_

_KOWKOWKOWKOWKOW!_

Lightning clusters and strikes the lightning rod and the bolts continues to spark and jump about despite the strikes being over. The electric bolts shape and jump about to reveal the form of Volt, the Summon Spirit of Lightning.

. . . Volt has got to be the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life. Now I've seen a lot of strange things, most of them being within the last few months, but Volt currently tops them. I can't even describe what he looks like without saying that he looks like his video game counterpart. The lightning bolts surrounding him, though, I can guarantee are some sort of force field.

Volt's giant eyes narrow hostilely at Sheena, almost as if from recognition.

". . . Aksorms#^esi k(slie* v^s*s," Volt speaks. "ks*(soe &se# so*e?"

Huh? I can't even make sense of the sounds Volt is making!

Sheena's nerves finally snap. "This is just like before! What the hell is he saying?"

Raine, showing some relief, reassures, "Sheena, calm down. I will translate."

Genis asks, "So you were able to understand him after all!"

"Only the basic form of his speech, however." Then Raine translates, "'I am one who is bound to Mithos. Who are you?'"

Lloyd frowns. "Mithos again? How could he make pacts with Undine and Volt when they're on two different worlds?"

"Hmmm . . ." Genis guesses, "Maybe he went between the worlds with a rheaird too? Never mind, he would have had to steal one from the Renegades if he wasn't already a member."

Sheena takes a deep breath through her severe shaking, and forces out, "Ah . . . I am Sheena! I a-ask that thhhou annulst th-thy pact with M . . . Mithos . . . and establish a new pact . . . with me . . ."

Volt narrows his eyes more. "&sit^wksio sleifh&wis jwu f=eos( v^s*s sklef&s. Un#2sl9)skle, ies1le5sle %skeif^se ise lo(ef 43lsie*."

Sheena whirls around to Raine, desperate for a translation. Raine is tilting her head in confusion with this slightly troubled expression on her face.

Raine states, "He says that his pact with Mithos is already broken, but he desires no pact."

"What?" Sheena whirls around at Volt. "Why?"

Volt's eyes turn rueful. "^pesl%fh &sgsdae m=ae^^fj kw kq #%* vc(xas zx&^/."

Raine looks back up at Volt and translates, "'I will have no more dealings with people, therefore I desire no pact.'"

Hearing that, Sheena turns back to Volt and demands, "No! We need your help! We need to form this pact!"

"Sheena!" Lloyd cries out. "Be care—"

Electric waves throw us back down to the floor below. The electricity zaps through our bodies, causing agonizing pain. We land on the ground and try to move, to no results other than spasms.

Sheena is the first to recover and sees us on the ground. Her eyes widen at the nightmare before her. "_No! No! Everyone! Someone! Please respond!_"

Each of us forces ourselves up. Lloyd tells her, "Sheena . . . ! We're alive! Focus!"

"_This is just like before!_" Sheena shouts to us.

Electric sparks lace around Sheena as Volt approaches. She whips around and can only watch as a bolt of lightning lashes out at Sheena—

Corrine leaps in front of Sheena, blocking the lightning. The bolt hits and electrocutes the tiny kitsune summon spirit.

"CORRINE!" Sheena screams.

Corrine hits the ground.

"_COORRRINNE!_"

Sheena dives for Corrine's tiny crumpled body and gently lifts him up, tears streaming down her face. "Why? _Why?_"

Volt prepares for another attack . . .

Lloyd gets a hold of himself and leaps up between Sheena and Volt. "Guardian!"

The lightning bolt Volt sends out strikes the barrier and is forced to lace around it. The force of the bolt sends Lloyd to his knees, but was able to stop the bolt.

Corrine weakly tells Sheena, "Volt's . . . just lost . . . faith in people . . ."

Volt whirls around to a different angle to attack. Lloyd leaps up to block the attack.

Genis and Raine join him and send out their own Force Field barriers, making the block even more powerful. Blocking Volt's attack proves successful yet stressing as the trio is left exhausted.

"C-Corrine . . . !" Sheena cries.

"Make your vow . . ." Corrine forces out. ". . . and try forming . . . your pact one . . . more . . . time . . . You can . . . do it . . ."

Volt moves around once more and lashes out with his lightning. Regal and I join in this time with our own barriers.

While Sheena shakes her head in denial at what is before her, Corrine apologizes, "I'm . . . sorr . . . y . . . I . . . couldn't . . . be of more . . . help . . ."

Sheena brings Corrine's dying form up to her face and wails, "_No, Corrine! No, no, no! Don't die! Don't!_"

Corrine's body dissipates into light brown mana and disintegrates, floating up into the heavens, leaving only the belled collar, an object made by human hands, behind.

"_Noooooo!_" Sheena cries out as she collapses into tears. "_CORRINE!_"

Volt moves around the area once more and attacks again. This time Zelos and Presea leap in and add their own barrier spells, all of us successfully blocking the attack meant to finish Sheena off too.

Lloyd shouts back at Sheena, "Sheena! Subdue Volt by force! You can't let Corrine's effort go to waste!"

Sheena looks up with tears flowing from her eyes.

"If you don't, you'll spend the rest of your life haunted by Volt's shadow!" Lloyd warns her.

Sheena glares up at Volt. She gets up from her knees. "_For the sake of everyone!_"

She stands defiantly against the Summon Spirit of Lightning. "_Who risked their lives to protect me, Volt!_"

Sheena whips out her cards. "_I demand your power!_"

* * *

Don't try making any sense of what Volt just said. Leave that to Raine.

Anyway, I have a request for all of you readers. I've found out (and it took someone to knock me over the head for me to realize it lol) that when it comes to battles, my writing really sucks. So if you can think of any good examples of battles written down in writing and fiction, action and fantasy and whatever else describing the details of what each character does in a battle, please tell me, by all means. Even if you can think of only one I would really like to know what it is.

Please please please, even if you don't normally review. I really want to improve myself in this.

Please review.


	54. Hammer of Thor

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I really appreciate it. I took a look at everyone's suggestions. :)

Though I'm still shaky at battles, I worked hard to improve my battle. I hope it improved (though I guarantee nothing).

. . . Okay, I didn't improve at all. I tried, though. I really did try.

As for Volt's language, I did just randomly put in a bunch of letters, but I made sure that no familiar vowels or sounds were in his words and replaced some sounds with symbols to make sure no one could understand them.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Four: Hammer of Thor

"For Mizuho . . . For Grandpa . . . For Corrine . . ."

Sheena stands tall and glares at the Summon Spirit of Lightning.

"_For everyone that risked their lives to protect me!_"

Sheena lashes out her cards and roars, "VOLT! I DEMAND YOUR POWER!"

Volt's eyes snap wide. Bolts of lightning rain down upon the floor from the high ceiling. Forced to dodge the falling bolts, Sheena leaps here and there but always in a forward charge towards Volt. Just before she reaches the electric barrier surrounding the Summon Spirit, Sheena throws out her cards, avoiding direct contact from the barrier and managing to hit Volt with her attacks. The spell cards speed through the air and slap at Volt, causing incredible damage for slips of paper.

In the meantime, the rest of us are dodging lighting.

"Damn it!" Lloyd curses. "I can't do anything without getting shocked! Why does Volt have that barrier anyway?"

Lightning strikes just before me and sends me jumping back. I shout back at Lloyd, "The only ones who can do anything are the ones who can cast spells!"

"That's right . . ." Lloyd turns to the rest of us. "Genis! Kelsey! Zelos! You three are the only ones who use offensive magic! I need all of you to concentrate on using those spells!"

Genis and I nod and go to the back. Zelos just looks at Lloyd with puzzlement (he's not used to Lloyd acting like a strategist) and follows us to a safer distance.

"Professor! We need you to concentrate on supporting us with barriers and healing spells, especially with Sheena!"

"I understand!" Raine declares to him as she immediately moves off to the side.

Then Lloyd turns to Presea and Regal. "Presea, you can use Earthly Protection to keep the lightning off of them! Regal! . . . Uh, what is that barrier spell you can do?"

"It's called Bastion."

"Right! We need to protect the ones casting spells!" Lloyd summarizes. "Sheena is the only one who can use melee attacks so the rest of us have to protect the others!"

"Understood."

"I won't fail you."

In the corner of my eye, I see Lloyd, Presea, and Regal dash around to protect the rest of us from the lightning scattered from Sheena's battle. When Volt hurls a bolt of lightning at Sheena, the ninja casts Guardian Seal to deflect the electricity, causing the stream to rush towards us. Those of us who finished casting a spell pull up our barriers. However, Genis was still in the middle of casting a spell. Lloyd, Presea, and Regal race to his rescue and cast up their own respective barriers, shielding Genis from a deadly strike.

Genis casts, "Eruption!"

As soon as the burst of fire surges out from under Volt, Sheena leaps away from Genis' spell and watches as the flames burn at Volt. Then she races back into the battle as soon as the spell clears—

_KEOOW!_

Volt sends out another large bolt of lightning at Sheena, forcing her to dodge away. Volt rises himself above Sheena's reach and casts down another rain of lightning upon all of us once again.

I send up my barrier spell, Damage Guard, and block the lightning from myself. My barrier immediately goes down just when the initial attack fades out. The remaining sparks hop across my body, prickling every nerve they touch. I clutch my jaw together against the temporary pain and begin casting a fire spell.

I cast, "Flame La—"

Three large fire balls race out, narrow and swift like Flame Lance, but still fire balls.

"Damn . . ."

Sheena places one spell card onto the floor and zips around the floor, planting spell cards onto the floor. She clears the way and keeps a large distance between herself and Volt. Her hands rapidly spell three hand incantations.

_BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!_

Every spell card explodes around Volt. The combined force of all the cards causes a blaze of glory to engulf Volt while the spirit's eyes snap wide open in shock. For a second, all we can see are the flames as the heat scorches us from afar. When the explosion dies down, Volt drifts downward to the floor, his barrier gone.

None of us waste any time. Those of us with melee weapons race in and attack. Lloyd is the first one with Sheena to attack in close range. I hesitate while everyone else attacks, wondering just how long Volt is going to remain stunned while weapons slice and chop at him. Not wanting to find out the hard way, I flee back to where my position once was and swallow whatever orange gels I've got on me and pass a few to Genis and Raine. I watch the others and count how long Volt remains down.

Ten seconds . . .

Fourteen . . .

Seventeen . . .

Twenty-two . . .

Twenty-nine . . .

Sparks dance around the air. Sheena and Regal immediately senses the disturbance and flee, alerting those around them that something is wrong. Zelos leaps away while Lloyd picks the slow Presea up and dashes back. The sparks lengthen into full bolts circling around the spirit's body in a protective sphere. Volt rises back into the air, glaring at each and every one of us, his barrier returned.

Our window to attack is some over thirty seconds.

Volt unleashes vengeance upon us all. Lightning hails down on the entire room, striking every spot, leaving nothing untouched.

"Genis!" Raine cries as she snatches him towards her with lightning raining down on them. "Force Field!"

"Guardian!" Lloyd pulls up. Presea adds to that. "Earthly Protection!"

I cry out, "Dama—"

_KEOOW!_

Light fills my eyes as my body freezes up in pain. I fall to the ground . . .

Sheena, Zelos, and Regal put up their own barriers in the meantime and, with a clear struggle, they block the lightning from touching them. The attack leaves all three of them exhausted and gasping for air. They retreat from battle and glug down pineapple and lemon gels.

Raine cries out, "Nurse!"

Sheena waits impatiently for Raine's spell to take effect, and then dives right back into battle. Volt retaliates against her assault with a stream of lightning. Sheena dodges just before the attack crashes onto the floor, spraying bolts to anything nearby. One stray bolt zaps Sheena's leg.

"_Kah!_" Sheena yelps as she tumbles to the ground.

A large violet spell circle appears under Sheena . . .

Genis gasps. "That! Is that . . . ? _Indignation?_"

"Run, Sheena! _Get out of the way!_" Raine shouts.

Eyes wide with terror, Sheena begins to run out of the way, everything going in slow motion. She forces one foot in front of her, and then the next. However, the spell seems to go faster than her and begins. Thick beams of lightning dive down from the high ceiling . . .

With blinding speed, almost inhuman, Lloyd races at Sheena and swoops her into his arms. He leaps out from the spell—

_KOW! CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CHOW!_

The column of lightning crashes down, forcing everyone to bring up their barriers once again. White light blinds the entire room with each strike for a quarter of a second. Swift, indignation lasts for only one or two seconds: powerful and instant.

Stray bolts of electricity lace around Lloyd's figure as the spell strikes down upon the ground. Still in the air, Lloyd rebounds off the wall and lands behind the Summon Spirit of Lightning, both he and Sheena relatively unharmed. Lloyd sets the shaking ninja down on her feet.

"Sheena! Are you okay?" Lloyd exclaims to her as he checks to see if she got injured.

Her eyes still wide from what happened and what Lloyd did, Sheena stammers, "Y-yeah, I am, but Lloyd—"

"Look out!"

Lloyd yanks Sheena out of the way of another series of bolts, resembling Lightning Strike, and gets himself back into battle. Sheena watches him for a second, but shakes her head and focuses her full attention on Volt.

"RRRAAAAAHHHH!" Sheena roars as she dives back into battle, throwing her cards at the spirit.

In the meantime, Raine casts, "Resurrection!"

My breathing already shallow, I sharply gasp in air, my lungs desperate for air. I force my shaky body up from the ground and snap my face around to get a good picture at what's going on. Genis and Zelos have returned to spell casting; Raine is turning her attention to healing and support spells; Regal and Presea are still running around to protect anyone casting spells from Volt's attacks. Then on the other side of the room, I see Sheena lashing her cards at Volt from the other side of his barrier while Lloyd would dive in every now and then to protect Sheena from harm. I check myself for any injuries. When I find burns, I move even further back. Then, I begin casting. "Oh healing powers . . ."

. . . Why does that line with a high pitched feminine voice sound vaguely familiar?

Whatever! I need to focus on the fight!

"Stoneblast!" Zelos casts. He curses when it does little damage. "Dammit! That's no good!"

Genis looks at Zelos with a contemplative expression. "Hey, Zelos."

"What?" Zelos irritably replies.

My attention switches between them and the battle while I finish casting First Aid on myself (the results of the healing spell minimal). I switch back to the battle: Sheena slaps Mirage Seal followed by Pyre Seal to push Volt further away from her and Lloyd. The combo forces Volt back, but Volt closes further in.

Genis grabs my attention once more by telling Zelos, "Try narrowing your focus and make that spell solid."

"What will that do?" Zelos questions the boy.

"Just do it. You'll see."

Zelos raises his eyebrow at Genis but focuses on casting the spell. A light brown spell circle surrounds Zelos as he makes these changes . . .

"Hell yeah!" Zelos casts, "Grave!"

A shaft of gray earth leaps up and stabs Volt, followed by four others like it. The sudden attack catches Volt off guard and breaks his barrier. Lloyd, Sheena, Presea, and Regal immediately move in to attack. I myself remain behind to cast spells.

"That was beautiful!" Zelos admires. "Is there any more?"

Genis smirks. "There was this one attack I wanted to try out and see what it was."

"Fill me in."

Raine rushes herself and casts "Acuteness!" Our weapons gleam with a thin red aura at the edges, making each one look even more dangerous than before.

Immediately after that, Lloyd dives into the fight with "Psi Tempest!"

"That makes me dizzy just looking at him . . ." I mutter as I watch him spin countless times with his blades slashing into Volt. Then I cast my own spell. "Air Blade!"

A gust of wind rips through the room and runs down Volt. Sheena leaps above Volt right as my spell hits and dives down at him. "Pyre Seal!"

Sheena's cards slap into the Summon Spirit of Lightning and explode into a frenzy of cards, causing incredible damage. She leaps away as Regal and Presea come in to battle.

"Destruction!" Presea attacks as her large ax slams into the spirit.

Regal goes in at the side and performs three normal kicks before putting in his own attack. "Spin Kick!"

Genis goes, "Are you ready?"

"I was born ready!" Zelos cockily replies.

"Go!"

"Rock Mountain!"

Boulders the same size as the Summon Spirit fall onto Volt's form one after the other in a relentless pace. Then, a boulder twice as large Volt slams directly onto Volt, leaving the spirit stunned for even longer than what I estimated previously.

This time I rush in to attack with my spear, even if I'm a little hesitant to do so. It's a mass attack as we all slash our weapons at Volt, hoping that this will subdue his rage enough to even consider a pact with Sheena. Feeling the anticipation and anxiety the others are feeling, my heart pounds even faster as I hack my spear with no rhyme or reason to my attacks. Out of all of us, though, Sheena's attacks prove most powerful, pushed on by her passionate indignation.

_KEOOW!_

Lightning shoots all around Volt in all directions, sending us all flying backwards. I skid across the floor and lose my spear; Lloyd flies back in a nice arch before landing harshly on his back; Presea and Sheena slam against the wall on one side; Regal is knocked down to the ground near Volt; Zelos flies out and flops onto the floor; Raine and Genis, who stayed at a distance for spell casting, get knocked down to their knees.

Sheena forces herself up. "That does it! This ends now!"

Sheena charges at Volt and throws out her special exploding cards, Volt's electric barrier causing them to explode as soon as they make contact and harming the spirit. She lashes her cards into a prepared formation . . .

"FOR MIZUHO!"

Sheena throws her cards and streams them at Volt and lash at his large eyes.

"FOR GRANDPA!"

Sheena thrusts out another series of cards that circle around the spirit and dive at Volt's body. Each card hisses against Volt's form as if causing severe burns.

"FOR CORRINE!"

Sheena lashes out a fan of her special exploding cards. She circles around Volt, tossing her cards at him one at a time, and runs out as soon as she reaches behind him. Upon contact, the cards give off a small explosion, damaging Volt even further. Volt's barrier dissipates.

Sheena flips over Volt and lands in front of him. She whips around and brings back out her regular cards and glares down at him.

"_FOR EVERYONE!_"

Sheena dives at Volt and lashes her cards at him. Her cards slash through Volt's side, whip around through the spirit, and then slap into the center of his face in three basic attacks.

"_Pyre Seal!_"

The attack sends Volt soaring backwards. Sheena leaps back, expecting Volt to retaliate, but this time, nothing happens. Volt just stares off at Sheena in shock. The Summon Spirit of Lightning backs away with his eyes slowly closing. Then . . .

"Ui*sne &ls^ hv&w)," speaks the spirit.

Sheena stands there, panting. She halfway turns to Raine, one eye watching Volt cautiously. ". . . What did he just say?"

Raine pulls herself up from the floor. "I . . . I believe he said . . . 'Make your vow.'"

". . . I did it . . ." Sheena utters. "I really did it . . . !" Then she turns to the spirit.

"Just as I kept saying, for everyone that risk their lives to protect me . . ." Sheena pauses for a brief moment. ". . . For Corrine, as well . . . I want to save both worlds from this system that they are stuck in because of Cruxis! I want to save Tethe'alla and Sylvarant from having to victimize each other over and over in order to survive!"

Volt gazes down upon Sheena, his stare almost piercing into the soul. "R3w*i hv&w) $# nv^se(s ue*sne ytr. ^%qp*sl rhvs&% vne *6(&sf iwflsk^% $^%#*."

Raine further translates, "The vow has been made. I entrust my power to the pact-maker, Sheena.'"

While Raine said that, Volt dissipates into a collection of violet mana. The mana gathers around Sheena and disappears into her, giving her aura a temporary violet tint before fading away. Sheena feels something in her hand, but doesn't care to look at it yet. She stands there, almost in shock, as she takes in everything that just happened.

". . . I . . ." Sheena goes. ". . . I finally made the pact . . ."

Sensing that the battle is finally over, I push myself up from the floor and limp my way to my spear. I retrieve it and ignore the appearing aches as I strap it to its usual place on my back.

"Volt's back!"

"What's going on?"

I look up to find Volt's form reappearing, his eyes a notch wider than what they normally are. I glance around and find the slender form of Undine appearing next to Volt's.

Undine's deep voice echoes, "A link between the two worlds has been broken."

Not quite able to take in just what's happening, I glance back at the others to find their expressions even more confused than I expected. I look back at Undine and Volt and stare at them . . .

Wait, I remember this part! This is happening? This is actually happening?

. . . Of course it's happening. I'm in Tales of Symphonia.

Though, I'll admit, it feels weird to be here right now.

Lloyd asks, "What do you mean?"

Volt speaks up, "*7sie&6^ hgis*$s# 9wqu ils* %$j&mn sjsel*9."

Raine raises an eyebrow. "The two opposing forces of mana were . . . severed just now?" Then Raine shakes her head. "Let me see if I can understand this . . . The two opposing forces of mana, water and lightning, have a link between them. When Sheena made a pact with both Undine and Volt, she severed that link?"

Sheena questions, "What are these links, anyway?"

Undine tells, "Mana flows from the world in which the Summon Spirits sleep to the world in which the Summon Spirits are awake. The link between us is what makes this flow possible. By making these pacts, the corresponding Summon Spirits have been awakened at the same time. In consequence, the mana connecting the two worlds has been severed."

Regal asks, "What does it mean for this link to be broken?"

Lloyd wonders, "Does it mean that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla have stopped competing for each other's mana?"

Volt narrows his eyes. ". . . *is&ek l#ost hwe#$d% mcvlhg )o(iskef vr&^abk. Ir$8 7slef ge3^ml klsie9*7&."

Undine translates to us, "Volt does not know himself and neither do I. The only thing certain is the link between us has been broken. If the links between the two worlds continue to be broken, eventually the worlds shall separate."

"So these links are probably between the other Summon Spirits too," Genis calculates. "So if we make pacts with the other Summon Spirits then the links between the two worlds will break and then the worlds will split apart!"

"That's perfect!" Zelos proclaims. "If that happens, they'll stop competing for each other's mana! All the problems Cruxis gave us will stop!"

Raine states, "There are four seals in Sylvarant, excluding the fifth seal in the Tower of Salvation. Each of those seals correspond to a Summon Spirit and appear to mirror Tethe'alla's seals. Just as Genis said, if we awaken all the corresponding Summon Spirits, the mana flow between them shall severe and separate the two worlds."

"Just as we've been repeating to each other over and over again," I comment.

Lloyd concludes, "So if we make pacts with all the other Summon Spirits, we will be able to save Sylvarant without Tethe'alla going into decline."

Undine speaks up, "At the very least, the mana links will disappear and the worlds will separate."

Sheena says, "Thanks, you two. We understand the situation now."

Volt and Undine fade from sight.

Lloyd turns to all of us and announces, "We found a way to stop Cruxis' system of each world victimizing the other!"

Presea adds to Sheena, "We owe it all to you, Sheena . . . and Corrine as well . . ." As Sheena turns to Presea, the girl clarifies the reasoning behind this. "All because the two of you risked your lives to form the pact with Volt, we now know what the seals do and have found a way to liberate the two worlds from Cruxis."

Sheena looks between Presea, Lloyd, and all of us. Then she looks down at her palm to find a gold ring with a sardonyx gem embedded into the ring, representing her pact with Volt. She pockets the ring in favor of holding Corrine's little bell collar. Sheena stares at it for a long moment . . .

"Thank you . . . Corrine . . ."

* * *

We leave for the main entrance to the Temple of Lightning. Everyone is silent as Sheena holds Corrine's bell close to her. As for myself, I feel terrible. I don't know what to say or what to do and it just makes things worse. Her growing sorrow can be felt by everyone. It's this . . . ache . . . that can't be soothed. I wonder how she's not crying right now . . .

We get to the very front and find a familiar face; or rather, familiar clothes. The face is unrecognizable to me, but I immediately recognize the outfit.

. . . So we actually get to see Orochi's face? That's pretty cool.

Orochi has a sharp face frame with dark eyes, nearly black, that show a softness that I didn't see in Kuchinawa's eyes (the only feature I could see in that particular person) and incredibly short hair that matches his eye color nearly perfectly. Orochi scans the area for anything new until he lays eyes upon Sheena and the rest of us. He quickly approaches her.

"Sheena-ue!" Orochi stops before her. "Did you successfully form the pact with Volt?"

The hand holding Corrine's little bell begins to shake. Sheena takes a breath and confirms, "Yes, Orochi-san. I finally did it. I finally formed the pact with Volt."

Orochi stares with clear surprise, almost with mixed emotions. He breathes in . . . and bows deeply at her.

Sheena takes a step back in surprise. "O-Orochi-sa—"

"Now the lives of those who were lost can fully rest. Their effort can no longer be deemed to be in vain," Orochi expresses. Then he straightens, a smile upon his face. "My only wish is that all of Mizuho could see your success."

"Y-yeah . . ."

Orochi frowns in confusion. ". . . Sheena-ue? What is the matter . . . ?" Then he sees Corrine's collar, clutched in Sheena's shaking hands. His eyes widen. "Sh-Sheena-ue . . . What happened to . . ."

Sheena sniffles. ". . . Corrine . . . died . . . Volt's . . . lightning . . ."

Orochi's frown deepens. ". . . I am sorry for your loss. Corrine was a brave and loyal companion. I can . . . hardly imagine this . . ."

"C-Corrine . . . He . . . He saved me . . ." Sheena begins tearing up. "He gave me the strength . . . to be . . . brave . . ."

Then Sheena breaks down, crying as tears fall from her face.

* * *

Back at the EC, Orochi joins us to inform us about the location of the rheairds. He tells us the information as a group rather than individually. He didn't bother putting his mask back on this time; I suppose he feels secure since we're confirmed allies of Mizuho.

"As I'm sure you have all figured by now, the rheairds are being held in the Renegades' base," Orochi tells. "Judging from the guardian signal, the specific base they are currently held in is in the Flanoir Archipelago. You can recognize it as a fjord-like area covered in ice."

I comment, "One in the Triet Desert and the other in Flanoir. They really have a thing for extreme weather conditions."

Damn it . . . I can't avoid this one . . . I'm going to suffer as soon as I step out of the EC and into the frozen wasteland.

Orochi ignores me and continues, "Fortunately, Mizuho has been able to infiltrate the Renegade forces and we have been able to arrange patrols so we can slip inside the base undetected."

Raine questions, "Wouldn't Yuan have detected the infiltrators by now?"

"They are in the lower branches so any encounters with the Renegade leader are minimum," Orochi explains. "We have them there in order to gain information regarding the Renegades' actions and, once Sheena left for Sylvarant, to gain any information about Sylvarant as possible."

"You guys have people everywhere!" Lloyd admires out of amazement. "You're even keeping tabs on Sylvarant!"

"Of course we do," Orochi replies. "We of Mizuho take pride in our information network."

"So all we have to do is sneak in and take the rheairds while making sure Yuan doesn't spot us," Lloyd concludes.

"It won't be that easy . . ." Orochi adds.

Seeing the dawning confusion, Orochi explains, "The rheaird hanger is the deepest part of the facility, explaining the reason behind the guardian signal coming from beneath sea level. There is only one entrance and that door will be locked. In order to unlock the door, you must enter the correct pass code."

Lloyd asks, "So what's the pass code?"

Orochi's head lowers a little. "I apologize. We did our best but we could not find out what the pass code is." Then his tone changes into a more light tone. "However, we did discover that the code is stored in a database inside the Renegade leader's office."

"So we're going to have to sneak into Yuan's office and search the place?" Genis goes. "That sounds like a death sentence."

Regal asks, "Were you able to discover what kind of schedule Yuan keeps?"

Orochi shakes his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Nice to know where it is, though," I add.

Orochi finishes, "One more thing . . . Even if you acquire the rheairds, it's highly unlikely they will be able to make the transfer to Sylvarant in their current condition. Once you take the rheairds, you will still be stuck in Tethe'alla."

Lloyd's eyebrows furrow. "Why?"

Orochi explains, "The rheaird dimensional transfer system functions b procuring energy from the Renegade bases in the two worlds. Flying will not be a problem as long as you have Volt, but without that charge you will not be able to move between the two worlds."

Sheena pales with her eyes widening. "Then the reason we were able to move to Tethe'alla is because . . ."

Raine finishes, "They must have already been charged with energy. We merely got lucky."

Lloyd remembers something and recalls, "Back when I was being held by the Renegades back when our journey started, I found the rheaird hanger and the computer used to control it."

"Let me guess . . ." I go. "You messed with the computer."

"Yeah. When I pressed the buttons, at the time I thought nothing happened, but maybe I accidentally charged the rheairds!" Lloyd offers.

My jaw drops slightly.

Sheena comments, "I don't know if I should call that divine intervention or dumb luck."

Zelos replies, "If you ask me, that's pretty damn lucky."

Genis asks, "Do you remember which buttons you pressed?"

"Well . . . No . . ." Then Lloyd shakes his head. "But we don't have a choice. Right now, we need the ability to fly."

Orochi tells us, "I know where the entrance to the Renegade base is. I can guide you to the entrance from here."

Sheena offers, "I'll drive this time, guys."

Lloyd looks at her with concern. "Are you sure? I can drive this time if you would rather have some time to yourself . . ."

"No," Sheena declines. "I need to work . . ."

"Let any of us know when you need a break."

"Don't worry about me . . . I . . . I'm fine . . ."

Lloyd frowns sadly as she and Orochi move away.

* * *

"Noooo! You can't make me go outside!"

"Stop whining. The power in the EC has already been turned off. The longer you stay here, the colder you become," Raine unsympathetically reasons.

"At least I'm sheltered from the bare elements in here!"

"Lloyd's waiting on us out in the cold! Move it already!" Sheena barks.

Shivering from the cold, I keep hopping on my feet to keep myself moving and as warm as I possibly can. My hopes of staying warm now dashed, I look outside where Lloyd irritably waits for everyone inside the EC to leave; everyone else that's outside huddles around Noishe to keep warm. I swallow and brace myself for one of the most terrible sensations from weather I can imagine. I grip the door handle, and then . . .

I dash outside!

"_Cold cold cold cold cold cold cold cold coooooolllllld!_" I whine as I race across the short landscape, hoping that I don't freeze to death. I slam into Noishe and clutch tightly to his fur, taking bliss in whatever warmth I can gain. With that, Raine and Sheena march outside and hurry down to huddle for warmth. Lloyd retrieves the EC and joins our side.

The entire area where the Renegade entrance is, is inside the cliff and dug under in order to provide shelter from the harshest weather of the frozen wastelands of Flanoir. It's pretty warm compared to the full exposure to the cold that's outside in the open air. So, basically, while everyone is huddled up and wrapped with extra layers of clothes and sheltered inside from the cold, to say that we're freezing is a slight overstatement.

So I really am kind of holding everyone up here . . .

"About time . . ." Genis grumbles at me.

The entire group moves in towards the front. Orochi, his face covered once more, meets with the guard on duty and speaks with him. The guard goes to open the door to let us all through. As we pass by, the Renegade guard greets, "Good luck, Sheena-ue."

I sigh with relief as soon as the indoor warmth comes over me. I release Noishe and loosen up. With that, I follow Orochi along with everyone else.

Orochi leads us to a back way, evading most guards and patrols. When we finally get to a back room, we all relax enough to gather in order to talk.

"Okay, I think we're safe in here," Lloyd declares.

Raine announces, "I believe that we should decide who will drive a rheaird once we obtain them. I don't believe that everyone can use a rheaird and will need to ride with someone else."

Orochi looks over us all and nods. "Yes, she is correct. Some of you are too small to use a rheaird." Then he glances at Regal. ". . . If you would have your shackles removed then you would be able to use a rheaird."

"I am afraid that these shackles will remain on my wrists," Regal responds.

I glance around as they make these decisions.

Genis defends, "Come on! I've grown quite a bit! I can use a rheaird!"

Raine puts, "No, Genis, you are riding with me. You're too short to properly use a rheaird."

"Awww maaaannn. You're no fun, Raine . . ."

Lloyd tells Regal, "You can use the rheaird with me."

"That is very kind of you, Lloyd. Thank you."

I start wondering about who I should use a rheaird with: Zelos or Sheena—

Zelos makes a short bow towards Presea and sweetly offers, "My cute little rose bud, I would be honored to share my rheaird with you."

"Thank you, Zelos."

Genis glares at Zelos and grits his teeth.

Looks like I'm hitching a ride with Sheena.

I approach her rather sheepishly. "Um . . ."

Sheena looks in my direction. "What is it?"

"Do you mind if I ride with you?" I hesitantly ask.

"Why?" Sheena points out, "You're big enough to use a rheaird by yourself."

"It's not a matter of my size. It's a matter of my fear of heights . . ."

"If it's any worse than your fear of getting cold I'll consider it," Sheena puts out.

"At least you can get me out into the cold . . ."

Sheena sighs. "You're high maintenance, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry . . ."

"Don't take Colette's place as the apologizer, okay?"

I step away and return to the matter the group is settling over. Orochi is explaining the location of Yuan's office. Oh, and also, Orochi is going to take a rheaird and escape with us when he can.

. . . By the way, is it just me, or is Sheena more irritable than usual? I understand the reason behind it if she is, but I just want to make sure it's not my imagination . . .

"By the way, there's something I need to take care of first . . ." Lloyd mentions, "What are we going to do about Noishe?"

"Whiiieeee."

"I'm sorry, boy," Lloyd goes, "but when we get the rheairds it's going to be harder to bring you around. We could send you to Mizuho once we get the rheairds."

"Whiee!" Noishe bops his head against Lloyd.

"We could carry him around in a wing pack whenever we're flying," Genis suggests.

"Do you remember what he did last time we did that?" Sheena reminds. "He nearly destroyed the wing pack!"

"Iiiiiieeeee . . ." Noishe lowers himself down submissively, almost seemingly apologetic.

"If we take you along you're going to have to stay in the wing pack whenever we fly around," Lloyd tells him. "Can you handle that without breaking anything?"

Noishe frantically nods his head.

"Okay, that's a promise. No breaking the wing packs."

"Aoooee!"

Orochi raises his eyebrows at Noishe's antics, possibly surprised that Noishe can understand us like another person can.

We finish planning out our route to Yuan's Flanoir base office then to the rheaird hanger. Orochi steps outside the room, cautiously as he can, and checks the area . . . Orochi turns back to us and motions for us to follow. With Orochi guiding us, we manage to sneak around numerous guards and go through numerous corridors. We go around one corridor and wait in hiding as Orochi and Sheena go to investigate the nearby rooms. Orochi checks two rooms in the corridor while Sheena checks one . . .

". . . I think I found it!" Sheena announces.

Orochi goes in to take a look. ". . . You're right." He turns to the rest of us. "Everyone, come in. Quickly! I doubt we have much time!"

Sheena keeps watch as we all hurry in. She glances at each one of us . . .

"Huh?" Sheena glances at us again and counts heads. ". . . Where's Zelos?"

We all look around to find that we're short one redhead.

Sheena growls. "He better have a good reason for this . . . Who's going to keep watch while I look for him?"

Regal volunteers, "I will."

"Thanks. I'll be back."

Sheena leaves the group and retraces the path they left, searching to see if the Tethe'allan Chosen wandered off. As she continues to search through the area, she finds no results as she double then triple checks the areas where Zelos could have gone. Then, as she begins to return to Yuan's office, she catches something colored red in the corner of her eye.

Sheena looks in the direction and finds none other than Zelos, walking off down the main path the others went off to. She grows even more irritated as she realizes that Zelos has yet to notice her. Sheena marches off to Zelos, raises her hand, and, right as she gets behind him, smacks him upside the head.

"Ow!" Zelos jumps and whips around with his sword ready. He relaxes as soon as he sees Sheena. "Oh . . . You scared me."

Sheena gripes, "Where've you been? I've been searching everywhere for you! Everyone's worried!"

"Now, now, don't be mad," Zelos casually tells her. "I was taking a look around the place. We wouldn't want to run into any traps, now would we?"

"Ugh! Just come with me!" Sheena marches off towards Yuan's office.

"Yes, ma'am~" Zelos teases.

"I swear!" Sheena continues. "Sometimes I feel like I'm babysitting you!"

"Now what kind of babysitter are you~?"

"I don't even want to answer that!"

"I think you just answered that~"

"Ugh!" Sheena throws her hands up in surrender.

When the two return they find Regal waiting at the door. He looks at them and turns to Zelos. "Where were you? Everyone was worried."

"So everyone really was concerned over me?" Zelos smirks. "How sweet~"

"We are inside an enemy base," Regal calmly scolds. "This isn't the place for games."

"Don't get mad." Zelos informs, "I was just taking a look around in case there were any traps. We don't want anything happening while we're here."

Sheena questions, "Did they find the pass code?"

"Yes," Regal answers. "They just found it. I'll inform everyone that both of you have returned."

After Regal's announcement, everyone comes out of Yuan's office, irritated at Zelos for disappearing on us. We dismiss it, though, since we have better things to worry about right now; like Yuan coming up and killing us all off.

As Orochi guides us to the back, I begin to notice that he's not overly concerned about the cameras watching us. The hair on the back of my neck begins to prickle at the sight of each one. I hurry up next to the ninja and grab his attention. When it's clear to me that I have Orochi's attention, I point to one of the cameras. "Shouldn't we be doing anything about those?"

"Don't worry," Orochi tells me. "We have some of our people covering us with those."

How . . . convenient. Too convenient. Shouldn't there be something else?

Orochi finally stops at a single electric door with a small touch screen at the side. While Lloyd tells him the pass code, Orochi presses against the screen a few times to put the password in. After a second from putting in the code, the door opens to reveal an elevator.

Lloyd sighs, "So far so good."

Genis goes, "It's kind of weird how nothing happened."

"Don't jinx us, please . . ." I utter.

Please don't let Yuan be there like in the game please don't let Yuan be there like in the game please don't let Yuan be there like in the game . . .

We all crowd into the elevator. With a single press of a button, we go down . . .

Please don't let Yuan be there like in the game please don't let Yuan be there like in the game please don't let Yuan be there like in the game . . .

A ding sound goes off and the doors open. Everyone pushes their way out and spreads out through the room. While Raine goes immediately to the machine controlling the rheaird hanger, I scan the room for any sign of Yuan . . .

Phew . . . No sign of him . . .

Raine presses the last key on the computer. "Alright! We have five rheairds! Let's hurry and take them!"

"So, you've come, like moths to the flame!"

Shit! Just when I started relaxing!

Yuan appears, this time without his cape. In his hand is his wicked double-headed halberd-thing, looking hungry for battle. Flames burn in Yuan's eyes.

Lloyd scowls slightly, but his face turns more neutral as he realizes the inevitability of the fight ahead. So, he just jabs, "Don't you ever say anything original? That phrase is probably as old as the Ancient Kharlan War."

"You really shouldn't be talking like that before Lord Yuan kicks your asses," comments a young man's voice.

We turn about to find that not only is Botta blocking us from the rheairds, but he has his two goons blocking the elevator, one of the goons being the one who just spoke.

Zelos taunts at Botta's typical goons, "You two should probably hit the road. Don't you know that nameless goons go down first?"

The more confident one mocks back, "Funny considering that we're actually high ranking Renegade members. So prepare to get tanned by some 'nameless goons.'"

The quiet one tells the other, "You don't need to say anything. Just fight."

"You're no fun, Mark."

"It doesn't matter what any of you do," Botta declares to us. "Your journey ends here!"

Slashing his swords out, Lloyd remarks, "Let's see what you can do with nine against four!"

Yuan snaps, "Don't underestimate your enemy!"

Yuan charges in and leaps into the air. "Thunder Explosion!"

I search all around me to find at least four people blocking my way as they themselves dive out of Yuan's path. Then, I stare up at Yuan in terror as I realize that I'm too late to dodge.

_KCHOOOM!_

Electricity zaps through me as the spell hits me. I'm sent flying back when the initial attack is finished. When the spell finishes, Lloyd zips in at Yuan and attacks, causing Yuan to alternate between offensive and defensive. Lloyd attacks once more with another approach to the attack.

Yuan lashes his blade around and blocks Lloyd. A tense battle of strength and balance ensues before Yuan finally disarms Lloyd and—

—dodges away as Orochi joins the battle with a swift sneak attack. With a dagger in one hand and his other hand free to do whatever is necessary, Orochi backs Lloyd up with his own attacks. Lloyd dives in at Yuan once more while Orochi races around to attack from the back, forcing Yuan to divide his attention.

Genis keeps off to the side and glares at Botta who is pretty much spamming ground-base spells. As he begins casting, Genis mutters, "Try this on for size . . ."

While Genis continues to build the spell, he finds Sheena diving in at Botta with her cards. She executes three basic attacks before unleashing a combo of Power Seal, Life Seal, and Pyre Seal. Genis grumbles, "Get out of the way, Sheena . . ."

Botta counters with Rock Breaker, forcing Sheena to pull up Guardian Seal. He swings his large blade around her, sending Sheena backing up and up. Then, Regal dives in and swipes at Botta with a massive kick.

Genis growls, "You too, Regal . . ."

Then the spell completes.

"Raging Mist!" Genis casts.

Fiery red mist covers the floor up to the knees, surrounding Botta with burning air. Sheena and Regal leap out of the way while Botta, a little slower, retreats, only to suffer wounds. In retaliation, Botta sends out a counterattack spell. "Ground Dasher!"

Angry brown cracks in the floor appear below Genis and shake violently, sending up bits of earth up at him. The pieces of dirt scratch at him with the added damage from condensed energy. When the spell finally stops, Genis retreats for cover.

Fury burning from the sight of Genis being harmed, Raine charges at Botta with a vengeance. Raine block's Botta's blade with her staff and goes in to punch the soft innards of his stomach. As Botta cringes in pain, Raine rounds up and slams a kick into Botta's side, then his neck, sending him down for a moment.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY BROTHER!"

One of Botta's goons, the cocky one, gasps at the sight of Raine kicking Botta down.

Zelos takes advantage of the distraction and swings his sword down.

The confident Renegade member catches Zelos' attack and blocks it. He remarks, "Your healer scares me, I'll admit that. How do you sleep at night with that thing around?"

"Just as easily as I'm going to send you to the ground," Zelos jabs back.

"I'd like to see you try—"

Zelos shoves the Renegade member's sword away and swiftly swings his leg down at the enemy's legs, tripping the man and sending him to the ground. Zelos moves to finish him off with a quick stab, but the Renegade member rolls to the side and dodges the fatal strike.

Just some away, Yuan lashes his swallow blade in six deadly swings before ending it with three electrically-charged attacks. Lloyd dodges it all and swiftly sidesteps to move around to Yuan's back.

Yuan easily dodges Lloyd and sidesteps once again to keep another attack from Orochi to land on him. Yuan counterattacks at Orochi with Lightning Strike, stunning the ninja momentarily. The Renegade leader prepares his blade for a finishing blow. Lloyd races in with another attack to stop Yuan's fatal attack.

Yuan whips around and counterattacks, putting Lloyd in front of him once more. Lloyd blocks the attack and braces himself as Yuan steadily forces Lloyd down with his angelic strength. A curious expression shapes Yuan's face.

"Your Exsphere . . ." Yuan utters, mainly to himself. "Is it really . . . ?"

"What?" Lloyd goes.

Yuan senses an advantage and knocks Lloyd off balance and back to the ground. Yuan strikes to finish Lloyd off.

Orochi dives in once more and slices at Yuan, forcing Yuan to turn his attack into a block. Orochi leaps away as Yuan's strength dominates the struggle, giving Lloyd enough time to recover from the attack.

Lloyd quickly regains his footing and dashes back at Yuan, forcing the Renegade leader to block. As the two get into a blade lock, Yuan's eyes come to some sort of conclusion.

"So it is . . ." he says.

Lloyd scowls in confusion and irritation.

As for the other Renegade member, the calm and quiet one, I'm the one keeping this one busy as I dash back and forth, causing light slashes and bleeding scratches, continuously on the run. My strategy, hit-and-run, tries at my enemy's patience as he occasionally growls at me.

"Stop fooling around and fight me!" snaps the Renegade member.

I just stare at my enemy for a moment . . . and then start scraping the floor with the end of my spear.

The man huffs at me. "What are you doing now—"

"Beast!"

Presea's attack sends the Renegade flying. I move around him and taunt, "Serves you right for underestimating us."

The more confident Renegade goon finds his companion in trouble. He desperately disarms Zelos and rushes to his comrade's aid. He growls, "Don't think I'm going to take you lightly!"

I snap towards the new enemy to take in his position and look back towards the Renegade member I was fighting—He's gone! I look further up and find him back on his feet, quietly taking in the situation while readying for a new wave in the fight.

Meanwhile, Botta holds off Sheena and Regal in melee fighting while evading Genis and Raine's spells. Sheena and Regal corner Botta while a red spell circle appears just underneath his feet. Botta dashes off in a mad charge at Sheena, evading Genis' spell at the same time. The ninja dodges Botta's charge, but Botta's blade manages to slice at her leg. Botta whips around and dives his sword into the ground, this time aiming at Regal.

"Rock Breaker!"

Large stones fly into Regal's face as the convict pulls up Bastion to protect himself. However, once that is done, Regal and Sheena gang back up on Botta.

On the other side of the battle, Yuan sees the trouble Botta is about to get into. He breaks free from Lloyd and Orochi and quickly casts "Thunderblade!"

A large sword of lightning dives down at Sheena and Regal, stunning them with the first hit, and then electrocuting them with the main attack of the spell. With the two now trying to recover from the shocks, Botta counters by slamming his sword against Regal and Sheena, sending them both spiraling back.

Yuan snarls, "That's it! No more fooling around!"

Lloyd prepares for a powerful counterattack while Orochi moves out of Yuan's range, but nothing comes. Instead, Yuan takes that second-opportunity and . . .

Flaring out in blood and crimson reds, Yuan's angel wings flash out, revealing his status as a Cruxis seraph. Only one message is sent . . .

Dead bodies are about to hit the floor.

Yuan snarls, "This ends n—"

Violent shaking topples everything, sending everyone down to the floor. Even Yuan, who was standing when the quaking began, is having a difficult time getting back to his feet, let alone carry out any attacks.

Orochi shouts to Lloyd, "We need to take the rheairds now!"

"We can barely even stand!" Lloyd shouts back.

"We don't have a choice! If we wait for this to pass then we will all be killed!"

"A-alright." Lloyd forces himself up and calls out, "Regal!"

With clear struggle, Regal forces himself onto his feet and races for the rheaird he and Lloyd share. Right as they fly off, Zelos snatches Presea up and goes for the next rheaird. Raine and Genis rely on one another for support as they hurry for the next rheaird and watch as Zelos and Presea fly off. They climb aboard their rheaird and soar away.

Sheena hurries to the next rheaird and turns to Orochi while I strap the second safety cord on the rheaird onto myself. "Hurry, Orochi-san!"

Orochi nods and fights to keep whatever of his balance he regained. Sheena activates the rheaird and zooms out into the open. Then, Orochi dashes for the fifth and last rheaird and takes it. He activates it just as the shaking fades off.

Yuan regains his balance and glances at Orochi . . . and let's the Mizuho ninja get away, seeing as how Lloyd got away as well. Orochi escapes with the rheaird . . .

Botta and the other two Renegades regain their balance and approach their leader. The calm Renegade member, Mark, asks, "Sir! Shall we pursue them?"

"Let them go," Yuan tells them. "Our little friend can tell us where they are at any time. Right now the most important task is to identify the source of that earthquake."

Botta wonders, "Sir, in light of the recent report that one of their members succeeded in forming a pact with Undine and Volt, could this earthquake have been caused by a mana link?"

"Quite possibly." Yuan orders, "Investigate the cause of this earthquake immediately and see if it has any connection to the mana link between Volt and Undine!"

* * *

And yes, Kelsey learned Damage Guard off-screen. A terrible lapse that I was putting off for a good moment, but when Kelsey needed it I had to put it in.

*sigh* I could have done so much better.

Please review.


	55. A Limitless Supply of Awkward

Yes, A-W-K-W-A-R-D is the correct spelling for "awkward." I double-checked it.

Anyway, want a good example on how even spell check can be wrong? When I typed in "Here." with a period, spell check marked that as a spelling error rather than a grammar error since this is a sentence fragment. However, "Here" was perfectly fine without a period despite the fact there was another capitalized word right after it, marking another sentence.

So not only do we have to watch out for our own mistakes, we have to watch out for spell check's mistakes too.

This chapter is so-so. It feels as if I've done nothing but trip over everything as I went along.

Well, at least the next chapter is only going to be better.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Five: A Limitless Supply of Awkward

The rheairds shoot out, sending us soaring through the sky. I don't know how fast we are going or even where we're going. I won't open my eyes and risk panicking to find that out. I clutch desperately to Sheena's kimono, hoping that none of us will plummet to our deaths, and merely listen to everyone else debate on where and which direction we should go now.

Lloyd declares, "We have to meet with Kratos at the House of Guidance if we want to know where Colette could be! We should head there now!"

"In case you haven't noticed," Genis tells Lloyd, "we're all tired from going through the Renegade base! We need to stop and rest!"

"Alright!" Lloyd then asks, "But how long do we have until we have to meet up with him?"

Raine calculates, "Kratos gave us ten days until he waits for us at the Meltokio House of Guidance."

"That was three days ago back at Ozette," Lloyd remembers.

"Yes, so we have approximately seven days—a week."

Lloyd then says, "If we get there now we can use the extra time we have to search for Colette ourselves!"

"Didn't you forget what I just said?" Genis questions. "We all need to rest for a moment. We just fought Yuan, after all!"

Lloyd looks forward and considers his options for a bit . . . Then he asks, "How long is it going to take to get there on the rheairds?"

Presea takes a moment to calculate this. ". . . Estimating the distance taken by an approximate speed, we should arrive there in four hours."

Zelos curses, "Four hours? Even I'll need a break during then!"

Sheena remarks, "Actually, Zelos, you are one of the least resilient of us. The rest of us can manage."

"Snippy, aren't you?"

"How is everyone?" Lloyd offers, "If we need to, we'll land and rest for a bit."

Sheena informs, "I can make it for a few hours on this. Flying is actually kind of . . . soothing."

Raine tells, "I can fly for a little longer. The sooner we reach the House of Guidance, the sooner we can search the area for Colette."

"I'm just fine," Zelos reports.

"Orochi?" Lloyd calls for.

Orochi, who escaped from the base with us, states, "I will go wherever you decide to land. Once we reach the House of Guidance, I will have to depart from you. I will leave the rheaird I have with you."

"Okay." Then Lloyd expresses, "Thank you for your help, Orochi."

Orochi lightly bows his head. "It was an honor fighting alongside all of you."

* * *

The House of Guidance, on the edges of the Fuuji Mountains, is relatively small and looks more like a crossroads inn than a large church. We land the rheairds a decent distance away from the House of Guidance, so not to draw attention, and pause for farewells as Orochi departs from us. With that, we head down to the House of Guidance.

Noishe, who is now free from the wing pack, races around us excitedly and makes great effort to show his elation at being able to run around freely, as if he hadn't run around like this in years. The rest of us, however, don't share the same sentiment. The battle against Yuan and Botta and the four-hour trip across all of Tethe'alla completely wiped us out. Only one thing goes through our minds: bed. We approach the building, craving for the beds calling our names. Just one chance to sleep in an actual bed for the first time since Zelos' mansion . . .

Oh . . . but wait . . . we're wanted criminals . . .

A sigh of agony heaves through us. We gather around and debate about who's going to go in and make sure we don't get arrested. After some talking, we decide to send in Lloyd, Raine, and Zelos since Lloyd is our motivational speaker (remember Mizuho?), Raine is our intellectual who is not in prisoner's garbs (by now Regal is free to choose what he wears), and Zelos is Tethe'alla's Chosen and there will still be people who will side with him rather than the Pope. The three go in, and the rest of us await their return anxiously . . .

The trio comes back outside and signals for us to come inside. With a sigh of relief, we all go in for the comforting glow of the inn. Inside, lots of people and clergy members stare at us with nervous tension as we pay for our long stay and go up to our rooms, but none of us pay attention to them. As for me, my brain automatically shuts down as soon as I see the bed I'm sleeping in and get myself under the covers.

The next day, with my brain working, I decide to take a look around and find out just what conditions are stay is under. Leaving my things in the room I stay in, which I found out is solely for me and everyone else got their own room, I go down and ask the others about how the rooms are arranged. As it turns out, the caretaker offered us a deal (in a rather nervous manner) that as long as we don't make any trouble then we can each have our own rooms with an added discount.

How handy.

"No, Zelos. I'm not interested."

I look over into the main room to find Genis stressed while giving Zelos a typical glare. I walk over to the two. "What's going on?"

Zelos chirps, "Kelsey! Want to hear about the Gentleman?"

"Who?" I look over at Presea who rests just across from Genis and Zelos. "Any idea what he's talking about?"

Presea shakes her head. ". . . No, I'm afraid not."

Zelos tells, "The Gentleman is a tall, faceless, slender figure who lurks in the darkness of forests and streets. He stalks children from toddlers to kids even as old as you, Genis, and snatches them away, never to be seen again. What he does with them, I don't know, but some say that the Gentleman eats them and others say that the children simply disappear."

Genis loudly proclaims, "I'm _not_ going to be scared by your stories again, Zelos!"

"Capable of stretching his arms and fingers to inhuman proportions, the Gentleman strikes fear into those unfortunate enough to see him." Then Zelos stares down Genis with this creepily stern expression. "As for those who actually see him and manage to get away, they are plagued by nightmares of the Gentleman returning before finally vanishing themselves."

"Zelos!" Genis barks. "I know you're just making all that up!"

"There was actually a photo of the Gentleman in the background that was stored in the Clear Sterling Library in Altamira that pictures fourteen children in the theme park before they all disappeared," Zelos calls up as his face turns thoughtful. "Now that I think of it, that same library burned down during the investigation for the missing children. The photo managed to survive out of coincidence since it was stored in the one place in the library that managed to survive the fire."

"'Photo' . . . ?" Then Genis goes, "Oh, that 'camera' stuff you told us about a while back. Do you think the picture was faked? I'm still not buying into your Gentleman monster stuff."

"Criminal evidence faked?" Zelos questionably emphasizes. "Not very likely."

"As for the library, you could have just pulled that out of your ass!"

"Careful, Genis," I warn. "Raine might hear you and go for a handy bar of soap."

Genis flinches.

Zelos continues, "I didn't make up the library—"

The front door opens, and then we hear it close. Lloyd and Sheena walk through, their faces showing heavy thoughts.

"Any luck?" I ask.

Lloyd shakes his head. "No. We're trying again after lunch. Genis, Presea, are you two still in for the next search?"

"Of course!" Genis confirms.

Presea nods. "Yes. It's my fault that Colette was kidnapped, so I must do what I can to save her."

Sheena reports, "We finished the general search. This time it'll be more detailed."

Before Sheena follows Lloyd up the stairs, Zelos calls out, "Hey, Sheena! Didn't the Clear Sterling Library in Altamira burn down a couple years back?"

Sheena stops and looks at him with puzzlement; and then responds, "Oh. Yeah, it did. It creeped a lot of people out since they still couldn't find anything to help start a fire and, from what I heard, there was some talk about ghosts or something."

Zelos turns about and looks at Genis. "Told ya."

"I . . . I still don't believe you!"

"What?" Sheena gripes. Then she sighs exasperatedly. "You know what, I don't care! Do whatever, Zelos! See if I care!"

Genis gets up and calls, "Sh-Sheena!" When she disappears up the stairs, Genis turns against Zelos. "You didn't have to involve her in something as stupid as this!"

"Sheena's a reliable source," Zelos casually replies. "I asked her a question and that's all I did. No need to get so mad at me. Besides, I just gave you proof that the Gentleman exists."

"Wh-what proof?" Genis goes. "The Gentleman doesn't exist! He doesn't! You're just trying to scare me again!"

"If you believe that then why are you denying it so much?" Zelos questions with a smirk. After Genis refuses to answer, Zelos' smirk grows wider. "If you ever get that feeling of being watched, don't dismiss it as your imagination. We don't want you to go disappearing too."

Genis gulps despite himself.

I simply roll my eyes and start walking away. "I'm going to practice fighting. Who's coming with me?"

"I-I am!" Genis immediately proclaims as he jumps up and joins my side.

Zelos eyes me as I head for the door. "You know what, she's a little too calm."

"Who do you mean?" Presea wonders.

"Kelsey." Zelos states, "I've seen hints of an actual temper but I haven't seen anything like what redheaded chicks normally have."

"Isn't that a mere stereotype?" Presea questions.

"Not all the time. I bet I can get a rise out of her, though."

* * *

"Try it again. I think you almost got it."

I begin casting once more, trying to get the next level of the Fire Ball spell. Doing everything that Genis told me to do, I concentrate on my spell . . .

"Finally! Flame Lance!"

A spear of fire falls down to the earth and crashes into the ground, sending a fiery shockwave. When the spell finishes, I celebrate my accomplishment.

"Yes!" I cheer. "I did it! About time!"

"See?" Genis goes. "It doesn't take that much. It's all about know-how."

Yes! I've always loved Flame Lance back when I played Tales of Symphonia! The Strike spells were always pretty cool, though I preferred Tech when it came to battles.

"Okay, now that you know how to cast Flame Lance," Genis begins, "can you help me with a bit of practice as well?"

I look at him. "What do you need me to do?"

"Oh, just run around the place and dodge my spells."

"I'm not for targeting practice."

Genis pleads, "Please, Kelsey! I helped you with your spell! I just need to be able to cast a spell as quickly as possible! I'll make sure you won't get hurt!"

Knowing that things could get out of hand, I deny, "No, Genis, I'm not going to—"

"Aqua Edge!"

"Eeeek!"

I dive to the left as four water discs race through. I carp, "Genis! I told you no—"

"Fire Ball!"

"Aahh! _Genis!_"

Running to and fro, mainly in circles, I rush about trying to avoid getting hit by Genis' spells. As it becomes clear that he can send off the most basic spells in a blink of an eye, Genis moves on to more complicated spells, slowing down some in the process. It gives me temporary relief as I can pause to get a breath before being forced to go running again. However, Genis does eventually speed up some.

Genis continues casting his spells, then feels a feeling of being watched. At first, Genis jumps a little and whirls around, especially scanning the distant forested area towards the Fuuji Mountains. His eyes turn away from the forest, mentally scolding himself for getting spooked, and catches a second-floor window opened up and the person inside the window watching the commotion outside. Genis stops casting spells for a moment and beckons for the person to join him.

"Sheena!" Genis calls. "Come join us! We could all use some extra practice!"

Sheena, the observer, glances downward, giving this a second's thought, before wordlessly closing the window with one hand as the other clutches onto Corrine's bell collar. Genis waits for a little longer, keeping his hopes of Sheena coming down alive, even paying no heed as his prey retreats into the House of Guidance away from his spells. Then, realizing that Sheena isn't coming down to join him, Genis looks down with a sad demeanor.

Genis scratches his head, wondering about what he can do, feeling pathetic and useless. One or two ideas come up but none of them seem appropriate. Then Genis supposes, "I guess I can take over lunch duty and make something she likes." After a little additional thought, Genis begins to slowly nod his head. "Yeah . . . I guess that could work. I can make curry." Genis nods again, and goes back inside.

When Genis returns, he spots me scowling and growling a little at Zelos as I keep a little distance from him. Genis simply ignores this and moves on.

I snip at Zelos, "I _know_ I've told you something about pulling and-or touching my hair!"

"Lighten up, hunny," Zelos laughingly tells me. "Men like to have more things to grab than just your ass."

"Ugh!" I gag.

Then Zelos waves his hand dismissively. "Though I can't say that we don't enjoy a woman's body, usually the first thing we can touch is your hair. With you being such a prude—"

Hey! I know you're insulting me!

"—I can only enjoy touching your hair without any consequences other than you squawking," he finishes.

My face turns flat. "Oohhh. I see what you're up to." Then I turn my back to him and ignore him.

"Heeeyyy. That trick won't work on me for long," Zelos calls out on me.

I pretend he doesn't exist and continue to do . . . whatever I was doing before. Ummm . . . What was I doing? I came in to take shelter from Genis' spells, I know that, but what can I do in here . . .

Genis comes downstairs with cooking equipment and begins to leave for some place to cook whatever he wants to make. I follow after him. "Hey, Genis, let me hel—ack!"

I feel myself pulled back and into a pair of arms wrapping around me. As I realize what happened, I gripe, "Zelos, I told you to stop pulling on my hair, and let me go!"

"I'll let you go," he coos, "but only if I get something in return~"

"Once again, let me go," I firmly repeat.

"Only if you give me something in return~"

Okay, time to remember back about seven years ago from taekwondo class. I may not have gotten far (only yellow belt) or remember much, but I know that I learned at least a few pressure points I can use. Let's see . . . there's one pressure point that's in the web between the thumb and index finger but I don't remember where exactly the pressure point is . . . there's also the one pressure point directly behind the jaw that I can dig my finger into . . . though those are the only two that I know of . . .

The jaw will do.

I reach my hand up behind me, searching for Zelos' face. I keep my movements hesitant to keep him from suspecting anything. When I finally touch his cheek (desperately ignoring my hormone's reaction to that) and skim my fingers around to the little nook directly behind the jaw, and begin to dig into his neck—

Zelos catches my hand and pulls it away. "Nope, I'm not letting you get away with that. I know you were going for a pressure point."

Damn.

I slip my arm out from the light "embrace." "Well, I guess I'm stuck."

"You seem relatively calm for someone who's being held against their will," Zelos practically lampshades. "What's going through your little head?"

My fingers skim over Zelos' other hand as his free hand begins to slide down my waist. "You must be desperate if you're teasing me. I'm sure there's some other girl you can flirt here."

"Don't think that way. All I ask from a girl is that she be cute~"

I finally rediscover the pressure point between the thumb and the index finger and mercilessly dig my fingers into it.

"Ow!" Zelos yelps. "Alright! I'm letting you go!"

After Zelos releases my trapped hand, I still keep hold of Zelos' other hand and twist it back and away from me for good measure.

"Ow ow ow!"

Now completely free from Zelos, I step away and release his agonized hand. I feel a tinge of smugness from what I just did but I don't let that show as I walk away. Knowing that Genis is outside cooking on his own rather than using the kitchen (I doubt the employees of this House of Guidance will let any of us near the kitchen), I go outside to join him.

Having already put up a nice little set for him to cook on, Genis prepares the ingredients as water boils over a burning campfire. I sit down and just watch him, enjoying the peace and quiet as he makes whatever he makes. It wasn't long, though, until others joined.

Lloyd comes up with what looks like a relieved smile and sits down next to Genis. "It's nice to see that you're the one making lunch. The kitchen staff looks like they want to poison us."

"Don't worry about them. They won't do anything." Then Genis mentions, "I'm making curry if you're hungry."

"Cool!"

Close to when Genis finishes making lunch, everyone else, with Sheena following at the back, arrives to eat the delicious lunch Genis cooked. Sheena stops to take in everyone else waiting for their bowls to be filled with curry. She sees one nice bowl already filled set aside by itself while every other bowl is still being given a serving of the lunch. When Sheena finally approaches, Genis looks up and take the one bowl set aside and hands it to her. "Here, Sheena. I made curry."

Sheena takes a look at the bowl for just a second before taking it into her hands. As she sits down, the ninja looks around at everyone before turning back to Genis. She finally relaxes a little.

"Thanks, Genis."

* * *

June twelfth. It's been seven days since Colette got kidnapped, two days since we arrived at the House of Guidance, and it'll be three days until Kratos is due to join us. Lloyd goes out on every single shift to go out searching for Colette while everyone else pretty much alternates between staying and going. We figured that not all of us can go out at once since some of us have to stay to make sure Papal Knights don't come while we aren't here and set a trap up for us—and also in case Kratos comes here early. Out of everyone that goes out the most often, aside from Lloyd, would be Sheena, Genis, and Presea; for the least, me and Zelos. Me since I don't like flying and would rather man the fort, and Zelos . . .

As I walk down the hall to my room after seeing everyone off, I hear a bubbly voice coo, "That had better be a promise~!"

"You bet it is, hunny~."

My hand touches the doorknob to my room while my eyes stray off to some random girl, a low member of the clergy judging from her uniform, and Zelos as the two talk. The girl blushes and steps away as she ends with, "Then I'll see you."

"It'll be more than you could possibly imagine," Zelos promises as a finishing line.

And that'll be the reason why he's been here a lot. It took him about two days to get a blushing maiden into his bed, though I'll acknowledge that the maiden in particular is practicing to become something like a nun (they call them Daughters of Martel) so I imagine that religious vows got in his way some.

It's still pretty low to seduce a girl who devoted her life to the clergy no matter if it is a false religion.

Zelos turns around and spots me. For a second, this studying expression appears on his face, and then he smirks casually.

"Jealous?" Zelos mocks.

My tone goes slightly flat. "Nope."

"I can go to you after her," he coos. "I'll love you as if you were my only one."

The last sentence brings an expression of distaste from me. ". . . Just using that description for a one-night stand is insulting."

As I turn back around and open my bedroom door, Zelos puts in the last word, "I'm here when you finally admit you're attracted to me."

I stop the door behind me to put in my own last word. "Save that line for Sheena or Raine."

I close the door before Zelos brings up another comeback.

Now in the security of my own room, I incoherently growl to vent my budding frustration. It's just been nonstop with Zelos all day the day before, yesterday and, from how things seem like now, all day today too. What the hell is up with him? Hair pulling, cleverly placed insults, and just general bullying, I can tell he's trying to get a rise from me. Why, though? Why? Is he doing this just to amuse himself? Must be. He wouldn't have gone on for this long if otherwise.

I wonder how long I can stand this before completely losing my temper.

. . . What was I doing before I saw him?

I stare out into my room, feeling like a complete idiot, and start wandering the room. What was I doing . . . ? I open the windows and look outside into the forest beyond and spot distant rheairds growing smaller and fainter as time goes by. During this shift, Lloyd, Sheena, Presea, and Raine are going out this time. With Raine around them, I don't think they'll get hurt too bad.

. . . Oh yeah, I was going to unpack my stored gels to help replenish Raine's healing supplies in case some did have to get used while those four are out. They're looking around some more dangerous areas.

I open my bag up and search through, remembering that I always put the spares right next to my journal. I find the gels and take them out . . .

. . . Wait, my journal's not there.

I pause for a second and try to remember the last time I used it. I know I skipped yesterday's entry since I was so tired after taking the last search for the day and then the day before I skipped another entry since I just forgot. Maybe I rearranged my bag.

I remove all the contents of my bag out onto the bed. My stomach drops when I take out the very last item and still not find my journal. I stare down at everything as I force myself to keep calm. My hands reach for the drawers and search through those, finding my hygiene stuff and the Church of Martel sacred text (whatever you call their equivalent of the Bible) shoved to the back, but I still don't find my journal.

Okay. Okay. Don't panic. Just check the main rooms and see if it fell there, as unlikely as that is since I don't take my journal out of my room. Just go and look . . .

I head downstairs and into the main room, keeping an eye out for a stray book. I scan the room as soon as I look in and find only a clean floor and Genis and Regal sitting in the chairs in the room. I ignore the chatting duo as I search the room, not even taking note that Genis has finally set aside his over-protectiveness of Presea against Regal.

"I think Sheena's closing herself off from us . . ." Genis expresses dolefully.

"We need to be patient," Regal advices. "Sheena is going through a lot of pain. What she needs from us is our support and understanding, even if it means giving her some distance."

"I don't want her to be isolated, though . . ."

"From what I have seen," Regal tells, "Sheena has a strong heart. I doubt she would allow herself to be consumed by her loss."

I walk around Regal's chair and search the back area. "Excuse me . . ."

Regal twists his neck around to face me. "Are you looking for something?"

I kneel down and look under his chair. "My journal. It went missing."

"Have you searched through your possessions?" Regal wonders. "Perhaps you missed it."

"I already looked through all my things and even practically dissected my bag." I get up from the floor and move around to search under the table and the other chairs. "I'm just checking everywhere else. I wonder if I dropped it on the flight here . . ."

That would be good. My journal contains written proof that I'm from Earth. Nothing is written out so bluntly like "derb derb I'm from Earth derb," but I do remember using comparisons with the names of places on Earth to describe and remember places in Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Even then, there are concepts written in that would expose my origins. If it dropped while we were flying hundreds of feet into the air then the evidence that I wrote in would be destroyed.

If it's lost somewhere here, though, someone in the group is bound to find it and be tempted to take a peek inside.

While I search the single bookcase in the room (maybe some employee picked it up and put it there), Genis recalls, "Now that I think about it, didn't Zelos go into your room yesterday?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I saw him leaving your room," Genis mentions. "I figured he was just looking for you. Maybe he saw it in your room or something."

"I doubt he would remember," I reply. "If he was looking for me then he wouldn't necessarily be looking around enough to spot something like a journal. He would just give a quick glance into the room and leave."

Genis ponders for a moment, and then declares, "Maybe he took your journal!"

I give Genis a flat look. "Why would he?"

"He's been bullying you, right?" Genis theorizes, "If he got it and read it out loud in front of you then that'll be another way to embarrass you!"

I roll my eyes. "He's twenty-two, not ten. Zelos has done some immature things but he respects other people's privacy, for the most part. Though, there's no sense in not asking him if he's seen it."

"Good luck finding it," Genis bids.

"Thanks." I walk upstairs . . .

Genis looks back to Regal. "By the way, are you going out on the next shift? I think I will if there are enough of us going."

"Perhaps," Regal comments. "I wouldn't want to be too much of a burden for the others. However, I do know that your sister might have Zelos take this shift this time."

"Good. He can take either Lloyd or Sheena's place and let them rest," Genis dryly remarks.

"Lloyd and Sheena go out on their own accords," Regal reminds. "Though, I do agree that it's time for the both of them to rest now."

"Yeah. They've been pushing themselves nonstop . . ." Genis states.

My footsteps from the stairs announce my coming. Genis and Regal pause a moment to look towards the approaching person to find me walking back at a sluggish pace with my hand covering half my face. I stop in front of the last empty seat and collapse into it.

Genis raises an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Your face is all red."

I refuse to answer.

Regal wonders, "Was Zelos able to help you find your journal?"

I pause for a second as I gain back enough composure to speak. "Zelos was . . . busy . . ."

"Oh," Regal goes.

"'Busy'?" Genis questions. "How could he be 'busy'? I haven't seen him do anything all day except flirt with some girl here!"

My face turns a deeper shade of crimson.

Regal tells the boy, "Genis, it would be best to drop the subject and talk about something else for the time being."

"Why? What's the problem?" Genis continues.

My voice cracks when I speak up once more, "Just drop it . . . Can't you tell I'm embarrassed enough to crawl under a rock and die . . . ?"

"What? I don't get it."

"For my sake, stop asking what happened . . ."

"Ah . . . Okay, I guess?"

After agonizing in the chair for a few minutes, I get up to the bookshelf to grab something interesting. After spotting something that looks like a mystery novel, I slide it off the bookshelf and pause when I hear someone else going down the stairs. Turning around to look, I find Zelos, fully clothed and holding an agitated face, walking into the main room.

"That was fast," I hiss through my humiliation.

Zelos gives me a tense sneer and slumps down on the chair I just got up from. "It was left unfinished, thanks to your little interruption."

"I'm guessing she came to her senses and left when she realized what she was doing—and that's my chair! I just got up to get a book!" I gripe as I walk over to stand over him impatiently.

"Oh really? I didn't see you in it," Zelos mocks.

"Still my chair."

Zelos smirks mockingly at me. His hand reaches out and pulls me onto his lap. My face flushes twenty shades into deep red as soon as I realize what happened.

"Fine, then we can share it," Zelos bullies.

"No! You can have it! Just let me go!" I cry.

Zelos releases me, allowing me to scramble off of him and flee a good distance away. "Don't tell me that was the first time you've seen—"

"Shut up!" I snap. "Just drop the subject and leave it alone! I'm embarrassed enough from just that."

"Just embarrassed?" Zelos sneers, "Then I think I want you to suffer for a bit longer. While you're just embarrassed, _I_ have to deal with agony and frustration."

Regal chastises, "Chosen One, leave her alone. Don't take that out on her."

Zelos ignores Regal and continues, "So once you're just as embarrassed as I am in anguish, I'll stop and leave you alone."

"Stop grinding the memory into my head!" I protest. "You don't have to do any more!"

Zelos grumbles, "Oh, it's not a memory I want to grind—"

Regal growls, "Zelos! Don't ever speak to a young woman like that!"

A tense pause goes by as we all realize that Regal just barked at someone in anger. The silence commemorating this novelty passes, and Zelos turns back to me with the same level of tenseness but less hostility. "What did you want, anyway?"

Still angry and insulted by his remarks, I don't make any effort at all to keep my tone calm and under control. "I wanted to know if you've seen my journal. It's gone missing."

Zelos' face turns sour. "That's what you interrupted me for?"

"Hey! I didn't know what you were doing! So let it drop!" I cross my arms. ". . . That journal has my private thoughts and feelings. I don't want it out in the open where anyone could take it. It's a traveler's notebook and it's in 'cheap' condition since I bought it back at Palmacosta—er, Sylvarant."

Zelos stares at me for a second. ". . . I know I've seen it somewhere around here."

I let out a breath of relief.

"But I'm not in the 'condition' to remember anything but my own unsatisfied desire."

A part of me finally snaps. "Oh go fu—"

The sight of Genis and Regal still in the room and watching us stops me from finishing. I reign in my temper and force myself to calm down. Zelos, however, smirks at my reaction. "You want me to go what? Clarify that for me, would ya?"

I refuse to take the bait. Instead, just after I remember the book in my hand, I toss the mystery novel at him and say, "Here. Something to take your mind off of your 'frustration.' Have a nice day, you jackass."

With that, I walk off to grab my spear and go outside for some practice, venting, whatever anyone wants to call it. For the first time, I imagine myself back at the Tower of Salvation, facing down one opponent. My imaginary target manifests into Zelos, only with those pretty orange-gold fairy wings attached to his back. Though my fabricated battle never goes into the consequences of my victory, I relish each and every attack from physical to magical, forcing myself to move faster, hit harder, cast spells with more energy.

I hope he'll stop getting a rise out of me now after that.

Eventually, Lloyd, Sheena, Raine, and Presea return for a small break before going out again. I turn to them, sweating and gasping for air, and ask, "Any luck?"

Lloyd glumly shakes his head. "It looks like we'll have to wait for Kratos after all." Then his eyes gleam with determination. "I'm not giving up until he makes it here, though. I'll keep looking."

Raine wonders, "Are you going to join us on the next shift?"

I answer, "Only if Zelos is staying."

Sheena questions, "Have you finally gotten into a fight with him? I was wondering when he would get on your nerves."

"That doesn't matter. Find out what Zelos is doing and I'll decide," I tell them.

Sheena comments, "We were going to have him replace Lloyd during the next shift, anyway."

"Looks like I'm staying."

Lloyd stops. "Wait, I thought he was going to take your place, Sheena. You need the rest."

Sheena turns to him. "You were the one who went out on every single chance to look for Colette. If anyone needs a break, you do."

Lloyd protests, "But—"

Raine gangs up on him. "No buts, Lloyd. If you want to save Colette then you need to rest when you can. No excuses this time. Now go inside and tell Zelos that he's taking your place in the next shift."

Lloyd looks at Presea and me for support, and then finds that we both side with Sheena and Raine. Lloyd sighs in surrender.

"Fine," he allows. "I'll stay this time."

Sensing his mood drop, I tap him on his arm. "Hey, we're going to find Colette no matter what, okay? So there's no need for you to push yourself so much that you don't take care of yourself. That applies to all of us as well."

"Okay, I get it," Lloyd replies, probably feeling hounded by all of us. "Nothing happened while we were gone, right?"

"Papal Knights didn't come, no one got arrested, no traps, the House of Guidance staff didn't attack us out of fear, and definitely no Cruxis angels or Desian Grand Cardinals anywhere," I report. "It's been really quiet."

Lloyd looks at me. "Not even the Renegades?"

"No Renegades from a foot soldier to an angry blue-haired half-elf."

Lloyd crosses his arms. "That's weird. What could they be doing? We stole their rheairds, after all . . ."

Sheena huffs and starts pushing Lloyd towards the House of Guidance.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Lloyd protests.

Sheena gripes, "You just need to be you and stop thinking for a while! Your main task is to rest and let the rest of us work for a while! While you're at it, you can—" Sheena stops talking and sniffs, grimacing as if smelling something bad. She sniffs around and follows the scent to discover that Lloyd is the source. "Uhhh, Lloyd? When was the last time you took a bath?"

"I, uh, I don't really rememb—"

_Smack!_

Lloyd staggers from Sheena's smack over his head. Sheena scolds, "That's nasty, Lloyd! I can understand maybe skipping a day or two out of worry and overwork, but come on! The first thing you're doing when you get inside is taking a bath!"

"Alright, alright!" Lloyd surrenders as he hurries out of Sheena's range.

After Sheena chases after him and gets out of hearing range, I ask Raine and Presea, "Does it look like to either of you that Sheena is bottling any of her pain up?"

Raine looks out to Sheena. "Maybe some, but she seems a little more lively than she's been the last few days."

Presea supposes, "Perhaps we should take her reaction to Lloyd as a positive sign."

I look out to Sheena. ". . . I hope so."

* * *

I still can't find it.

I search through my entire room for a fifth time, knowing that I'll find exactly what I already found: everything but my journal. Whenever my thoughts aren't coming up with whatever my journal could be, I find myself hoping—praying—that my journal isn't where it could be picked up by one of my companions or by someone in the House of Guidance. I looked all day—all day!—for it and still, it's nowhere to be found. Sure I can replace it but . . .

A part of myself considers asking Lloyd to help me. Sure, if he finds some book while he's looking for my journal, he's not going to automatically open it up and start looking at it (by some off chance that he gives a glancing skim over whatever book he has in his hands), but he needs his rest and the last thing any of us want is for him to start looking around for something else while he's forced to stay in the House of Guidance while most others are out looking for Colette. Regal and Presea stayed to keep Lloyd company (Genis left with the others to make sure Zelos didn't hit on his sister again) so that it didn't seem like insult to injury that he would be the only one out while everyone else left on a job that he considers himself to be doing no matter what.

Finally done searching through my room, I move out into the main room to search through the bookshelf one last time, and this time to look through every single book even if it's clearly not my journal—just to be sure. When I enter the room, I find Lloyd and Regal sitting across from each other at the table with a checkered board resting on top of the table. Presea sits to the side watching the two. I ignore them and search through the books.

"What's this game called, again?" Lloyd asks.

"This is called chess, Lloyd. I feel that you could become very skilled since the key to winning this game is part of your forte," Regal tells him.

Chess?

That got my attention. I turn around to find that, yes, the two are playing chess; or rather Regal is attempting to teach Lloyd how to play chess. The pieces are shaped differently but it's undeniably the chess I know from Earth.

"How is this 'in my forte' or whatever that means?" Lloyd wonders.

"I find that one of your strong suits lies in strategy. You study your opponents and react accordingly with the best possible tactic you devise. That is strategy," Regal explains. "So chess might be a good game for you to play."

As laughable as the concept of Lloyd successfully winning a game of chess and enjoying it is, my attention diverts to a slip of paper on Lloyd's side of the table scrawled with Regal's handwriting. I focus on it and find that it contains the rules for this game. I tap on the paper and ask, "Can I look at this for a second?"

Lloyd offers, "Go ahead." As I take the paper and read over it, Lloyd still expresses his doubts. "I don't think this is something for me. Maybe the Professor or Genis will like this."

Regal smiles and tells Lloyd, "Anyone can play chess with a little practice. What chases people away from this game is a lack of patience. Understand that no one is a good player at the beginning. I really do believe that if you give this a good chance then you will come to enjoy it."

"Okay, if you say so," Lloyd gives with doubt still in his voice.

I set the paper back down, my thoughts spinning around. This game is definitely the same chess I know of. Some of the pieces have been renamed, such as the queen now being "the Chosen" and pawns are now "guards," and some of the details in the rules are different such as when a person can call "check" and how far a piece can move and in what way, but the basic rules are all the same.

Regal moves his first pawn (or guard) and explains his first move to Lloyd, who's still learning (or trying). Once he's done, I ask, "Where did chess come from? It seems a little elaborate for a game."

Regal answers, "No one really knows where this game originated from. There are many theories such as originating from battle strategists when rebelling against Desian rule to it even developing slowly over the course of time. However, there is no definite answer."

"Weird . . ."

I return to the bookshelf, ignoring the game behind me, and continue to go through each and every shelved book. However, my thoughts are still working over this strange similarity.

How many people crossed over to this world? Mizuho's resemblance to feudal Japan, the Church of Martel's eerie similarities to Christian churches in terms of organization, parallels to Norse mythology, and just the simple fact that there could be people who crossed over like me. Just how thoroughly connect is Earth to this world, anyway?

Questions like these still haunted my mind, even after time passed by. By the end of the day, I didn't find my journal in those bookshelves, Lloyd lost the game to Regal despite Regal going easy on Lloyd, everyone else returned with no sign of Colette, Presea took her turn to cook dinner (which tasted average but it wasn't bad), and I'm still mad at Zelos. Concerning Zelos, fortunately his bullying has come to a complete stop and decided to be more polite to me than he has been these last few days. To be honest, it's a relief, and it takes off a lot of the edge in my anger towards him now that I don't feel like I have to worry about whatever he's going to do next.

I enter my room and take care of my hygiene stuff. I put all my scattered belongings back into my bag so that they too won't get lost, taking a pause at my green cross necklace with the plastic green gems and the metallic rims, most likely a cheap metal. Still, the sight of one of the last presents my parents ever gave me is a comforting sight, even if it didn't have that spiritual sentimental value. I begin to wonder, with absolute acceptation rather than the woe-is-me attitude, if it is really and honestly too late to return. Do they really think I'm dead? Would I be able to go back without disturbing the cycle of life and death since I am supposedly dead? Even if the answer to those questions is no, would I be able to adapt back to this spoiled and somewhat destructive lifestyle? Would I be able to look at my world the same way again, let alone the social culture I was raised in? Would I even be able to make the changes necessary to fit in with people of the modern world without looking over my shoulder, become increasingly claustrophobic, suspect the strangers around me of anything bad, not hunger for food when I see it in the stores so readily available, or become bitter at people who complain about the government system and seem to think that the end of the world is nigh all because a Democrat or a Republican is about to come to office?

Maybe I should stop wondering and just pray that no one else shares my fate, or at least someone of my family or anyone I grew up with. After all, with the small signs I've been getting throughout this journey, I'm not the only one in this world who came from Earth, even if I could be the only one in this particular time period. If this happened to me then this can certainly happen to others. Perhaps I should stop with the what-ifs for now and just hope that no one I know will be sucked into such a different reality as I have.

The door suddenly opens, not in a rush but just unexpected, and I turn around to find Zelos entering. I mildly scold, "Knock next time. What if I was changing into pajamas?"

"I'll be sure to catch you by surprise during then," Zelos mildly teases as he enters.

I roll my eyes, too tired to even bother, and set down my necklace. "So what do you want?"

"I need to talk to you. Privately."

What? Is he going to tell me that he just saw Narnia from how far he was in the closet?

Jokes aside, Zelos really does look serious for once. He doesn't look like this is absolutely drop-dead serious, but he's still doesn't have that usual casual smile on his face, so it's definitely something. I ask him, "What is it?"

Zelos says, "I know you've got a thing for doors, so do you mind if it's closed?"

"Yes I do. Door stays open."

"Trust me, you're going to want this kept between us."

"Then we can go outside where no one here will hear us talk," I suggest. "Go get your sword and I'll meet you outside."

Zelos points out, "I could just as easily make love to you outside on the ground as I could inside your room."

"The door stays open no matter if it was you, Lloyd, or Regal talking to me in here," I explain. "It's just a matter of appropriateness. Now, let's go. You want to talk to me don't you?"

As I grab my spear, I hear him comment, "You don't really trust me, do you? Of course, I've been an ass to you so I guess I deserve it."

This guy is high maintenance, isn't he? Resisting from rolling my eyes, I spell out to him, "The door thing is just something I was raised with: 'if alone with a member of the opposite sex, keep the door open.' You want a private conversation with me and since the door thing is in the way, the only place where we can talk without eavesdroppers is outside where we can be attacked."

I further explain in order to emphasize my point, "Now, outside we have three worse-case scenarios, each one having some chance of happening. One is Cruxis attacking us, the motive being to wipe us all out and get us out of their way; another is monsters attacking us, which is the most likely case; and the last one, which should have happened already, is the Renegades attacking us to retrieve the rheairds and finally take Lloyd captive. With those being possible, no matter how little the chance, you can see why I don't want to go out without a weapon. So pick your poison, grab your sword, and meet me outside."

As I walk out the door, I add, "I'm mad at you for how you've treated me, but I know I can count on you if things get bad. I'll see you outside."

"Yeesh," Zelos carps. "Ever heard of going overboard with something?"

Making sure I have the last word, I tell him just when I'm about to go down the stairs, "For a smart guy, you can make even Lloyd look like a genius. Then again, Lloyd's specialty is in something you seem to be clearly lacking: common sense."

I leave with that and head outside. When the pale moonlight and the smell of sea salt washes through the air, I take in the moment and breathe in the fresh air around me, relishing the scent in it. I search the skies for any familiar constellations and just let my mind wander into just looking at the stars rather than looking for anything familiar.

Then I hear the front door to the House of Guidance open. I turn to find Zelos approaching with a book in his hands. When he stops in front of me, he offers the book to me.

"My journal!" A small smile of relief etches on my face as I take it back. I check its condition as I flip through the pages. "Where did you find it?"

"Just on the floor near the stairs," Zelos answers. "I didn't realize it was yours at first. When I did, I didn't get very many chances to confront you."

"That's alright," I chatter. "Though, you could have just given me the book to begin with instead of insisting on a private conversation. I don't see why this would be necessary unless . . ." As I bring just a random example for chatter, a real reason comes to mind, forcing my mood down from the relief. ". . . unless you actually looked at the pages and read a few of the entries . . ."

"As I said, I didn't know it was yours at first," Zelos repeats, letting me figure things out by myself.

I close my journal. ". . . What did you read?"

"There were a few strange things I couldn't quite make sense," he tells me. "Things that didn't seem to fit for even what was typical of Sylvarant. Places that couldn't be found on even Sylvarant, confusing terms, there were definitely some details that just didn't seem right."

I place my free hand on my journal in an effort to keep myself from shaking. This time, I need to stay calm and not freak out like the last two times. "So . . . what sort of conclusion did you make after noticing all that?"

Zelos huffs out a breath of air. Then he just gives me this look, as if he can't quite make himself completely believe what he's about to say . . .

"You're not even from Sylvarant, aren't you?"

Another one, huh? Why am I surprised?

* * *

This chapter is written a bit awkwardly.

Yes, there's a monster in ToS based on Slenderman. Altamira area, rare monster, and it'll be the two-legged shadow thing that you see standing around. See if you can actually find it.

Next chapter will actually be more exciting. So, review away.


	56. Traps of the Scaly Kind

I really have no opinion of this chapter. It's good and it's bad and overall feels mediocre. Then again, it's setting some things up that will be used in later chapters such as something that I plan to do in the very next chapter so all of you have something exciting to look forward to.

I've been forshadowing for an event that will happen the very next chapter for all of the Tethe'alla arch whenever I could fit the moment in so there's something to look forward to.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Six: Traps of the Scaly Kind

Zelos stares at me with this serious expression that I can't quite define. Just seeing Zelos with something other than his usual casual attitude is a bit strange in of itself, setting novelty and tension at the same time. I never realized this before, but Zelos' gaze is actually piercing. I'm tempted to run and hide . . .

"Well, are you?" he demands, trying to force an answer out of me on whether or not I'm from Sylvarant.

I can't say I didn't see this coming. After all, my journal was just out there waiting to be picked up. Now that three people, including Kratos, know my secret, it's only a matter of time before everyone else does. I might as well accept this and just explain without breaking down into tears. I can see now that making a show of myself is only going to make things worse.

. . . Though why is it so hard to answer now that I'm determined to accept that eventually everyone will know?

I take a deep breath and let it out, forcing my nerves to calm down and allow me to speak plainly. ". . . No, I'm not."

"Then just where are you from?" he questions. "You're obviously not from Tethe'alla."

I take a second or two to get my thoughts in order. Then I wonder, "Why do you care? It doesn't affect anything or change who I am."

Zelos shrugs with exasperation in his mood. "You know what, I don't even know why I care, but tell me where you're from anyway. It could explain whatever weird quirks you may have."

I watch him for a moment . . . "My world is called Earth. Other than that, I don't know what else to tell you. I could say miscellaneous facts about my world but I don't know what telling you about those would do other than make pointless chatter." Right as I said that I realize that it's true. Back when either Kratos or Colette confronted me, I didn't have to pour out my heart to them. I really didn't. Now with Zelos taking his turn, I really don't have to tell him all my woes and what my world is like. I didn't have to and I don't want to.

"Then I suppose this makes our conversation shorter," Zelos replies. "But I have to wonder . . . Who else knows? With how quickly I found out, I can't be the only one."

"Then again, you read my journal. It was practically handed to you," I jab. After that, I go through the short list. "Kratos was the first one who found out. It was back at Sylvarant and I wasn't nearly as good at keeping myself calm. He was always at the right place at the right time and noticed the right things, so I guess it was only a matter of time. I don't know if he counts now, though, since he's no longer traveling around with us and that Kratos is so secretive I bet he doesn't let anyone know what he ate for breakfast."

I continue, "Then the only other person who knows would be—"

"Let me guess," Zelos interrupts, "it's Raine."

"Nope. It's Colette."

Zelos' expression changes to clear surprise. ". . . Are you kidding? Colette found out before me? Before even Raine Sage?"

"I literally told her," I explain. "I was lonely and under a lot of pressure so I finally cracked. I'm grateful that it was Colette I told instead of someone more skeptical. The last thing I want is to be called crazy, insane, or anything relating to being mentally unstable."

Well, let's not count the fact that I told her while she was soulless. That might leave a bad stigma on the situation and make it seem more selfish.

Zelos points out, "Why couldn't you tell the others if you were so lonely? They accepted Sheena and she's from this world."

I shrug. "Actually, not all of them could accept Sheena's explanation of how she could go from Tethe'alla to Sylvarant. It took them some time to fully accept it. How can I face that when I don't even know what happened other than that I got from point A to point Z?"

"Looks like that's something you will have to sort out yourself," Zelos observes.

"Obviously . . ." I sigh, "I don't know if I'll be able to completely move on. I mean . . . I lost everything and everyone I loved in my life. If I do completely move on, it's not going to be for years."

"Well," Zelos says, now regaining his casual attitude, "at least you'll always have a shoulder to cry on in case things get too emotional for you."

I refuse to answer to that, although hearing that did bring me some sense of comfort.

"Speaking of 'emotional,'" Zelos adds, "you seem pretty calm for someone whose secret was just found out."

"Yeah . . . Yeah, you're right." I speculate, "I should be bawling my eyes out, crying out against cruel fate, and beg you to accept me for who I am despite the fact that you probably already did."

"Then I'm not complaining," Zelos quickly states.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Be happy that I have more control over my emotions now."

"I am!"

I watch him for a moment with slight suspicion and a guarded feeling in my heart. ". . . You aren't going to tell anyone about where I'm actually from, right? It's my secret to tell, after all."

"Who said anything about telling the others?" Then Zelos' face turns more serious again. ". . . I can't just tell the others something so personal to you, not after you kept what you know about . . . about the circumstances around my mother's death."

What? . . . Oh yeah, back at the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. Genis, Raine, and I all know about what happened since one of the Papal Knights was extra hostile towards him. Although not everything was explained, we all still kept our silence as per Zelos' request. To think that, in turn, my silence would help protect my own secrets now.

With the first true sense of relief spreading through me, I sigh out in respite and smile a small smile. "I'm sorry for assuming . . . and thanks. That really does mean a lot to me."

Zelos turns back to his normal casual self. "Now that that's aside, I do want to ask you a few questions before we go back inside."

I raise an eyebrow. Well, Kratos and Colette had their questions so why not answer Zelos'? "What is it?"

"Are the hunnies over in your world hot?"

". . . You're such a jackass."

"I know~. So are they hot?"

* * *

I couldn't help but reflect on how I acted while Zelos confronted me to see if I really was from another world. It was so different from how I had acted towards Kratos or Colette that I couldn't help but think about it. I was . . . calmer, more collected. Did I somehow change between the time Colette confronted me and now? I must have, otherwise I would have broken down into tears just like the last two times. It's . . . strange to acknowledge . . .

When I went to bed that night, I couldn't help but feel that the situation was just so surreal. Zelos knows where I'm from now . . . I couldn't shake the feeling the next day, especially whenever I so happened to be alone with him and he didn't badger me with questions (as Colette would do). Though, I noticed that he only asked questions when it was absolutely certain that no one else could overhear us. These questions seemed to cement in the fact that someone else knows my secret.

In the meantime, the shifts to search for Colette became longer since we have to spread over into farther areas since the immediate area has been thoroughly searched with no results at all. The shifts dwindled down to three large shifts in order to accommodate for time. Lloyd must be frustrated as hell about this since we have all gone great lengths to find Colette and, in the end, none of us could get any kind of hint of where Colette could be. Then what must add insult to injury is that we'll have to rely on Kratos again, not that's much of a surprise concerning that Kratos is better suited to locate any of Rodyle's activities than we are.

Speaking of Kratos . . .

June fifteenth, the tenth day Kratos mentioned he would meet us, we receive our expected visitor.

Lloyd, Sheena, Raine, and Genis left on the shift between lunch and dinner. Only Zelos, Presea, Regal, and I remain to watch over things while the others are gone and are entertaining ourselves accordingly. Zelos decided to pick a casual fight with me after spotting that I'm practicing. After a while, Presea and Regal came outside to join us and decided to watch us rather than join in on the fighting.

. . . Let me tell you something, now that I mention it . . . Zelos is a pain to brawl with. He will mock you until you let down your guard in order to attack him with rage and will take full advantage of that by sending you flat on your ass, and then mock you some more. If he couldn't spur you with his insults then he'll use dirty tricks to accomplish what his words couldn't do and then take advantage of the results.

It was during such an "occasion" when Kratos finally arrives.

My spear goes flying after Zelos dislodges it from my hands. I curse myself and leap back so I have enough room to keep an eye on Zelos in case he does anything. My temper gets agitated as I find him laughing at me.

Cocky ass bastard.

I dash for my spear and, right when I almost have it in hand, Zelos blocks me from it. This block being so instant, I have no chance of diverting myself before crashing into him. The next thing I know, I hear the Tethe'allan Chosen's laughter as his foot presses into my back.

"You'd think you would have learned by now to keep your cool," Zelos mocks.

"Don't think this is the end!" I growl. "I'll get you eventually!"

"Yeah. Eventually."

Damn it!

Presea watches for the time being before spotting something in the distance. She peers at the subject for a moment . . . and gets up from her spot and walks over to join me and Zelos. Regal notices Presea's line of focus and follows her sight before finding what Presea saw. He too gets up and walks over with her.

Their movement catches the attention of Zelos and I. Our eyes follow and discover the object of interest approaching: Kratos Aurion.

. . . And I'm the one on the ground with Zelos' foot on my back. Oh the humiliation . . .

Kratos finally reaches us and stares us down as we stare him down as well. A long and silent pause goes by before he finally speaks.

". . . I assume that Lloyd and the other half of your group aren't here," Kratos concludes.

Regal informs, "Lloyd, Sheena, and the Sages are out searching for Colette at the time. They won't be back for a while."

"Your search is futile," Kratos adds. "Neither Rodyle or Colette are anywhere near this area."

"Then why don't you just tell us where Rodyle could be right now and we'll pass along the message," Zelos suggests, a touch of hostility detected in his voice.

Kratos glances at Zelos . . . and then states, "Considering that Rodyle and Colette may be in close proximity of each other, it would be more convenient if I simply accompany all of you during the search."

"In that case, you're going to have to wait until the others get back," Zelos states.

Kratos doesn't answer. Instead, he starts to walk passed us . . .

Regal then questions, "How can we be sure that you won't betray us to Cruxis once Rodyle is apprehended?"

Kratos pauses, just for that moment, to answer with, "You can't. You have no reason to trust me, whatsoever."

Without another word, Kratos moves away from us. However, he doesn't go inside the House of Guidance and, instead, just makes himself comfortable a good distance away and watches us as he waits for Lloyd and the others to get back.

. . . And I'm tired of being pinned to the ground.

I hiss, "Zelos, if you don't get your foot off my back, I'll put a literal twist to the phrase 'fiery redhead' all just for you!"

Zelos leaps away from me, allowing me to scramble up and scope my spear back into my hands. We glare each other down as our fight continues.

After a while, Lloyd and the others finally return, their search yielding no results once again. When they arrive, I imagine that they only see a practice fight between Zelos and Regal (with Regal winning) and Presea and me sitting to the side (I stopped fighting Zelos some time ago for a break). I could tell that they couldn't see Kratos since their eyes aren't zeroed in on the Cruxis seraph. Granted, Kratos is in a spot that's off to the side so I don't think many people could see him unless they were right next to him. As for me, the only reason I know where he is is because I watched him move to that spot.

When the others come into view, I hurry up to Lloyd. The first thing I tell him is, "Kratos is here."

Lloyd's expression turns serious. "Kratos is here? Where is he?"

I simply point.

As soon as I point him out, Kratos steps out of the shadows around the House of Guidance and makes his way towards Lloyd. Lloyd moves passed us all to meet Kratos at a halfway point. When the two meet, Lloyd's face remains serious—yet he expresses a more observant nature than just being serious. Kratos' face, in the meantime, is typically stoic, remaining as indecipherable as usual.

"I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to show up," Lloyd expresses, and then he puts that aside for the most important question. "Did you find Colette, or Rodyle?"

"No," Kratos answers bluntly, causing our hearts to sink, until . . . "But I managed to narrow down the search to two distinct locations."

Lloyd's hopes flare up. "Where are they?"

"Both are on this continent, one northwest of Meltokio and the other on the other along the Fuuji Mountains," Kratos states.

Lloyd immediately says, "Let's check the Fuuji Mountains first. If Rodyle set a trap then he'll most likely use the mountains for cover."

Sheena comments, "What about Meltokio? If Rodyle is in the area then it could mean trouble for the city."

Zelos, his expression neutral now, agrees, "I'll have to side with Sheena on this one. I don't like the thought of Rodyle hanging around Meltokio."

Lloyd watches them, his eyes revealing the thought he's putting into his options, and concurs, ". . . Alright. We'll check Meltokio first. Everyone grab your stuff and meet me back outside. We're leaving right now."

While we take in this fact and move back inside to leave, Raine stays and questions, "Lloyd, are you certain that we can trust Kratos?"

As Lloyd pulls out the Meltokio map from his bag, he tells Raine, "Professor, we need to find Colette and he's looking for Rodyle. Since Rodyle has Colette, our goals are almost the same. It won't do any of us any good to fight each other." Then his attention turns to Kratos as he opens the map. "Now where specifically are those spots?"

Raine watches with skeptical regard . . . and returns to the House of Guidance.

* * *

We fly high above the ground, taking a look at everything from a bird's eye perspective. I did wonder if perhaps we would see a giant plot of land hovering over the ground that wasn't there before like in the game, but after a bit of thought, that would be the first thing anyone would suspect. Instead, I start wondering if maybe Kratos is looking to see if Rodyle was hiding in the Temple of Earth, since we are going farther west of Meltokio than most of us expect, until Kratos slows down to a stop. When everyone else notices that Kratos stopped, the rest of us slow down and gather close.

Lloyd questions, "Kratos! What is it?"

Kratos, whose eyes don't move from watching the dense forest below, simply directs, "Lloyd, look down."

Still, silent, colored with a cool blue-green hue, a dragon stares down the land before it, waiting and watching for something. Twice as tall as the surrounding trees which go up to about twenty feet I think, the large and sleek muscles on this intimidating creature boasts strength that should make even Yggdrasill think twice before going up against this beast. I'm willing to bet that it could swallow us all whole with such a big maw. Still as can be, the only parts of the giant dragon that moves are the large triangular ears as the duo turns up and down and side-to-side, scanning the area. I notice that one ear has a tendency to point upward at an angle. Towards us.

"Damn! I thought that thing was just a myth!" Zelos exclaims.

"Are you kidding me? Mizuho lost one of our own people to that thing a long time ago!" Sheena shouts. "I didn't think it would go this far, though!"

Raine observes, "It's guarding its territory. We can't go anywhere near the area for the time being."

"But what about Rodyle?" Lloyd demands. "We can't just leave if he's in the area."

Zelos remarks, "Rodyle isn't going to be in the area with _that_ thing around! Who would be crazy enough to set a trap here?"

Genis asks, "Kratos, why did you think Rodyle would set a trap here? Cruxis and the Desians _had_ to know about that dragon!"

Kratos watches the gigantic dragon for a moment. ". . . It's supposed to be sleeping right now and not awaken for another century. Something must have changed to where it would come out of its nest."

"Do you believe that Rodyle is responsible for that change?" Regal wonders.

Kratos supposes, "Perhaps. Either way, we cannot search the area until that dragon is gone. We must head over to the Fuuji Mountains."

Lloyd sighs in frustration but agrees to this.

As the rheairds turn around I can't help but watch the dragon. I watch its eyes for a time and follow the direction it draws attention towards . . . When I see the Fuuji Mountains as what it's seemingly focusing on, I pray that perhaps that it's just watching the general area between it and the mountains rather than the mountains themselves.

The rheairds streak across the sky, the dragon becoming smaller and smaller, until the mountains finally cover everything around Meltokio. We comb through the mountainous landscape, searching under hidden nooks and ledges, desperate for any sign of Rodyle or Colette. Eventually we all split up to make searching much easier and quicker, each one giving a certain sign in case Colette is found.

Then, suddenly, large fireballs shoot off from the sky, Raine and Genis' signal that they found Colette.

All the other rheairds race off to join them and immediately land. Lloyd is the first one to join them. Seeing Colette, knelt down to the ground and chained, Lloyd hurries to her.

"Don't worry, Colette! We'll get you free!" he gallantly reassures her.

Colette's distress, however, is only agitated. "No! Run away! It's a trap!"

Lloyd tugs at the chains. "Then let's get you out of here and then deal with the trap!"

"It's already too late . . . !" Colette sobs. "And I already tried breaking the chains! Nothing works! They're too strong!"

"If breaking them won't work . . ." Lloyd mutters to himself as he digs out his lock picks.

"Ahahahahah! You inferior beings and your silly tricks!"

With all of us here and gathered, we all look up to find Rodyle suddenly on a higher footing than us, glaring us down with sheer delight. Suddenly, Kratos appears from out of nowhere and slashes at Rodyle with his sword. However, Kratos' blade merely goes through air, causing Rodyle's image to falter as if projected.

"An illusion!" Raine hisses.

Lloyd growls, "You coward! Come fight us, damn you!"

"I don't think so," Rodyle sneers. "I'll just watch as my plans take care of all of you."

Presea steps forward and snarls, "You will pay for using me! Let Colette go!"

Rodyle coos, "Oh, Presea . . . If Colette had not gotten in the way, I would have given you everything you would need as long as you had made me a Cruxis Crystal inside that little body of yours."

"DIE!"

"Huhuhuhuhuhu . . ." Rodyle turns his head to sneer at Kratos. "What a shame that someone so powerful would die like this. Still, if it gets _you_ out of the way then I'll take it."

"Humph."

_SCHRIIIIIIEEEEEE!_

That is when we all realize just what Rodyle had in mind.

Five large dragons, these with two legs and one set of wings and a barbed tail, crawl towards us from the higher slopes in a bat-like fashion. Their figures show every edge and detail of their bones, displaying tale-tell signs of starvation. Their green skin and red barbs at the end of their tails demonstrates their venomous qualities, making me feel like we're in for more than even I bargained.

"Now, my pets! Feast on the flesh of these worthless beings!" Rodyle cries out with joy.

The projection of Rodyle dies off and leaves us alone to fend for ourselves.

"Damn it!" Lloyd curses as his fingers fumble with the lock picks.

Kratos dives down to Lloyd and Colette as the rest of us gather around the two to prepare for a fight.

Genis groans, "Just more and more dragons! What's with Rodyle and dragons?"

Raine grimly corrects, "Those are wyverns. See their stance and the barbed tail? Although they are closely related to dragons, those are not of the same classifications."

Sheena bites, "I don't care what it is if it can eat us!"

Regal agrees, "Indeed. I have no intention of becoming a part of the food chain without a fight!"

One wyvern snaps towards me, causing me to jump back and jab my spear forward. "This is actually going to be much worse than the _one_ dragon we fought back at Hima!"

Sheena remarks, "At least we don't have that idiot Marian Susan in the way this time."

"Good point."

_PWOOOOAAAHHHH!_

_DRRRUUUD!_

The wyverns jump and whirl around to the source of the sound, finding that one of their companions was downed by a much larger enemy.

The giant dragon from the Meltokio area snarls at the four remaining wyverns. Now at close up, I can see that all down on the stomach and neck a large collection of golden, silver, iron, steel, and other metallic objects are pressed into the soft skin, forming a thick shield of armor. As the tension between the dragon and the four wyverns thicken, our situation becomes clear.

While we won't be fighting, we need to get out of the way of their fight right now!

The wyvern closest to the dragon dives for its neck, evaded by a simple head twist, and the dragon counterattacks by getting under the first wyvern's head and thumping it harshly with its great head, sending the wyvern tumbling down on its back.

The wyvern more towards the dragon's back leaps up and lands on the dragon's back, gaining a quick advantage. The dragon flings itself around in order to dislodge its attacker, stomping around frighteningly close to us.

As the other wyverns come to fight the new opponent, most of us flee for cover.

Raine cries out, "_Hurry! Run for shelter now!_"

Lloyd frantically jerks on Colette's chains. Kratos stays with him and grabs onto one end of the chain, opposite of Colette. Kratos orders, "Lloyd! Go with your friends _now!_"

Lloyd keeps hold of the chains. "I'm not leaving Colette behind!"

Colette cries, "Lloyd! Just go! It's not safe here!"

"I'm not abandoning you!" Lloyd shouts.

Kratos dismisses Lloyd for right now, knowing that nothing he says will get Lloyd to safety. "Colette! Pull on the chains with all your strength! We can snap the chains with our combined efforts!"

Colette's eyes snap wide as she realizes what Kratos intends. Lloyd does too as he grasps the chains tightly and pulls with Colette—

_THUD!_

_SCHRRRIIIIIIIIEEEEE!_

The large dragon stumbles slightly out of balance, catching itself by slamming its foot down a relatively good distance away and dangerously close to Kratos, emphasizing just how easily anyone could be crushed by the fight. Lloyd immediately jerks on the chain, bringing attention back to freeing Colette, and the trio pulls on the chain with all their might. One link snaps halfway . . . and then the entire link shatters to pieces, causing Lloyd and to Colette to fall over. Kratos shoos the two away from the fight between the dragon and four wyverns and under cover.

_SCHIIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHH . . ._

Kratos and Lloyd stop to face one wyvern that decided to switch its focus from the dragon that is slashing at the other three wyverns and to seemingly easier prey. Both Lloyd and Kratos draw their swords and ready themselves for a fight. This wyvern snarls at them, its jaws dripping with saliva. It readies for a strike . . .

The dragon, finally having enough of the foe on its back, rises to its two hind legs and inches backwards for a fall. One of the two wyverns attacking from its front lashes its barbed tail at the dragon's chest, only to be deflected by the metallic armor, causing tiny bits of hoarded treasure to come tumbling down from coming loose. This one attack demolishes the last bit of balance the dragon has as the great beast comes tumbling down towards its back with the wyvern on its back about to take the blunt . . .

_THRUUUD!_

Crushed under the weight of the dragon and another wyvern, the one wyvern that threatened Lloyd and Kratos instantly dies under the incredible weight, jerking underneath and sending its limbs sprayed out. The force of those flung limbs clips Lloyd and Kratos, sending the two flying out backwards. Kratos quickly flares out his wings to regain balance and narrowly misses slamming into the cliff walls behind him.

Lloyd isn't so fortunate. His back slams mercilessly into the cliff wall behind him, rendering the boy stunned and his back in questionable condition.

Just as everyone cries out in terror at Lloyd's injury, Kratos glances at the dragon and the remaining two wyverns, making certain that he can make it safely to Lloyd and back, and dashes out towards the boy. As soon as he makes it, Kratos checks Lloyd's back and, sensing a problem, quickly—yet carefully—rights Lloyd's posture so his back is straight and casts, "Healing Stream!"

With translucent water rushing around, the healing spell mends Lloyd's back. Kratos allows the spell to last as long as possible before scooping up Lloyd and dashing back into the reclusive shelter under sheetrock that everyone else is taking shelter under. As soon as Kratos comes into our reach, we grab onto Kratos and pull him, and thus Lloyd, as deep into the shelter as possible. Raine forces us aside and orders Kratos to set Lloyd down before using the unicorn horn to heal Lloyd's wounds.

Now with only two wyverns to fight against, the dragon has an easier time fighting than before. One wyvern dives for the dragon's jaw only to be dodged and head-butted against with the flat of the dragon's skull. Taking complete advantage of this wyvern's fall, the dragon comes up against the enemy and dives a powerful talon into the wyvern's head, using its complete weight to utterly shatter the skull, causing a bloody mess.

The last wyvern dives at the dragon as a last desperate attack—

The dragon lashes around and snaps at the last wyvern's neck, taking the monster prisoner in its giant fanged maw. The wyvern flings its talons at the dragon, helplessly trying to dislodge the jaws.

_CRACK!_

With a twist of the dragon's head, the last wyvern falls limply and lifeless. The dragon carelessly allows the dead wyvern to slip from its jaws as it huffs out clouds of smoke from its nostrils. Its burning eyes turn around and focus on us . . .

As soon as those eyes lay upon us, chills go up my spine. Maybe it will focus on the wyverns and eating rather than us . . . ?

The dragon's jaws open, its tongue flexing, and the sounds out of its mouth . . .

"I knnnow you are heeere, Auriiionnn." Words, toned by a high female snake-like voice, hiss from the dragon's fangs, sending shock through us all, except for Kratos who's just taking this with narrowed eyes. "Tweeelllve cccenturiessss had passssed ssssinnnccce Cruxiiissss promiiisssed meee, innnn returnnn for llleavinnng the Chosssseeennnsss beee, I am nnnot to beee dissssturbed. Perhapssss I shoullld devour theeee firssst Chosssseeennn of Tettthhhe'allllla that crosssssessss my nessst."

Zelos yips in terror.

Kratos informs, "The wyverns that brazenly intruded into your widespread territory were under the control of Rodyle, who is ignoring our orders and acting on his own."

The dragon snorts, sending smoke and sparks of fire out. "Why act sssso passsivelllly? Would more motivatttiiionnn aid yee? Ttthhhennn I ssshhhalll proclaim your sssecret."

Kratos immediately tenses.

A harsh chuckling coughs out of the dragon's throat. "Ttthhhiiinnk nnnot tthhhat I willlll nnnot ssssmelll sssuch annnn obvioussss sssimilllarity. I cannnn ssssmellll the bllllood frooom eeevennn heeere."

Kratos appeals, "Although your territory may be occasionally intruded, I can guarantee you that your nest will not be disturbed until the next Tethe'allan Chosen must journey for world regeneration."

"I cccertainnnlllly hope sssoo," the dragon hisses, "for tthhee sssake of your ccccertainnn onnnne annnd tthhe Chossseeennnssss to come."

To Kratos' credit, he doesn't even seem to react to the threat. The dragon dismisses him, stretches out her wings (for it's obvious through the voice that this dragon is female), and takes flight, leaving the wyverns, Kratos, and the rest of us behind.

Genis stares out to the beast, and then exclaims, "It could talk! That dragon could actually talk! Are all dragons able to do that?" No answer comes. "Kratos!"

Realizing that Genis really does want that answer to the point of nagging, Kratos finally replies, "No, not all dragons are capable of speech. Although the species does possess the intellectual power to do so, they would need a certain amount of contact from the civilized world in order to learn."

"So that one's an exception . . ." Genis observes as he continues to watch the dragon.

Kratos begins to walk off.

Colette hurries to him. "Kratos, you're leaving?"

Kratos simply tells her, "Chosen One, my orders concerned Rodyle, not you. Now that you have nothing to do with Rodyle, there is no reason for me to continue to accompany any of you."

Colette's lips twitch downward. "You could . . . at least wait until Lloyd is awake."

Kratos looks away. "No. I must be off."

Colette pauses, and then bows to Kratos. ". . . Thank you for helping me."

Kratos makes no reply as he brings out a wing pack and casts out a rheaird. He mounts the rheaird and takes off, disappearing out of our sight quickly.

Presea hesitantly speaks up, "Colette . . . are you alright?"

Colette jumps as if surprised and confirms, "Yes. Yes I am. But what about you?"

"I'm fine," Presea answers. "You don't need to worry about me . . ."

Colette watches Presea for a moment, as if taking in a difficult or shocking concept to grasp. Presea frowns at Colette's examination and shifts awkwardly on her feet. The others, in the meantime, speak around them.

Regal speculates, "But what purpose did that Rodyle character have to kidnap Colette? His goal from the start was to take Colette and Presea with him but in the end he could only take one or the other when this Kratos arrived."

Colette answers to the side, "Rodyle didn't say much around me, but from what I gathered, he needed a Cruxis Crystal to operate something called a mana cannon." Then she goes back to watching Presea.

Raine recalls, "Pietro from Hima also spoke of this mana cannon. Perhaps Rodyle and Kvar were working under similar goals."

Ignoring the others for a moment, Colette asks, "Presea? Did you return to normal?"

Presea watches Colette for a moment, confused as to why she would ask this. ". . . Yes, I did, thanks to everyone."

Colette's eyes slowly widen, followed by her face relaxing, and then Colette smiles.

Colette smiles . . .

Colette smiled!

Genis, who glanced over at that moment, exclaims, "Colette smiled!"

That brings everyone's attention over to Colette who, with her smile now turning bewildered and awkward, goes, ". . . What?"

Raine sighs, "Colette, you have no idea how much of a relief it is to see you smiling again."

I immediately go to Lloyd and shake his shoulders. "Wake up, Lloyd! Colette is smiling for the first time in like a month!"

"I knew it," Zelos confirms. "You are as cute as a button when you smile~."

Colette turns to and fro between everyone. "I don't understand. I'm just happy that Presea is okay."

Sheena declares, "And we're just happy that you're smiling once again! I haven't seen you actually smile since Sylvarant!"

Presea observes the happy cheering as Colette is surrounded by her friends. Feeling a sense of lightness, as if a weight had been lifted, Presea's lips begin to upturn . . .

. . . and into the first smile Presea ever had for many years.

Colette catches Presea's small smile and bursts into a cheerful grin. "Presea!"

There's a hush as everyone switches from Colette to Presea . . .

"Presea _smiled!_"

"Even Presea smiles!"

"Just as I thought: she resembles her . . ."

"Oh for the love of . . ." I turn to Lloyd and start batting him on the face, especially around his ears. "Lloyd Irving! Wake up! If you miss Colette and Presea smiling, I swear I'll never let you live it down!"

"I'm awake!" Lloyd cries out as he rises hastily. He grimaces as pain suddenly catches hold of him. "Ow . . . ! My back . . ."

Raine hurries over as soon as she realizes that Lloyd is awake. She kneels down and checks his back for any remaining damage. "Don't push yourself. Your back was hit very hard. I'm surprised your head wasn't significantly damaged."

Lloyd instantly questions, his eyes wide with concern, "So where are the dragons? Is Colette alright? What's going on?"

Raine informs, "There was only one dragon while the rest were wyverns, the dragon won the battle and flew back to its—her—nest, Colette is fine, and Kratos just left."

Lloyd's eyes remain wide. "He . . . He left? Just like that?"

Raine sighs. "Lloyd, Kratos only joined us so he could find Rodyle. Looking back on the entire situation, I can only see him assisting us if he had pity on us since he didn't need us while searching for Rodyle."

Lloyd watches Raine, the impact of Kratos' actions steadily weighing upon him . . .

"Lloyd! You're awake!"

I mutter to myself, "I was wondering when they were going to find out."

Genis and Colette hurry to Lloyd's side. Genis is the first one to chirp up, "Lloyd! You should have seen that dragon! It can actually talk! It kind of makes sense since dragons are actually . . ."

Colette chimes in with her own dialogue, "I knew you would come, Lloyd! I knew you would! I was worried because I knew you would since I knew Rodyle's trap could hurt you and everyone but everything turned out alright in the end! I can't possibly tell you how relieved I am that . . ."

". . . then I wondered about the dragons we took to the Tower of Salvation, but then again, those were winged dragons and those are only as smart as an average dog. I don't think they're capable of actual speech . . ."

". . . but how's your back? Are you alright? Can you move? Your back isn't broken is it? Please don't let it be broken! It would just be . . ."

Raine interrupts, "Enough, you two! Lloyd is fine and just needs his rest! Now, please, give him some more room."

Colette and Genis hush themselves and back off, giving Lloyd any space he needs. I watch the three and decide to move out of speaking range and leave them be. There are some moments that best friends need to share with one another.

As I walk away, I feel my hair lightly tugged. When I turn, I find that Zelos is the one grabbing my attention. "And just where are you going, kid?"

"Nowhere. Just giving them some space," I tell him. "They've known each other for years so they should share a few moments for just themselves or be the first ones to chat with one another."

Zelos wonders, "Don't you have any friends like that?"

I smile tensely. "Yes, I do, but I'm . . . no longer in contact with them, so to speak."

Zelos raises an eyebrow, completely understanding my meaning. "Oh. I'm sorry, then."

In the corner of my eye, I spy Regal walking around to join the conversation. When I turn towards him, I see in the background that Sheena and Presea are lined up to speak with either Lloyd or Colette.

Regal asks, "If it is not too brazen for me to ask, but would that be because you are in Tethe'alla or some other reasons?"

A question I can answer honestly and still keep my secret safe. Interesting. I tell him, "It's because I'm in Tethe'alla, yes. If I returned home, I could see them again. Though . . ." My words turn mainly towards myself. ". . . I don't know if I can face one particular friend now . . ."

Regal looks a little hesitant to pry, but goes ahead, "What do you mean?"

If he wants to know then I don't mind. I'm pretty much over what happened, anyway. "To put it simply, my friend was kidnapped by the Desians. I was the one who was supposed to protect her and . . . other stuff so, while I feel responsible for what happened, I don't think my friendship with her will mend."

Zelos raises an eyebrow. ". . . Do you like to eye the skirts too?"

"What?"

Regal heaves a sigh. "Zelos, I'm fairly certain that is not a part of what she meant."

I insist, "Zelos, clarify that for me, please, since I obviously don't understand any slang you would use since I'm _not from Tethe'alla_."

Zelos frowns. "Fine, I'll say it bluntly. Are you bisexual? I know you like men but it also sounds like there's a little more to the story."

I growl at him. "You read way too much into that. I'll put in a few more details since you seem confused. At the time I met Chocolat, the friend I mentioned, I was going through a tough time so I was a bit emotionally dependant on her. When she joined a pilgrimage tour as a guide hired by the church, I volunteered to be a guard since I was learning how to wield my spear, so it was literally my job to protect her as well as the rest of the tour."

Getting more comfortable explaining the situation despite the returning memories, I further explain, this time just generally to both Zelos and Regal, "When we left the city we started the tour in, the Desians ambushed us and took us hostage in hopes of provoking Lloyd and Colette and the others into coming to our rescue and I was the only one who got away. The rescue mission turned out a success but . . . Chocolat was the only one we couldn't save. I believe she's still alive but what happened at the time is rather personal for me and Lloyd and Genis since it concerns some things that happened that only Lloyd and Genis can tell you about. What happened resulted in a bit of a rift between me and Chocolat."

Regal finishes my story with, "So that is why you feel responsible to save your friend despite the ties between you being severed."

I nod at Regal. "Yes. It took me a while to come to terms with it, but I'm better now. I'm with people who wouldn't just assume things and would give me a chance."

Zelos teases, "Are you sure about that? I just assumed that you like skirts as much as a man does."

"Don't ruin the mood, you tick."

Then we suddenly hear Lloyd announce, "Okay, guys, we need to figure out what to do next!"

The conversation ends as we turn our attention back to Lloyd, who's made a good effort to stand despite how sore he must feel. Some of us in the back have to crane our necks around (aside from Regal who's tall enough to look over even Kratos' head). Lloyd looks at each and every one of us before he speaks.

"We now know a way to separate the two worlds," Lloyd proclaims. "We need to make pacts with the Summon Spirits of both worlds and sever the mana link between them. Once all the links are broken, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla will separate and stop competing for each other's mana. So first things first, we need to form pacts with all of Tethe'alla's Summon Spirits. Which ones can we head out to?"

Raine states, "We already made a pact with Volt, so Gnome, Celsius, and Shadow are the remaining Summon Spirits we need to make pacts with. Gnome and Shadow are on this continent while Celsius is in the Temple of Ice at the Flanoir continent. I suggest we make pacts with Gnome and Shadow first before moving on to Celsius."

Sheena nods. "That's a good plan. Gnome should be the closest since he's just northwest of here."

Zelos backtracks, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Isn't that dragon's nest in that same area? That thing could eat us if we're not careful!"

Sheena mocks, "Don't worry. We'll only offer you up as a peace offering if we run out of options."

Zelos whines, "That's not very funny . . ."

Lloyd firmly reassures, "No one is going to become a sacrifice and no one is going to die. When we get there we will make absolutely sure that we don't disturb that giant dragon. There's no need to worry over what ifs."

Sheena declares, "So let's go make the next pact! I'm ready for it!"

Lloyd looks over to Sheena and smiles confidently. "Yeah! Let's go!"

With that, Lloyd dashes off—and halts as the pain in his back stops him. "Owww . . ."

Genis wonders, "Are you sure you're okay, Lloyd?"

Lloyd rubs the upper area of his back. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's like there's some sort of pressure on it, though . . ."

Raine tells him, "Take it easy, Lloyd. Your wounds were just healed."

Zelos teases, "Man, Lloyd, at this rate you'll have the back of an old man by the time you're Regal's age."

"Shut up, Zelos."

* * *

This chapter's all "meh" for me.

So to make fun of the corresponding section of the game . . .

"What is this ominous light that threatens to engulf us?" What a mouthful. "What is this ominous light?" would have been enough, but we wouldn't get lulz material.

Then Colette can't get free from the "ominous light that threatens to engulf us" because she's chained to it? Break the chains, you little flake! It didn't say that it was angel-resistant so you should be able to break them!

But here even the chains are angel-resistant.

Yes, a talking dragon. We'll see it again later.


	57. Fly Away, Little Bird

Filler, filler, filler, filler, OMG SOMETHING HAPPENED!

Don't skim~!

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Fly Away, Little Bird

Though we did fly the rheairds over to the northwest, with Colette having her own rheaird, we decided to rest for the rest of the day after all that happened. Raine kept Lloyd's activities short due to his back, frustrating Lloyd.

"You healed me with the unicorn horn, Professor," he argues. "I should be just fine!"

Raine counters. "You injured your back and then were hastily healed; your body needs time to recuperate after such drastic changes."

After that there were no permitted arguments or any "if," "ands," or "buts."

He's not the only one trapped by Raine, though. Colette gets to keep him company since the Professor wanted to be absolutely sure that Rodyle didn't do anything else to Colette while she was captured. So at least Lloyd gets to talk to someone.

Then if that weren't enough people to crowd around, I noticed that Presea is very drawn to Colette. She won't speak much without being spoken to directly, but Presea tends to stay close to the Chosen of Sylvarant. Colette, in the meantime, takes this as adorable. Soon, mother duck and duckling comparisons to Colette and Presea start spreading through the group, probably started by Sheena.

Then to add one more person to Lloyd and Colette's collection of surrounding people, with four of his favorite people hanging around in one spot, Genis stays in the same area. He continuously switches between sitting next to Raine, then Lloyd, then Colette, and then Presea, never seemingly able to make up his mind. At least he knows he wants to sit with the group.

Noishe, in the meantime, switches between running out as far as he can with great excitement to just relaxing by Lloyd.

"Hey, guys."

Zelos grabs our attention as he holds up the near-broken wing pack that we carry our heavier items in and begins pulling out . . .

. . . Holy freakin' crap! He's taking out actual treasure from the wing pack!

"Whoa!" Lloyd's jaw drops. "Where did you get all that?"

"You don't remember?" Zelos explains, "This is some of the treasure that fell off that dragon's stomach. Since these pieces were still intact and probably just came loose while that thing was moving around."

Regal points out, "Dragon treasure is one of the most dangerous things to carry around. You should have left the treasure alone."

"Why would the dragon bother?" Zelos wonders. "It's not like we raided its hoard." Zelos pulls out the last of the treasure and sets that down amongst the rest of the collection of treasure. "Here, everyone. Pick what you want and we can sell the rest."

Genis raises an eyebrow at Zelos. "You're not keeping it all?"

Zelos raises a quizzical eyebrow. "Why would I? My assets have been frozen since I'm now a wanted criminal, but once we clear our names I'll be rich again. I don't need really need all this, especially since we basically pool all our gold together anyway."

I look over at the treasure, finding pendants, pieces of armor, weapons, gems both rough and cut, and gold coins so old that their faces have been worn completely off. Sure Zelos didn't pick up too much but this is still a lot. I start looking through to see if there's at least one thing I like.

Raine picks through the coins. "Fascinating! I wonder what era these were fashioned!"

Lloyd slips out the one set of chainmail from the pile. He examines it with a critical eye. ". . . This is good chainmail. I can replace my old chainmail with this."

Presea, who hasn't picked anything out of the pile, expresses, "I don't see how I could use any of this."

Hearing her, Zelos wonders, "Nothing you could even want to hold on to?"

Presea shakes her head. "No. Nothing here can be of use to me."

Sheena slips a small weapon out of the pile. ". . . This looks like a Mizuho tantō. The fat wyrm must have taken it when it ate our informant all those years ago."

Zelos inserts, "I hope you don't mind, but I call dibs on that dagger."

"Yeah, sure. I just want to take a good look at this," Sheena replies as she examines the dagger starting with the stone sheathe. "Hmmmm . . . This sheathe is really good for a tantō."

Colette looks through this and speculates, "With so much treasure we could donate it to those in need."

Genis adds, "Yeah, we could probably fund all of Luin's reconstruction with this!"

Regal picks up one of the cut gems and examines it with an expert eye. "This cut is a rare and difficult method for shaping gemstones. How strange to find it here of all places."

"_Holy cow!_"

Our heads snap towards Sheena, whose eyes are popped and wide with absolute shock. The tantō in her hands is bare and unsheathed in her hands as she trembles with excitement. "Th-this is a Masamune tantō!"

"Masamune?" Lloyd goes. "And what's a 'tanto'?"

Regal asks, "Are you referring to a legendary sword or the sword smith of Mizuho himself?"

"The sword smith!" Sheena rushes, "Masamune was one of Mizuho's greatest sword smiths, if not our greatest sword smith! His most famous work is his Masamune tachi, as it's commonly known as. Mizuho still has his most famous tachi but all his other works have disappeared over time—_and I just found one!_"

Then she remembers something. Sheena grits her teeth in reluctance, but then begs, "Zelos . . . You still want this, right? . . . This is a treasure of Mizuho and . . . Think you could let me have it? You don't need two weapons, after all."

Zelos sighs. "Say no more. I can tell you desperately want it, so keep it. Give it back to your village if you want."

Sheena relaxes into immense relief. "Thanks . . ."

"I want a kiss in exchange, though."

Sheena growls, "Don't push your luck, stupid Chosen."

Raine asks, "Sheena, do you mind if I study the dagger for some time? The . . . tantō, is that what you call it?"

Sheena clutches onto the tantō. "I . . . guess it'd be okay for you to . . . study it, but I just want you to be veeerrry careful. I don't know how much it was damaged while that wyrm was laying on top of it."

"Of course," Raine reassures. "You needn't worry. I have a number of artifacts within my possession that have been carefully preserved and cared for."

Genis chimes in, "Yeah, she even has this old priest's crown. I think it's called the Crown of Earth, or something, and it's one of two Priests Crown from Asgard." Genis' face turns confused. "Now that I think about it, I don't remember you excavating that, Raine. Where did you get it?"

Raine tenses up. ". . . From an acquaintance."

"Really? Who was it?" Genis wonders.

"Simply an acquaintance I knew before we settled in Iselia," Raine edgily answers. "Nothing more."

Although still confused and curious, Genis doesn't push the issue.

Finding nothing I really want from the pile, I move away from the treasure.

Raine brings up to Sheena, "We can take the first night shift and study the artifact in the meantime."

Sheena nods. "That sounds like a plan."

"Tomorrow," Lloyd brings up, "let's start searching for the Temple of Earth so we can make a pact with Gnome."

* * *

"Whiiiieeee . . . !"

Lloyd stirs from his sleep . . . but goes back to snoozing.

"Heheheh . . . Squishy, squishy . . ."

"Whiiiieee . . ."

Lloyd stirs once more, but rolls over and goes back to sleep.

"Poke, poke, poke . . ."

"Whiiieee . . ."

"Presea, what are you doing?"

". . . It's so cute."

". . . Could I try?"

A pause . . .

"Poke, poke, poke . . ."

"It's softer than I would have thought."

"Whiiiiieeeee . . . !"

Lloyd finally wakes up and carps, "Noishe, keep it down . . ." Then he stops when he sees Presea and Regal huddled over close to Noishe. ". . . What are you two doing?"

Regal scoots away from Noishe. "Ah, nothing."

Presea smiles at Lloyd and points down at Noishe's paw trapped in her fingers. "Paw pad."

* * *

The next day, we all gather around. As soon as morning came, we got up and searched for the area for the entrance to the Temple of Earth together only to find nothing. However, there's a strong feeling amongst us that the entrance is just somewhere nearby.

Lloyd proposes, "Let's split up into pairs and cover more ground. Everyone, pick your partner. We'll all meet back up around lunch."

Zelos calls out, "Oohhh, Sheena~!"

"No. I'm going with Regal."

Genis grabs onto Raine's orange dress-jacket-thing. "I'm pretty sure we could find it with what we know." Then Genis looks over and beckons, "Presea! Come with us! Someone will be a third member in their group, anyway."

"Oh. Okay, Genis. I'll join you."

Colette steps up to Lloyd. "Lloyd, may I go with you?"

"Of course."

After running out of possible partners, Zelos turns to me. I immediately recognize that his feelings run along the lines of "making due" with me and my temper grows shorter in response.

"So which way do we start?" I question, wanting to distract myself from my growing irritation.

"Let's just start looking around over there," Zelos directs.

The two of us head over in a more southwest direction. With Zelos around, I figure that we would either completely miss the Temple of Earth or find it in no time, considering that seals tend to react to their world's Chosen. Least, that's what I think for a while before remembering that the temples aren't seals while the worlds are flourishing. With that change in mind, I just wonder if we'll just be able to find it without getting lost. It's not like Zelos has the amazing sense of direction that Lloyd has.

A while passes and I begin to realize that Zelos isn't acting much like a guide. In fact, he's not really looking around as sharply as he should. I question, "Zelos, are we really in the right area?"

"We're about to find out," Zelos encourages. "Why ask?"

"Because it looks like we're just wandering around."

"Come on!" he cheerfully insists. "I'm putting just as much effort into this as you are! Have some faith in me!"

"It's hard to put some faith into you when it doesn't look like you're putting some effort into this."

"How would you know what me working on something looks like?" Zelos begins to bicker.

"I may not know what you working hard looks like," I tell him, "but I do know what lazy or putting something off looks like."

Zelos decides to make this playful. "Looks like you caught me~! I'm such a lazy bum, but can you blame me? I'm a spoiled noble!"

"Spoiled is right but a lazy bum you're not when you actually want to do something," I remark. "Zelos, I have a worse sense of direction than you give me credit for! I can't look for the Temple of Earth without getting lost myself! I'm mainly watching your back while you search for it! Don't tell me we're going to go back empty-handed just because neither of us were looking for it!"

"Then I don't know what to tell you." Zelos turns away from me to continue "searching." Then I see his hand wave back at me. "By the way, while you're watching my back, make sure to tell me if you spot any dragons."

I huff at him. I watch the area around us as my thoughts gripe and complain over Zelos. One of my thoughts strays over to another subject when I come to a possible conclusion. I look back at the Tethe'allan Chosen. ". . . So that dragon from yesterday nests somewhere around here, right?"

Zelos tenses. ". . . Yeah? What of it?"

"What if one of us runs into it?" I question with concern in my voice.

"Ugh! I hope it's not me! The last thing I want is to get eaten by that thing!"

"What about the others?" I push. "They could get eaten too!"

"They have a better chance of surviving than I do if that thing finds one of us!" Zelos argues.

I pause for a moment. ". . . Is that why you're slacking off? You don't want to be the unlucky sucker that runs into that dragon."

Zelos turns around to give me a mocking grin. "Congratulations! You just discovered why I'm making a half-assed attempt at finding the Temple of Earth!"

Getting a little irritated, I bicker, "Chances are we could find the dragon's nest; chances are we could find the Temple of Earth."

"Chances are that thing is nesting around or even in the Temple of Earth," Zelos counters. "Didn't you hear it talking to Kratos? It made a deal with Cruxis not to eat any Chosens that come near its nest as long as it's sealed off from any other travelers! Add that its nest is somewhere around here, there's a chance that we could stumble into its nest at any time and I don't want to be the first Chosen who it threatened to devourer!"

Oh wow, such a brave shining knight. I ought to fall to the ground and kiss his feet. I point out, "Cruxis did promise to keep that nest sealed off from anyone but the Chosen. It's gotta be harder than that to find its nest."

"Or it might not be so hard," Zelos replies with strain.

I sigh. There's no shaking him off this mindset.

Agitated by my sigh, Zelos demands, "Well, how does _your_ world deal with dragons? Here in Tethe'alla, we run for our lives like any sane person!"

I tell him, "We don't. My world doesn't have any dragons."

"Good for you. That's one less worry Lloyd and the rest of you had."

"Oh, you meant Sylvarant."

Zelos pauses, and shrugs off, "I could mean both your world and Sylvarant."

"Sylvarant has dragons, mainly in a mountain range between Hima and Luin," I inform. "They're not nearly half as large as the dragon we just saw yesterday, but they're still a pain to fight."

"You said that there aren't any dragons in your world, right?" he mentions.

"Yeah."

"Any other monsters there that could kill me? Your world sounds safer than Tethe'alla or Sylvarant."

"You big chicken."

* * *

By the time we return, everyone turns up empty-handed but Lloyd, Colette, Sheena, and Regal collected some information where we get a better idea where the Temple of Earth is—which is definitely not to the southwest where Zelos and I went. For the next time we go out, Sheena suggested that we draw lots so the groups mix up and, hopefully, get fresh ideas for each other. With that agreed on, we made lots where there are three groups of two and one group of three and hid what shows which goes with which, sort of like cutting match sticks into different sizes and mixing their positions to hide the height. We drew our lots and got paired up: Sheena and Zelos paired, Regal and Genis together, Raine and Colette and Presea in one group, and lastly Lloyd and I in the last group.

Now with that done, it's time for lunch . . .

As Genis pulls out the cooking supplies, Colette wonders, "Just whose turn to cook is it this time?"

Genis stops and ponders that himself. When we decided to add Regal to the cooking chore schedule (what I call the list of who takes what turn when), Genis decided to "spontaneously" try a new recipe or adjust a recipe during every one of Regal's turns and Regal, too polite to call the boy out on this or too oblivious to notice what Genis is really doing, simply allows Genis to cook. Then with Genis pulling this trick when it's Raine's turn and then Colette getting kidnapped, the entire schedule went out of order. In other words: no one knows whose turn it is to cook.

Regal volunteers, "I have some experience in the culinary arts. I can cook lunch this time."

Genis glances at Regal reluctantly.

Sheena insists, "Come on, Genis. Let's let Regal cook this time."

Genis looks at me, hoping that it'll be someone else's turn. "Kelsey, who's making lunch?"

Already having my journal open (I keep the list in the back of the journal), I flip through to the back page and skim through it. When the schedule starts to make sense, I grimace painfully. "Uuhhhh . . ."

Genis watches me warily. "Kelsey . . . You're facial expression isn't giving me any good signs."

I pinch my lips together and turn my face slightly towards Raine, trying to give Genis a message without Raine getting offended. Raine, meanwhile, simply ignores me.

Genis gets the message. "A-ahh . . ." The young mage turns to Regal and tells him, "Alright, you can use my cooking tools. I'll give you my recipe book."

"That is very generous of you," Regal thanks.

"Y-yeah . . ."

Lloyd thumps his hand onto Genis' shoulder. "Let's go practice, Genis. It's been a while since we faced off." Lloyd looks toward Colette. "Colette, wanna join?"

Colette chirps, "Of course!"

Presea watches the three get up and she sheepishly asks, ". . . Would any of you mind if I went with you?"

Genis immediately replies, "No! No we wouldn't! Come with us, Presea!"

"Thank you."

Raine gets up. "Someone has to watch you."

Lloyd turns around and invites, "Kelsey, Sheena, Zelos, you three coming?"

Sheena turns down, "Nah, I'm going to rest here for a bit. Thanks, though."

"Someone has to watch over the place," I point out.

Zelos, with his sketchbook out, contently replies, "I'm good."

"Alright. Suit yourselves." Lloyd leaves to join the others.

When the group is out of hearing range, Sheena asks, "Was it really Raine's turn to cook?"

I reply, "No, it was mine. I just wanted Genis to let Regal have a turn for once."

"Is that so?" Regal wonders.

"Yeah. Only Professor Raine's cooking would get Genis to do something he doesn't want to do." I quickly add, "Not that I think your cooking could be anywhere near as bad as hers."

"I actually got sick for a day or two," Sheena recalls with a grimace.

"Oooo, yeah, that was a bad episode." Then I remember, "I also heard that Kratos had to use First Aid on himself after trying Raine's cooking."

"Damn, I thought the smell was bad enough," Zelos carps.

Regal replies, "I don't see how anyone's cooking could be at that level."

"It's that bad," Sheena, Zelos, and I insist in union.

Sheena then tells, "You'll see for yourself once the time comes."

After that, I relax as I take in the fresh air around me. The scent of Regal's cooking adds flavor to the air and draws my attention. Despite the shackles, Regal has relatively little trouble handling the cooking utensils and shows the first true sign of complete ease in mood since . . . well, ever. The man is definitely in his element.

I feel something tap my arm. I look over to find Zelos holding out his sketchbook towards me, an easy grin etching his face. Since I never got the privilege to actually look at whatever Zelos sketches, I'm feeling a little special. I take the sketchbook and, starting where Zelos bookmarked a page, look through the pictures. Depth, proportional, creative, and artistic, Zelos is extremely skilled, especially for someone who just casually etches on some paper. He's certainly a lot better than me—

I pause at one image, seeing all of us in a group walking towards some unknown destination. When I find that my image has been replaced with Tethe'alla's version of a space alien, I scowl at the picture.

"Heheheheheheh . . ."

I close the sketchbook and lash out to swat Zelos' head with his own sketchbook. Unfortunately, my reach comes up short enough for Zelos to easily block me and take back the sketchbook.

Everyone out practicing comes back one Regal had already filled everyone's plates with food. As Regal passes the plates around, Lloyd chatters, "Can you really cook even with those shackles on?"

"Hmph." Regal urges, "Why don't you taste it and pass judgment then?"

Lloyd scoops up a bit of the food and takes a bite. Sheer delight shapes Lloyd's face. "Wow! This is great!"

Regal proudly replies, "Of course!"

Lloyd then teases, "But knowing you, you probably made this with your feet!"

"Of course!"

Lloyd's face freezes in horror. His eyes glance from Regal's confident face to his dirty feet and back, his horror magnifying.

Regal drops the prideful expression. "That was a joke."

Lloyd's expression drops from horror to slightly disturbed. "It doesn't look like it when you say something like that with a straight face . . ."

Genis remarks between bites, "Wow, Lloyd, sometimes you're more gullible than Colette."

Colette frowns in confusion. "I-I'm gullible?"

I roll my eyes.

* * *

After lunch, we all split up into our respective pairs. Lloyd and I go off towards the east-northeast area while everyone else goes in different degrees of north. The area becomes speckled with trees while rugged land creates ledges and new higher footing. We keep along the cliffs as we search for the Temple of Earth's entrance.

As I walk along with him, I'm reminded that Lloyd's a much more chatty person than Sheena or Zelos (though not as much as Colette is). There's a sense of ease since awkward silences are few and in-between (but end up being worse when they do occur). We chat about the homework Raine assigned us, Presea and Colette finally smiling, and other things . . .

Like the joke Regal pulled on Lloyd.

"I thought he was serious!" Lloyd defends.

"That doesn't change the fact that it's ridiculous to cook with your feet." I speculate, "Only a monkey could have that kind of dexterity."

"He had a straight face and everything!" Lloyd defends. "He didn't even miss a beat!"

"Lloyd, I doubt that even Colette fell for that," I tease.

Meanwhile . . .

Colette asks, "Professor Sage, do you think that Regal could have really made that delicious meal with his feet? It's would be so cool if he did!"

"No, dear, I highly doubt Regal actually used his feet to cook," Raine patiently replies.

Back to us, Lloyd redirects the conversation, "A-anyway, Regal's cooking is really good! I bet he's as good as Genis!"

I smile. "It was delicious! With two good cooks in our group, our food's going to get even better!"

Lloyd hopefully suggests, "Maybe Regal could even give Professor Raine some lessons!"

My smile surrenders to a sad sigh. "The question isn't if Regal would give her lessons. The question is if Professor Raine would learn anything from those lessons."

"Professor Raine is smart!" Lloyd insists, clinging onto hope. "She'll learn!"

"Genis tried giving her lessons," I remind.

"But this is a different person!" Lloyd positively declares. "Something will stick!"

"I really hope so."

A moment passes, minor comments here and there on the way, and then Lloyd suddenly asks, "By the way, what do you think of Presea, Zelos, and Regal?"

"Hm?" I raise an eyebrow at him. "Why ask me?"

"Because I don't know what you think of them." Lloyd tells, "Colette likes everyone of course, Genis only likes Presea but I think he's warming up to Regal, Professor Raine's starting to trust them, and I'm pretty sure Sheena likes all three of them and she just gets annoyed with Zelos sometimes."

Sometimes is an understatement, Lloyd.

I question, "Well, what about you? You're usually good at judging other people."

Lloyd pauses with a slight scowl. "Yeah. 'Usually.'"

"Lloyd?" I step closer to him.

"If I'm such a good judge of character," Lloyd remarks, "I would have seen right through Kratos."

I take a second to get a response together. ". . . Lloyd, none of us had any reason not to trust Kratos. As a matter of fact, if he hadn't taken off with Colette at Hima and just kept up with his façade, none of us would have suspected a thing."

Then what I said hits me. ". . . You know what, that's just weird. Kratos should have seen the discovery coming. If he really did want to keep up the mercenary thing he should have just stayed with us until Colette was gone."

Lloyd points out, "Then Remiel might have exposed him anyway when we started fighting. Remiel was the one who called him 'lord' in the first place. Kratos didn't tell us who he was until Remiel already exposed him."

"Oh, yeah."

"Anyway," Lloyd returns to the original topic, getting angry at the memories of Kratos' betrayal, "you still didn't answer my question."

I roll my eyes. "Alright." I tell him, "To be honest, I don't think I know them well enough to accurately describe them. Sure, Presea is a shy girl and we should invite her into conversation more, Zelos likes to laugh rather than take anything seriously but he has a very magnetic personality, and Regal seems to only open up once he gets to know us and when he does he's an interesting person, but that's about all I really know."

Then I wonder, "Why ask me, though?"

"Well . . . I wanted to see if anyone else noticed what I saw of them." Lloyd notes, "Presea may be shy but she really does want to join in with us. She just seems to think that she's not really welcome or somehow doesn't fit in with us. With Colette and Genis encouraging her, I'm hoping that she'll get more comfortable with us. Regal seems like what you described, that he's the type someone has to get to know before you start to understand him. He's really a good guy, I can tell. I'm kinda sad that Genis won't give Regal much of a chance yet."

Then Lloyd's eyes narrow ruefully. "As for Zelos . . . He might laugh a lot, but I think he's a lot more distant than anyone assumes. There's just something about him that kind of repels people."

My eyes grow a little wide. My thoughts flash back to an ending I dread. "He . . . He's reliable though. Zelos can be trusted when push comes to shove."

"I don't think that's it," Lloyd says. "I think the thing is that Zelos doesn't trust us."

That's . . . really opposite of what I was suspecting.

A pause goes by . . .

Lloyd breaks the silence by turning around to walk on. "We need to keep moving."

"R-right."

We keep walking on; our awkward silence only broken after Lloyd picks up conversation on something more casual. The two of us climb up onto higher ledges of earth with Lloyd testing their stability ("Dwarvan Vow Number Thirty-Two: cross even a stone bridge only after testing it."). Eventually the paths narrow down to one. Lloyd carefully crosses this one, testing the ground's stability . . .

A cracking sound echoes through the air. Just as the ground underneath starts giving away, Lloyd darts back to me. I urge him to go faster as I retreat away from the area. Lloyd sinks under the ground level as the earth under his feet breaks apart. My heart pounds as he disappears . . .

Lloyd's red glove catches the remaining ledge. For a split second, I stare in dread as I half expect that glove to disappear as well. Then, the glove pulls up and Lloyd leaps onto the more stable ground. I scramble for him and pull him away from the ledge despite the fact that he could have just walked away himself.

"Owwww . . ." Lloyd groans as he stretches his left arm, the arm that caught the ledge, in a circle. "That was a close one."

"Too close. Let's get to lower ground," I suggest. "This is a dead end."

"Yeah."

I work to keep my mind off that scare and instead concentrate on Lloyd, making sure that he's alright. On the way down, I conclude that, while Lloyd might ache for a little bit, nothing is wrong with Lloyd's arm or shoulder. Maybe I'm just acting paranoid.

When we get to the more forested area, however, Lloyd stops as he rubs his shoulders. "Owww . . ."

"Are you alright?" I question.

"Yeah, I think so," Lloyd answers. "The pain in my back is getting worse."

I raise an eyebrow. "You mean the pain from your back nearly breaking? I thought it went away."

"No, but it was getting better." Lloyd wonders, "Maybe I aggravated something."

"Maybe."

Lloyd asks, "Since Professor Sage isn't around, do you think you could check to see if anything is wrong?"

". . . You mean check your back?"

"Yeah."

"Sure. No problem." Other than the fact that it's an awkward position, me staring at Lloyd's (muscled) back.

Lloyd slips off his red jacket and waits patiently as I examine his back, checking more for strained muscles while resisting the urge to just simply check his muscles out (hey, Lloyd has his good features too). As I trace and test his muscles under his black undershirt, I don't sense anything that indicates overuse or strain nor does Lloyd react in any way that signifies pain.

I report, "I don't see anything."

"That's not even where the pain is," Lloyd tells me.

"I was checking your arm and everything attached," I remind. Then I shake my head, mainly at myself. "Never mind. Just tell me when I get to the area where the pain is."

I start at his upper back. My hands trace indifferently around (my irritation nullifying any awkward attraction) so Lloyd can signal to me where the back pain is originating.

". . . There."

My hand stops. I frown in slight confusion. "Lloyd, this is below your shoulder blade. It's a little far for a strained muscle, least I think it is."

"It's on the other side too."

I place my hand on the corresponding spot on the opposite side of the spine, both hands below the shoulder blades. "Anywhere else."

"Just there. The pain spreads out from there but that's where it's mainly coming from."

I frown. "We're going to have to check with Professor Raine."

"You don't see anything?"

"Nothing. We're going to have to go back for now." I offer, "I could cast First Aid and see if that makes it feel any better."

"Yeah, it's okay, really," Lloyd cautiously denies. "I would just . . . feel more comfortable if Professor Sage handled this, she being a healer and all."

"I can cast First Aid," I reassure. "I only need to chant the spell. I'm getting better."

"Well, we need to conserve our energy for the trip back," Lloyd adds. "So hold off on that spell, okay?"

I give him a flat look. ". . . Is Reverse First Aid scaring you a bit?"

". . . I'm sorry . . ."

"Whaaatever." I casually smack Lloyd on the back, deliberately applying enough pressure to aggravate the spots that Lloyd feels pain in.

"Ow!"

I go on some ahead of Lloyd and let him follow, before I pause to realize that I have absolutely no idea where I'm going. I stop to let Lloyd by.

Lloyd walks in a slower pace than usual, one hand massaging his back while the other one holds onto his red jacket. I frown, feeling guilty for the pain now. "I . . . I don't think I hit you that hard . . . If I did I'm sorry."

Lloyd shakes his head as he stops rubbing his back in favor of putting back on his jacket. "No, you didn't. It's just getting worse now . . ." Then he quickly adds, "I can make it back to the camp, though. It's nothing to worry about."

As he takes the lead, though, Lloyd pauses and digs his fingers into his back. His face crumples into a grimace.

Now I'm seriously getting worried. "Lloyd, don't downplay the pain. If we need to stop and rest, just say so." I raise my hand halfway up. "No shame in taking a break. If I were in your place, I'd be begging to stop for a moment. You're doing better than I would."

Lloyd takes a few second to himself . . . and then agrees, "Yeah, I need to stop for a moment. Let's sit down somewhere. Owwww . . ."

I watch as Lloyd moves over to somewhere he can feel comfortable . . . Then Lloyd collapses into a kneel.

"Lloyd!" I hurry to his side and kneel down. I assure him, "I'll send up a distress signal. The others are going to be here soon."

I leave his side, forcing myself to ignore his hissing via pain, and look up to the sky to find most of it covered in branches. Considering that my distress signal is either Fire Ball or Flamelance, the trees in the way aren't a good thing, especially since I can't wander too far away from Lloyd.

In an attempt to relieve some stress, I reassure him, "I'm . . . about to send up a distress signal! I just need to find a place where I won't set the trees on fire!"

"For crying out loud . . ." Lloyd growls. "Owwww . . . !"

I return to Lloyd's side, not knowing what to do. Then an idea comes to mind. I begin casting, "Oh healing powers . . ."

Lloyd protests, "No, Kelsey! Don't cast First Aid! Please don't cast First Aid!"

I stop casting and make neck-strangling motions behind Lloyd's back. "Lloyd! I'm trying to help you!"

Lloyd hisses through more pain before forcing out, "Maybe if you—owwww—give me some lemon gels and pineapple gels I'll be able to—oww, oww—get through the pain enough to make it back."

I hold my arms up before dropping them. "I don't think you should be moving, but you won't let me cast First Aid and I can't send up a distress signal without causing a forest fire, so I guess we have no other option. Okay."

I kneel down and pull off my bag. My hand digs in and pulls out the gels we carry with us. I put them all right next to Lloyd's hands from apple and orange gels to lemon and pineapple gels. Some gels are ones that I've been saving up while all others are ones that were given to me and Lloyd for the trip.

I stand up, saying to him, "I'll call for help. Maybe Colette's close enough to hear us. She can get Professor Raine."

While Lloyd glugs down the gels, I turn around and take in as much air as I can muster . . .

"COLEEEEEETTE!" I bellow.

"Ow!"

I look down to find Lloyd rubbing his ear. Huh. Normally that volume doesn't hurt his ears. Must have been the pitch. That usually gets me. I move a good distance away from Lloyd to continue my screaming.

"COLEEEEETTE! COLETTE COLETTE COLETTE! GET PROFESSOR RAAAAAIIIINNNE! COLEEEEEEETTE!" I continue shouting at the top of my lungs.

. . . If this situation weren't so serious, I'd probably shout "I am woman. Hear me roar."

"COOOOLLLLLLEEEEEEETTE!"

I really hope she hears me, otherwise I'm just shouting out to empty space like an idiot.

"COLETTE COLETTE COOOLLLLLEETTE!"

Suddenly, I feel a ripple of mana. It passes from behind me and fades away. Even after that little burst, I still feel a gentle aura of mana, small yet constant. Curiosity getting the better of me, I turn around . . .

. . . Holy shit . . . !

Gleaming sky blue, light and gentle as feathers, all in the shape of eagle wings: that's the best that I can describe them. They look mystical and divine; ethereal yet solid enough for me to touch; large enough to sustain flight if they were solid but not appearing to be made of any substance but light.

Lloyd stares in utter shock at the large wings sprouting from his back. His eyes are bugged and wide; his jaw is slightly dropped; his breathing nearly caught. He just stands there, half turned around, staring at the wings that could completely envelope him. What seems like forever passes as Lloyd's eyes focus entirely on those wings . . .

. . . Finally, Lloyd's hand twitches . . . and, shakily, moves towards the one wing in front of Lloyd's face. His hand makes the difficult journey gradually, and then hesitates before reaching out, as if to dismiss an illusion. Lloyd's red fingers move through the layers of feathers, going completely through them, and yet the feathers give and sway as if being of real substance.

Lloyd flinches and staggers back, reality hitting him. His wings clumsily swing around behind him. Then his eyes land on me, who stares back.

Our eyes lock onto each other for a long time . . .

In a flash, Lloyd bolts out of the area.

I gasp at the sudden movement. When my brain registers that Lloyd took off, my heart starts speeding in reaction.

"_Lloyd!_" I cry out. "_Come back! You can't just leave me out here! Lloyd! Llooooyyyyyd!_"

I gasp for air and allow a little time to slip by. When no sign of Lloyd comes, I renew my shouting.

"_Lloyyyd! Don't just leave me out here!_" I shout. "_You know I don't have any sense of direction! I'm already lost! LLOOOYYYYD!_"

. . . Shit . . . He's not coming back, is he?

"_LLOOOOYYYYYD!_"

. . . He's not coming back . . .

I gasp, my heart panicking. I won't be able to make it back to the camp. Lloyd knows his way, but somehow he forgot that I don't. I relied totally on him, especially since I don't have a sense of direction.

". . . He'll come back," I tell myself. "Lloyd has to come back. Once he calms down, he'll come back for me. He'd do something stupid, but he wouldn't just purposely abandon someone. He'll come back . . ."

Or Colette will get here before him. One of the two.

I'll be fine. I'll be fine.

Just . . . stay here where everyone can find you.

Just . . . stay here . . .

My knees give and I collapse down into a sit. I just wait there, and let time pass by. Seconds pass in an eternity. Emotions become dull blurs and thoughts turn passive. I start to feel wet lines trace down my cheeks but I pay them no heed. I utter no sounds; I don't need to cry out for anyone. Lloyd knows where I am. He'll return. Latest, he'll be back by sundown. By then the others would have found me and we'll be waiting for him to return. Everything will be fine.

Yup. Just fine.

Something behind me stirs the bushes, and I hear something approach. I stand and turn to face whoever it could be.

Colette, Raine, and Presea.

They made it before Lloyd.

Colette frantically approaches me. "Kelsey! I heard you shouting! What happened?" She snaps her head around and focuses back to me. "Where's Lloyd?"

Trying to bring my thoughts together, I just stutter, "I-I-I don't know. He—He just . . . took off! He's not hurt, but—but . . ."

"Kelsey!" Colette cries.

Raine intervenes. "Step aside, Colette. Kelsey . . ." Raine orders, "First, calm down. Then tell us everything that happened, slowly."

I just stare for a moment. Then, I force out, "L-Lloyd . . . His back was hurting again. It got worse and worse until I had to call for help. Th-then . . ."

"Then what?" Raine ushers.

"He—He just . . . He just suddenly sprouted wings! Lloyd has angel wings!"

* * *

So what's with Lloyd? I'll give you what he was thinking in the next chapter.

Please review.


	58. Rest Thyself, Little Swallow

Shiroi Iyasu, are you insane yet? It's been over a month since I updated. [insert evil maniacal laugh]

Anyway, I didn't update two of my stories since I was still in writer's block over them. Don't worry they won't be deleted.

Through the Brother's Eyes is back up again.

That Ocarina of Time story that I've wanted to do for a long time is now up and, sadly, The Extra Piece will be deleted by the end of this month. Fans of The Extra Piece are recommended to move over to Song of Souls. I'm sorry for not finishing a story I started . . . (but believe me, the WW fic would not have gone well)

Anyway, I figure it's finally time to put an end to the cliffhanger from the last chapter. Though, to me, it all feels awkward. I feel like I could've done better but I don't know how . . .

By the way, is anyone else having trouble with this website? I can't post a new one-shot I've been wanting to post and I can't even check individual records and views for my fics.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Rest Thyself, Little Swallow

The three stare at me, Raine, Presea, and Colette, with wide eyes filled with shock. I swallow down the knot in my throat, trying to recall whatever nerve I have left as their silence cows me into a corner. My thoughts echo with pleas for them to believe me.

Please . . . Please . . . Let them believe me . . . !

Presea frowns and says, "I don't understand. How could Lloyd have wings? His biological structure doesn't have enough avian qualities for wings."

This simple question breaks the silence that weighs so heavily upon us all. Raine breaks from the spell and narrows her eyes into an expression of cool calculation. "It must have been his Exsphere. Lloyd's Exsphere evolved into a Cruxis Crystal—but how could this happen so soon? This development is too fast for a Cruxis Crystal to evolve."

Colette switches between the two and snaps, "Who cares about that right now? We have to find Lloyd!"

Wait . . . Did Colette just snap at someone, let alone Raine and Presea? She just snapped at someone!

Raine staggers at Colette's tone. "D-did you just _snap_ at me, Colette?" The professor turns from shock to scolding. "You should know better than to take such a rude tone at me, young lady!"

Colette falters before correcting herself, this time with a stern attitude yet a polite tone, "I'm sorry, Professor Sage, but we need to find Lloyd! He could be lost—or even hurt!"

"I understand, Colette," Raine says. "See if you can find him from the air and the rest of us shall track him. Kelsey, which direction did he go?"

I point in the direction Lloyd dashed off to. "That way. I . . . I don't know what came over him."

"We will find out soon."

Colette releases her wings and hovers above the ground. "I still can't believe Lloyd would just run off like this . . . There has to be something you missed, Kelsey!"

Like what? The fact that he ran off after realizing that I just saw him sprout wings? I don't speak my thoughts, however, and let Colette fly off without another word.

Presea uses Lloyd's footprints to follow him on ground while Colette keeps lookout above the trees. As we follow Presea, I can't help but be thankful that Lloyd doesn't know how to fly yet. After all, no one is going to be able to sprout wings and instantly know how to fly like the game suggests. If it was so then we wouldn't have Lloyd's footprints to track down. Though, there was one little problem . . .

Since it hasn't rained in this area for some time, Lloyd's footprints are fairly light in the dusty topsoil. Added to that, Lloyd is heading up to a rocky cavern area to the east-northeast, causing the footprints to become lighter and lighter. Soon we are lead to guessing and relying on Colette and Raine's intuition concerning Lloyd's nature. However, that still doesn't put us in a good position since they are even more confused than Presea and I am since Lloyd is acting very out of character.

"LLLLOOOOYYYYD!" Colette cries out, once again calling for Lloyd.

Presea, in the meantime, stops before a cave and peers into it. ". . . This is where the footprints end. I can't find any more."

Raine examines the area with a calculative eye.

I wonder, "Perhaps we need to go back to camp and get Noishe. He'll sniff Lloyd out."

"Lloyd!"

The three of us look up to find Colette reaching a higher slope. She halts in flight and gasps while the rest of us remain clueless and guessing. "Lloyd! You have . . . !"

Then she lands and disappears as she gets to his level.

I glance around to see if I can climb up to that ledge. When I find a promising spot, I leave as Presea says to herself, "I wonder if he flew up there or if he merely climbed."

Grabbing hold of the ledge, I climb up the rough earth, hoping that I don't fall down to a fate involving a broken neck. After a second or two, I hear Raine and Presea climbing up the ledges just behind me. As we get closer, Colette and Lloyd's voices become clearer and louder, giving us the chance to hear their conversation.

". . . and after that I . . . I just started running. I didn't want anyone seeing these . . . these _things_."

"Lloyd, there's nothing wrong with your wings."

"What are the others going to think? Cruxis angels are the only ones besides a Chosen who have wings! What are they going to think when I suddenly show up with wings on my back?"

". . . Lloyd, they're just going to be just as surprised as we are. That's all. We still think of you as Lloyd—nothing really changed at all."

". . . 'We'?"

Upon a miracle of timing, I pull up to the ledge where Colette and Lloyd sit, Lloyd keeping his back against a wall with his large eagle-like wings crumpled up against themselves, giving off enough light and color to reveal lines and shapes of feathers. When he notices me, I stare at Lloyd with a tense silence and let him squirm.

"Gonna help me up?" I bite.

As Lloyd takes the hint and pulls me up on the ledge, Colette tells, "You don't have to talk to him like that."

"I don't, but I think I will anyway since he just bolted without warning and without coming back," I edgily reply.

Lloyd turns downcast. "I'm sorry . . . I'm a coward."

I huff. "You're not a coward. You may be acting like one but you're not a coward. Don't you realize that there are a lot of things that everyone around you wouldn't have done if it weren't for you? You have so much courage that it's contagious."

Lloyd doesn't reply, probably not buying into what I said.

As Raine and Presea pull themselves up onto the ledge, Colette frowns at Lloyd and scolds, "Lloyd, weren't you the one who told me that, no matter what I become or what I am, I'm still me? If you still consider all of us as 'Colette is Colette' or 'Genis is Genis,' why can't you treat yourself that way?"

Lloyd looks up at her, his expression softening considerably.

Then Colette adds, "Besides, if you're worried about the others seeing your wings, I teach you how to put them away! I can even teach you how to fly!"

Raine agrees, "Colette is right, Lloyd. You should consider her offer no matter your intentions."

Lloyd doesn't say anything at first . . . then he finally speaks up, "Yeah, you're right. All of you." He glances at his wings for a second. "I won't run away from these things."

Colette smiles. "I'm sure nothing about how they see you will change, Lloyd."

"Excuse me," Presea speaks up, "but we should probably get down from this ledge. Also, there is a deep cave that we could investigate in case it is the entrance to the Temple of Earth."

"Yes, we should be getting down," Raine agrees.

I look down . . . and cringe. "That's a long drop . . ."

Suddenly, Presea jumps down. She lands with a thump and looks back up to report, "This drop is shorter than it appears. It's safe to jump."

Raine jumps down followed by Lloyd with his wings trailing behind him and then Colette. I brace myself and force myself down. When I hit the ground, I grunt in pain. My knees give and drop my body to the ground, thankfully in a sitting position so I don't end up hitting my head. Instead of getting up, I just sit there and give my feet a break.

Lloyd comes up to me, his wings folding back, and sheepishly asks, "Are . . . Are you still mad at me for leaving you back there?"

I give him a stern look and just stare at him for a moment. ". . . I wouldn't say mad."

Lloyd cringes. ". . . You're really angry, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say angry."

"You're furious . . ."

"I wouldn't say furious."

". . . Are you teasing me?"

"I wouldn't say teasing."

Lloyd sighs and places his palm against his face. "Yeah, you're teasing me . . ."

"I just said that I wouldn't say teasing."

Now getting irritated, Lloyd tells me, "I'm trying to apologize for leaving you behind!"

"Then stop beating around the bush and apologize," I push. Man, I hate it when people waste words like that.

Lloyd scowls at me for a second, irritated at my antics, but his expression turns to a genuine sheepish look. "I'm sorry for just leaving you like that. I was about to go back but—"

"Apology accepted," I flatly interrupt

"What?" Lloyd stares at me with blank eyes.

"I'd rather put that episode behind me," I tell him. "You're back and I'm not lost so it's all good in my book."

"You . . . You gotta be mad! At least a little!"

I turn to him with a flat look. "Well, which do you want: me being mad at you or me teasing you relentlessly?"

". . . I think I'll go with the teasing."

"That's what I thought."

"Hey, everyone?" Colette draws our attention. "If it's alright, I'll stay out here and teach Lloyd how to put away his wings. We will wait for you out here."

"Actually," Raine mentions, "I believe I will stay out here as well. I want to study your wings, Lloyd, and figure out why they have such an unusual shape."

Lloyd gets a wary look, remembering back to a few instances where Raine wanted to study Corrine or Noishe's biological structure. ". . . Can I say no?"

"No."

"Aw man . . ."

Presea looks up at me and reminds, "We need to look inside that cave."

"Uh . . . Right . . ." I reluctantly leave, wanting to watch as Raine "studies" Lloyd's wings and crack a few wing-related jokes . . . Then I conclude that I've probably spent too much time around Zelos if I want to make Lloyd suffer a little more by adding insult to injury.

As Presea and I enter the cave, I keep my weapon ready in case something occurs or jumps out. As one of Tolkien's books showed, you don't really want to be in an unexplored cave. Though I suppose that with me and Presea scouting, this would be us checking what was inside, but what if caves up in mountains were seldom unoccupied? After all, Hima's mountains were like that with their dragons. Also, let's not forget the dragon in this area. Then, even if this cave isn't occupied, I still don't know how far this one goes back or if there might be a passage that leads to something just waiting for prey.

Eventually, Presea and I get deep enough into the cave where we rely on my trick of adjusting my Horizon attack to make a magical torch. I feel it steadily draining my mana (or the amount I can spare) as I keep the fire alive, hoping that we will find some sort of sign of whether or not this is the entrance to the Temple of Earth.

I glance down at Presea, getting a little uncomfortable at the silence. I think of something to talk about, which is hard to do in such an awkward silence.

Finally, I try, "Soooo . . . You seem calm after what happened."

A pause . . .

Presea speaks up in a rather awkward manner. ". . . Well, I was confused for a while at what was going on. Though, you yourself were a lot calmer once we started searching for Lloyd."

"That long walk took the sting off of what happened," I reply.

Presea looks slightly down. "I wonder . . . if Lloyd was scared."

"Hm?"

"He ran off for a reason, didn't he?" Presea mentions, "Lloyd ran off when you saw his wings. So he must have been frightened."

I let a second pass before I respond. "Yes, I could see that. The expression on his face just before he bolted . . ." I pause. ". . . Well, Colette can help him through this. She went through something similar."

"She did?" Presea goes, showing confusion.

I nod. "Back in Sylvarant."

"Oh. Yes, there."

"She was afraid of being viewed as a freak while she was going through the angel transformation," I tell her. "So she hid all of that from us. Lloyd found out before the rest of us but Lloyd seems to notice things that we don't, which is ironic since he's pretty oblivious to some stuff."

"I suppose Lloyd possesses more intellectual power than he shows."

That statement went a little fast. I look at her with a slightly confused expression before I catch what she meant. "Oh. Yeah, Lloyd is a lot smarter than he looks, or at least he's capable of being smarter than he is now. He just doesn't give any effort to the required bookwork. I guess that's part of the reason why Professor Raine doesn't give up on him and why she gets so frustrated with him."

"I see."

"Anyway," I redirect the (mainly one-sided) conversation, "since their places have been reversed, Lloyd should be able to get most of his support from Colette."

Presea lowers her head. "I hope so . . ."

Silence . . .

The awkward quiet puts an uneasy air around us as we go on. I shift uncomfortably as this silence continues. I wonder if Presea feels the same way. I glance down to find that, although I can't really tell from her neutral expression, there's a slight tension that suggests that she feels out of place too.

To try to ignore this awkwardness, I look forward and peer out into the darkness . . . then my eyes detect . . . something . . . I can't quite tell . . .

"Hold on," I say as I stop. "I think I see something up ahead."

Presea turns towards me. "What do you think it could be?"

"I don't know." I glance at my make-shift torch. "Let me put out the fire . . . See if it's light . . ."

As soon as I cut off the steady flow of mana from me to the flame, the unnatural fire instantly burns out and vanishes. Darkness immediately floods in around us. I allow my eyes to adjust to the darkness and scan the area for any trace of, well, something other than pitch-black cavern space. Then, out in the path ahead of us, I spot a trace of light just down the tunnel.

"Do you see that, Presea?"

"See what?"

"That light!"

". . . Now I see it, but just barely."

"It's still there. Let's go see what it is . . ."

I light the head of my spear once more, grateful that the spearhead is a flame-immune dragon fang and unlikely to melt. I hurry on ahead with Presea just behind me. As the light becomes brighter and obvious to even weak eyes, my encouragement increases and spurs me on.

At last, we reach the light ahead and find that the tunnel grows in size until it opens up to a large cavern room. This area, unlike the Toize Valley Mine, is rougher and holds less structure; yet I spot a bridge here and there that links certain areas together. Everything spirals down to a deeper area that I can't identify due to distance, although the bottom can be seen (not like that's any consolation for someone afraid of heights like me). The light in the temple, in the meantime, illuminates from countless lanterns hanging from the high cavern ceiling and off the sides of the cave walls, placing main paths on display while more minor areas are dim and dark.

"This cave has been used before," Presea states. "There are signs of structure and human involvement here. This place could very well be the Temple of Earth."

"Want to take a look around?" I ask.

Presea nods. "It would be in our best interest to investigate further."

I nod in agreement and we move onward—

"HEY!"

We both jump and whirl around, searching for the source of that sound.

"Down here, stupids!"

Presea and I look down and discover, guess what, a gnome. With a little green hat and that Kirby-rip-off face, this gnome looks exactly like the one we found in the Toize Valley Mine.

. . . Or is this the same one we found at the mine?

Presea greets, "Hello, gnome. I see you made it here as well. I heard about you from the others."

"Whaddaya talkin' about?" gripes the gnome. "I never met either of you! And you can't sweet talk your way in without Big Brother's permission!"

Oh, Big Brother. Now I remember. If I didn't know better, I'd say that the gnomes had some form of government mirroring 1984 with that "Big Brother" stuff, which would be really weird since these are, well, gnomes.

Knowing that I'll get some confirmation on our location, I wonder, "Just what is this place?"

The gnome squawks, "Whaddaya mean by that? Are ya stupid or something? Did your parents drop you on yer head when you were a baby?"

Well, yes, it was at Wal-Mart and on a tile floor but that's not the point.

Keeping myself from getting irritated, I repeat, "Well, where are we?"

"You _are _a stupid broad!"

Now I'm getting irritated.

The gnome continues, "This place ain't just any ol' place! This is the Temple of Earth where Gnome stays! And not just _a_ gnome—THE Gnome!"

"So this is the Temple of Earth," Presea reflects. She turns to me with a confirmative expression. "Kelsey, we found it. We need to return to the others and tell them where this temple is."

"Yeah, let's go back." Before I end up killing a gnome.

We leave the entrance to the Temple of Earth, ignoring the gnome's further insults and taunts that trail after us. The mana I can spare for spells depleted to nothing through keeping my torch lit by the time we leave the large cavern tunnel—which created a problem since we had to walk around in the dark for a bit. I tripped so many times . . .

Anyway, once we exit the cave into daylight, the others are sitting in a space while Raine hovers around Lloyd's back, examining and studying Lloyd's large wings. Colette, off to the side, spots us and points us out to Raine and Lloyd. "Look! They're back!"

"Finally!" Lloyd sighs. Then his expression turns hopeful. "Did you find the Temple of Earth."

Presea confirms, "Yes, we did. We also found the gnome from the Toize Valley Mine."

"That insulting little snot . . ." I grumble.

Lloyd states, "Good job. Now we need to go back to camp and tell the others."

Raine sighs, "I suppose I will have to put this off until another time . . ."

Then I wonder, "Lloyd, what are you going to do about your wings? Are you going to keep this from the others?"

Lloyd stands up and shakes his head. "No . . . I'll tell them all . . . I can't keep secrets from them."

. . . Well . . . That . . . That puts some things in perspective . . .

Lloyd looks back at his wings and watches as they quickly fade from view, demonstrating that he now knows how to handle his wings. He faces each and every one of us with an unreadable expression. ". . . Let's go. The others might already be at the camp."

As I follow Lloyd and the others, I can sense Lloyd's unease growing as we get closer to the camp. I imagine that the hike back to the camp must feel too quick for Lloyd since it doesn't take long for us to reach our destination. Though, I notice that before we get close that Lloyd and Colette exchange matching puzzled expressions, making me wonder what they could've heard.

As we get closer, though, I finally understand some of their confusion.

". . . yaiba ni~i ka~awa~aruuu . . ."

. . . Is that singing?

"Hiiitotsu futatsu~u waaaa . . ."

. . . Yup, that's singing, and a woman's voice too. Most likely Sheena since she's the only woman who could be at camp right now.

". . . Akagooo mo fumuga, mi~itsu yotsu waaaa . . ."

We enter the camp, our eyes turning to Sheena. Her back turned to us, she sings some strange song as she cleans and cares on the tantō Zelos retrieved from the dragon. To the side, Zelos snoozes, completely missing the chance to hear Sheena sing (which would be a first to hear her sing for at least most of us). Genis and Regal, meanwhile, are still out searching.

Utterly oblivious to us, Sheena continues her song. "Oooni mo naaaku, na~akuuu . . . Tataraaa onna wa koganeee no nasakeee . . ."

Raine moves over—quietly, thank goodness—to her usual spot and settles down while the rest of us just stare.

"Toookete nagareryaaa . . . Yaiba ni~i ka~awa~aruuu . . ."

I move around silently so Sheena isn't disrupted. As I pass Zelos, I wonder if he really is asleep. I contemplate softly kicking his arm to see how he reacts but then decide that's a bit much.

". . . Akagooo mo fumuga, mi~itsu yotsu waaa . . ."

I kneel down and poke his face. Zelos' eyebrows and mouth twitch but he remains still.

. . . Yeah, he's faking it. The stillness is forced.

". . . naaaku, na~akuuu . . ."

A sudden silence . . .

Then I hear Sheena squawk, ". . . How long were you standing there?"

"Uh . . ." Lloyd goes.

I look up to find Colette chirping, "Sheena that was beautiful! I didn't know you could sing!"

Sheena blushes and denies, "Ah, no, it's not that great. It's actually an old work song back when Mizuho still lived on this continent."

"Really?" Colette goes on. "What do the lyrics mean?"

Zelos sighs and opens his eyes. I comment at him, "What a convenient time to wake up."

Zelos responds, "Shh, or she'll get on to me too."

"N-never mind that!" As she sheathes the tantō, Sheena redirects, "Anyway, Lloyd, Colette, all of you shouldn't sneak up on people like that!"

Lloyd wonders, "Are you embarrassed, Sheena?"

Sheena blushes into a deeper red.

Raine informs, "Sheena, you might want to know that we found the Temple of Earth."

"Really?" Sheena's expression gets a sense of relief as her singing is taken from the spotlight. "Then I'll signal Genis and Regal to come back. Can you mark it on our main map?"

"That is exactly what I am doing."

Sheena turns away and leaves for more clearing to send up one of her exploding cards. Lloyd sits down, his nervousness clearing showing. Colette sits down next to him and places her hand on his shoulder encouragingly.

Noishe, sensing Lloyd's mood, moves over to snuggle close to his favorite (okay, second favorite) human. Noishe looks up to Lloyd with these huge eyes. "Whiiieee . . ."

Lloyd responds by scratching behind Noishe's ears.

Zelos finally gets up and comments, "Hey, bud, what's up with the case of blues?"

Lloyd doesn't look at Zelos. "It's nothing."

"Oh really?" Zelos says, "If it's nothing then spill your heart out about it. I'm good about handling nothing."

"No, Zelos," Lloyd evenly ends.

Zelos raises an eyebrow, and then turns to me with his usual charming smile. "What about you, hunny? Know anything about this?"

Lloyd looks over at me with a worried face.

I confirm, "Yes, I know what's going on."

Lloyd shakes his head at me to signal for me not to tell.

Then I say, "But you should know me better than that. This is something that Lloyd needs to say on his own."

Lloyd sighs and relaxes in relief.

"Then I'll take a guess," Zelos states with a smile. "Is this Lloyd finally telling us his tastes?"

"Huh?" I give him a blank look.

Zelos sighs, "You don't know what that means, do you?"

"Zelos, you just used Tethe'allan slang," I blandly tell. "Considering that I'm not from Tethe'alla, of course I wouldn't know what you're saying."

"Hmm . . ." Zelos' eyes glint. "Perhaps it's best to demonstrate what I mean instead of just talk. Why don't we go for a little walk and I show you my tastes?"

I narrow my eyes as I begin to understand what he's saying. ". . . It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Zelos smirks mockingly. "No thanks to you."

I flush red. "I told you that was an accident . . . !"

"And I forgive you, sweet," Zelos purrs. "But if you feel as though you must make up for my suffering, then feel free to come into my arms."

Cursemypentupfemalehormones . . . !

Raine calls out, "Leave her alone, Zelos. Kelsey, come here."

An escape! "Yes, ma'am!"

"Awww!" Zelos whines. "Don't leave!"

Just when I make it to Raine, Sheena arrives with Genis and Regal behind her. Sheena announces, "They're back! I told them that we found the Temple of Earth, too."

Genis wonders, "Are we going to the temple right now?"

Raine shakes her head. "No. With how late it is getting, it would be better if we go first thing in the morning."

Zelos carps, "So what about dinner? I'm hungry!"

Genis states, "Dinner is whatever Kelsey decides to make."

I give Genis a blank look. "What?"

"It was Raine's turn to cook at lunchtime even though we decided to give Regal a chance to cook," Genis reminds. "If we keep going in order then it should be your turn to cook."

When in actuality it's Sheena's turn to cook right now . . . I lied when I said it was Raine's turn so that Genis would ease up on Regal and let him cook for once . . .

Damn it . . . I hate cooking. I can never get everyone to like what I cook.

I sigh, "Alright, but lend me your cookbook, please."

Lloyd fidgets nervously. He takes a deep breath and stands . . . "Everyone, I have something to say . . ."

He hesitates as eyes move over to him. Lloyd glances around to the people who know what this announcement is about for encouragement, receiving nods or just attention. He continues, "As . . . As we know, my Exsphere was a part of the Angelus Project Kvar was doing. That means my Exsphere was—is becoming a Cruxis Crystal. We all saw little things about it that . . . that prove my Exsphere is still growing."

Lloyd takes another breath. "While we were searching for the Temple of Earth, I found out that my Exsphere completely evolved into a Cruxis Crystal."

Sheena shakes her head. "Wait, wait! We know your Exsphere is still growing, but didn't Raine say that it would take years for it to evolve into a Cruxis Crystal?"

Genis turns towards me. "Kelsey, you were Lloyd's partner during the last search. Just what happened?"

I shake my head. "I'm afraid that it's not my place to say. Lloyd is the one who should tell you, right Lloyd?"

"Y-yeah . . ." Lloyd forces out, "I don't know why my Exsphere evolved so quickly, but it did. It's now a Cruxis Crystal."

Zelos peers at Lloyd and goes, "If you have a Cruxis Crystal, then where are _your_ wings?"

Lloyd gulps. He closes his eyes as if to concentrate on something as he would with a difficult technique and mana gathers behind him. Then, a furry of feathers scatters from his back and his eagle-shaped wings appear illuminating with a sky blue color. At the sight of his wings—and unusual ones too—shock goes through the party members who haven't even seen them. Genis' jaw is completely dropped; Sheena gasps; Regal stares with wide eyes; Zelos seems on the verge of commenting but, for once, is unable to come up with anything to say. For those of us who have already seen Lloyd's wings, their appearance still brings a bit of surprise, as if the fact where being repeatedly drilled into our heads. Colette's eyes grow wide at the sight of them; Raine seems relatively neutral as usual, possibly making certain that she remains the coolest among all of us; Presea seems confused about how to react, seeing those around her in some degree of shock and yet having already seen Lloyd's wings to where her own shock has already worn away. As for me, I really don't know what to think. On one hand, I've known for more than an hour or two by now about Lloyd's wings so the shock has worn off some (that, and I knew that they would come by at least the end of the gam—journey); however, it still seems to take more time to process the fact that, well, _Lloyd has wings!_ I . . . I . . . I don't know . . .

Ugh! I wish I had my normal life back!

After everyone got a good look at his wings, Lloyd puts them away, appearing as normal as possible once again. Silence rings out around us . . .

Finally, Regal is the first one to speak, "This Angelus Project has proved to be a success. This isn't information we want our enemies to know."

Raine agrees, "No, it isn't. Lloyd's Exsphere is the product of the Angelus Project under the Desian Grand Cardinal Kvar's control and was intended to be an offering to Yggdrasill. Should Cruxis learn that Lloyd's Exsphere developed successfully into a complete Cruxis Crystal then we will be further targeted."

Genis stares at Lloyd in some degree of shock and confusion for a moment before uttering, "But . . . Lloyd hasn't gone through all the things that Colette went through."

Lloyd looks at Genis and explains, "That's because I have a key crest equipped. If it weren't for that then I would have gone through the same things that either Colette or Presea went through."

Presea lowers her head in thought. She raises her eyes with concern in them. "What of my own Exsphere? I was involved in the Angelus Project too. Will it become a Cruxis Crystal as well?"

We all turn towards her and Presea looks back at each and every one of us for some form of an answer. Then, Raine replies, "We will have to see. Don't worry, though; as long as you have your key crest, you should be safe from the parasitic effects."

"I hope so . . ." Presea expresses.

Zelos remarks, "So now we have an angel amongst us." The Tethe'allan Chosen waves his hand eloquently at Lloyd. "Bless us with your presence, oh holy one."

Lloyd scowls. "I'm not an angel or anything! I'm still the same guy! I just have a Cruxis Crystal now!"

"Not much of a romantic, are you?" Zelos teases. "Though, I'm grateful that you feel the need to place yourself at the level of a mortal like the rest of us."

"Zelos! Knock it off!" Lloyd protests.

"Oooo, a hotheaded angel!" Zelos hisses with teasing purposes. "I better be careful before I get sent to hell!"

"Stop it!"

Genis notices the boiling pot and draws my attention towards it. "Kelsey, I think the water is hot enough to cook with."

"Oh!" I rush to tend to dinner. All around me, I hear the others joining in with more confidence on the touchy subject, such as Genis asking if Lloyd could now fly and Sheena stating how some relative things from before make better sense now and Zelos' continuous teasing.

* * *

"Hey, Kelsey?"

I crack my eyes open and look over to find Lloyd, acting as the second night shift, addressing me in a sheepish manner.

"Lucky I was suffering from convenient insomnia," I groggily inform. "Might not've heard you . . . What is it?"

Lloyd asks, "Are you really not mad at me anymore for just leaving you like that? What I did was . . . was . . ."

"Cowardly, stupid, impulsive, and-or irrational?" I finish. "As things turned out, I was found by the others and we found you, so everything turned out alright. I don't really see any reason to stay mad at you when we got a happy ending to it."

"So you . . . you really do forgive me?" Lloyd goes.

"We all have our moments and we all have our social fears," I state, my sleepiness fading away (dang it! It'll be harder to sleep!). "To be honest, you handled things a lot better than I ever could . . ."

Out of curiosity, Lloyd asks, "How would you have handled this?"

"Heh . . . Heheh . . . Good night."

"Err, yeah, good night, I guess . . ."

Wouldn't you like to know . . .

* * *

The next morning, we ate breakfast, packed up all our things, warmed up and stretched for a bit, and then headed out straight for the Temple of Earth. With the shock over Lloyd's wings gone, Genis was hopping up and down almost begging to see Lloyd's wings again. Continuously Genis asked when Lloyd would be able to fly and if he could watch Colette teach Lloyd how to fly and many other questions under the same subject. Poor Lloyd looked way too uncomfortable with the subject to give an answer that could satisfy Genis nor put an end to the questions. Eventually Raine called Genis over to her and changed the subject, much to Lloyd's relief.

Lloyd, Presea, and Raine lead the entire group to the cave that leads to the entrance to the Temple of Earth. We stop at the mouth of the cave and wait as Raine lights her staff with a brilliant white light. With Presea and me taking the lead this time, Raine keeps close to us followed by everyone else. Upon arriving at the other end of the tunnel, with the temple's light illuminating from countless lanterns, Raine extinguishes her own light.

I walk forward towards the bridge connecting us to the main area of the temple. "Well, this is it. The Temple of Ear—"

"Hey, yer the stupid broad from yesterday!"

I look down with sharp eyes to face the gnome that I had the misfortune to meet. "Excuse me?" I snip. "Are you still calling me that?"

Colette skips up to the gnome. "You're that gnome we met at the Toize Valley Mine, aren't you? It's so nice to see you again!"

"Whaddaya talkin' about?" The gnome gripes, "Did this stupid broad tell you that you all met me before? Don't believe her! She's too stupid to tell anyone apart!"

I snap, "You need to watch who you insult. If I were someone less tolerant I would easily kick you off this ledge and watch you fall off."

"You wanna fight?" the gnome challenges. "Huh?"

I growl, "You're the one insulting me! If anyone's looking for a fight, it's you—ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

As Raine pulls me away from the gnome, causing my balance to go off, Lloyd gets between me and the gnome and replaces me in the conversation. "We want to enter the temple and meet Gnome. Can we pass?"

"I don't know . . . That stupid redhead has a bad attitude," the gnome speculates.

Lloyd turns around to look at me with this apologetic expression. Then he turns back to the gnome and asks, "Would it help if she apologized to you?"

"What?" I squawk.

The gnome goes, "Hmmm . . . Yeah, that would help. I was in a good mood today since Big Brother came home and all before _she_ came around."

Lloyd turns around to look at me. He opens his mouth to speak—

I interrupt, "There is no way I'm apologizing! He was the one insulting me!"

"Please, Kelsey," Lloyd says.

Zelos mocks, "You will only lose your pride and self-worth, after all."

I gripe, "We could just walk on through!"

Colette frowns. "But that would be rude of us."

I look around to find similar expressions urging me to just spit out an apology. Knowing that I'm way outnumbered in this, I sigh. "Fine . . . I'll do it . . ."

Raine releases me. I swallow every bit of pride that I have left and screw my face up so I can make an as-convincing remorseful expression as I can. I take a breath and force out, "I'm sorry for upsetting you. I won't ever do it again. Can we pass?"

"That's more like it!" the gnome responds, his cutesy voice filled with self-satisfaction. "You can all go through! Even the stupid broad can!"

I really wanna kick him and watch him fall to his doom, and then, I would giggle.

When the gnome steps aside from the bridge, we all cross over the rickety planks to the other side. After our feet make it to stable ground, Lloyd turns to me with a grimace. "Sorry, Kelsey."

"Just give me a chance to nurse my wounds in peace and I'll be fine . . ."

Something catches Sheena's eye and she moves over to a hollow area where the object is. ". . . Hey, take a look at this!"

Our attention is pulled over to where Sheena stands and we find one of those machines that changes the Sorcerer's Ring's element. Lloyd grins and hurries over to immediately change the Sorcerer's Ring's fire-base element to earth.

"Cool!" Lloyd chirps. "I wonder what it does this time?"

Genis recalls, "Well, at the Temple of Lightning it changed into different colored lightning bolts and in the Temple of Water it shot water, so maybe this time it'll act like Stoneblast and throw rocks."

"Really? Let's try it out!" Lloyd aims the Sorcerer's Ring, causing anyone in range to back away. Lloyd uses the Sorcerer's Ring . . .

A sudden shaking disturbs the earth, causing us to lose our balance and a few of us to fall over. Colette, Genis, Sheena, and I end up on the ground while Lloyd grips the elemental machine for balance. Raine, Zelos, and Presea, in the meantime, stumble around at the verge of collapsing. Regal, however, keeps his footing even while an uneasy frown creases his face tells us that he's about to lose his balance too.

_Thud!_

A large cave worm collapses from the ceiling and lands in the middle of our group, half as tall as Noishe yet thick enough for two protozoans to stand side by side to measure the worm's width. The worm rolls around as the shaking continues.

When the shaking subsides, we pause for a moment as everyone gets back up. The worm, however, takes a chance to attack Presea, the one person right in front of it. Before it reaches her and she gets a chance to bring her ax out, Regal swoops in and kicks the worm away. The worm curls up into a defensive ball, rolling a little close to the ledge. Regal approaches the worm and shoves it into a roll, sending it down into the bottomless pit.

Genis slowly gets up from the ground. "That . . . That was startling . . ."

Raine approaches Lloyd and holds out her hand. "Hand it to me, Lloyd," she calmly orders.

Lloyd pulls his hand away. "But . . ."

"I will give it back to you when we are done with this temple," she promises.

"Yes, Professor . . ." Lloyd takes off the ring and gives it to Raine with a dejected look on his face. Raine ignores him and slips the ring on her finger while Presea thanks Regal in the background.

We look around the area to find that some of the structures have collapsed, forming bridges in some areas and making some areas inaccessible.

Regal observes, "So the earthquakes change the shape of the temple's layout. It would be best if we explore the area before using the Sorcerer's Ring again."

"Yes it would," Raine agrees. "I assure you there will be no premature earthquakes."

Good to know that Lloyd won't spam earthquakes (as if he would anyway).

The first thing we do is explore a part of the area, taking in the levels of this temple going down and down and down. Gnome, most likely at the bottom of the temple, would be relatively easy to reach if it weren't for one little thing . . .

With a large gap between us and another section, no convenient bridge built between the two large ledges that could only be crossed via flying, our only solution for the moment is to manipulate the earth using the Sorcerer's Ring. In this case, Raine has Colette fly around and double check the stability of the earth.

"Did you check the area up ahead?" Raine asks.

Colette confirms, "Yes, Professor. It looks safe over here."

Genis wonders, "Hey, Lloyd, can't you fly around with your wings?"

Lloyd blushes with slight embarrassment before admitting, "Actually, I don't know how to fly yet. Colette just taught me how to put my wings away."

"Oh . . ."

As Colette returns, Raine reminds, "It took Colette several days to learn how to fly, remember?"

Genis says, "But Colette learned by herself. Lloyd has someone to teach him so he should learn how to fly sooner."

Colette goes, "Um, actually, I . . ." When eyes turn to her, she hesitates before shaking her head. "Ah, nothing."

Lloyd smiles and encourages. "You can tell us."

Colette laughs, "Heheheh . . . I was just going to say . . . heheh, that I'm actually not a very good teacher. It might be a while before Lloyd learns how to fly."

Lloyd replies, "Actually, I think you're a good teacher."

Raine diverts, "I'm about to activate the Sorcerer's Ring, so prepare yourselves, everyone."

After we get good footing and balance, Raine activates the Sorcerer's Ring. The earth shakes in reaction, causing some structures from above to fall and conveniently form a bridge between one side of the gap to the other. When the shaking subsides, we climb up on the earth and continue on.

Going down the way, we encounter numerous gaps and faulty bridges. There were several instances where someone almost fell down to their doom. Sometimes there would be a makeshift ladder to get to lower platforms but rarely did we trust them. After a long time, we reach a large platform that seems sound and supports many towering stalagmites. Gathering around are three little gnomes, each looking exactly the same except for a different colored hat. They hear us coming and catch us staring.

The gnome with the blue hat gripes, "What? You got a problem? You wanna fight?"

I remark, "That one has bad manners too."

Zelos reasons, "They probably had a poor upbringing."

"Just like you," Sheena retorts.

Zelos scowls. "Ouch! That's low, Sheena!"

"So what're you here for?" the blue-hat gnome questions.

Regal politely answers, "We wish to go further in. I hope we aren't bothering you."

Another gnome with a yellow hat says, "You want to go in our home for free? The world don't work that way, kid."

Regal frowns in speculation at being called a "kid."

Lloyd places his palm over his face. "You too? You and your brothers act way too much alike . . . So what do you want?"

At this, the gnomes glance at each other in confusion and huddle around to talk amongst themselves. After some debate, the trio part from each other and the blue-hat gnome steps up to us.

The blue-hat gnome goes, "What is 'spicy' like? Does 'spicy' taste good? Give us something spicy to eat!"

Lloyd takes that in and goes, "That doesn't sound like too much." He turns to the rest of us. "Do we have ingredients for something like curry?"

Genis pulls out his cook book. "I have a recipe for curry right here, and I'm sure we still have ingredients for curry. In fact, we could probably have lunch right now since we're cooking."

Presea wonders, "Who will cook the curry?"

I suggest, "Well, let's have whoever's best at making curry cook it."

Colette goes, "So Genis will cook?"

Genis says, "Actually, Sheena makes better curry than me."

Sheena blushes. "Ah, I'm actually not as good as you."

Genis grins. "No way! You're better at making curry than I am! It's your specialty!"

Lloyd smiles and adds, "Okay, then Sheena, you cook!"

Sheena shrugs. "Well, sure, if you want . . ."

The last gnome, one with a green hat, cheers, "Yay! Spicy!"

Genis gets out the ingredients and tools and whatever Sheena asks for while we talk amongst ourselves. The gnomes crowd around Sheena and watch as she prepares a meal big enough for all nine of us plus three small gnomes. Lloyd glances at the gnomes in speculation.

"I don't think they understand what spicy is," Lloyd mentions.

Sheena cooks the ingredients in a pot and shrugs. "Oh well. It's fun to cook every now and then. I wouldn't want to get out of practice."

Zelos teases, "Oh, Sheena, are you practicing your cooking for when you get married and become a housewife? I didn't expect to hear that from you of all people!"

Sheena growls, "Shut up or I'll sabotage your food!"

When Sheena finishes making the curry, she passes around bowls and fills up the miniature clay bowls the three gnomes held out. They happily swallow up the curry they have while we ourselves eat the curry Sheena made. As it turns out, Genis was right.

"This is delicious!" Lloyd chirps.

Genis grins. "I told you could do it, Sheena!"

Presea adds, "This is good."

Sheena blushes. "R-really? Using pineapple is the trick."

Lloyd pauses. ". . . Pineapple? You don't put pineapple in curry!"

Sheena protests, "But you said it was good!"

Lloyd goes on, "Yeah, but that's still not something that goes in curry. You're weird, Sheena."

Regal tells with a pleasant smile on his face, "The pineapple adds a tangy flavor to the curry and balances out the spicy taste as well as accents the sourness to the curry. This was actually a very good ingredient to add."

Sheena tosses her arms at Regal. "See? Regal agrees!"

Presea mentions, "Pineapple is not normally used in curry."

"Ugh!"

* * *

After leaving three gnomes with full bellies and happy attitudes, we continued down and down and down in a spiral. What seems like forever passes before we can finally see the bottom, and when we do some of us do some cheers and dances. So far the entire walk had been relatively uninteresting and tediously long aside from the gnomes who are now appearing to be a treat to meet (and we only met four so Big Brother can't be too far ahead).

When we reach the very bottom, we find two large tunnels on either side of the bottom level. Upon investigating, we find that one tunnel just goes straight while the other one goes in a steep decline that we can't possibly climb. With how large each hole is, we could fit half of Hima in both. Then, there is this faint smell of brimstone . . .

I cough and duck my nose under my green shirt.

Zelos grimaces. "Ugh! That smell!"

Presea speculates, "This smell has similar properties to burning sulfur and hydrogen sulfur."

Lloyd pinches his nose. "It smellz like the Temple ov Fire!"

Raine, who is currently covering her mouth and nose, goes, "That is a good observation, Lloyd, and one that should warn us of what is ahead. Does everyone remember the dragon that attacked the wyverns Rodyle was controlling?"

Genis gasps. "Does that mean we found its nest?"

Zelos begins to shake. "Oh hell no! I'm staying here!"

Regal reasons, "Would you rather stay here by yourself while the rest of us move on?"

Zelos gulps. "I'm stay with all of you."

Sheena proclaims, "We don't have any other choice. Let's keep going."

"Man . . ." Zelos whines.

Raine warns, "Everyone, when entering the nest, _do not touch anything!_"

As we head for the one tunnel we can go through, Colette wonders, "Why didn't we smell the dragon before?"

"It was possibly because the dragon's scent was not nearly as condensed as it is here," Raine supposes. "Since the nest won't have any way to air out its own scent, understand that the smell will grow to suffocating degrees."

Raine was absolutely right about that. The farther we got into the tunnel the stronger the smell became. My mind splits between the horrid smell and the thought of having to go around that dragon's nest. I try to keep myself as calm as possible and focus on mainly the horrid scent.

Then, the tunnel widens into a large circular cave, enormous in size in every way. The light from the lanterns shines down to a brilliant hoard of treasure, treasure, and more treasure. There were more things in this hoard than I ever thought possible! It was just everywhere and making a sharp incline up to a summit topped by the same blue-green giant dragon that we witnessed destroying the wyverns from before, curled around in itself pleasantly like a napping cat. With gentle heaves that send small pieces of treasure and gold flying away, the dragon breathes in and out with a steady slow rhythm.

Not wanting to disturb the great beast, we maneuver around the treasure, taking care not to make a sound . . .

Then, to our horror, when we get only halfway around the room to the other side, the breathing rhythm stops. A dreadful silence stills us . . .

"I sssmellll you . . ." hisses the dragon with its deep female voice.

Zelos yips, not able to help himself.

". . . annnd I feellll your air," it—she continues. "I hear your breattthhh."

In a thunderous fall, as loud as a large waterfall, metal and treasure clanks and chimes as the dragon's head shifts and rises to face us, her eyes narrowing accusingly.

Sheena clutches jealously onto her sheathed tantō.

"Come alllong!" the dragon snarls. "Helllp yourssselllf againnn, ttthhhere isss plllennnty and to ssspare!"

Lloyd gulps and, bracing himself, he speaks, "We aren't here for treasure."

"Oh? Isss ttthhhat ssso?" snarls the beast. "Why isss it that I sssmellll my own treasure uponnn you?"

Lloyd reassures, "We're here to see Gnome, the Summon Spirit of Earth. We don't want to bother you."

"Really?" The dragon snorts. "Do you have a sssummonnner amongssst you?"

"Yes," Lloyd confirms. "We promise not to touch your treasure or disturb you again. Can we pass through?"

The dragon sneers, "You have good mannersss for the sssonnn of a lllliar!"

Lloyd scowls and opens his mouth to snap—

Regal suddenly gets in front of Lloyd, blocking him from the dragon. "I have heard of your power and your strength, and at first I dismissed them as rumors and legends. However, now I see that what I heard was no overestimation but rather an underestimation."

The dragon's ears pull back though seemingly not in a hostile manner.

Regal continues, "I understand that you have dealings even with Cruxis in the form of an oral contract. From that evidence, I can tell that you are even above the level of any human of this world in intellect and civility. You are indeed far more than anyone could expect."

The wyrm peers down at Regal. ". . . You have ttthhheeee mannersss of a sssupeeerior humannn. Mossst woullld nnnever thinnnk to flllatter meee." Then the dragon informs, "I have nnno valllue plllaccced uponnn Cruxisss. Dessspite grave consssequencesss, do asss you pllleassse wittthhh theee SSSummonnn SSSpiritsss. However . . ."

The wyrm's head moves uncomfortably close to us, close enough for her breath to catch Regal's hair like strong wind. "What of my nessst? Cruxisss is the one ttthhhing keeping a barrier betweennn my hoard and greedy treasure ssseekersss. Asss lonnng asss Cruxisss hasss hold of Gnome'sss power then their barrier remainnnsss. Why woullld I allow you to passss if that meannnsss ttthheee barrier willll be gone?"

Regal replies, "We can most certainly ask Gnome to continue placing a barrier to bar against intruders seeking treasure. I imagine it would not be too difficult for him to do."

The dragon stares Regal down, applying incredible pressure. Then . . .

The beast moves her head away from Regal, allowing us all more breathing room, especially for Regal. The dragon narrows her eyes with contempt. ". . . Ttthhhisss I willll hollld every one of you accounnntabllle. Move alllong, before I grow tired of your presssennnccce."

We take that as our cue and hurry around to another tunnel on the other side of the room and retreat into that. The more distance we cover, the faster we run from the beast's nest.

Sheena expresses, "I _really_ hope Gnome is willing to do what Regal suggests . . ."

* * *

Anyone recognize the Princess Mononoke (from Studio Ghibli) reference? I'll put the lyrics and the translations up with semicolons (;) to separate the lyrics. The translations, however, are rather general I think.

Hitotsu Futatsu wa Akago mo Fumuga; Mitsu Yotsu wa Oni Naku, Naku; Tatara Onna wa Kogane no Nasake; Tokete Nagarerya Yaiba ni Kawaru.

One, Two, even babies can push; Three, Four, even an ogre would cry; The love of a Tatara woman; Melts and flows, and changes into a blade. (tatara being a type of furnace)

Any other references are relatively small or understandable (least to me). As for the Princess Mononoke song, it's actually very beautiful to listen to. It's (from what I gather) called the Tatara Women's Work Song.


	59. Ol' Holy Moley

I've been really getting into Touhou music. Touhou is this Doujin (Japan's version of self-publishing) scroller shooting game that's basically Bullet Hell. The game is fun to those who absolutely love challenges (unfortunately, anyone outside Japan will have to pirate it or buy it with it all in Japanese in order to play) but the music is absolutely amazing for such a simplistic game with a simplistic plot (and believe me, it's _very_ simple). I'd personally say it ranks above a vast majority of ToS's music soundtracks. As further info on Touhou, TV Tropes & Idioms actually has an individual wall made especially for crossovers between Touhou and whatever else there is. Even CNN noted a viral video based on Touhou (shame that they didn't even bother to do the research to comment that it's from Touhou, hence why the fans like to call CNN Cirno's News Netword, basically calling them idiots in their own Touhou fan language).

It's pretty amazing what one alcoholic Japanese rich guy can make (which is basically who ZUN, the creator, is).

The theme I'm really into right now is Yuyuko's theme Border of Life (though it'll probably change eventually to something else later).

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Ol' Holy Moley

When we finally have the nerve to walk instead of run, we work to calm ourselves down from the scare we got from the dragon behind us. It takes us a while before we can say even one word to each other about what just happened.

"Regal . . ." Genis goes. "That was really brave of you to stand up to that dragon like that, but can we really keep up with its—her demand?"

"I'm not certain," Regal admits. "That would be a question only Sheena and Gnome can answer."

Sheena guesses, "It shouldn't be a problem. That wyrm said that the current barrier is from Gnome's power so we should be able to add that to the pact agreement."

Lloyd tells, "Let's not worry about the dragon until we make the pact with Gnome."

There's a responding murmur of agreement from everybody.

At the end of the tunnel, a large cavern room opens up and reveals a room just as large as the one with the dragon's nest. At the very end lies Gnome's own altar, sitting there waiting for us. However, between us and Gnome's altar is a large gap reaching from one side of the room to the other, too large to jump across and too deep to climb down and through.

Lloyd looks around and stops at the towering stalagmite congregating around the edge of the gap. He smiles and turns back to us. "I figured it out! We just have to make a bridge!"

"How?" Genis questions.

"Simple!" Lloyd proclaims. "Make them fall down by making earthquakes!"

"Again, how?" Genis points out, "Those things are too thick to just make them fall over. All the other stalagmite and stalactite were too thin to keep their support through the earthquakes. We can't even make these crack!"

"Why don't chou guys say please?"

We all look around and locate the new speaker. Our eyes land on a gnome all too similar to the others, only this one has a black hat. The gnome looks down upon us with a confident glint in his eyes.

Colette chirps, "Oh, you're the gnome we helped back at the Toize Valley Mine! You had the same black hat on back then too!"

"Yup! And I'm Big Brother!" the gnome introduces. "You want help?"

"Ahhh, sure," Lloyd goes, wondering if perhaps we might have to do something for him too.

Big Brother waves his hand nonchalantly at us. "Don't worry. I don't want nuthin' from ya. I'm just gonna help ya."

Presea notes, "This one is nice."

"Well, if anyone can get passed ol' Thalaoth then they're okay in my book!" Big Brother chirps.

"Thalaoth?" Colette goes.

Raine observes, "Thalaoth is possibly the name of the dragon we just encountered."

"Yup." Big Brother asks, "So which one of ya has that earthquake ring?"

"'Earthquake ring'? Don't you mean the Sorcerer's Ring?" Genis corrects.

Raine simply replies, "I have it. Tell me, how are we going to get to the other side to meet with Gnome?"

"Okay, I'll give ya the run down as we go through this." Big Brother hops over to the closest stalagmite and directs, "Stand right here . . ."

Raine follows his instructions, standing on the side facing away from the altar.

"And I stand right here!" The gnome moves to the opposite side. Raine watches with curiosity.

"So what are you going to do nex—"

_CRAH! Kri-kri-kri-kri-kri-kri-kri . . ._

With a surprisingly powerful punch, the gnome creates a giant crack all around the stalagmite tower, most of the damage webbing around the impacted area. We all stare in shock at the amount of force such a tiny creature can create. Big Brother moves around the stalagmite and calls out, "Okay, now you make an earthquake! This thing will fall down and make a bridge!"

Too stunned to respond, Raine simply complies.

Just like the first time, some of us fall completely over while Regal still manages to keep hold of his footing. The cracks along the stalagmite's base aggravate and loosen to nothing. Finally, the earthen pillar tilts down until falling down across the gap.

"TIMBEEERRR!" Big Brother shouts as the stalagmite pillar falls down and crashes, forming a convenient makeshift bridge.

Silence falls over us for a moment as we take in all that just happened.

". . . Uhhh, wow!" I go, not really knowing what to say. "That was just . . . Wow!"

"Hold on! Let me test it first," Big Brother declares. "Don't want any of ya falling over while you cross."

As Big Brother hops onto the fallen stalagmite and crosses over, occasionally stomping on the pillar, we watch with wide eyes. When the gnome gets to the other side, he turns around and announces, "Okay! You can cross over! It's safe!"

Lloyd climbs up and helps Raine up after that. He waits until everyone managed to get on and safely keep balance before crossing over. Upon arriving at the other side, Lloyd steps down and addresses the gnome, "Thanks, Big Brother.

"I've gotta say," Zelos mentions as he gets down, "this entire temple was easy to get through, especially compared to the Temple of Lightning."

Big Brother replies, "I don't know about other temples, but here if ya don't got any manners then we gnomes make things even harder for ya!"

Keeping my eyes averted from the height I'm climbing over, I utter, "That explains so much and yet so little . . ."

Big Brother mentions, "I hope you guys don't mind, but I'mma gonna watch on the sidelines. I've never seen anyone come here for Gnome before. It was always to break some seal."

Sheena replies, "We don't mind."

"Thanks." Big Brother bids, "Good luck, humans!"

Genis pauses at that. "Actually, not all of us are human. Three of us are half-elves."

Three? Oh yeah, me.

Big Brother gives Genis a confused look. "What's the difference? You all are the same size and the same shape. Then Thalaoth told me that they don't taste any different."

A silent awkward pause follows that last comment.

Sheena flusters, "A-anyway, let's make that pact . . ."

With Sheena in the lead this time, we approach the altar and—

As soon as Sheena stepped before the altar, the earth shakes and sends most of us to the ground. Suddenly, the ground to the left of the altar explodes, a giant mole bounding out of the ground and landing on the altar. The mole—Gnome—spins around and faces us.

"So this is gnome," Lloyd happily comments.

"Wow!" Colette chirps. "He's so cute!"

Well, he is kinda cute for a giant mole. Then again, Gnome has the moe factor turned up high. And . . . wasn't he supposed to be a something involving missiles in Tales of Phantasia?

Gnome points his shovel at Sheena in a gesture and states, "Well, you're a summoner! Haven't seen another one like you in a long time! Look, sorry, but I already got a pact with Mithos, mkay?"

"Here again?" Lloyd goes. "How many summon spirits did Mithos form a pact with?"

Sheena's eyebrow twitches as if getting annoyed. However, she must've bit her tongue since she only replies with "I am Sheena! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and form a new pact with me!"

Gnome sticks out his tongue in disgust. "Man, you sure use some stuffy language. Bleh!"

Sheena shifts awkwardly. "Uh . . . Well, this is how I was taught to do it."

"Still, you don't have to talk like that to me!" Gnome casually informs. "I'm pretty laid back, unlike all those other stiffs."

"Uuhhh, will you end your pact with Mithos and form a new one with me?" Sheena goes, clearly feeling awkward and out of place.

"That's more like it! Be yourself!" Gnome happily swings his shovel up and rests the spade on his chubby shoulder. "Now that Mithos' pact with me is broken, I can make a new one! Time to see if you can even put up a fight!"

"Very well," Sheena replies. "Do you have any rules about the fight? Undine said that I could pick three other people to fight along side with so . . ."

"What?" Gnome exclaims. "What's with that four-on-one garbage? That's fighting dirty! One-on-one!"

"Sorry, Sheena," Zelos expresses. "Looks like you're on your own in this battle of _mole_tal combat."

"Hmm. That was rather clever," Regal comments.

"Really? There's more where that came from!" Zelos grins.

Sheena shoos the rest of us back, "Sorry, guys, I need you to get out of the way for a bit. I don't want you getting tangled up in this fight."

"Okay." Genis begins to speculate while we all move to the edge of the soon-to-be battle field. "So once we make a pact with Gnome, the Summon Spirit we need to make a pact with next to break this mana link would be . . ."

"Effret!" Lloyd finishes with confidence, as if experiencing an epiphany moment. "If we wake up Effret then we'll sever another mana link!"

Raine sighs. "No, Lloyd, it's Sylph! Effret is the Summon Spirit of Fire! Honestly, how many times do I have to tell you something before you actually remember it?"

Regal looks between Lloyd and Raine. ". . . I see that the education level in Sylvarant matches the status of the world."

Raine sighs heavily at Regal's observation and groans in lamentation. Lloyd, however, misses the point.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that!" Lloyd chirps.

Presea corrects, "Lloyd, that was not a compliment."

While Lloyd's face falls, Genis, Zelos, and I burst out laughing.

When we finally get out of the way, Sheena and Gnome face each other.

"Time to taste dirt!" Gnome challenges.

"You want a fight; I'll give you a fight!" Sheena barks.

Sheena charges at Gnome with her spell cards out and ready for a strike. Gnome leaps up into the air and flips over to Sheena's back. The Summon Spirit swings his shovel at her, forcing Sheena to dodge. With the shovel barely missing her, Sheena dives in for an opening.

"Power Seal! Life Seal! Pyre Seal!" Sheena slaps her attacks and sends Gnome just a few feet back with her last attack.

"Hmph! That all you got?" Gnome taunts.

Gnome slams his body into Sheena, sending her flying. She falls to the ground and flips back up onto her feet—

"Guardian Seal!" Sheena blocks another attack from the shovel.

Zelos calls out, "Come on, Sheena! Pick up some _mole_mentum!"

"Go, Sheena!" Lloyd shouts.

"You can do it!" Colette cheers.

Sheena whips her cards around and slams them into Gnome. "Serpent Seal!"

A rope of smoke circles and obscures Gnome's sight. To combat this, Gnome spins around in a continuous circle, his shovel out to slam into anyone in range.

Sheena leaps up into the air. Once she makes it just above Gnome's head, she lashes another attack on him. "Pyre Seal!"

The attack disrupts Gnome and sends the Summon Spirit tumbling down. Sheena catches her breath as Gnome rights himself and glares at her.

"Oh yeah?" Gnome leaps into the air and swan dives into the ground, digging up the dirt as if he were using Dig in a Pokémon game.

Zelos shouts, "Watch out, Sheena! It's a _holes mole_neuver!"

Genis frowns. "What?"

Zelos waves his hand dismissively at Genis. "Mole it over for a minute."

Regal comments, "Actually, I agree with Genis. 'Holes moleneuver' wasn't a very good pun. You can do better than that."

"Hmph," Zelos huffs.

Sheena races around, trying to find a safe and secure place to stand and wait for Gnome to come out without coming out from under her. Finally, she perches on Gnome's own altar and waits for him to come out . . .

The ground around the altar explodes up and Gnome dives down at Sheena with his shovel. Sheena flips out of the way just in time to dodge the shovel and counterattacks by charging back at Gnome with her cards.

Gnome beans the ninja full in the face with his shovel.

I flinch. "Ouch!"

Zelos comments, "I bet she lost a _mole_ar from that one . . ."

"Come on, Sheena!" Genis cheers.

As Sheena forces herself to get back up, Gnome taunts, "Heh. You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag!"

Sheena glares back at Gnome, a determine glint in her eye appearing. "We'll see about that . . . !"

Gnome dives back into the ground again.

Sheena leaps off the altar and moves into the middle of the battle field. She slaps a number of cards onto the ground just below her and waits . . .

The earth trembles beneath her feet. Sheena bounds out of the way just a second before the earth erupts with Gnome flying out. Sheena rapidly forms familiar hand symbols . . .

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

Three explosions burst right on Gnome, causing the Summon Spirit to collapse into a stun.

Zelos chirps, "Now that's what I call de_mole_ition!"

Sheena dives in to spam attacks on Gnome, taking complete advantage of the situation. No matter which attack she used, she only cared if it could do damage. Sheena attacked hard and fast, putting in as many moves as she can before Gnome stirs—

_CLANG!_

With a vengeful swing of the shovel, Sheena is sent flying. Gnome hops back up on his feet and instantly casts, "Grave!"

Earth spikes shoot up around Sheena, scratching at her and stabbing at her flesh. Just a moment too late, yet soon enough to protect herself from more serious damage, Sheena sends up Guardian Seal. As soon as the spell ends, Sheena gets up to her feet and dashes into the fry.

Gnome casts, "Ground Dasher!"

The earth cracks open, sending up red light through them. Sheena gasps and dives out of the way, but couldn't get out of the way soon enough.

"AAAAHHHH!" she cries out in pain. Sheena forces herself to bear with the heat and the piercing stones just long enough for the spell to end. Once sweet relief comes, Sheena pulls herself back together and charges at Gnome once again.

"Stalagmite!"

Sheena halts at the first shoot of the rising stalagmite column but is sent flying backwards by the second shoot.

Zelos grimaces. "This is turning pretty dis_mole_. Will Sheena be able to make it? Gnome turned the tables on her!"

"Hang in there, Sheena!" Lloyd encourages.

Sheena snarls at Gnome. With as much speed as she can muster, the ninja circles around the Summon Spirit and searches for a weak point. Gnome begins casting . . . "Ground Da—"

A card zips through and crashes into Gnome—

_BOOM!_

Another card explodes right in Gnome's face, breaking his concentration. Sheena races in and attacks. "Life Seal! Pyre Seal!"

As Life Seal absorbs some of Gnome's energy to heal Sheena's wounds, Pyre Seal sends Gnome off balance. Sheena goes after the Summon Spirit again. "Mirage Seal! . . . _Are you ready?_"

"Power Seal Pinion!" Sheena shouts, sending the new attack to further send Gnome off balance.

She finishes the chain off, "Pyre Seal!"

The last attack sends Gnome to his feet. Sheena dives in at Gnome with Life Seal, Power Seal Pinion, Pyre Seal, and whatever else she deemed worthy to do extra damage.

"Oh yeah!" Zelos cheers. "Whoever Mithos is, he doesn't come re_mole_tly close to Sheena!"

Gnome forces himself back up on his feet. Unfortunately, it gave Sheena enough time to catch back up with him.

"Power Seal! Life Seal!"

Gnome staggers back but dives back underground, gaining a new advantage.

"Oh, come on!" Zelos criticizes. "That trick again? It's going to get de_mole_ished."

"You're in a very punny mood today," I comment to him.

"The mole the merrier," Zelos chirps.

Genis grumbles, "It's starting to get annoying."

Zelos remarks, "Don't make a molehill out to be something bigger than it really is."

Sheena races around a tight area, slapping down explosive cards in the area where she stays close to. Gnome, however, doesn't fall for that and jumps up from another area with an instant spell.

"Grave!"

Sheena dives out of the way just in time. She charges at Gnome and slaps him with Life Seal before jumping back to dodge his attacks, always keeping herself just out of his range.

Gnome comes at her again and again with his shovel, getting closer and closer to the spot Sheena laid her explosive trap on.

Finally, Sheena leaps out of the way and performs her hand symbols.

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

The few spell cards that are still intact self-destruct, sending ruin all around with Gnome caught in the middle of it. Gnome falls flat on his back while Sheena waits for the smoke to clear enough so she can charge right back in.

Zelos taunts, "Pick up the pace, Gnome! You're slower than _mole_asses! You're losing the fight!"

Gnome gets back up and comments at Sheena, "You've got some pretty loud cheerleaders over there."

"Pay attention to me and not some stupid Chosen!" Sheena shouts.

"Stalagmite!" Gnome casts.

Sheena dodges by charging forward. She lashes her cards out and attacks Gnome.

Gnome, however, dodges by jumping up into the air. He reaches higher and higher until finally reaching the top. The Summon Spirit stabs his shovel into the cavern ceiling . . .

Cracks grow and spread from Gnome's shovel, breaking off the base of the stalactite above Sheena's head. Dead silence chokes the air just when every stalactite lost their support from the ceiling.

Then, every stalactite comes tumbling down . . .

"AAHHH!" Sheena cries out as she dodges the larger and heavier falling earth spears. She brings up Guardian Seal to block whenever she can't avoid the smaller stalactite, but each one proves heavy and hard hitting enough to break her barrier. Ones that manage to hit her, smaller stalactite that weren't big enough to kill her, stab at her flesh and slice her clothes open. When the stalactites finally stop falling, Sheena collapses to her knees, panting and bleeding.

Gnome drifts back down when the fatal rain ends. He lands easily and stares down at Sheena. "Got any more tricks left or are you ready to throw in the towel?"

Sheena smirks up at Gnome and makes hand symbols.

_BOOM!_

A blast occurs from an exploding card placed just below where Gnome hovered before, a trap Sheena placed while running for cover from the stalactite. Gnome goes up into the air and disappears. A second passes before Gnome reappears at his altar.

"Now that's what I call a fight!" Gnome chirps. "You've pretty much proven yourself!"

"So that means we'll make a pact?" Sheena questions.

"Yup, I'm pretty satisfied with this," Gnome casually states. "Though you're not as good as Mithos, it's time for a change."

Sheena continues to stare at Gnome, trying to get her breath. An awkward silence passes.

Gnome carps, "Oh yeah, well, whatever! Make your vow already!"

"Ugh, this guy is hard to deal with," Sheena mutters to herself. She then faces Gnome and announces her vow. "For the sake of creating a place where the two worlds no longer have to sacrifice one another, gimme your power!"

"Hmmm, okay!" Gnome confirms. "I'll lend my power to you guys."

Gnome disappears into a collection of brown mana and moves towards Sheena, gathering into her aura. When the mana fades away, Sheena opens her hand and finds a ruby ring resting in it. The rest of us rejoin her in reflection.

"Now all we have to do is make a pact with Sylph and we'll be able to sever another mana flow," Lloyd states.

Raine reminds, "Yes, but Sylph is in Sylvarant and without the charge from the Renegade base, we can do nothing about the mana flow."

Regal notes, "The best thing we can do right now is make additional pacts with the remaining Summon Spirits of Tethe'alla. There is Shadow, who resides somewhere on this continent, and Celsius, who resides on the northern section of the Flanoir continent."

"So we could go to one or the other," Lloyd adds.

"Yes. However, I do not know where the Temple of Darkness lies," Regal regretfully mentions.

Zelos suggests, "We could sneak into Meltokio or Sybak and take a look at any documents that might have that information."

Sheena mentions, "I could ask the Vice Chief if he could put some of Mizuho's resources into finding the Temple of Darkness. We could go make a pact with Celsius while we wait."

"We could do it ourselves and get the Temple of Darkness out of the way," Zelos counters.

Lloyd notes, "Actually, Sheena's suggestion sounds quicker and more efficient. We'll drop by Mizuho first and then head off to Flanoir."

"Wait," I interrupt. "If we're going to a continent that's basically a frozen wasteland, then we'll need appropriate clothing. Where are we going to get coats in our respective sizes thick enough to combat that kind of extreme temperature?"

Sheena shrugs. "We'll find out once we reach Mizuho."

"Okay, so it's off to Flanoir," Lloyd concludes. "Let's go guys!"

Zelos grumbles, "Man . . . Flanoir of all places . . ."

"Wait, everyone . . ."

We all turn back to Sheena.

Sheena tells, "Give me a moment to summon Gnome back. I want a barrier at the temple's entrance up before we face that dragon Thalaoth again."

* * *

The trip back to Mizuho didn't take very long on the rheairds. I know it's obvious since we're flying over every obstacle the Papal Knights could push on us, but experiencing makes you appreciate the fact. Once we landed just a little ways from the village, with Sheena in the lead this time, I took out my journal and counted the days it took us to get from simply Meltokio to Mizuho. If I count from the point after "meeting" Yuan at the Fooji Mountains then it took us . . . two days to walk there.

. . . Only two days? That's it? Granted we didn't walk all the way, but still. This world is so much smaller than Earth that it's ridiculous. How come it took Mithos one thousand years to end the Ancient Kharlan War (considering that's how long the war lasted and Mithos was banished from Heimdall at the beginning of the war)?

In comparison, it took only a few hours to reach Sheena's stopping point. Then it took only about half an hour for ninjas to surround us and blindfold us as they herd us into a complex trail to confuse us on Mizuho's exact location. When the blindfolds finally come off the ninjas leave us be to wander the village.

Sheena turns to us and says, "Let's go to the Vice Chief and report our findings and requests. I'm sure he'll provide us a place to stay once things are settled."

With uniform agreement, we follow Sheena to the Vice Chief's home and (after Sheena forces us to take off our shoes) wait as she requests an audience.

"Very well. Allow our guests to enter," Tiga permits.

"Thank you, Tiga-dono." Sheena's voice then calls, "Lloyd, everyone, come in."

Given our chance to enter, we all file in and sit behind Sheena who will be the one talking. When Colette enters, Tiga notes her presence. "I see you have recovered your friend."

"Oh! Yes!" Colette bows. "Thank you so much for your help!"

"It is an honor," Tiga returns her gratitude with. "What occasion brings you to Mizuho?"

"I have made a pact with Gnome, the Summon Spirit of Earth," Sheena informs. "The next Summon Spirit we will make a pact with will be Celsius, the Summon Spirit of Ice."

"I see." Tiga offers, "Then we shall obtain the necessary equipment for all of you to handle the cold."

"Thank you, Vice Chief. Although that was not the reason we came here, we would be very grateful if you could provide that equipment," Sheena thanks. "The main reason why we came here is because, to put it bluntly, we need the information network to discover the location of the Temple of Darkness. We don't know its exact location."

"Very well," Tiga agrees. "I can most certainly do both."

"Another thing, Tiga-dono . . ."

Tiga raises his eyebrow at Sheena as she pulls out the sheathed tantō and offers it to him. "This was recovered from the dragon that resides in the Temple of Earth. Does this look familiar to you?"

"A tantō recovered from the wyrm Thalaoth?" A hopeful and disbelieving glint appears in Tiga's eyes as he connects two and two together. His hands tremble as they gently take hold of the bamboo sheath and slowly pull the dagger out for inspection. After careful examination, Tiga's eyes grow wide in shock and awe. ". . . A tantō created by our greatest sword smith Masamune . . . ! This . . . This is the one we lost when one of our men took it for protection when leaving for a mission to investigate the Temple of Earth!"

Sheena begins grinning with a wide smile.

Tiga gawks at the reclaimed treasure, but then restores his composition. "Sheena, what of Thalaoth? You said you reclaimed it from the dragon but is Thalaoth dead?"

"No," Sheena reports. "Thalaoth is still alive. But she wouldn't dare attack Mizuho or threaten me. When I made a pact with Gnome, one of the first things I did was restore the barrier at the entrance to the Temple of Earth to bar intruders and treasure hunters who seek her nest from entering. Losing the Masamune tantō is probably a small sacrifice compared to having to defend her nest constantly."

Tiga nods. "I see. Then we have no need to worry about the dragon." Tiga smiles. "It is rare that something so valuable is returned to the village. This is possibly a sign of better things to come."

* * *

After that, word spread very, very, _very_ fast about the recovery of the Masamune tantō. With Mizuho being a community-minded culture rather than individualistic like the culture I was raised with in the United States, a victory won by Sheena is a victory won by everyone in the group. Every one of us is credited for the return of the valuable treasure. Almost as soon as we got ourselves halfway to the house volunteering to hold us, the villagers began shaking our hands, welcoming us as if we were long lost friends, wanting to talk to all of us, and telling us little anecdotes and legends about Mizuho.

Then there was the sake—er, potion.

"Man, this iz gooood stuff!" Zelos chirps as he pours himself another round of Mizuho potion. "Why do you guyz keep i' in Mizuho? You coul' make uh killing off o' this!"

Sheena bluntly informs him, "It's another secret of Mizuho."

"This too? It should be a crime for you guys to keep this to yourselves!" Zelos continues just before he downs another shot of sake.

"Sheena!"

Sheena turns around and finds Orochi approaching, his expression wide-eyed and excited. "Is it true?" he asks. "A Masamune tantō has been returned to us?"

Zelos slurs, "Abou' time you found out. Th' rest of the village found out before you did."

Orochi looks over Zelos and comments, "Chosen One, you may have had enough potion for today."

"Whah? No! I'mma full grown man and can drink az much az I wan'!" Zelos protests.

"Very well, then," Orochi replies, leaving Zelos to worsen the vicious hangover he'll experience tomorrow. He turns to Sheena with a more serious issue showing in his eyes. "Sheena . . ." he goes. "When you last saw Kuchinawa, did he seem to be acting strange at all? Even the smallest thing?"

"Huh?" Sheena thinks for a moment and recalls, "Not that I remember. The last I saw him was back in the Meltokio area when we were first made wanted criminals because of the Papal Knights. He didn't seem to act out of the ordinary." Then Sheena shows worry in her expression. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Not that I can tell . . ." Orochi sadly says. "I saw Kuchinawa just the beginning of this week. He had this . . . dark expression on his face. It sent chills down my spine."

Orochi then adds, "Then it doesn't help that Kuchinawa's disappearance lines up with a certain number of Mizuho's secrets being leaked."

Sheena defends, "Kuchinawa would never do something like that! He would never betray Mizuho!"

"I know," Orochi agrees. "Kuchinawa would never even think of turning against any one of us. To him, every villager is a part of his family."

"Maybe he's just in a tight spot," Sheena offers. "See if you can help him, Orochi. You're the only one who can get through to him."

"Yes, I will do so . . . but . . ." Orochi recalls, "When I saw him, I called out to him and he looked back at me and . . . he ran off. Without even a word to me, his own brother, Kuchinawa ran!"

Zelos stares at the sake bottle and contemplates everything he just overheard. Then, a bitter smile stretches across his lips.

"Heh. So I'm not the only one."

* * *

Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold.

Lloyd signals for us to land just some distance away from the city of Flanoir, using exaggerated hand motions to make up for the fact his fingers can't visibly move underneath his thick mittens. All of us are tightly wrapped up in thick coats and clothes so the initial extreme temperatures don't slam into us hard and kill us from exposure, but still . . .

Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold.

When the rheaird lands (I'm hitching a ride on Colette's this time), I reluctantly get off and test the ice serving as ground. Seeing as how I'll eventually lose my footing, I look over to Colette and scratch her off as a possible aid in keeping balance as her first step on the ice causes her to fall flat on her face. I look around for the closest person and find Regal, who keeps his balance perfectly.

. . . And now I mull over on how Regal got all of his clothes on since he refuses to take off his handcuffs. He and Lloyd disappeared for a minute or two and then reappeared with Regal dressed adequately for a frozen wasteland and both silent on the issue of how Regal got all that on with the handcuffs in the way.

I move over to Regal's side and stay there as extra insurance for balance.

Genis looks up into the sky as a very light snowfall drifts down. "We haven't seen snow since Sylvarant."

Lloyd joins Genis' side. "No we haven't. Once we get to the inn, let's make a snowman!"

Colette chirps, "We could make an army of snowmen like the one at Luin!"

Genis comments, "I don't know if we could make that many . . ."

"That reminds me," Lloyd goes, "who made the snowman that looked like Kratos?"

Sheena points her thumb at me. "Kelsey did."

In retaliation to that, I point my finger at Sheena. "Sheena did."

"It was all your idea!" Sheena argues.

"But you helped me," I mock. "You even stole Kratos' cape and his spare shirt."

"You told me to! You pretty much passed the buck!" Sheena counters.

"Oh, and I forced you to steal his clothes?" I remark. "Last time I checked, you're a lot more strong-willed than that."

"He got them back!" Sheena blurts out.

"Yeah he did . . . and destroyed our snowman in the process." I sigh, "Kratos has no art appreciation at all . . ."

"Whatever. Can we just get to an inn?"

I look over to Zelos, who shivers and glares through his bundles. As we got closer to Flanoir, Zelos became more distant and bitter to the people around him. It was as if the man experienced a complete personality change.

Sheena comments, "You don't have to snap at us like that."

Zelos' eyes sharpen. "It's snowing. It's wet. It's f*cking below zero. Let's stop waiting around for us to die from exposure and get to an inn."

Raine gives Zelos a look for his tone, but then agrees, "At any rate, we need to get to shelter now."

We trudge our way into the city, bearing with the cold . . .

Cold . . . Cold . . . Cold . . . Cold . . .

Don't think about the cold. As soon as you think about the cold, that's all you can think about. Think about something else.

. . . Vic Magnogna.

Yeah, think about Vic Magnogna. It's certainly not about the . . .

Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold.

Damn it . . .

We enter the city with all of us trudging along and trying our best to hurry to the inn, except for Colette who is pretty much dancing around in joy.

"Yay! It's so cold! Lloyd! Genis! Professor! It's really, really cold!" Colette cheers.

"We know, Colette!" Genis protests.

"That's right. You couldn't feel anything at all earlier," Lloyd notes.

"No, but now I can!" Colette continues to skip. "Yay! Cold, cold, cold!"

Glad she's happy, but Colette's getting on my nerves . . .

As soon as I take one step into an icy inn with a warm light radiating from the few small windows, I feel a rush of warm air and my muscles instantly relaxing. Surprisingly, the inside of this inn, primitive in technology compared to what I'm used to, is really warm. Although not warm enough for me to get out of long sleeves, it's still at that point that it's too warm to keep the coats on.

We all crowd in all shivering and shaking. After Raine asks the innkeeper at the counter how much a night costs for nine people, we gather up our money and contemplate on who gets to sleep together and who we are forced to place into an individual bed (although it seems like a good thing, it's actually not since it's more costly on our limited budget). Then, Zelos pulls out the last of the money he took from Meltokio when he first joined and pools that in, allowing us all to get individual rooms if we wanted. However, with Regal at hand, he proposes a financial order that not only spared a lot of our money but also allows those of us who want individual rooms to get them and those of us who would rather huddle together for warmth to share bedrooms (provided we were separated by gender). Raine and Zelos ended up getting rooms of their own while everyone else huddles together by twos (in the boy's case, threes since Raine still didn't feel comfortable letting Regal be alone).

The first thing I do is go to my room and shed the heavy clothes off. I wait before leaving and locking the door as Sheena, who I'm sharing the room with, joins and sheds her own coat off. She ends up dressing in more native clothing than her unusual kimono this time and leaves to join others who are gathering around for warmth at the large fireplace in the inn's common room. Now that I'm the last one out, I take the room key and leave, locking the door behind me.

In the common room, Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Sheena gather around with hot coco being distributed around. I sit down and take the cup Genis just then prepared for me.

"Okay, the first thing we gotta do is have a huge snowball fight!" Lloyd cheerfully demands.

"Remember the last time you fought in a snowball fight?" Genis provokes.

"Yeah, but Kratos isn't here anymore," Lloyd bites. Then his tone turns more peppy and competitive. "This time I'll win!"

"You forget that Sheena also kept hitting you," Genis calls up again.

"We'll be sticking to one area!" Lloyd proclaims. "Boys versus girls! It'll be an even fight!"

"I suppose I don't have a gender, then," I remark.

"Ahahahahah!" Genis laughs.

Encouraged, I add, "So it's boys versus girls versus androgynous. To make it a truly equal fight, I might as well recruit Zelos to my side since he's so fabulous and pretty."

"Ahahahahahahahah!"

"Oops." Lloyd supposes, "Then we'll get either Regal or Zelos to join. It'll be even then."

Genis whines, "But I don't want Zelos on my side! Make him and Kelsey a separate team!"

I snip, "Genis, watch it or I'll ignore everyone else and go for only you."

"Like you have good aim," Genis challenges.

"Do I have good aim? Hmmm, let's see . . ." I remind, "There was one time at the Palmacosta ranch where I threw my spear like an idiot and hit the Desian that was holding Chocolat captive. Then there was another time against the minotaur where it was about to kill Lloyd and I threw my spear at it without hitting Lloyd. Yeah, I think I have good aim."

Lloyd flinches at the memory of his near death experience.

"But we still need another boy to make things even," Colette reminds, bringing peace between us. "We could get everyone out to join."

"If we get everyone, the girls will still outnumber the boys," Genis states.

"Well, then we could get either Zelos or Regal," Colette amends.

Lloyd says, "Zelos doesn't seem to like snow too much, but he's been in a bad mood lately. Maybe inviting him along might cheer him up at least a little."

"In a _snow_ball fight?" Sheena questions.

"It _might_," Lloyd puts out.

"He probably just needs a little space for now," I suggest. "Let's go invite Regal. We can see if Zelos wants to join and, if he does, we can get Presea to join. If neither Regal nor Zelos will join then let's invite Presea along anyway and divide our groups differently."

"Yeah!" Genis proclaims. "I like that idea! Let's just invite Presea and rearrange our groups!"

"Let's at least see if Zelos or Regal want to join first," Colette says.

"I'll go talk to Regal," Lloyd volunteers. "Colette, Presea is sharing a room with you, right? Can you go talk to her?"

"Sure!" Colette volunteers.

I get up. "I'll see if Zelos wants to join." Though I'll probably get shut out.

The three of us head out into the hallway and go to the respective rooms. Colette opens her door and chirps, "Presea! Want to go play in the snow with us? We're all going to have a snowball fight and we really want you to come with us!"

That gets Presea out. The chance to try to fit in and feel normal, or as normal as you can get in a group like us. Colette and Presea leave to join the others. Lloyd, in the meantime, is currently talking Regal into playing in the snow with the kiddos.

I turn my attention back to Zelos and knock on his door. After five seconds of waiting, the door opens to reveal the foul-mood man. "What?"

I point towards the common room. "The rest of us are going to cut loose and have some fun. Wanna join?"

"Clarify."

"We're going to have a snowball fight," I inform.

Zelos gives me a look.

Hey, I'm not supposed to know that it was snowing during the most traumatizing event in your life. I really do care but I'm trying to bring Tales of Symphonia down to the grave with me.

. . . Wow, that was horrible of me.

I offer another solution, "Or you could join us _after_ the snowball fight and warm up by the fire."

". . . I'll do that," Zelos gives in. "It's better than being stuck up in one room. I'm not going outside no matter what you do, though."

Lloyd walks by and stops at the door with this slightly disappointed look. ". . . You're not coming, Zelos?"

"No," Zelos flatly replies. "I'll only go if it involves anything but snow."

"But . . ."

Zelos takes a more sympathetic tone and says, "Sorry to disappoint you, kid. I just don't like snow."

Lloyd and I stare at him, creating a very awkward silence for Zelos.

With a more genuine apologetic tone, Zelos goes, "Look, sorry I'm being an ass, but I won't go outside."

Lloyd stares at Zelos with this indecipherable expression. ". . . If there's anything bothering you then you can tell us about it. It's not good to keep things to yourself."

Zelos smirks. "Where did that come from? I didn't say something is wrong."

"You didn't, but you didn't have to say anything," Lloyd states.

"What if I just don't like snow?" Zelos implies.

Lloyd points down at me. "She hates the cold, yet she's going out."

Since when did I volunteer to be an example?

"Kudos to her," Zelos counters.

I look up at Lloyd. "Let's go. We're just going to make him grind his heels down if we try to force him outside." Then I turn to Zelos. "Just know that there's an invitation with your name on it and it doesn't have an expiration date."

Zelos doesn't respond to that.

As Lloyd and I leave him there, I ask, "So how many do we have now?"

"Well, there's you, me, Genis, Colette, Sheena, Presea, and Regal so that makes seven."

"Let's go get the professor. We can't divide seven up evenly without another person."

"I don't think Professor Raine would want to come."

"Is that going to stop us from inviting her along and bugging her until she does?"

* * *

Peering to the other side of the stretch of road, I spy the snow barrier the other team erected. Genis pokes his nose over and spies on me spying on him. I duck back under the (incredibly) tall snow wall Sheena, Regal, Raine, and I built.

"I honestly don't know why I'm doing this," Raine mutters.

"Because your inner child demands it?" I suggest.

"Possibly," Raine admits, a glimmer in her eye appearing.

"Hehehehehe!" Sheena cackles as she plots ways to hit members of the other team.

_Pwoch!_

An enemy snowball crashes over our wall, signaling the beginning of our miniature war.

"The others seem eager to start," Regal notes.

Sheena challenges, "Let's show them what we can do!"

I hastily scoop up a snowball and fling it to the other side. For one second I see Lloyd about to throw a snowball, and then the next thing I know I'm on the ground with ice crashing into my face.

"Got him!" Sheena cheers.

Regal ducks under our snow barrier and throws out his own snowball. He ducks again as one of Genis' snowballs sail at him.

Raine braces herself to come out of her cover and jumps up—

_Pwoch!_

Raine staggers over as a snowball flies into her. She ducks under the snow barrier and shakes off the snow. "That's it . . . !" After that, Raine rises up with four snowballs and sends them all soaring out. The next thing I hear are reacting cries as the opposing team gets pelted with snowballs.

"Hah!" Raine mocks.

I pick up another snowball and fling it over at Genis, who gets hit with my snowball. As I duck under, I spot Presea throwing a snowball at the corner of my eye—

_Pwoch!_

I fall over to the ground with a snowball in my face.

Though I'm miserably cold with snow dripping into my clothes and my face all red from repeated hits from the snowball fight, all that I remember and care to remember is this one moment. With friendly competition and just plain fun, everyone is an innocent child once again. Cruxis, the Desians, Summon Spirits, troubles of the past . . . None of that matters right now. Those are worries of another time. Any tension with the group, the possibility of being caught by the Papal Knights, carrying my own weight, the threat of death, troubles concerning Chocolat, people discovering where I'm originally from, being shunned by everyone . . .

. . . The empty spot in my family where I should be . . .

. . . That has nothing to do with right now. No, there is too much joy in this occasion. All I will remember of this moment is what was there: pure happy fun, casual play, friendly competition, no score keeping, and the look on so-and-so's face when snowballs hit them unexpectedly.

Pure happy bliss.

* * *

This is an okay chapter. My favorite part was with the puns lol.

This entire chapter contains 13 mole puns, almost all of them ripped from Mole Day (which is a chemistry "holiday" that's more of an insider's thing).

The tanto still plays a role in this fic, but the Masamune thing is a reference to the famous swordsmith from Japan. One of his works sits in the Tokugawa Art Museum while another one was given to President Harry Truman sometime after WWII and is now in the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. Sorry to disappoint some of you.

After Mizuho, it's all filler. I'm a writer of filler, but unlike some of the things Bleach has done, I at least make sure there's some use for said filler.


	60. As Sharp As Ice

This is a pretty long chapter, so prepare yourself.

Hmmm . . . This chapter has good qualities and cheap qualities. I like it yet I don't. I don't know. You decided.

* * *

Chapter Sixty: As Sharp As Ice

We all shiver as we huddle up by the fireplace, trying to get warm. My main priority is to get warm and dry before I do anything else. Snow slowly melts off my thick coat while I impatiently wait for the heat from the fire to banish the chills wracking my bones.

Genis, lucky duck, managed to get warm sooner out of pure mental conditioning. Since all other tables are being used during this dinner hour (which I find very ironic considering the climate), he shares a table with an elderly man as he makes hot coco. Many eager glances shoot towards Genis' direction as he makes the drinks.

Presea, finally reaching a limit, gets up and steps over to Genis. "Genis . . ." Presea hesitantly says.

"Wh-what is it, P-P-Presea?" Genis stutters, most likely from something other the cold since he didn't stutter while he was cold.

"I don't mean to be rude," Presea sheepishly expresses, "but how much longer will it take to make the drinks?"

"J-just a moment! It's almost done!" Genis insists. "I'll give you the first one!"

The elderly man watches Genis and Presea for a second. ". . . You two are still cold? What kind of material are your coats made of?"

Presea looks over at the elderly man while Genis answers him, "I think these coats are made with layers of cloth and fur. They're pretty thick."

The elderly man shakes his head. "That won't do too much. Tourists like you and your friends never seem to be able to get the right kind of coats. What you need are penguinist coats."

"A penguinist? What's that?" Genis asks.

Presea replies, "A penguinist is a large humanoid flightless bird native to only the Flanoir continent. Their hides are valued for their insulin."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." The elderly man then offers, "Say, I have a pair of coats made from penguinist feathers that should be your size. They used to belong to my grandchildren but they outgrew them a long time ago. If you'd like, you can have the coats for free."

"You really mean that?" Genis questions.

The elderly man nods. "It's better than throwing them out, so why not?"

Presea responds, "That is very kind of you. Thank you."

"Yeah! Thank you!" Genis chimes in.

"I'll get the coats to you tomorrow morning," the elderly man promises. "You two wait out here with your parents, okay?"

"Ah, okay," Genis goes, frowning a little at that.

Presea simply looks away, her eyes downcast.

Genis spots Presea's mood and quickly diverts the elderly man's attention. "Here, I made some hot coco, if you want some."

"Oh, thank you!" The elderly man takes a cup.

Genis fills another cup and hands it over to Presea. "Here, Presea."

"Oh . . . Thank you, Genis." Presea takes the cup, her eyes still sad.

"Presea, are you okay?" Genis ask.

"I'm fine . . ." Presea takes a sip of her drink. After tasting it, she tells Genis, "This is really good."

Genis offers a small smile, the mood still dampened by the gloomy feeling. "You like it? That's great! Really, it is."

Presea nods.

As soon as one person in our group spotted Genis filling our mugs with hot coco, everyone rushes in for a drink. I keep my distance while Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena crowd around to grab a cup and slip in once they clear out. Once everyone has a cup, one remaining cup stands out in the space.

"That's right," Lloyd goes, "Zelos is still in his room."

"He'll come down when he wants to," Sheena informs.

"He was in a pretty bad mood earlier . . ." Lloyd says. "Something's up. He's usually not like this."

"There really isn't much we can do about that since he won't tell us what's going on," I reply. "Though, I'll go tell him that there's hot coco."

"Maybe you should let someone else do that," Sheena warily implies.

I raise my eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you seem . . ." Sheena starts blushing.

I cross my arms.

"Never mind," Sheena goes.

I let it drop and leave the group. I enter the hallway and move over to Zelos' room. Noting that the door is open (or, well, partially), I take that as an okay to disrupt him. I push the door further open but I don't enter. I see him sitting on his bed doodling on his sketchbook with this bored expression on his face.

Is he ignoring me? "Hey," I calmly call out. "Hot coco down there."

"Yeah," he responds, still not quite paying attention to me.

"People to talk to," I add.

"Kay."

I narrow my eyes and just stay there.

Sensing me still there, Zelos tells me, "I'll be down there in a moment."

I still don't move.

A long silence passes . . .

Zelos pauses, his sketching coming to a halt. ". . . You're not leaving until I do something, are you?"

"Nope."

Zelos finally looks up from his sketchbook. "What if I just want some space?"

"I'd believe that if you weren't acting funny ever since we arrived in Flanoir." When Zelos begins to growl, I tell him, "Look, it's just hot coco. You don't have to participate in conversation."

"You really don't get it, do you?"

I shake my head. "No, I don't. This isn't like you at all."

"What makes you think that you know me at all?" Zelos snaps.

A tense silence chokes the air. I stare at Zelos, not knowing how to respond. I frown guiltily. "I'm sorry . . ."

Zelos sighs, "No, that wasn't cool of me." He pauses for a moment.

". . . What were your parents like?" Zelos asks.

I stare at him. ". . . Isn't that a touchy subject?"

"Just . . . Just tell me . . . Please . . ."

I raise my eyebrow, a little alarmed at this. I tell him, "My parents . . . I couldn't ask for more. They . . ." I take a breath. "My mom was very gentle and realistic. She had a way of attracting people to her and was often adopted as a second mother by a lot of the kids she taught while working as a teacher. My dad was a child at heart and could relate and understand people very well. He always had a different perspective of things that would come out in certain situations and make it seem like he figured out the meaning of life long ago." I close my eyes for a brief moment. "They both worked so hard just to provide for me and my sister. We weren't poor, but it was hard for them. They made sure that we were equally loved and pushed us to better our future. In the end, there was . . . no need that wasn't met . . ."

I miss them . . .

Zelos' eyes turn bitter, but not towards me or seemingly anything in general. ". . . You're lucky."

"I know," I reply. "I just wish that I could tell them that I'm alright . . ."

"My parents . . . they weren't as . . ." Zelos stops.

I frown. "I get what you're saying. You don't have to say any more."

Zelos doesn't respond. After a few long seconds, I lean against the door frame and simply wait. Finally, Zelos sets aside his sketchbook and gets up. He moves out of his room and stops next to me. Zelos comments, "You really shouldn't have been so tolerant of me."

My face screws up in confusion. "Wooouullld you have preferred it if I just yelled at you and stormed off?"

"Not really, but a moody asshole is still a moody asshole." He pauses. ". . . You might want to keep your distance until we get this pact with Celsius over with."

"Are you going to come down and join us?" I wonder.

"Yeah," Zelos confirms. "It's just hot coco after all."

I smile at that and head back to the group with Zelos.

* * *

I wake up . . .

Cold . . .

I close my eyes once again and doze off in the warm blankets.

I wake up again . . .

Cold . . .

I close my eyes once more and go back to sleep.

"Wake up, already!"

I groan as I force myself to wake up. Sheena stares down at me with this irritated expression as she impatiently raps her foot against the wooden floor. "Come on! Everyone else is already awake and dressed!"

As I change into clothes and the thick coat, I question, "Is Lloyd already up?"

"Lloyd got up an hour ago! He's waiting with the others downstairs!"

Shit! Even Lloyd got up before me! I race to put all my clothes on and brush my hair and teeth. Then, after hastily packing all my stuff, I race down to the front of the inn where everyone waits on me, including Lloyd. I blush with embarrassment when they give me a collective impatient stare.

Genis, wrapped in a new coat made of a feathery material, comments, "If _Lloyd_ gets up before you then you _way_ overslept."

I don't respond to that and just join everyone.

With Sheena and me back, Lloyd turns to everyone and announces, "Now that everyone is here and we restocked our supplies, let's head over to the Temple of Ice. We can use the rheairds to get over there."

"As if trudging through the snow to the other side of the Flanoir continent was an option," Zelos remarks.

Lloyd looks over to Zelos. "Are you going to be alright? There's probably going to be more snow over at the Temple of Ice."

"I'll be fine." Zelos points towards his bag. "I made sure to restock in Flanoir potions this morning. I can just get drunk if something bothers me."

Sheena urges, "Let's go, already!"

"By the way," Raine corrects, "Lloyd, how low temperatures dropped is not an indicator of how much snow there is. Snow is actually formed by . . ."

As Raine would soon find out, Lloyd tuned out Raine's lecture in an automatic reflex.

Anyway, the rheairds are a blessing from heaven. I cannot emphasize how convenient it is to just fly from point A to point B and not have to worry about monsters or running into people. As we zoom over the landscape, I watch the ground with glee as our speed melts through the miles. My fear of heights be damned if I can take joy in not having to walk everywhere.

We land at the entrance of the temple and enter as our eyes take a good look around. The entire temple, from what it looks like, is a cavern area originating in a level ground that connects to a nearby icy cliff. A thick layer of snow covers the entire area, nearly obscuring the entire place in a landscape of white.

Sheena expresses, "Good thing we had the map marked otherwise we wouldn't have found this place."

Genis attempts to move forward, his foot having to hike above his knees just to go through the snow. "The snow is almost up to my knees! I can't even walk!"

Regal comments, "We should have thought to bring snowshoes before leaving Flanoir."

Lloyd asks, "What are snowshoes?"

Regal explains, "Snowshoes are shoes designed to allow a person to walk on the surface of deep snow to prevent the very problem we are currently presented with. I should have thought to mention them before we left."

"We're already here so we might as well keep going," Sheena mentions.

We trudge our way into the only cavern entrance we could get to. With the snow just some below my knees, it's pretty difficult to wade through the snow. It's like dragging weights attached to your legs. It took us what seemed like forever to get inside the temple.

We enter the cavern temple with a dark blue-gray hue coloring the frozen ground. Patches of ice tuck into nooks and corners and indentions all across the area. From looking around, it's hard to tell where a person will be going with how the floor structure is laid out.

However, none of that holds our attention for long. What holds our attention is a sight we haven't seen for a very long time, in fact we haven't seen the likes of this certain thing ever since we released the Wind Seal at the Temple of Wind.

Resting next to a weak campfire is a stranger, a common man that is perhaps on a pilgrimage. Well, a pilgrimage is the only reason I can think of as to why some guy would be all the way out here in this temple. It's just . . . weird.

The man looks up at us, the bottom half of his face covered by a cloth resembling a thick cowl. His eyes, a beetle black, gaze out at us with this sharp quality despite the indifference expressed towards us, stray locks of black hair sticking out around his eyes. As he stands to greet us, I notice that the man's coat is a standard blue made from a feathery material that I'm guessing is penguinist feathers. Then, lastly, a large bag hanging from his shoulders bulges with promises of supplies and tools.

"It's unusual to find others at this temple," the man greets with this neutrally toned voice slightly scratched with a raspy touch. "Are you on a pilgrimage as well?"

"Ahhh yeah! Yeah we are!" Lloyd answers.

"Oh, really? That's very dedicated," the man comments. "It's good to see I'm not the only one who follows Martel's teachings to such a degree."

"We're just going to head to the altar and leave," Lloyd informs. "We won't bother you."

"Oh no, I want to be bothered," the man replies. "I haven't had company in a very long time. Besides, if you can get to the altar then I would like to come with you. The reason I came here was to pray at the altar. It's part of my pilgrimage."

"Ahhh . . ." Lloyd turns to the rest of us, confused on what to do. Sheena shrugs while Regal nods his head and Colette answers, "I don't see why he can't come with us."

Raine reasons to the man, "We just ask for our own time in the altar room whether it be before or after you go in. Is that fair?"

"That's fair," the man agrees. "I don't mind if I go last in the altar room. I stayed here for this long in the temple, I can wait my turn. Since I'm accompanying you for right now, let me introduce myself. My name is Melvin."

"Thank you. That is very kind of you," Raine returns with.

Lloyd notes, "You said something like if we can get to the altar, right? What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Melvin beckons, "Follow me and you'll find out."

We exchange looks with each other but comply. Melvin leads us through the icy paths and eventually to an upper level of a large room flooded over with freezing water. I crane my neck over to the lower level and spot little islands the water hasn't covered. On four little islands, I discover tall ice statues, each one shaped in the figure of a woman, though at the angle I'm at I can't tell what the woman looks like.

Raine looks on ahead of us at an ice bridge connecting this platform to another platform that slopes to the lower level with the water and an upper level that leads outside. She notes different areas and voices, "Some of the puzzles in this temple have already been solved."

Melvin responds, "Some of that is because of me. I tried to get to the altar but I couldn't get in far enough."

"What kept you from getting in?" Genis questions.

"You'll be able to see in a different spot," Melvin informs. "The puzzles here require a person to look at things from a different point of view, literally."

"How long have you been here?" Regal wonders. "The environment is too harsh to remain in isolation for long."

"I haven't been here that long. Just a couple of days," Melvin states. "Let's get to the lower level. You'll find out why I wasn't able to get across."

Colette looks at the bridge made of solid ice with a wary expression. She glances at Melvin and notes that the man is concentrating too much on his own footing on the ice bridge to look back towards the others and unleashes her wings, hovering just above the ice. Lloyd, Sheena, and Regal manage to keep good balance although they were all uneasy while crossing the ice. Genis clutches onto Raine as his feet slip and slide across the ice, sometimes putting Raine's balance in jeopardy. I, in the meantime, lag behind as I take extra cautious steps on the ice. For the first time, I wish I was born in the more northern states of the US instead of Texas. At least then I would've had more experience with walking on ice.

As soon as we get across, Colette lets her wings dissipate and lands on a patch of ice. She falls down to the ground, but is quickly caught by Melvin. The man steadies her until she gets her feet back under her. "Thank you," Colette says. She looks up.

Melvin's eyes sharpen as if he came to some sort of conclusion.

"Melvin?" Colette goes. Attention is brought fully to him as the rest of us get off the ice to stable ground.

". . . You remind me of someone I knew," Melvin notes.

"Really?" Colette tilts her head in curiosity.

Melvin nods dismissively and turns away to a sloping path leading down to the lower area. "Follow me."

While we're lead down to the lower floor, Genis looks over the lower floor and asks, "Is the reason why you can't get to the altar room because of this water?"

"Yes," Melvin confirms. "I know the altar is on the other side of all this. I can just feel it."

"Can't we just freeze it over?" Genis suggests. "We have the Sorcerer's Ring and the element should change to ice."

"That's not the issue."

Now fully on the lower level, Melvin guides us to a corner of the room where the water is the most chaotic and motions with his hands. "_That's_ the issue."

We look over at the area he indicates, taking in the gushing rush of water pouring out into the flooded area, adding more and more water. I look at that and look around at the area, noting that the water level isn't rising. There's got to be some sort of drain around here if the water level isn't rising.

"No problem," Lloyd says with a confident grin. "We can just freeze that."

Melvin rolls his eyes at that while Lloyd raises his hand and aims the Sorcerer's Ring at the source of the water. A blue energy zaps from the ring to the water. The outpouring source slows into a mushy ice, like a slushy drink, and forms into a more solid mass, clogging the source. Lloyd smirks at his accomplishment.

Suddenly, cracks appear and spread through, sprays of cold water shooting out from the cracks. Lloyd gasps at the damage to the seal before the water breaks free from its prison and races out into the lower floor, rendering all efforts wasted.

Melvin gives Lloyd a look. ". . . Obviously, that won't work. The only thing that can freeze all this is a Celsius' Tear."

"A Celsius' Tear?" Lloyd goes, his mandatory blank expression on. "What's that?"

"It's an ice flower native to the area that can freeze almost anything," Melvin explains. "It grows on icy cliffs where harpies typically nest. You should find one if you go to the upper level of the temple."

"Okay, then. Let's go get it," Lloyd finishes as he turns around.

"One more thing."

Lloyd turns and listens to Melvin. The man adds, "Touching Celsius' Tear will burn you if you just take it without protection. You'll need penguinist gloves in order to handle them."

"Ummm. I don't think we have anything like that," Lloyd mentions.

Genis reminds, "I do! The new coats that old man gave me and Presea are made out of penguinist feathers, including the gloves! I can get it!"

Lloyd beams. "Yeah! Everyone, stay here! Genis and I can get it!"

Colette frets, "But, Lloyd, what if you and Genis get in trouble?"

"We'll be fine, right, Genis?" Lloyd replies.

Genis confirms, "Yeah! It's just a bunch of harpies. What could they do?"

I remark, "Genis, you just jinxed yourself."

Genis waves it off, "Like jinxes exist! Come on, Lloyd! Let's get a Celsius' Tear!"

Lloyd and Genis leave the group and climb up to the upper level. When they reach the cavern exit, they leave the temple out to the outside area. They find that their exit leads to a high ledge that climbs up to several large nests.

Genis looks at the ledges and warily comments, "Maybe we should've gotten Colette to help us. If we fall then she could catch us."

"We'll be fine," Lloyd assures as he inches his way across the icy ledge. "Don't worry about it."

"Uhhhh . . ."

Lloyd and Genis carefully go over the icy ledge, keeping hold of the wall next to them. When they get to the other side, Genis sighs in relief.

"Hey, look!"

Genis looks up and finds Lloyd pointing upwards towards a higher ledge. Just slightly over the ledge is a frozen white flower.

"I bet that's the Celsius' Tear!" Lloyd proclaims.

Genis goes, "Melvin said that Celsius' Tear could freeze anything."

"Yeah, he did say that," Lloyd replies.

Genis gives Lloyd a look . . .

"Right!" Then Genis states, "You remember that he said that there were harpies that like to nest on the ledges with Celsius' Tear, right?"

"Of course I remember that," Lloyd responds.

Genis gives Lloyd a look. . .

Lloyd looks back at Genis. "Genis?"

Genis keeps giving Lloyd a look . . .

"Right! And this is an icy ledge that could have harpies on it!" Genis chirps. "Then did you know that if you touch the Celsius' Tear, you'll be poisoned?"

Lloyd frowns in confusion. "Huh? I don't remember Melvin telling us that."

Genis gives Lloyd a look . . .

Lloyd shifts uncomfortably.

Genis continues to give Lloyd a look . . .

"Genis? What are you thinking?" Lloyd goes.

Genis still doesn't stop giving Lloyd a look . . .

Then Genis laughs, "Ahahahah! That was a joke. It's not poisonous: it'll burn you if you touch it."

"Hey! You tricked me!" Lloyd halfheartedly protests, very used to Genis' antics at this point.

"Give me a boost so I can pick it!" Genis tells Lloyd.

Lloyd lets it drop and hoists Genis up so he can reach the above ledge. With his penguinist gloves on, he reaches for the flower . . .

"Scraw!"

Genis looks up to six large harpies glaring down at him, their nest of eggs just behind their feet. The boy gulps and swipes the flower.

"Screeee!"

Genis cries, "Put me down and run, Lloyd!"

Lloyd pulls Genis away just as the harpies take off to defend their nest. When Lloyd sees the harpies after him, he shouts, "We're gonna have to jump!"

"But—!"

"We don't have a choice!" Lloyd grabs hold of Genis and jumps down the ledge. The jump sends them down a hole they didn't look to find and swallows them whole. Suddenly, they thud against a slippery surface and slide down a steep slope.

The boys scream in terror as they slide down the icy slope. It suddenly slopes into a flat and opens up to the large flooded lower floor, sending them out far into the room.

Their fall sends them straight for one of the statues. In a last desperate moment, Lloyd unleashes his wings and flaps them chaotically in hope for some sort of flight. Lloyd feels himself slowing down but gaining no flight. He reaches out and catches hold of the statue's arm, finally stopping the fall.

After a second of silence, Lloyd sighs. "Phew! That was close!"

Genis continues to clutch Lloyd tightly, still processing the fact that they're no longer in any danger.

Lloyd lets go of the statue and allows himself to fall down. He sets Genis down and gives his friend a moment to calm down. When Genis heaves a final breath, Genis goes, "Okay, let's freeze this water. I doubt it'll be permanent, but it'll last a long time."

Genis kneels down at the rushing water and dips the flower into the water. As soon as the flower makes any sort of contact, ice forms and spreads out into all the corners where the body of water stretched out to. Soon, all that the water was is now ice. Lloyd takes a good look at this while Genis lifts the Celsius' Tear out from the ice. Then, he spots Melvin staring at him and dissipates his wings, putting them away from view.

The rest of us hurry over . . . Okay, we slide our way over. That's more accurate. Colette continues to stay just behind Melvin as she hovers above the ground with her wings out, going as slowly as possible so Melvin doesn't see her wings too. When we make it to Lloyd, we shift our eyes uncomfortably towards Melvin who can't take his wide eyes off Lloyd.

". . . Are you an angel?" Melvin asks Lloyd. "Or was that an angel saving you?"

"I uhhhh don't know what you're talking about," Lloyd goes, not knowing how to cover this up. "Wings? An angel? There weren't any wings or angels."

"I could have sworn . . ." Then Melvin shakes his head. "Never mind. Let's go to the altar room."

As Raine frets over Lloyd and Genis to make sure they're alright, I glance over at Melvin and Colette, noting that all Melvin had to do to know that it's not just him is to turn around and see Colette's wings. I decide against bringing attention to Colette by speaking to her and just turn towards the statue Lloyd caught on. The statue, shaped as a woman in an Amazon battle woman fashion, gives me a sense of déjà vu. It looks a lot like Celsius, only in a realistic sense.

. . . That statue is probably Celsius. Déjà vu is always right.

"Okay, so what's next?" Lloyd asks.

Sheena volunteers, "I'll go on ahead and take a look at the next puzzle."

We wait as Sheena goes on ahead. A moment passes before we see her sliding across the ice back to the statue we wait at. She reports, "The door up ahead is closed off and locked. Then there are some miniature versions of these statues just before the door that look like they can be moved. There's a mechanism attached to the bottom of each one that seems like a part of a lock system."

Raine concludes, "They most likely have to be facing a specific direction in order for the door to open. The statues out here probably yield a clue."

"So the statues out here would be facing the direction that we need to turn the miniature statues towards," Regal adds.

Raine nods. "Yes, that sounds right."

Everyone memorizes the direction that the Celsius statues out here face and move over to the area Sheena scouted. Then, Raine directs Lloyd and Regal to move the miniature statues in the specific directions until every statue matches their corresponding opposite.

The door opens, allowing us to enter.

"Alright!" Lloyd cheers. "Let's go see Celsius!"

Melvin raises an eyebrow. "I thought you were here to pray at the altar?"

Genis recovers, "We are! Lloyd's just an idiot!"

"Hey!"

Melvin simply says, "I'll wait out here while you pray."

Colette goes, "Thank you, Melvin. We'll be as quick as possible."

"No, no. Take your time," Melvin tells us just before we enter. "Prayer is a personal thing and shouldn't be rushed."

We all enter and go behind Sheena as the ninja steps forward to the altar. As soon as she steps up to it, the room immediately gets even colder. I huddle even tighter into my coat as white ice collects just above the altar into the form of a battle woman.

Confident eyes stare at us as Celsius measures each and every one of us up before turning her eyes back to Sheena. "You who bear the right of the pact," the Summon Spirit of Ice proclaims, "I am Celsius, one who is bound to Mithos! Tell me your name!"

Sheena holds her head up high and declares, "I am Sheena! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me!"

"I see," Celsius replies. "But let me test your strength first, pact-maker Sheena. I would not want to lend my power to a weak fool, after all. Use as many allies as you must against this challenge."

"I think I'll stick with three people," Sheena informs. With that, she turns around and looks over us . . .

". . . Regal," Sheena lists off, "Genis . . . and Colette. Want to fight?"

"Yay!" Genis cheers.

"I'll do my best!" Colette promises.

Regal nods with acceptance. "I will not fail you."

"Alright." Then she looks over to the rest of us. "Sorry, guys, but could you wait outside?"

"Can't we watch at the back?" Lloyd wonders.

"We'll probably need as much room as possible," Sheena states. "I don't want anyone to get hurt, just in case."

"Alright. We'll catch you on the way out," Lloyd bids. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Sheena gives.

The rest of us leave the room. As soon as we are clear out of the room, the door closes behind us. I stare at it with slight apprehension.

"That's not a good sign . . ." I comment.

Lloyd reassures, "They'll be fine. They're pretty strong by themselves."

Zelos closes his eyes with a smile, a pleasant daydream going through his mind. "My sweet hunny Celsius . . . Wow, she's got a fine body!"

Raine comments, "Considering that Celsius is a spirit rather than having a physical body, I doubt that Celsius has a gender at all."

"I'd say she has a gender now with that awesome bod," Zelos insists.

"In other words," I remark, "he goes for anything that moves given that it looks female, which makes me wonder about androgynous women."

Zelos shudders. "Don't give me nightmares . . ."

"Or worse," I add to make it worse, "men that look like women."

Zelos groans, "Just stop right there . . ."

Now I've got Dude Looks Like a Lady stuck in my head.

"_Gyaaaahhhhh!_"

My head turns toward the muffled scream coming from the other side. Was that Sheena or Colette who screamed?

"What's going on in there?"

My head turns back to Melvin, who was kinda forgotten in the event of seeing Celsius appear. He stares at the door with this indecipherable expression.

"Uhhhh . . ." Lloyd simply tells him, "It's a really long story."

Raine says, "It would be best if you simply didn't know."

Melvin raises a quizzical eyebrow at us, making me wonder what he's thinking.

"_Eruption!_"

When the sounds of the battle pick up again, Melvin focuses back on the door.

Presea looks over Melvin and notes, perhaps to distract the man, "Those mittens are rather unusual."

Melvin looks down at his hands and holds up his mittens. Now that I look at them, they are rather unusual. His thumb and index finger have individual glove fingers for dexterity while his last three fingers are clumped together much like a mitten. It's kinda weird and out of place. "Yes, I suppose they are. I had them customized just for this since I wanted to retain some of the usage of my hands. I can't tell you how hard it is to fumble around with things with mittens or how cold your fingers get with gloves."

"That's pretty cool," I comment.

Screams erupt from the other side and last for only a brief second. I stand up and growl at the door, frustrated that I can't even watch. What's going on? Are they winning? Are they hurt? Is Celsius casting some sort of super ice spell? _What is going on?_

Then I look back at Melvin, the only person who shouldn't know what's going on, and find a bored expression (or as much as I can guess is a bored expression since half his face is covered up). It's . . . kind of weird . . . but Melvin looks like he knows what's going on in there. My attention draws more towards the man.

. . . Yeah. He knows what's going on. A normal person would react by questioning us about what's happening. They would be panicking since half our group is trapped in a room and are fighting and screaming. Everyone can hear the battle.

Just who is this guy?

Lloyd, in the meantime, has no attention to spare Melvin's strangely calm behavior. He paces in front of the door, resembling one of those lions at a zoo who pace in front of the glass. Lloyd stops every now and then and scowls at the door. "Damn it!" he growls. "What's going on?"

"_Judgment!_"

Lloyd curses, "That's it! Next time Sheena makes a pact, I'm fighting! I can't take this anymore!"

Zelos scolds, "Lloyd! Ix nay on the act pay!"

Lloyd stops and remembers Melvin's presence. He turns towards Melvin and finds the man simply playing with a rock from the floor, turning it in his fingers with this bored expression on his face.

Melvin's eerily unusual calmness aside, I hate staying out here and not knowing what's going on. The fighting continuously echoes through the door, giving us agonizing hints as to how the battle is going on. I'm on a continuous guessing spree! Did Genis just cast Eruption again and did it hit? Did Sheena just call out for a unison attack? Was that Colette crying out for a lemon gel? Was that Regal attacking Celsius? Is that Celsius attacking everyone in there with some super attack? _What's going on?_

Suddenly, there's this long silence . . .

Lloyd stares at the door apprehensively. ". . . What happened?"

Presea speaks up, "Perhaps the battle is over."

"Yeah, but did they win?" Lloyd says. "Are they okay? I hate being out here!"

Zelos comes up to Lloyd and slaps his hand down on Lloyd's shoulder in a buddy sort of fashion. "Chill, man. Have some faith in them. I bet Sheena's making her vow to Celsius right now."

I remind, "Ix nay on the act pay. We're not alone."

Attention is brought, once again, to Melvin. We find him discarding the little rock he was playing with and paying no heed to us.

The stone door opens, permitting our companions out. Sheena is the first one out, a victorious grin on her face. She, along with Genis and Colette and Regal, appear beaten and shivering but alive. Raine rushes to them and immediately starts casting healing spells while Presea gets out blankets for our friends.

With a blanket wrapped around her, Sheena tells, "We did it . . . ! We made the pact . . . !"

Presea extends, "Congratulations."

"I wish I could've seen you make the pact!" Lloyd expresses, his agitation and elation now made obvious. "I'm not going to just sit at the sidelines next time!"

"Ahahahah!" Sheena laughs. "Don't worry about that. You'll get another chance."

Zelos goes, "Alright, let's go. I'm tired of snow."

"Alright, alright." Sheena then remembers Melvin and awkwardly informs, "You . . . You can go in and pray now. We're done with the altar."

"That would be nice," Melvin responds. He gets up and moves into the altar room, leaving us completely alone.

Sheena raises her eyebrow at Melvin and turns back to the rest of us. "I think he figured out what we're really doing."

"We should leave now," Raine states. "By the time his word can reach the Papal Knights, we would already be gone."

With that, we leave the area, Colette using her wings to cross the ice again while the rest of us slip and slide. We reach the end of the temple and exit out to the thick snow. We walk out into the open, making sure there's room for the rheairds before letting them out.

Suddenly, Lloyd stops. He glances around with this wary expression. Genis notices Lloyd's mood and stops to ask, "What's wrong, Lloyd?"

"I feel like . . . we're being watched," Lloyd goes. "Everyone, keep your guard up—"

Snow flies up, revealing Renegade soldiers hiding from underneath. A large number of soldiers, much larger this time than the last time they ambushed us, surround us at every turn. Immediately we hurry inside, but blocking our path is Botta and his two goons (whose names escape me once again) and some other Renegade soldiers.

With our ways blocked, we whip out our weapons and ready ourselves for a long fight. Lloyd glares down Botta with a challenge blazing in his eyes, daring Botta to move. Botta stares back likewise.

"You know" Lloyd tells Botta, "every time you guys try to catch us, we end up escaping. Don't you see a pattern?"

One of Botta's typical goons, I think his name is Jack, gripes, "Give me a break! We just underestimated you last time! Then all those times where Lord Yuan gets involved, you managed to get away with pure luck! Luck!"

Genis remarks, "I think we'll get lucky again this time."

Botta informs, "We have the upper hand this time. Surrender or we will show no mercy."

Lloyd lowers his center of gravity, giving himself more balance and control over himself. Then, he spots something moving in the temple. The movement goes into the sunlight and reveals to be Melvin.

"Run, Melvin!" Lloyd shouts. "Get away from here!"

Botta and his surrounding allies turn to find Melvin simply standing there. Botta begins to draw his blade. "It's about time."

Lloyd instantly draws his swords and charges at Botta. The Renegade second-in-command blocks Lloyd's attack, but Lloyd manages to get around Botta's defense with a side step and charges at him with a sword thrust. Botta leaps out of the way, putting more space between him and Lloyd. With this distance, Lloyd dashes towards Melvin to act as a shield between the Renegades and an innocent—

_Tchaow!_

Oh my god . . . !

Lloyd crumples to the ground. His swords fall from his hands and slide out of reach. As soon as he hits the ground, he clutches onto his bleeding leg that just got hit. Pain twists his face into an unrecognizable grimace. Lloyd's cries pierce the air.

"AAAGGHHH! AAHHHH!" Lloyd cries out in agony.

"Lloyd!" Colette cries out. Colette, Sheena, Regal, and Zelos begin charging in to fight—

_Tchaow!_

The snow just in front of Colette's feet explodes up into the air, stopping everyone's movements once again.

In Melvin's hands is a weapon I never thought I would see, one that keeps me from even moving. I can't believe it. I just can't believe it . . . !

A gun.

A gun in Symphonia.

Melvin pulls down the cloth mask concealing part of his face and takes down his hood, revealing a face covered in healing scars and unkempt long black hair that reaches his shoulders. His expression lacks anything even remotely close to sympathy, caring, and kindness. All I can see is an indifference to his surroundings.

Jack chastises, "Maverick! Be careful with that thing! Lord Yuan wants Lloyd Irving alive!"

Melvin—Maverick—turns his sharp eyes to Jack, who tenses up and prepares himself for some sort of retaliation. The reaction doesn't come and leaves Jack as he is.

Maverick gazes down at Lloyd, who writhes at the pain in his leg, blood pooling around the boy. With the gun pointed downward at a safe angle, Maverick kneels down to Lloyd's level.

"Nnn! You . . . !" Lloyd grunts. "Bastard! Nagh! Tricked us . . . ! Agh!"

Maverick snatches Lloyd's hand up, prying it from his powerful grip on the bleeding leg. Taking one good look at Lloyd's Exsphere, Maverick smirks a sneering smile.

"Heheheh . . ." Maverick taunts, "A fully evolved Cruxis Crystal. This is something only a Chosen or high member of Cruxis can bear. Heh." His eyes go down to Lloyd's twisted face. "How fitting. You really are starting to look more and more like a Chosen."

"What are you . . . Nnnn!" Lloyd growls.

Maverick releases Lloyd's hand. "Just remember: if my weapon can do that to your leg then think about what it can do to your head." He turns his eyes towards the rest of us, sending chills down my spine. "That applies to the rest of you. If I aim at you, I _will_ kill you. No ifs, ands, or buts. Now get to the ground."

We don't move.

"I said get to the ground!" Maverick shouts.

I fall to my knees, filled with absolute terror. The others don't quite understand, hence the reason why they're so slow to go to their knees. My mind whirls as it tries to figure out how guns could be here in a fantasy universe.

. . . Then again, the Desians have staple guns and hovering robots who can shoot lasers. Why wouldn't guns have existed here? The mechanics of a gun would have come before staple guns and lasers.

Now knowing that he's safe, a Renegade soldier runs over to Lloyd and begins healing his leg. With all of us down and Lloyd captured, Maverick moves over to his own little spot, surrounding Renegade soldiers moving away from him in an attempt to put some space between them and him. I turn my eyes from Maverick and back to Lloyd and find that the healer is done fixing his leg up. Jack and his Renegade partner carefully move Lloyd closer to us and leave him there to recover, each one showing pity.

While Maverick dismantles his gun properly, Botta approaches him and sternly emphasizes, "Lord Yuan's orders were for us to capture Lloyd by any means necessary. To put his life at stake would destroy any chance of our plans succeeding. I ask you not to use that weapon—in fact, I remember precisely telling you not to bring that thing."

Maverick smirks, but all he says is "I'm afraid this is the weapon I'm proficient at. Would you rather send me into battle with a weapon I have little training in?"

"I would rather arm you in something that you would have better control over," Botta clarifies.

"You mean a weapon that doesn't mean instant death if used against another person," Maverick rewords. "Your fear over what I have has nothing to do with whether or not _I_ can control this but whether or not _you_ can control the situation. It's perfectly understandable, though. If I were you, I wouldn't trust me with such a damning thing either."

"Damn it, Maverick," Botta growls, "this is about the mission: _taking Lloyd Irving hostage_. You compromised the situation by firing your weapon!"

"Good to know that you understand that if I aim my firearm then I'm willing to kill," Maverick pleasantly. "You grasp the concept that I'm a loose cannon, and thus am only sent out under desperate circumstances. Lord Yuan must be desperate if he sent me out."

"Circumstances surrounding you don't matter when Lord Yuan gave you strict orders not to jeopardize Lloyd Irving's life and thus our goals," Botta stresses. "I order you to either stand down or hand me your weapon!"

Maverick's mood immediately swings to foul, snarling, "Try to take away my arms and Yuan will have to search for a new second-in-command—damn the consequences to me!"

"If your arm is so precious to you then stand down until given further orders," Botta orders. He then looks up at one of his men. "Mark!"

"Yes, sir!" answers the other of his two usual goons.

"Inform Lord Yuan that we have captured Lloyd," Botta commands. "Also inform him that Maverick is testing his boundaries."

"Yes, sir!"

I note the entire conversation between Botta and this new Renegade, wondering why the hell anyone gave him a _gun_. Obviously the Renegades need gun control in their ranks. I just hope that this guy doesn't carelessly aim in our direction . . .

"Lloyd, is your leg feeling any better?"

I look over to find Colette, Genis, and Raine leaning as closely to Lloyd as possible without the Renegades noticing. I scoot as close as I dare to towards the group.

Lloyd checks his leg one more time to see if it's still whole. I see stress lines etched in his face as he tries to keep himself from showing the fear underneath. "I . . . I think it is now . . . That healer did a really good job . . . Just what kind of weapon was that thing?"

"One that can easily kill us if we're not careful . . ." I answer.

"We have got to come up with a plan," Lloyd states. "One that will buy us some time to get on the rheairds and get out before any of the Renegades can attack."

"I've got an idea that will buy us some time," Sheena brings up. "We could—"

"Separate from each other now!" Botta demands. "Move apart from one another! Now!"

Botta chases each and every one of us away from each other, especially away from Lloyd. With each one of us too far apart to talk amongst ourselves, our chance of communicating are struck down.

I sigh in defeat, wondering if we'll escape by some miracle or if this really is the end of our journey. Botta now has a soldier with enough power to keep us down, we aren't going to get some sort of earthquake to distract them, and we're out of luck.

Are . . . Are we finally going to deviate from the story line?

Suddenly, the future seems a lot more intimidating. The Renegades have won. They will use Lloyd against Kratos and kill him and probably Lloyd too in the meantime. They will take the Eternal Sword and fix everything. But . . .

But what about the Desians? What about the captives? Then what's going to happen to the relationship between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla? Then the Pope is still going to be in power and cause trouble. Also, just because the Renegades fix the biggest problem doesn't mean that the more minor problems in the world would be fixed too. In fact, these problems could make another Kharlan War!

I look up and search everyone's faces, praying that at least one of them has a plan. Then, I spot Sheena leaning towards Colette, who had scooted closer to the ninja. Sheena whispers towards Colette with some sort of message I couldn't possibly hear. Colette nods and faces towards Lloyd and whispers at him. I look over at Lloyd, whose face is blank as he listens to what Colette said and turns serious when he gets the message and nods.

Lloyd's Cruxis Crystal! That's right, his Exsphere fully evolved and gave him all the benefits a Cruxis Crystal gives, including super hearing!

But we're not going to be able to do anything complicated if Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena are the only ones who know what their brilliant plan is. As I glance back and forth between the three, I note that no one else is in on the plan, most likely because they're too far apart from Colette and Lloyd to be able to hear without the Renegades noticing. Though, like me, they do figure out that there is some sort of plan. We're just going to have to put all our trust into them and hope the Renegades don't notice.

Speaking of the Renegades . . .

I peek at Botta and find him busy commanding his men into certain guard spots to ward against local monsters. With that part of the question answered, I twist my head around to peer at Maverick. I raise my eyebrow when I find him idly sitting there, his gun cleaned and the ammunition set to the side. He stares at us with an amused look, the kind that you give to a puppy that's trying to get up on the couch with its owner and is being too cute about it to seem pitiful. Maverick's expression is kinda creepy if you put it in context . . .

"Come! Celsius!"

I whip around to find Celsius suddenly appearing at the center of our group. She throws her arms out. "It's over!"

Giant trails of ice, resembling a combination of Absolute and Airblade, shoot out in all directions, missing Sheena's allies and aiming for the Renegades, hitting those that were too slow to dodge. The gun comes to mind and I whirl around towards Maverick, finding that he managed to dodge Celsius' attack. He lands on the snow and loads his gun.

Celsius casts a dome of ice over us. It forms just when Maverick aims his weapon at Sheena—

_Tchaow!_

The bullet crashes into the ice, causing small cracks in the thick barrier.

Lloyd pulls the wing pack out and releases the rheairds. As we get onto the rheairds, with Sheena getting her own by herself, Sheena orders Celsius, "Put the barrier down as soon as we take off!"

"As you wish, pact maker," Celsius answers before disappearing from view.

Lloyd questions, "Will we be able to get out of Melvin—Maverick's range before he attacks? He's the one with the strongest long range weapon!"

Regal supposes, "We should be moving too fast for him to aim at us. We need to worry about the initial take off concerning Maverick."

"Initial take off should last only a second!" Raine announces.

"Alright! Let's go!" Lloyd shouts.

The rheairds hum loudly as they ready for a mad dash into the air. Lloyd revs his rheaird impatiently. Then, Sheena shouts, "Now!"

Our rheairds shoot out but the barrier doesn't go down. I snap my eyes shut and clutch onto the person controlling the rheaird I'm on. When I don't feel the crash, I open my eyes to find our rheairds, rather than tumbling back down to the ground, flying normally into the sky. I sigh in relief while everyone else cheers in their escape.

_Tchaow . . . !_

I look back at the Renegades, silently mocking Maverick's efforts at a last shot to get us down. How's he going to hit us, a moving target, from way down there? I roll my eyes with a confident smirk. There's no way he could—

"GAH!" Sheena cries out. Blood trails out in the air behind her for just a second.

Sheena's rheaird begins falling . . .

"SHEENA!" Lloyd screams.

We angle our rheairds down for the falling rheaird and dive to save her. Sheena's rheaird aims towards the icy water below, spelling death. Sheena fights through the pain and grips the rheaird, forcing it upward, reminiscent of when we were first crashing onto the Fooji Mountains. She aims the rheaird for the top of an archipelago, clamping her teeth down against themselves. The others just make it around her when Sheena is able to regain some form of control over her rheaird and flies straight into the ice and snow on the archipelago island she was aiming for.

The rheaird bounces off the snow into a flip. It slides around until slowing down on an upward slope and finally stopping. Sheena collapses from the rheaird and clutches at her back, finally allowing herself to crumple from the pain. The rest of us land our rheairds around her and hurry to her side.

Lloyd immediately unbuckles himself from his rheaird and races to Sheena. He unbuckles her from her own rheaird and holds her steady. "Professor! Sheena got hit!"

Raine drops down to Sheena and brings out the unicorn horn. "I know. Keep her from moving too much . . ."

"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!" Zelos rushes to them. "That thing that guy used is a long-range weapon that uses ammunition like a crossbow. How do we know how much damage that ammunition caused? What if it's still in her?"

"_It still is!_" Sheena yelps. "_Argh!_"

A spark fires in Raine's eyes. ". . . I was afraid it would come to this."

"What are you two talking about?" Lloyd questions. "Why can't we just heal her? That healer healed me after my leg got hit!"

"That would most likely be because whatever was shot at you went through your leg rather than being trapped in the tissues," Raine states. "I imagine that the object shot from Maverick's weapon lost the momentum and power necessary to clear the body."

"I don't get it! Just what do you have to do, Professor?" Lloyd demands.

Sheena's eyes widen as she realizes just what Raine is talking about. She whines, "No, no, no, no! Isn't there another way?"

Raine turns grim. "I'm afraid not. However, we cannot risk this here where not only the Renegades can reach us but exposure will kill you. You will have to ride with someone on a rheaird."

Zelos volunteers, "I'll take her. I'll fly as smoothly as possible."

Lloyd looks up to Zelos, reluctant to leave Sheena in someone else's hands, but complies.

Raine looks over to me and says, "Kelsey, take Sheena's rheaird."

Me? When I can't even handle flying? "But—"

"That wasn't a question."

In other words, suck it up and fly.

While the others strap Sheena to Zelos' rheaird and secure her, finding any method possible to lessen the pain and keep the wound from getting worse, I reluctantly buckle myself into Sheena's rheaird, my stomach twisting as I fight to keep my mind from imagining myself falling into the water below. I mimic the movements I've seen everyone else do when operating a rheaird and set the rheaird into a hover. When I manage to get the rheaird up without total disaster, I feel giddy with relieved elation. I take a moment to watch how everyone else takes off and copy them, even if I end up trailing behind. Keeping my eyes on either the horizon or on the others, I steer the rheaird closer to the group, higher and higher from the sea.

Raine's rheaird keeps close to Zelos' while she keeps an eye on Sheena, like everyone else is doing. It seems like forever to get to an island that doesn't have any snow whatsoever, even though it was probably a few minutes. A few costly minutes . . .

Zelos gently lands on the grass and immediately frees Sheena and himself from the rheaird and carefully sets her down, his face grim. Raine and Lloyd land next followed by the others, with me landing last and awkwardly. My sense of relief over my successful first flight barely lasts as Raine pulls out instruments that make me realize just what Raine feared she would be forced to do. She hands Genis the tools and a sanitizer kit and a pair of gloves orders, "Genis, go clean these and bring them back. Do _not_ set them in the grass. Handle them only with the gloves."

Genis pales to a bone white. "Raine! Are you seriously going to—"

"Don't question me and just do what I say," Raine sternly bids.

"Yes, sis . . ."

Raine strips off her coat and mittens and does likewise to Sheena, taking off her top to expose the wound. She then begins inspecting the wound, Sheena lying on her stomach with the bullet wound under Raine's eye. She tests Sheena's wound, checking how far the bullet is, using a marker from her bag to pinpoint the exact location. My stomach plummets as soon as Raine puts away the marker and pulls out a pair of plastic gloves and Tethe'alla's version of rubbing alcohol.

I don't want to see this. I don't want to see this. I don't want to see this. I don't want to . . .

I leave the area and get as far from the area as I can, knowing that I'll just make things worse for all of us if I get involved. Tears well in my eyes as I imagine what's about to happen and I start praying that nothing bad happens, that Sheena will be able to recover from this.

Zelos pulls out a Flanoir potion opens the bottle, offering it to Sheena.

Raine stops him by pushing the bottle away. "No, I don't want any factors involved that may bring unpredicted consequences."

Sheena protests, "_Are you kidding? You devious b*tch! I can't even get drunk enough to pass out before the pain comes?_"

Lloyd panics, "Professor, what are you doing? Tell me!"

Raine explains, "The only way to remove the bullet is to surgically remove it. Lloyd, Colette, you two won't be able to handle this. I suggest that you remove yourselves. As a matter of fact, Presea, Zelos, Regal, I ask that you remove yourselves as well. You will only get in my way and I need to do this as quickly and as precisely as possible."

Regal wonders, "Then I assume that you will have Genis, a child, aid you in this?"

Genis returns with the tools and sets them at Raine's side. He listens to the conversation between his sister and Regal as they discuss his involvement.

Raine states, "Genis has been trained to assist me in my medical procedures and is able to help me in this, even if it means merely acting as a third hand."

Regal reasons, "Yes, but are you certain that you would want to put a child through such a thing?"

". . . Are you willing to take his place and do whatever I ask of you without question?" Raine questions.

"Yes," Regal confirms.

". . . Very well." Raine orders, "Genis, I need you to leave."

Genis hesitates, and then replies, "Yes, Raine . . ." He turns to leave . . .

Raine turns to the others who still haven't left. "Lloyd, Colette, Presea, please go to Genis and help him through this. Zelos, I still need you to leave."

Lloyd protests, "But what about Sheena?"

"I'm not leaving a hunny in need," Zelos defies.

Raine gives Colette and Presea a look, who immediately leave to join Genis, before turning back to Lloyd and Zelos. "The two of you will only get in my way. Whatever you can do in this, I can do better or Regal has covered."

Zelos bickers, "Why don't you have any anesthetics? That could help a lot!"

"I wish I had such a thing," Raine points out, "however, Tethe'alla is reluctant to hand over such things to criminals, let alone criminally wanted half-elves."

"Damn it! This isn't fair to Sheena!" Lloyd gripes.

"I understand, but it also isn't fair to leave a piece of metal inside a victim's body to cause infections and eventually death," Raine puts down.

Lloyd and Zelos go silent. Lloyd wordlessly takes off his glove and kneels down to hold it in front of Sheena's mouth. Sheena chomps down on the glove, her teeth digging mercilessly into the red fabric. When Lloyd offers his hand, she snatches it and clutches it tightly with all her might. When Zelos does the same with his hand, Sheena snatches the other offered hand and crushes the hand in her grip. Tears from terror flow silently from Sheena's eyes.

I shiver as Raine begins . . .

"_Aaauuuggghh! AAAHHHHH!_"

Oh dear god . . . !

I bury my face into my folded knees, sitting in fetal position. Sheena's screams pierce my heart like a genuine wound. I cough out sobs wrenching themselves from my throat. Tears blind my eyes as they pour uncontrollably.

"_AAAHHHHH!_"

If only . . . If only this were my world . . .

"_Gah . . . ! Augh!_" Sheena sobs for a brief second. "_AAUUUGGGHHH!_"

She could've . . . She could've gotten . . .

"_GAHHH!_"

It's not fair . . . It's not fair . . . !

I feel a tap on my shoulder. I ignore it. Then I feel someone pulling me up by my shoulders. As I refuse to look, I just let whoever's herding me push me towards whatever direction. When the person releases me, I go back to fetal position and continue to cry. To my left, I hear Presea and Colette crying while Genis whimpers.

It's not fair . . .

It didn't take long at all, no matter how long the seconds seem to drag, for the make-shift surgery to end. Sheena's screams subside into muffled cries as if she just withstood torture. I don't let myself look until I hear someone (probably Colette) tell me that it's over. I bring my face up from my knees and twist around to look.

Raine uses the unicorn horn to heal a shivering and sobbing Sheena while Regal was sent away to clean the tools. Lloyd is grimacing, his face pinched with clear agony as if he's trying to keep himself from crying. Zelos has this grim look on his face, a mix of pity and anger and sorrow, as he massages his crushed hand.

Sheena's sobs come out as curses, hissing, "That bastard . . . ! That damn bastard . . . ! Next time I see him . . . I'll take his weapon from him and shoot him with it! Have him go through this . . . ! _Hnn!_"

Damn it . . . !

* * *

Please review.


	61. Blood Stained Ruin

Good points and bad points. I planned for something towards the end but it wasn't needed so I cut it out from the original plans.

We'll see how this chapter holds.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-One: Blood Stained Ruin

As soon as Raine was confident that Sheena could be safely moved, we released the elemental cargo and move into there. Regal took the controls this time while Raine stayed by Sheena's side as our ninja recovers from the trauma she was put under. A shadow on everyone's faces told me that everyone's worried. Maverick's weapon, Sheena's surgery and recovery, the extent the Renegades would go in order to accomplish their goals . . . It's all getting to us.

I didn't get the chance to interact with everyone very often. Raine declared that I need to practice flying a rheaird in order to get over my fear of falling since, after my first clumsy flight, it's about time that I started learning how to fly. Since others held a similar opinion, I was voted into a mandatory practice that involved me flying by the elemental cargo's side. The others would take turns as my spot check in case I did start losing control, which actually did happen once in a while, causing me to crash into the ocean and get an additional lesson on swimming until my spot check would come with the wing pack in hand to recover me and the rheaird before either were lost in the ocean. After my first drop into the waves below I made sure to wear as little as possible, keep my spear in the room I slept in, and kept my boots on the deck. How I managed not to drown the first time, I'm not sure.

During my practice on the second day at sea, I look over the horizon as I speculate that we don't really know where to go. If we land we'll have to carry our weakened Sheena over an expanse of land to head for the nearest town which may or may not have Papal Knights waiting to ambush us. Our only possible shelters have either monsters or Papal Knights. Then going to Sylvarant is out of the question thanks to the Renegades. It makes me wonder if we're just wandering the ocean.

I dare a glance over to Lloyd taking his turn driving the elemental cargo. Immediately feeling my control over the rheaird slipping, I lash my eyes back forward and regain my control. My thoughts immediately flash back to driver's ed and anything that has in common with learning how to fly. A few moments later, I hear the door open followed by Genis telling Colette, my current spot, some piece of information.

"We're heading to Mizuho for right now. We can rest there until Sheena gets better," I hear him tell her.

"But we don't know where Mizuho is," Colette responds.

"No one will tell me, but I think Sheena marked it on our map and Raine is directing Lloyd. They won't let anyone else in on Mizuho's location or take a look at the map."

At that, I look towards Lloyd who has Raine standing next to him, keeping the map visible to only herself. I wonder what kind of oath Sheena placed on Raine in order to secure Mizuho's location.

Colette turns to me and calls, "Did you hear that? We're going to Mizuho!"

Not daring to take a hand off the handles for a thumbs up, I go, "Got it!"

I follow the elemental cargo on my rheaird as they drive it into a river northeast of the Tower of Salvation. I keep low as we cruse until they finally stop and dock at a bank before going too deep into the area. I land as Lloyd retreats the elemental cargo back into the wing pack and spot Raine erasing something on the map with Sheena watching as she is supported by Regal. Once the rheaird I'm using is put away, I rejoin the group. Then, with everyone back together, Sheena directs us in a confusing path towards Mizuho.

Just like every other time, Mizuho's watch patrol catches us at a certain point. This time, however, they hesitate and demand an explanation as to why Sheena is injured and having trouble supporting herself. After Lloyd and Raine retell the events concerning the Renegades, the ninjas take hold of Sheena and support her while the rest of us are blindfolded and led away. As soon as we step into the village and the blindfolds come off, Sheena is carried away to rest somewhere while the rest of us are given the freedom to roam the village provided that we stay in the village. Instead of wandering off, we follow the ninjas who took Sheena.

Sheena is moved into a small home that is furnished well for a house in Mizuho. The floor is free of dirt and any small furnishings are clean, making this one of the richer households of the village, although it's still quite minimalist in actual furniture. However, I do note that a stack of books stands against the wall, making a messy organization. As we enter, a man in traditional Mizuho garb rather than a ninja uniform comes forward.

"I'm guessing that you are all staying here this time," the man says. "What happened to Fujibayashi-ue, though?"

"Injured in battle," Sheena flatly answers. "This will only last a few days."

"As long as I don't have to feed everyone by myself," the man then says.

Lloyd assures, "We can find our own place to stay. We don't want to bother you."

"Oh, you can sleep here," the man states with a casual smile. "I just don't want to be the only one contributing food to all of you."

"You won't be, Takeshi-san," one of the ninjas accompanying Sheena sourly reminds, as if peeved by the man's suggestion.

Takeshi nods at the ninja. "That's better."

When the ninjas finally leave to return to their duties, we all huddle around to discuss our next step.

"Okay, the last temple is the Temple of Darkness," Lloyd states. "Do you think Mizuho's information network found it by now?"

Takeshi interrupts to say, "Of course they did. It's the biggest piece of news we have at the moment."

"Really?" Lloyd goes.

Raine says, "We would have learned this sooner if we had gone to Tiga first."

"Vice Chief Tiga-dono," Takeshi corrects.

Raine responds to please the man, "Yes, the Vice Chief Tiga-dono."

Sheena insists, "Go to the Vice Chief. You can come visit me any time."

Lloyd nods and begins to leave. "I'm going to go see the Vice Chief. Anyone want to come?"

Colette, Raine, and Zelos stand to follow him out. I watch as they leave before shifting into a comfortable sitting position.

Takeshi turns away from us towards the books. "Now, back to what I was about to do before everyone came in . . ."

"What were you doing?" Sheena asks.

"Looking for my accounting book," Takeshi answers as he picks up the book on the top of his pile for examination before putting it aside. "I lost it last night while I was reading."

"Yeesh!" Sheena carps. "How could you lose something like that?"

Regal comes towards him. "Do you mind if I help?"

"The more the merrier!"

Regal picks up book after book and searches through them. When he picks up a slim black book, he opens it and looks through it. One of Regal's eyebrows raise.

". . . Is it really an accounting book that you are searching for?" Regal asks.

Takeshi glances over and beams in delight at Regal. "Oh! You're pretty clever! You found my old notebook of secrets! It's a journal containing all of Mizuho's juicy gossip! I just disguised that as an accounting book to fool the public."

"A gossip glut as usual, Takeshi," Sheena casually snips, more teasing than critical.

"No need to act, Sheena-ue," Takeshi chirps. "You're always astonished by my secrets! Even my _secret_ary loves them!"

Sheena rolls her eyes. "Your puns are even worse than Zelos'."

Takeshi gleefully adds, "What, Sheena-ue? Do _note_ hate me because I'm beautiful!"

"Sheena was right," Genis agrees. "His puns are worse than Zelos'."

"At least Zelos has good timing on them," Sheena comments.

Regal stares down at the book for a little longer before he mindlessly comments, "Not bad, but perhaps this book could contain something a little more novel."

An awkward pause . . .

Regal blushes in slight embarrassment. "Ah, I didn't mean . . ."

Takeshi cheers, "Good puns coming naturally and good taste in gossip! I like that! You're like a Meltokio nobleman! Keep that one. The gossip only gets better as you go along. It has some of the most devious Mizuho gossip ever! You'll love it!

I wonder, "But isn't that your only gossip book?"

"I actually have a newer secret notebook. That one is the one I was looking for," Takeshi says. Then something catches his eye, causing a happy grin. "Speaking of which, here's the secret notebook I was looking for!" Takeshi bends down and slips the notebook from under the pile. He waves it in front of Regal. "While that one you can have, _this_ secret notebook is one I'm keeping~!"

"Ah, no, I . . ." Regal attempts to refuse.

Takeshi pushes the notebook in Regal's hands closer to him. "Go on, take it! And any time you want to hear my secrets, just ask me! I'll talk anytime!"

After that, Regal was glued to the book for the rest of the day, his eyebrows always a notch higher out of interest and shock at whatever he read.

When the others returned, we began planning out our next move.

Lloyd announces, "We need to figure out what to do next now that we know where the Temple of Darkness is."

Genis asks, "But what about Sheena? She needs to rest!"

Raine argues, "However, we simply waste time if we do not invest it in some sort of activity to further our goals."

Presea states, "We cannot advance our goals if Sheena is unable to make pacts. Sheena is the only one who can form the pacts we want in the first place."

I throw in, "We can't exactly go in unprepared. This is the Temple of Darkness, after all. Who knows what kind of crap will go on in there?"

Colette points out, "We can't just leave Sheena by herself here!"

Zelos reminds, "Sheena will be safer in Mizuho than she will be with us. This _is_ a hidden village after all. It's not like the Papal Knights will suddenly raze the village."

"Perhaps we should form a compromise and vote on the matter," Regal suggests.

"Compromise and vote, huh . . . ?" I utter in speculation. I begin to zone out . . .

"Hmmm . . ." Lloyd thinks about some sort of compromise for a moment. After some time passes, he nods and suggests, "How about half of us go and take a look at the temple and solve the puzzles if we can while the other half of us can stay here and take care of Sheena and keep an eye on things in the area? Will that work?"

"Except that I'm not some fragile piece of equipment," Sheena complains.

Zelos points out, "Except that you're having a hard time walking right now."

"Sh-shut up! I'll be fine in a couple days!" Even though Sheena says that, many of us doubt it.

Sheena then reluctantly goes, "All in favor of Lloyd's plan?"

Raine, Zelos, Presea, and Regal raise their hands.

"All opposed to Lloyd's plan?" Sheena then announces.

Colette, Genis, and Sheena raise their hands.

Genis, noting that Lloyd didn't vote, questions, "Hey, Lloyd, why didn't you vote?"

"It's my plan, right?" Lloyd goes, starting to descend into confusion. "So I shouldn't be voting, right?"

Regal nods. "That is correct. You would be in a biased position."

Then Genis turns to me. "And why didn't you vote, Kelsey?"

I snap to from my straying thoughts on compromises and voting. "Huh? What?"

"You know, the vote!" Genis calls up.

"What vote?"

Lloyd and Genis smack their hands against their faces while Sheena, Zelos, Raine and Regal roll their eyes. Genis then says, "You know what, never mind. Don't vote."

"Wha . . . But . . . Uh . . ." I raise my hand, like a complete idiot. "I-I vote! I vote for . . . for something!"

"Put your hand down, Kelsey. You're just making yourself look stupid."

I lower my hand.

"Okay," Lloyd goes, "now time to decide who goes and who stays."

* * *

With the map in hand, Lloyd, Colette, Presea, and Regal soar over a high cliff on the southern area of the Fooji Continent. It had taken them several hours to fly from Mizuho to here, as the sun shows by setting over the horizon. They land in an area that seems almost as if some giant had taken a chunk right out of the cliff. Before them, going underground into the cliff itself, is an open passageway to a more complex structure.

Lloyd peers into the entrance despite the darkness cloaking everything inside. "So this is the Temple of Darkness."

Presea looks out over the cliff onto the landscape. "I wonder why this area is so inaccessible since this is a temple."

Colette tilts her head. "What do you mean, Presea?"

"Presea is noting the location of the Temple of Darkness," Regal explains. "Since this is not only a place of worship but it is also a seal vital to the journey of world regeneration. The Temple of Lightning and the Temple of Ice are accessible by boat while the Temple of Earth does not bar the Chosen's group. This temple, however, requires flight, making this place entirely inaccessible unless the Chosen has wings."

Lloyd speculates, "Maybe there are some hidden stairs that we didn't find."

"Perhaps," Regal replies.

"Let's get a fire going. We can use the wood as torches," Lloyd then states. "It's the Temple of Darkness, after all. I don't think it will have any light in there."

After scavenging with the rheairds, they start a fire and take their makeshift torches into the temple. The surrounding darkness closes in on the torches and blocks their eyes from what the sunlight couldn't expose. They go in further . . .

Darkness completely envelopes them.

". . . I can't see anything. The torches didn't go out, did they?"

"No, Lloyd. My torch is still burning. I can feel the heat."

". . . Colette, could you take out your wings?"

Silence.

". . . Colette?"

"I took them out."

Silence.

". . . Lloyd?"

"Can anyone see my wings?"

"No, Lloyd."

"I'm afraid I cannot see them or Colette's wings."

"The darkness prevents us from seeing them."

Silence.

". . . We're not going to be able to do anything, are we?"

"No . . ."

"We may be able to light the way with Raine's help. She was able to light the darkness in the Gaoracchia Forest."

"But she couldn't light the darkness in the Temple of Lightning and the Gaoracchia Forest could be lightened by torches."

Silence.

Lloyd heaves a sigh. "Let's set up camp for the night and return to Mizuho in the morning. We aren't going to be able to do anything for right now."

* * *

I stare out at the Tower of Salvation, tilting my head back as far as I can without putting any unnecessary strain. If I tilt my head a little more, I'm sure I could see a magnificent view of the moon next to the Tower of Salvation, but I'm not looking for the pleasure of a picturesque scene.

Foot steps come towards me from Takeshi's home and end next to me. I don't look at the person, my eyes glued to the Tower of Salvation. I don't even look when they stop next to me.

I comment, "I don't know why I didn't realize this before, but it's creepy how close the Tower of Salvation is. A part of me almost expects Cruxis angels to come down and kill us while they have the chance."

"I don't think they know we're here," says the voice I identify as Genis'.

I don't respond to that. I'm pretty sure Cruxis has the means to find us.

". . . I hope Lloyd and Colette and Presea get back soon . . ." Genis expresses. "I don't like being this close to the Tower of Salvation."

"After what happened when we went in there, back in Sylvarant, I don't blame you." I speculate, "It's quite a paradox what the Tower of Salvation really is when it's the symbol of salvation to everyone else."

"That would be the understatement of the year," Genis remarks.

I keep my eyes on the Tower of Salvation. The land turns dark under gathering storm clouds. Noting the approaching storm, I turn back to Takeshi's homes. "Let's go back. It looks like it's going to rain."

Genis pauses as he observes the clouds. ". . . That looks too fast for storm clouds. It was clear just a moment ago."

Still used to the bipolar weather patterns of Texas, the place where it could be quite warm one day and snowing the next, I just brush off his observation. "Ehh. It's probably windy at that height. What could happen?"

"Kelsey . . . This kind of thing is not natural," Genis insists.

It is in Texas. Why should I worry? I just keep walking.

Thunder rumbles from above. I stop and turn to view the growing storm, knowing that a storm shouldn't have any lightning this soon no matter where we are. A pit forms in my stomach as my instincts ring alarm bells in my head. I go, "Genis . . . Let's go inside."

Genis takes a hesitant step back, still staring at the unusual storm, and then he hurries back to Takeshi's house with me following him.

Deafening, sudden, horrifying, a pelt of lightning crashes down with a thunderous crash. Light floods the entire village. I whip around towards the source of the clamor, discovering that it didn't hit anywhere in Mizuho but a little south of us. Fearing another strike from the storm, I hurry back inside Takeshi's house for shelter. Genis however . . .

"That's in Ozette's direction!"

I stop just before the door and face back to Genis. "What are you talking about? Get inside before another bolt comes down! We can check on Ozette when this storm is over!"

"This isn't a storm!" Genis shouts. "Can't you tell? That lightning was charged with mana! There's so much of it I feel like I'm going deaf!"

"Mana is the source of life! Of course a storm is going to have a lot of mana! Get in before you become a huma—half-elf lightning rod!" I argue.

"Grrrr! You're so stupid! You don't get it at all!" Genis lists off, "We're right next to the Tower of Salvation! Ozette is infamous for half-elf discrimination! The amount of mana in that storm can only be used by Cruxis! Get it through your head! Ozette is being attacked!"

Suddenly, I hear someone bolt from behind me out into the village. One quick glance tells me that Raine is the one running off, most likely coming out to investigate the noises outside and stopped to listen while Genis was shouting. I look back to Genis as I finally remember Ozette's destruction in the game.

I bolt back inside Takeshi's house and drop down at Zelos as he sleeps soundly.

"Zelos!" I cry out as I grab hold of his shoulder to shake him awake.

Zelos bolts up. Then, the next thing I know, his hand is clutching hold of my shirt while a hidden dagger stops just before my neck. I release Zelos and hold still, hoping he wakes up enough to realize he's not about to kill some attacker and stop his reflexive counterattack. Finally, when I see the dagger retreat and his hand release me, I relax with a relieved sigh.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Zelos gripes. "Why did you wake me up like that?"

I get a grip over myself and shout, "Ozette's being attacked by Cruxis!"

"What? Shit!" Zelos stresses, "We need to take cover! Cruxis is close enough to get to Mizuho and kill us!"

I stare at him. "But . . . what about Ozette?"

"I know you're used to Lloyd's heroism but reality is that just rushing into Ozette to defend people who would sooner hang us than shake our hands will only get us killed by Cruxis," Zelos points out. He waves off to the side as if gesturing to someone. "I'm sure Raine agrees with me. Right, Professor? . . . Right?"

He glances around to find that we're the only ones in here. I look around myself and catch the shades covering the door opening to permit someone—Sheena—in. I stand to welcome her.

"Sheena! Aren't you supposed to rest?" I question.

"I can walk around at this point," Sheena counters. "Raine went to speak with Tiga-dono. She's going to ask if we can make an emergency evacuation for the people of Ozette with Mizuho's ninjas helping. Genis is ready to leave as soon as possible. Kelsey, Zelos, you two need to grab your weapons and help out."

"Hey! I didn't agree to do anything!" Zelos gripes.

"Then it's already more likely that one of us will die!" Sheena argues. "I'm not talking about just the people of Ozette but us as well! I already can't go so chances are even slimmer than before!"

I grab my spear from leaning off the wall and start leaving. "We'll do what we can, Sheena. We'll come back alive."

"Damn it! They will all be dead by the time you get there anyway!" Zelos shouts. "It's hopeless!"

While Sheena starts to get on Zelos' case, I stop, taking a deep breath, and imagine myself as Lloyd. That feeling of bravery doesn't come but it still helps me gather the nerves to just act brave. I turn to the two, finding Sheena nearly dragging Zelos up.

. . . I wonder why the hero always gets the chance to declare something epic and personal. Must be because of their hero status.

"Look!" I announce, trying to speak over their bickering. "Zelos is right!" That got their attention, one glaring while the other gets a self-satisfied look. "By the time we make it, the entire village will be destroyed. But at least one person will try to hide and take cover. The sooner we get there the more likely we'll save that one person trying to hide from all that! I'm going in there for the sake of that one person!"

Not bothering to wait to see their reaction, I leave. When I exit into the night, I find Mizuho's ninjas gathering with Raine and Genis already waiting on me. I join them as the last of the ninjas gather, ready for battle. Each of our large company exchanges a look, signaling to each other that we are all ready. With that, we all head out.

I don't spare a glance back as I run with the ninjas, trying to keep up with them as they take their near-impossible shortcuts to Ozette. Then, in the corner of my eye, I spot something heading towards us. I leap to the side to get away from the newcomer only to find that the moving figure is Zelos, joining us at the last minute. I smile at this, no matter what his motivation for joining us may be, and just race on to Ozette.

It takes forever, hours even, to get to Ozette even with Mizuho's shortcuts. It originally took us a couple _days_ to get from Mizuho to Ozette from using the usual roads! By the time we get there, during the dead of night, the entire village is already in a fiery blaze, corpses everywhere, and the angels completely gone.

"We're too late . . . !" Genis woes.

Raine declares, "There may be survivors! Spread out and search for them!"

"What about the fire?" I question.

"Do what you can!" a nearby ninja tells me as he and the other ninjas bolt.

I turn back to the destruction and scan the area for a place to start searching. I decide to go for the forest floor and avoid the unstable giant tree trunks Ozette is built on. On the very ground, large trunks and remains of buildings lay in ashy ruins, blocking me from certain areas and spelling death for anyone around. Still, in the hope of at least one person surviving, I search where I can reach. On the occasion, I would spot a hand or the top half of a person and unearth them only to find them unresponsive. A check for even a weak pulse gives me the final sign of death. However, it wasn't always as . . . pleasant as this. On a few instances, I would find a part of someone and proceed to remove their burial of burnt planks and try not to burn myself on any red coals. Then, to my utmost horror, I would find that what I saw was not a person but a dismembered part of some unfortunate victim.

It didn't take me long to realize that the forest floor wasn't the safest place to search, if I can state the understatement of the year . . . Okay, the understatement of the day, considering how crazy things are. Falling debris from the village nesting on leaning tree trunks comes tumbling down at an unpredictable rate. Sometimes parts of the tree trunks comes tumbling down, blocking another path to perhaps someone who would need my help. I can't count the times I had to dodge the rain of planks, charcoal, and fire.

Finally, I stop. I haven't found any survivors in this hellhole and I don't think I'll find any more. The others and the ninjas would have had better luck than me.

A cough echoes out.

I whip around to that muffled sound and try to search for where it came from. "Hello? Who's there? Answer me and I can help!"

I hold my breath as my mind begs for that voice to be real and not to be some hallucination my terrified mind made up for my mental health's sake.

". . . H-help . . . !"

"Who's there?" I shout. "Where are you?"

A cough and then, "I-I'm here . . . ! Help! M-my leg . . . !"

"Keep talking! I'm coming!" I shout again, now racing towards the voice.

I run towards the person, praying that I can get to them, and pause every now and then to confirm his or her location.

"I hurt my leg . . . ! I can't move it . . . !"

"We'll get it taken cared of! Don't worry! Can you tell me what happened?" I call out, trying to continue the conversation. I get closer to them and am forced to climb over a tree trunk.

"Th-they were angels . . . ! They looked like angels at least . . ."

"Keep talking!" I finally identify the exact spot where they—he—is. Buried under massive wooden planks, I spot an arm sticking out that's still moving and twitching.

"Hey! I think I see you! Wave your arm!" I tell, hoping that he responds by waving that arm rather than telling me that he's completely buried.

To my relief, I see the arm raise, reaching out towards the heavens.

"I see you! Hold on!" I make my way to them and situate myself so my weight isn't adding additional pressure to the mass burying them and whatever miraculous support shielding them from being crushed.

"Y-you found me? Help me!" the voice of the guy, a young man I identify, cries.

I grab his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm here! I'll get you out!"

"Hurry!"

I move back and carefully lift the planks from his body. Each time I move away one, I give the young man reassuring words, telling him that everything will be alright and we'll get him patched up and how the angels won't come back. When I finally uncover the upper half of his body, I smile at him, noting that he's at least Genis' age, and say, "See? Almost there! You're almost out!"

Trembling and definitely bruised and cut in almost every part of his skin, he only gives me a nod.

I pull off the last of the planks and finally free his body. Upon sight of his leg, I understand why he couldn't move it aside from the planks. I can tell from a look that it's broken and the lower half is almost completely shredded. I dig into my bag and yank out all the healing gels I've got on me. Using the lemon gels first, I coat the boy's leg with gels, hoping that this stops the bleeding before it's too late.

When I finally run out of gels, I lift the boy up and move him onto my back for a piggyback ride. I carefully climb back down and head out to the open area, Presea's old home as my destination.

I finally arrive at my haven to find that others thought the same of Presea's home. Lots of ninjas stand guard or help Raine with patching up the depressingly few survivors that they managed to uncover. As I get closer, I begin to identify the survivors: four sobbing children, one with bandages all over his chubby face telltale of burns and another little girl crying as she clutches her bandaged hand with fingers missing; one teenage boy my age covered in healing scars stands guard with the ninjas despite how useless he is in reality; and an unconscious woman with head injuries who Raine is currently tending to. When I rejoin the group, I scan the area for Genis and Zelos and find Genis attending to survivors who need attention yet are stable enough where Raine can focus her attention elsewhere while Zelos is anywhere he's needed to be. I sigh in relief to see that everyone came back.

When attention is finally brought to me, Raine goes, "Another one? Genis, Zelos, go to him. I need to focus on this woman otherwise she is likely to die."

When Zelos and Genis make it over to me and carefully remove the survivor on my back, I ask, "Is this all the people we could find and save?"

Zelos confirms, "Yes, as sad as it is. Healing Wind!"

While Zelos' spell heals the young man's injuries, Genis talks to him. "Are you alright? Do you know anyone else who needs help?"

"N-no . . ." the boy responds. "No, I lived here by myself . . ."

"That's alright . . ." Genis pauses. Then, his eyes widen. "Hey, are you a half-elf?"

Huh?

I attempt to discern the boy's features better but it's just too dark in this forest and it's still the dead of night. I can tell that he's at my height, though, but that's it.

The youth backs away. "N-no! No I'm not!"

"It's okay!" Genis reassures. "I'm a half-elf too! That's how I could tell! In fact, Kelsey here should be able to tell too since she's a half-elf as well!"

"Uh, actually I couldn't really tell," I admit. "I was focusing on saving his life and not his race."

"My sister's a half-elf too!" Genis adds when my remark doesn't help at all. "We're a part of this group travelling around! You will get to meet the others when they come back!"

Then Genis pauses, remembering something vital. "Presea . . . ! This is her home! How is she going to . . . ?"

I tell him, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now we need to focus on the survivors."

"You're lying!" the boy hisses. "All those people over there are humans and you claim to be half-elves? Why would humans and half-elves cooperate?"

Okay, I'm getting pissed. "Maybe it's because there's a massacre going on just nearby and disasters like this are just the sort of thing that would make even enemies to work together."

"Kelsey!" Genis gripes.

The youth examines Genis with reluctance. A pause goes by before the young man accepts, "You . . . You really are a half-elf. Alright, I believe you now."

Zelos comments, "I'm surprised you were able to make it. Almost everyone else is dead. What's your name?"

"My name is Mithos," he answers.

Now I know for sure. _This_ is Mithos Yggdrasill in his true form!

. . . If only it wasn't too dark to see him clearly. At least the survivors huddled up over where Raine is have enough moonlight filtered through the trees to see.

"Just like Mithos the Hero?" Genis responds excitedly.

"Y-yeah . . ." Mithos confirms.

"How did you get into a place like this?" Zelos questions. "Ozette is known for their anti-half-elf attitude."

"I lived on the outskirts of the village and I had to run a quick errand into the village when those angels appeared and started attacking everybody," Mithos explains. "It's the only place I know of as home . . ."

Genis stares at Mithos as if seeing something important.

"Genis, Kelsey, Zelos."

The three of us look towards Raine and go to her to answer her. Genis, however, took his time in order to have Mithos follow him. When we make it to her side, Genis presents Mithos by saying, "Look, Raine! He's a . . . He's just like us!"

Raine looks over Mithos. "I see. Please relax as much as you can. You are in good company."

"Thank you . . ." Mithos returns with.

Now in the moonlight, I take this chance to glance at Mithos—

"Altessa should be nearby," Raine states, taking my attention away. "I need you three to go ahead of us and ask him for shelter for the sake of the survivors."

"He didn't help us last time with Presea," Genis reminds. "Why would he help us now?"

"We can hope that he will send his heart out to the people of Ozette and allow them into his home," Raine says. "In any case, we will never know if he will help or not by staying here, and these people need shelter and food as soon as possible. Please hurry. I can take care of the people here."

"Yes, Raine," Genis replies. He steps away before glancing one last time at Mithos, and then finally leaves to catch up with Zelos and me.

When Genis catches up to us, Zelos notes, "You're pretty excited over Mithos."

"Well, yeah! He's the first half-elf I've met who isn't Raine's age!" Genis chirps.

I take a breath and clear my throat, loudly.

"Yeah but you're Lloyd's age!" Genis points out. "It's not the same."

"I forgot that you're still a twelve-year-old kid," I comment.

"Hey! I'll be thirteen soon!"

"Still twelve."

"Well, aren't you excited?" Genis questions. "He's another half-elf like us? How many half-elves do you see each day?"

I'm currently bottling up my panic at Mithos Yggdrasill being here so I can freak out later when no one's around to watch.

I remark, "I see two each day. Three if I so happened to looked in a mirror that day. Now let's focus on getting to Altessa's."

Genis frowns, getting serious this time. "Right."

* * *

We stand before Altessa's door, the moon just dipping into the horizon. Our exhaust couldn't be more obvious. Genis steps up to the door and knocks. "Altessa! Tabitha! Open the door! We need help!"

Genis knocks a few more times before the door finally opens. Tabitha stands before Genis, fully dressed in daytime attire. "It is you," she recognizes. "Is Presea well?"

"Presea's fine! She has returned to normal!" Genis informs. "But that isn't why we are here! Ozette got attacked and is completely destroyed! Ask Altessa if he can help us and the survivors!"

Tabitha states, "Master Altessa is fully aware of the attack on Ozette. He is very grieved."

I frown, wondering if he's going to dismiss Ozette just like he dismissed Presea.

"Then ask him if he can help!" Genis demands. "All they need from him is shelter! Mizuho is taking care of everything else! Please!"

Tabitha says, "I will go ask Master Altessa to take action. Please, wait here."

Tabitha closes the door and leaves us there. We stand there impatiently as valuable time ticks by. Finally, the door opens.

Tabitha steps through the door and states, "I am afraid that Master Altessa is unable to provide for the surviving members of Ozette."

"What?" Genis exclaims. "He's not going to do anything about them? There are only seven people there who need shelter! Don't you have enough room for them?"

"Please wait here," Tabitha replies. "I will make another attempt."

Tabitha disappears behind the door again.

I growl, "Is he going to ignore them like he did to Presea?"

"He better not!" Genis protests. "He's the only one who can give them shelter!"

"If Altessa won't help then we can't make him help," Zelos says. "If he says no then there's nothing we can do other than leave him alone."

The door opens again. This time, however, Tabitha simply shakes her head at us. "I am sorry. They cannot come here."

"This is bullshit!" Genis shouts. He shoves into Altessa's home passed Tabitha with indignant rage.

"Genis!" I call out. Tabitha steps aside to let me and Zelos in as we go after Genis.

I follow him to the one room lit and discover Altessa hunched over onto his workbench. He looks up just when Genis storms in. "What are you doing? Get out!" Altessa growls.

"_Why aren't you helping the people of Ozette?_" Genis shouts. "_Didn't you see that lightning bolt? That was Cruxis killing everyone in the village!_"

"I saw the lightning of judgment," Altessa confirms. "It . . . It was Cruxis punishing me for failing the experiment . . . They destroyed the village that protected me . . . !"

"What are you talking about?" Genis demands.

"It's nothing! Leave!" Altessa snarls.

"It's not nothing!" Genis shouts.

I place my hands on Genis' shoulders. "Genis, let's go. We're not going to—"

Genis tosses my hands off. "Get off! You're not my sister!"

I bite my tongue to keep myself from making a nasty retort. I turn to Zelos who just stands idly by. "Aren't you going to help me?"

Zelos shrugs. "Nah. It's not worth the effort to drag him out of here. Besides, Altessa needs to get chewed out."

Genis continues, "_If you feel so guilty about Ozette, then why don't you help them? You just said that Ozette protected you! Now help them when they need you the most!_"

Altessa calls, "Tabitha! Get rid of them!"

"_No! You will listen to me!_" Genis shouts, "_If you feel so guilty about what happened, then you should help make things better! But no! Instead of helping, you do the one thing that will make it all worse! Instead of making Presea a key crest, you wouldn't give her the one thing that can save her even though you felt guilty for putting an innocent girl in danger! For all you knew, Presea could have died the next day! And now you won't even help Ozette even though they helped you! There are people who are still alive after that and they really could die if they don't get shelter—and you won't even give them that!_"

"_Leave! Now!_"

"_No! Not until you promise to help them!_" Genis denies.

Altessa suddenly stands against Genis. "_I said leave!_"

I rush in and force Genis back and stand between the two. A tense silence passes.

"Fine," I tensely say. "We'll leave. We won't ask again." I begin to turn away. "Let's go. He won't help them."

"Hmph!" Genis snorts.

* * *

That night was horrible. The following morning was even worse. All the destruction and all the wounds from the next day were plain for everyone to see. The entire village was destroyed. Bodies were everywhere. Buildings were nonexistent. Food and water stores were ruined. It made Kvar's attack on Luin look merciful.

The woman with the head injury died that morning. I didn't catch Raine's verdict but I think it was either blood loss or severe brain damage. I think it's most likely blood loss since blood and limbs are the things that Raine can't recover even with the unicorn horn. Meanwhile, no one knew what to do with the children, the one teenager, and Mithos. Though, it was a question that was never asked. We all just simply put it off for later as we did everything else. Raine would tend to the injured, Mizuho's ninjas would take turns between keeping guard and burying bodies, and those of us who were nimble enough, such as me, would scavenge for any good remains of food and water among the ruins.

With the sun now out, I can clearly see what Mithos Yggdrasill looks like in his true form. The game, like everyone else, does him no justice.

Although just slightly older than Genis and clearly going through (or stuck in) puberty, his face retains some boyish qualities coupled with these round blue eyes. It gives him an innocent, shy look about him that would make a girl want to hug him and adore his cuteness. I would probably be the same if, you know, I didn't know about him being responsible for the massacre on Ozette along with forming the Desians, killing countless innocent lives, and killing off Chosens for the sake of his dead sister who would actually prefer death over everything her brother did during the majority of his life.

It's like Sephiroth's popularity only with a cute little boy rather than a bishi.

But . . . I'll tell ya . . . His behavior is really confusing me.

After gathering the first bit of salvageable food I could find, I return to the group to hand over to the ninja in charge for organization and division into rations. I stop along the way to find Genis talking to Mithos. I watch the two as Genis talks on and on while Mithos makes single-syllable replies while drooping down in a depressant manner.

. . . It's strange. You would think that someone acting as a mole would do their best to integrate into the group they're in. Mithos, however, is acting opposite of that. While he isn't rejecting any of us in the least, he doesn't make the effort to fit in. It's like he's . . . isolating himself from social contact. It . . .

I observe Mithos a little more; something about the way he interacts with Genis touches something personal to my heart. Then, I remember the first days I arrived at this world. His behavior and mine from long ago . . . they're almost . . .

I approach the two as they talk on.

"Don't worry, Mithos," Genis reassures. "You're not alone anymore."

"If . . . If you say so," Mithos says without any confirmation of that idea in his voice.

"You're not! I really mean it! Let's stick together!" Genis holds out his hand towards Mithos.

Mithos looks at Genis' hand in shock. A second passes . . .

Mithos moves his hand closer to Genis', hesitant to complete this gesture. His hand reaches closer to Genis' . . .

Suddenly, Mithos stops and looks up at me, his hand drawing away. Genis frowns and looks up at me, slightly irritated that I interrupted. "What is it?"

"Are you two hungry?" I ask. My hand digs into the bag filled with food and pulls out a loaf of bread. I break it in half and offer each half to the two.

"I _am_ getting hungry . . ." Genis admits as he takes the bread.

Mithos glances over at Genis and does the same, taking the other half of the bread from my hands. "Thank you."

"Do you know when the others are coming?" Genis asks.

I shake my head. "If I knew that I would've told you."

"Others?" Mithos goes.

"Our friends: Lloyd, Colette, Presea, and Regal," Genis says. "They left yesterday to go explore a te—"

"A place of interest," I interrupt, blocking Genis' information from reaching Yggdrasill. "They're going on ahead to see if it's safe enough to move on to that area. We usually don't stay long in one area."

"Oh. I see."

I add, "They should be back by tomorrow at least."

"I thought you didn't know," Genis notes.

"I'm just guessing."

I look over at Mithos and find him just watching us, like an introverted child who is trying to be a part of the circle. I turn towards him and remind, "You don't have to be so closed up. Genis hasn't met anyone close to his age for a while now." Then I smirk towards Genis. "As a matter of fact, you're the first kid I've seen him speak to without stuttering at them."

"Hey!"

"I . . ." I make another attempt to say this, "I understand that you just went through a tragedy, but please know that there are people among you who wish to help you and some who wish to be your friend."

"I know," Mithos responds.

I leave with the food and mixed feelings. I think I understand now why no one suspected Mithos to be Yggdrasill in disguise. He's just so . . . different. There's a humble manner and a shy persona about him, very different from Yggdrasill.

I approach the main group where the person in charge of this group of ninjas should be and start searching for a familiar face. I hear someone approach from behind and turn around to find another ninja, this one wearing blue.

"I will take care of that," the ninja tells me, his voice giving me a sense of déjà vu. "You can go back and search for more food and water."

I look at him with clear confusion. "Uhhh sure, but I was told to give this to the one in charge of this group and only him."

"I am the one in charge," the ninja informs. "The last man was relieved of his duties and called back to Mizuho when I finally arrived from a previous mission."

"Oh, okay." I take off the bag of food. "Here, then."

As the ninja takes the food away, I continue to stare at him with confusion. I blurt out, "Do I know you? You seem awfully familiar."

The ninja looks at me like I'm stupid. "I'm Orochi, remember?"

Oh crap, how embarrassing. I recover, "I knew that! I was just teasing a little!"

"I'm sure you were," Orochi responds with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, bad joke, I know." I start walking away. "I'll just get back to work."

I hurry away before more of my ego starts dying. I get to the village and gather as much food as I can find and only return when I filled another bag. I head towards the group again from the devastated village and—

I halt to prevent myself from crashing as a figure rushes through towards my direction. The other person stops too and looks at me. I look back and realize who this person is.

"P-Presea!" I stammer out.

Presea goes around me to view the destruction behind me. She slows to a stop as the entire scene hits her. She gawks at the charred ruins in absolute horror.

"KYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

With a heart wrenching cry, Presea falls to her knees, violent sobs ripping themselves from her.

I watch her for a moment, unsure what to do, but then decide to let the others help her and finish my job. People need to eat, after all.

I turn around and—

Genis dashes through, clipping me and sending me off balance in his dash. "Presea!"

I stumble to the side and—

Someone else passes and accidentally knocks me off balance again. While I recover my footing, the food starts falling out of my bag. I scramble to recover the food before it hits the ground and manage to catch only one piece. The other two pieces fall to the ground—and are caught by a red glove. I sigh in relief.

I look up at Lloyd to retrieve the food and place it in the bag. We exchange grim expressions. I nod over towards Presea, signaling him to go to her. He nods back at me and heads over to her.

I leave them and return to the camp. As Presea's cries echo out for all to hear, I manage to choke up and start crying as well.

Such tragic loss . . .

* * *

By midday, when Presea finally returns after calming down enough to come back, we explain the entire situation to the other half of our group. Cursing followed our grim explanation. Lloyd demanded reasons behind Cruxis' attack but we were unable to give any certain explanations. Genis offered up that Altessa said something about it being his fault. Raine debunked this.

"Why would this be Altessa's fault?" Raine questions. "Does he have connections to Cruxis or the Renegades? I doubt that he would. The guilt he speaks of may be nothing more than the result of witnessing the attack at such a close range."

Genis snorts. "Hmph! Altessa is still a selfish jerk!"

Regal asks, "What happened with Altessa?"

Zelos explains, "He refused to provide shelter for the victims when we came by to ask. That's why we are still here instead of taking some sort of shelter. The only place where we could turn to has blocked us out."

"What?" Lloyd gasps. "How could he? These people needed his help!"

"Genis already beat you to the punch," I inform. "He already . . . told Altessa how he feels about abandoning these lives."

"Damn it!" Lloyd curses. "I'm going over there right now!"

Raine intervenes, "Before you do, I suggest you help us. There are still bodies to bury and the survivors need to be watched over. The more we free up Mizuho's ninjas the more they can act where we need them most."

Lloyd sighs in reluctant acceptance. "Yes, Professor."

"Good. Now help us," Raine instructs.

"Why did Cruxis do this?" Lloyd questions in disbelief. "This is horrible!"

"I don't know, Lloyd . . ." Colette goes, completely downcast. "All I know is that we have to help these people as much as we can."

"Lloyd!"

We all turn to find Orochi approaching.

Lloyd says, "Orochi. How is Sheena doing?"

"Sheena is doing well, if her stubborn spirit is any sign," Orochi reports. "When I returned to the village, I found her by Vice Chief Tiga-dono demanding to be sent to Ozette, saying that she has fully recovered."

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Lloyd replies.

"In any case," Orochi cuts down to the chase, "one of the survivors has wandered off into the ruins and refuses to return. Do you think you could go in and convince him to return to the safe spot?"

"Sure," Lloyd promises. "What's his name?"

"I believe his name is Mithos," Orochi states.

"Mithos!" Genis turns to Lloyd and Colette. "Let's go look for him. I'm worried that he may get hurt."

Colette smiles a small smile, as much as she can smile in this situation. "Did you make a new friend, Genis?"

"I think so." Genis hurries away. "Come on! Let's help him!"

I just simply follow them, staying more towards the back. My confusion is never ending. Do I act cautious around Mithos? If I do so, will that potentially expose his ploy and, consequently, get me killed? Do I act just as oblivious as everyone else? That will keep me somewhat protected but I definitely don't want to end up alone with him.

. . . Wait . . . I already was alone with him once. It was when I was carrying him out to Presea's now-ruined house. He had dozens of chances to kill me and no one be the wiser. On one hand, that proves that Yggdrasill is set on being the mole.

On the other hand, I had insane Mithos Yggdrasill on my back.

I stammer in my step as the horror of that reality sinks in. Regal, who was also towards the back, slows down to walk by my side.

"Are you alright?" Regal asks. "You seem pale."

"Ahhhhh . . ." I croak.

"Did something frighten you?" he continues.

"Uhhh . . ."

"I'm afraid you will have to speak up," Regal prompts.

"You don't wanna know . . ." I whine.

Lloyd and Genis are the first ones to find and reach Mithos, who stands there silently amongst the ruins like a quiet ghost. Genis runs up to him and catches his attention. "Mithos!"

Mithos swiftly turns his head towards Genis, disturbed from whatever thoughts he had. "Genis! What are you doing here?" He looks around at the rest of us. ". . . And who are these people?"

"They're all my friends! We were worried about you!" Genis tells.

"I'm sorry," Mithos replies. "I just felt that I had to come out here. I . . . I used to live here, after all."

Lloyd steps up. "It's alright. You don't need to apologize. Just stick with us, okay? It's dangerous around here even if you have an Exsphere."

"Lloyd's right! Let's all stick together!" Genis proclaims. He sticks out his hand again, offering it to Mithos once more.

Mithos hesitates just as before. This time, however, although slow and steady, his hand reaches out with little hesitation and clasps Genis' hand. He looks up from their hands and at Genis. Then, he smiles.

Genis smiles back, delighted at a new friendship bonded.

I look on at Mithos in confusion. While he does look too similar to Yggdrasill to avoid any chills on my part, his mannerisms are the complete opposite of what Yggdrasill would say or do. Is . . . Is the game right? Or is this a deviation from the game? Hell, do I even remember it correctly? It's been six or seven months since I last played it! Then even longer since I played through it completely!

Please . . . Please let this be a deviation . . .

* * *

Like Kratos and Yuan, Mithos is hard to characterize. There seems to be a pattern.

Please review.


	62. A Heavy Burden to Carry

Sorry for the long pause, guys. There were just . . . a lot of things happening. My old family dog Dillon suffered from a stroke and had to be put down, my finals were coming up, and I had to arrange for summer semester for college. Right now I'm trying to relax with distant relatives. *sigh* It's been kinda hard . . .

I noticed, though, that the other younger dog Doodle is now barking with the same high-pitched girl bark Dillon used to bark with.

Here's your chapter.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Two: A Heavy Burden to Carry

Today, I heard the most unusual sound that could ever be heard. It was a rare sound that I only heard whenever certain subjects appear but I never expected to hear it now of all times. So strange and alien, this sound was, I could only stare at the sound's origin in bafflement.

"Ewwww!"

Lloyd grimaces at a gooey block he picked out of his food and, with the disgust I could imagine God having towards the most vile of sinners during the final judgment, casts off the block towards Noishe who slurps it up with one lick.

Regal stares in confusion. ". . . What is the matter with your food, Lloyd? I made sure not to add any tomatoes."

"It's that gooey stuff you put in it!" Lloyd says. "Is it even edible?"

"It most certainly is!" Regal explains, "Lloyd, tofu is a healthy ingredient—"

"A nasty one!"

"Quit throwing a fit over this Lloyd," I mildly scold. "It's just a single ingredient."

"You're picking it out of your food too!" Lloyd counters.

"Yes, but do you see me throwing a fit over it?" I point out as I pick out another nasty block and drop it to the side.

Regal questions, "Did the two of you even taste tofu before? I wouldn't want you to pass judgment on my culinary skills before you taste it."

"Yeah, I have!" Lloyd proclaims. "That's why I went 'Ewwww!'"

When Regal turns to me for my explanation, I open my mouth to tell him that I have and—

Wait . . . No . . . While I have tasted tofu (and hated it) before on Earth, I haven't tasted _Regal's_ tofu yet.

My hesitation for honesty and desire to keep my background on Earth gives Regal the sign that I acted prejudicial against his dish. Regal insists, "At least try the tofu before you set yourself against it."

"Ha!" Lloyd mocks, "At least I tried it! I guess that make me more mature than you!"

"Says the guy who threw a fit over food," I snip back. To get this matter out of the way, I scoop up a little tofu block and reluctantly place it inside my mouth. I gag on the slimy texture but force myself to swallow it.

Regal goes, "I don't quite understand why the two of you don't like it. No one else seems to be complaining."

"It doesn't have any taste!" Lloyd complains.

"The texture feels like bumpy slime . . ." I grumble.

"Hmmm . . ." Regal thinks over a solution for a moment. Then, he suggests, "The next time I cook with tofu, I will cut them into slices instead of blocks. The flavor should better absorb into the tofu and the texture shouldn't be as noticeable."

"I guess that works," I allow.

"I'm still not sure about that," Lloyd stubbornly stands. "Tofu just doesn't seem like the kind of food I like."

Genis quips, "Then that narrows your tastes down to everything _but_ tomatoes and tofu. Gee, Lloyd, you're such a picky eater. It's hard to cook for you sometimes."

"Sorry, Regal, but tofu kinda ruins the taste." Lloyd sets his entire plate down in front of Noishe. "Everything else you cook is fine, though. I can't imagine anything that could taste worse."

Raine returns from tending to the survivors' wounds. When she takes a bowl filled with the food from Regal, she announces, "We need to leave for Altessa's home and try to convince him to take in the last of the villagers." She sits down and tastes the food. Raine gets a strange look on her face and scoops up a block of tofu to quizzically examine it. ". . . Regal, what is this?"

"That would be tofu," Regal informs. "It is a healthy foodstuff made by coagulating soy milk and pressing it into blocks. It has few calories and fat and provides a large amount of iron and proteins that our bodies need."

Sheesh. You'd think he was a health nut.

"I see . . ." Raine sets her bowl down and digs out her notebook and scribbles something down.

Genis looks at her warily. ". . . Raine, what are you writing down?"

"I'm adding tofu to the tomato soup recipe that I want to try out," Raine casually replies. "I hope you won't mind if I cook out of turn tonight to test the recipe."

Lloyd gags at the thought.

* * *

Lloyd, Regal, Raine, Genis, and Presea arrive at Altessa's home with the other half of the group remaining to assist the survivors of Yggdrasill's attack on Ozette. Lloyd and Regal approach the door first while Raine keeps Genis at bay, remembering what she was told about the last time Altessa was approached. Lloyd knocks on the door and waits . . .

The door creeks open to reveal, not Tabitha, but Altessa. His face is set in this grim sorrow and guilt, showing a weary depression. ". . . I see you came back. Did you come for Presea, or for Ozette?"

"Ozette."

Altessa looks passed Lloyd to the speaker and gasps in shock when he discovers Presea. "Presea? You've . . . returned to your true self?"

Presea frowns in budding anger and frustration. "Yes I have, but with no help from you. I won't let you turn the people of Ozette out like you did to me."

"I . . . I-I . . ." Altessa pauses.

Lloyd says, "The people of Mizuho can take care of the survivors but they can't give them the shelter they need. You really are the only one who can help them."

"I . . . I know . . ." Altessa admits with a heavy sigh. "I will let them in. Go get them, if you can . . ."

Lloyd stares in shock at Altessa's changed attitude. "Th-thank you!"

"But."

Lloyd pauses to listen.

Altessa says, "I should at least tell you about past sins . . . The reason why Cruxis attacked Ozette . . . When they have settled, let me confess my involvement in this . . ."

Lloyd's eyes grow a little wider. He nods. "Sure. I will listen to you when we get back."

Altessa nods and nods and nods, acting as if he is trying to confirm this to himself. He retreats back into his home and closes the door. Lloyd turns away from the door and ushers, "Let's hurry, guys!"

* * *

Moving the children out of Ozette, or just moving them in general, took a lot of coaxing and assuring. The teenage boy, however, was easy to get him moving if it involved the ninjas, especially Orochi. As he continuously follows Orochi around, the teen begs and badgers the ninja with his demands and pleas.

"Let me become a ninja like you!"

"No."

"Come on! Just give me a chance!"

"No."

"I have nothing else in my life! I lost everything! This is a chance for me to get my life back together!"

"No."

"I want to be able to defend myself and the people around me!"

"No."

"Let me prove myself to you!"

"No."

". . . Hey, what's that over there on the water?"

Orochi spares a glance but then focuses his attention to what caught the boy's eye. After confirming the identification of the object, Orochi turns back to the group and lets out a loud whistle. When he catches our attention he points out to the water.

At Orochi's direction, I look over at the water and spot a wooden boat rapidly approaching much like a motorboat would. When it gets close enough for us to see the lone passenger, I finally identify the person as our favorite ninja. Lloyd and the rest of us hurry to the edge of the water to welcome Sheena back.

The teenager stares out at Sheena and gets this loopy smile. "Wow! She's hot!"

Orochi swings his hand around and smacks the boy upside the head. "Do not use such disrespectful terms about Fujibayashi-ue."

As the boat gets closer and closer, I eagerly await the return of our dear friend. Sheena releases control over Undine's mana to allow the boat to slow down. However, instead of slowing to a stop, the boat continues with the momentum it was granted and crashes, unable to slow down soon enough for that cool stop Sheena was most likely planning for. Sheena is flung to the ground at our feet as the wooden boat flipping up and upside down into the water.

"That was an epic fail," Zelos ribs.

"Sheena, are you alright?" Lloyd goes down to help her to her feet. After reorienting herself, Sheena just brushes herself off.

"I'm fine. Things just . . . didn't go as planned," Sheena says.

"I'll say, clumsy ninja," Genis teases.

Sheena looks around at the four children, the teenager following Orochi around, and at Mithos. Her eyes grow wider as she realizes the extent of the destruction on life. "Is . . . Is this really everyone?"

Lloyd grimaces and glances away. "Y-yeah . . . That's all of them . . ."

Sheena shakes her head and lowers it in private grieving. She turns away and takes in a deep shaky breath . . . Now with her emotions back under control, Sheena turns back to us and simply declares, "Well, I'm back. The next time there's an attack, I'll unleash the Summon Spirits on Cruxis!"

"Sheena!" Genis retreats from the group for a moment. He pushes me and Colette out of the way and pulls Mithos towards her. I feel my gut twist as I realize that Genis is having Sheena meet the same Mithos who she had the Summon Spirits annul their former pacts with.

But since I'm supposed to be oblivious to even Mithos' striking resemblance to Yggdrasill, I can't do anything about this . . . !

My body shakes as Mithos and Sheena stare at one another while Genis introduces them. I watch Mithos' face, trying to gauge his reactions.

"Sheena, this is Mithos!" Genis introduces. "He's a new friend!"

Sheena smiles and greets, "Hi!"

Mithos hesitates. "H . . . Hello."

Sheena's face turns serious. "You're lucky to be alive after what happened. I promise that Mizuho will help in any way we can, though. The ones who did this won't get away with it."

Mithos remains silent for a second. ". . . Th-thank you."

"You're Fujibahyeahsheeooay, right?" The young man from Orochi's side approaches her. "Will you speak with your leader and see if you can—OW!"

After a swift smack over the head, Orochi pushes the teen back. "That is enough from you!" He turns back to Sheena. "Forgive me, Sheena-ue. I should have watched him."

"It's alright, Orochi-san." She leans around to address the teen. "And no, kid! I'm not going to speak to the Vice Chief about you."

"But—"

"No buts."

Sheena turns away from the teen and towards Lloyd. "Can you fill me in on what's going on right now?"

"Altessa is taking the kids into his home," Lloyd explains. "After we escort all of them there, Altessa wants to speak with us privately."

Sheena nods. "Right."

After that, with Sheena back in the group, we finish the rest of the trip to Altessa's place. It takes a few hours so it's already afternoon by the time we get there. Standing at Altessa's wide-open door, Tabatha awaits our arrival. Lloyd, Raine, and Presea hurry to her and talk.

"These children need fresh clothes," Raine states. "Mizuho can only provide so much in such short notice."

Tabatha replies, "I have blankets at hand and food cooking right now. Have them come inside."

"Thank you, Tabatha," Lloyd says. "You have no idea what this means to us and them."

"It is the least Master Altessa and I can do."

Lloyd continues, "I'll help you distribute the blankets and food."

"I will help too," Presea volunteers.

"Thank you," Tabatha responds. The four duck into the house and return with blankets. Lloyd goes to talk to the teenager while Raine and Presea go to the four children.

When I spot Tabatha moving over to Mithos, I stop to watch. Mithos freezes as soon as he spots her. His body becomes tense and his face fights to keep an unreadable façade with emotions showing through the cracks. Tabatha stops before him and hands the blanket to him.

"Here," Tabatha offers, "you must be tired from that walk."

Mithos doesn't move.

Genis frowns in worry. "Mithos? Are you alright?"

Suddenly, Mithos snatches the blanket away and wraps it around him. ". . . Yes, yes I'm tired. I just . . ." He takes a breath and sighs it out, the tension leaving his body with it. ". . . It's been a really long day . . ."

"I understand," Tabatha says. "If there is anything you need, please tell me."

Then Tabatha leads the survivors and Mithos inside Altessa's home, ushering them in with comforting words (the teenager proving difficult with his attachment to Orochi and the other Mizuho ninjas). When I follow them and the others of the group in, the distinct lack of a certain dwarf becomes very obvious. I have to wonder if he's hiding from all of us or just simply focused on work.

The children huddle around anyone that they know is friendly or looks friendly, mainly Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Sheena, and especially Raine. Presea they were a little hesitant due to some de facto rule established by the adults that Presea was to be avoided until they realized that she was willing to play and talk with them. Then they avoided Regal, unfortunately, due to his wild appearance and frightening size (not that I really could blame them).

"Alright!" Raine shouts, finally reaching her limit in the four children demanding her attention. "I've had up to about here!" Cue hand motion that stops at her chin level. "Play with the others! Just give me a few minutes!" Cue departure for a quiet corner and lots of complaining moans from kids.

"Awww, Raine!" Genis gives a faux moan as a grin tugs at his lips.

Sheena suggests, "Hey, Genis, why don't you show the kids here your kendama?"

"Huh? But it's just a kendama," Genis goes.

"So?" Sheena shrugs. "It'll be cool for them to see."

"If you say so." Genis pulls out his kendama and starts playing with it. As soon as he starts, the kids shift their attention from Raine to Genis. They stare in fascination as the ball is caught and bounced up and down flawlessly. Their eyes go wide in admiration.

"Wow! That's cool!"

"How do you do that?"

"That's amazing!"

"Do some tricks!"

Genis smiles and starts alternating between tricks, such as spinning in place and bouncing the ball off his limbs, putting off quite a show. After watching him for a bit, Lloyd gets excited. "Hey, Genis! Let me take a shot at that!"

"Umm . . . Lloyd? . . ." Genis struggles to say as he continues the tricks. "I don't . . . think you . . . could do . . . this . . . It's . . . kinda . . . hard . . ."

"Don't say that!" Lloyd grins. "I'll show you what my nimble, dwarvan-trained hands can do!"

Genis stops with the tricks and passes the kendama on to Lloyd. "Okaaayyy. If you say so."

Lloyd grins from ear to ear and tosses the ball up. "Hiya!" The ball goes up . . .

. . . The ball comes down and hits Lloyd on the head.

"Ow!" Lloyd rubs the abused spot on his head. "Grrrr! Stupid thing!"

"See?" Genis folds his arms. "Didn't I tell you it would be too hard?"

Sheena takes the kendama away. "You're doing it wrong. Here, let me show you how it's done."

Genis remarks, "But you never played with the kendama before."

"Hie!" Sheena cries out as she tosses the ball into the air. It goes up and up and up . . . and misses the kendama on the way down.

Sheena gawks at it. "Wha . . . ? Ah . . . That's not supposed to happen . . ."

I get up from my spot. "Let me take a shot."

Sheena hands the kendama over. Although I know that I won't be able to do it on my first go, I feel that itch of challenge just calling my name. I place the little ball onto the kendama and toss it into the air, trying to go for a straight shot into the air . . .

. . . and I miss.

I huff out a sigh. "Oh well, I tried. You make it look easy, Genis."

Zelos gets up himself and moves over to us. "Sheesh. You guys give up _way_ too easily. Here: _This_ is how a _man_ does it."

Zelos takes the kendama from me and takes a shot at it himself. "Hee!" The ball goes up . . . and comes down with Zelos missing.

"Huh? Damn it!" Zelos curses.

I scold, "Language, Zelos. You're surrounded by kids."

"Um, Genis?"

Genis looks over his shoulder. Mithos steps into the group and asks, "Do you mind if I try?"

"No! Not at all!" Genis takes the kendama away from Zelos and hands it over to Mithos. "You try it!"

"Thanks . . . Hiya!" Mithos tosses the ball up . . . and comes down with him catching it in the kendama. He starts playing with the kendama, never once missing a beat.

"Wow, Mithos! You're really good!" Genis awes.

Lloyd goes, "Was the kendama invented by half-elves or something?"

"No." Genis quips, "It's that none of you are any good at it."

"Grrrr! Let me try it again!" At Lloyd's demand, Mithos passes the kendama over. Lloyd takes it and gets this gleam in his eye.

Genis regards this gleam warily. "Lloyd . . . Don't overdo it and break my kendama."

Lloyd _throws_ the kendama up with all his might and frustration. The ball goes flying out and—

The string snaps, causing Lloyd to gasp, and goes soaring out over to a quiet corner where Raine reads a book.

"OW!"

Everyone gasps.

Raine sets down her book and picks up the kendama ball. She immediately looks up and finds the kendama in Lloyd's hand. A look of absolute fury is all Lloyd needs to know that he's in trouble.

Lloyd makes a bolt for it—

Raine snaps up to her feet and flings the kendama ball at Lloyd.

"OW!"

Lloyd falls to the ground and doesn't get back up. Raine huffs in frustration before sitting back down and returning to her book.

Lloyd still doesn't get up.

While Genis kneels down and examines the growing bump on Lloyd's head, Colette rushes over and questions, "Is Lloyd alright? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Genis reports, his brief examination concluded. "Just out for a while without a life bottle."

I kneel down at Lloyd's side. "We could at least take care of the bump. We don't want him to have any brain damage."

"Or any more brain damage than he already has," Genis adds.

I hold out my hand and cast, "First Ai—iiiieee!"

Zelos yanks me back onto my feet, disrupting my spell. "Lloyd doesn't need you to end up making it worse with Reverse First Aid."

A door leading deeper into Altessa's home opens up to allow Tabatha through it. She announces to us, "Master Altessa would like to see all of you now."

Tabatha catches our attention. I look over at the four children, now crawling over Regal who they discovered to be a gentle giant. I ask out loud, "How are we going to keep the kids distracted so they won't disturb us?"

"I can take care of that," Sheena volunteers. She walks outside where the teenager is bugging Orochi and calls out for the teenager. "Hey, kid! Get over here!"

"Yes, Fujibayashi-ue!"

When the teenage boy stops at Sheena, she informs, "You can drop the ue title and just call me ma'am. You're not a part of Mizuho."

"I'm determined to become a part of your village!" the teenager replies.

"Please. You would have to marry one of us in order to become a member of our village," Sheena casually shrugs off. Then she spots a new determined expression on the boy aimed towards Sheena. She scowls and goes, ". . . No. Not even in your wildest dreams."

"What is it you need me to do, Fujibayashi-ue?" the boy asks.

"Altessa needs to speak with my group so I need you to watch the kids," Sheena states.

"As you ordered!" the boy declares. "No monster will touch them!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just watch them."

While Sheena turns away to rejoin us, the boy salutes her and moves over to grab the children's attention. Sheena rejoins the group and says, "Alright, it's all taken care of."

Genis moves away from Mithos. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Someone get Lloyd a life bottle."

Once Lloyd is revived and most of us are through the door, Mithos stands and follows the last of us to Altessa, keeping a distance between himself and us. When we all get through into the room Altessa awaits us in, Mithos stops and waits just before the door, out of direct sight.

Altessa peers at us all with grave eyes as he slumps in the vast polishing worktable crowded with idle tools. When a long enough pause of Altessa just simply staring at us passes by, Genis questions, "Well? Do you have something to say?"

Tabatha says, "Please, be patient with Master Altessa. This is very difficult for him to say."

Altessa sighs. "It's alright, Tabitha. I am the guilty one here. I . . . I should explain to each of you—especially you, Presea—why I am responsible for the destruction of Ozette."

"Start explaining," Raine prompts.

Altessa takes a deep breath. ". . . I was once a craftsman who worked for Cruxis."

Shock goes through the entire group like an electric spark.

"What?" Genis exclaims.

"You worked for Cruxis?" Lloyd goes.

Altessa nods. "Yes. However, despite what you may assume, Cruxis . . . Cruxis is not the benevolent force that you think it is."

"We already know this!" Lloyd states. "We know that Cruxis is evil and that their leader is responsible for what Cruxis and the Desians do! Why did you work for them?"

"Cruxis promised me advanced crafting skills long forgotten for even dwarves in exchange for serving them," Altessa explains. "I learned those techniques and far more than I ever dreamed of while I worked over Exspheres and Cruxis Crystals . . . But I came to hate the work I did for it was indirectly taking other people's lives. So I ran from Cruxis and hid myself here."

Lloyd gains better control over his anger as he gets a clearer picture of Altessa. "Then what happened? Did Cruxis find you and this happened?"

"No." Altessa says, "I was found by a Desian named Rodyle."

"Rodyle? Again?" Genis gasps.

"So you met Rodyle?" Altessa's eyes turn downward. ". . . When he found me, he ordered me to create Cruxis Crystals again in exchange for my life. Failure to comply with his demands would result in him exposing me to Cruxis."

Zelos leans back against the wall behind him. "So the Pope and Rodyle organized the experimentation on Presea and then had you and Kate carry it out. Those two get tangled into some pretty nasty stuff."

I speculate, "A pope and a Desian Grand Cardinal working together for selfish accomplishments. It's a conspiracy theorist's dream come true."

"Not only that," Altessa adds, "Rodyle was planning to revolt against Cruxis."

At that I mutter to myself, "Correction: it's a conspiracy theorist's heaven."

Regal asks, "How is Rodyle planning to revolt against Cruxis?"

Altessa says, "Rodyle plans for the revival of the Mana Cannon. He obtains the construction plans for it somehow and is constructing it in Sylvarant."

"The Mana Cannon!" Raine states, "If we remember what Pietro, a fugitive from the Asgard Ranch, said, Kvar was involved in this Mana Cannon. Is the Mana Cannon connected to the Angelus Project?"

"Yes it is," Altessa confirms. "The Mana Cannon can be controlled using a Cruxis Crystal. Since the Angelus Project is designed to produce such an advanced Exsphere using Desian resources, Rodyle would be relying on the Angelus Project in order to gain control of the Mana Cannon."

"Thus resulting in the use of the victims of the Angelus Project." Regal shakes his head mournfully. "So this is how . . . how Presea and . . . other possible victims were pulled into this . . ."

I state, "Since Rodyle is using the Mana Cannon to attack Cruxis, it's obviously a dangerous weapon. Why didn't Cruxis think of guarding such documents in case the wrong person got a hold of it?"

"Cruxis rule is virtually unquestioned," Raine says. "Even amongst the Desians there is a strong loyalty to Cruxis. They must not have planned for a time when one of their own members would become a turncoat."

"Because of my hand in this," Altessa finishes, "Lord Yggdrasill, the leader of Cruxis, grew angry and he . . ." His voice raises into an angry cry. "He destroyed the village of Ozette, which had protected me!"

"So this is why everyone died . . . ?"

Altessa turns his eyes to the door to find Mithos. As the half-elf steps forward, his words continue. "You decided to stay here instead of leave when you were found and endangered everyone's lives anyway?"

"I . . . I . . ." stammers Altessa.

Mithos continues, "Instead of dying as a brave man and letting your knowledge over Cruxis Crystals die with you, you decided to be a coward and let someone that evil walk over you? This is why everyone died?"

"Mithos . . . !" Genis' face crumples in empathetic sorrow.

"I almost died in that attack!" Mithos works up to speak. "Do you realize that my life is destroyed? And what about the children in the other room? They don't even have their families now!"

"I . . . I cannot apologize enough . . ." Altessa begins sobbing and his head hangs down low enough to almost touch the desk he sits at. "No matter what I do, I can't change what I have done . . . I can't! I wish I could but I . . . !"

After a second of Altessa pitifully crying, Sheena urges, "Then tell us more about Cruxis. We know about Yggdrasill leads both Cruxis and the Desians; we know that Cruxis is made up of mainly half-elves; and we also know about the connection between the two worlds. What else can you tell us?"

Altessa's sobbing ceases long enough for his answers to produce coherent words. "Y-you know Lord Yggdrasill . . . ?" His eyes scan the room until landing on Colette. ". . . That is a Cruxis Crystal reserved for only Chosens. I see, now. You are a group of people from both Tethe'alla and Sylvarant." Altessa heaves out a heavy sigh. ". . . Cruxis is not only composed of mainly half-elves, but there are a large amount of dwarves involved as well. Our collective goal is to bring about the Age of Half-Elves and the revival of Martel. For that purpose, they use the Church of Martel to try to fuse Chosens with the consciousness of Martel."

Genis turns away from Mithos for a moment to ask, "But then why do the Desians try to kill the Chosen?"

Altessa answers, "Exspheres and Cruxis Crystals awaken and evolve from stimulation through their host's suffering, fear, and combat instincts. It is possible to awaken Exspheres through more peaceful stimulation but that method is a much more time consuming than the methods used by Cruxis. And so the Desians are sent to disrupt the declining world. In order to facilitate the angel transformation, they deliberately put the Chosen in danger."

Sheena wonders, "Is it really true that the two worlds were created by Yggdrasill?"

"That is how I heard." Altessa says, "Lord Yggdrasill anchored the two worlds, which were never to come into contact with one another, via four mana links and placed the Great Seed to guard it."

Lloyd scratches the back of his head. "The Great Seed? Where have I heard that before? It sounds familiar."

Mithos, still slightly scowling at Altessa, recalls, "It comes up in the ancient stories about Mithos the Hero. It's what they call the soul of Mithos, who died on the Holy Ground of Kharlan after the close of the war."

"Wait a minute!" Genis hurries up to Altessa, his expression shocked and confused. "How come the same legends of Mithos come up in both Sylvarant _and_ Tethe'alla? The two worlds weren't even supposed to come in contact with each other so why do they have similar legends? They're supposed to have different cultures since they are two different worlds! And that's not even the end of it with two grounds of Kharlan and two Towers of Salvation!"

"It's possible to travel between the two worlds at their poles," Altessa states. "There are numerous other small places where travel between the two worlds and other possible worlds is possible but the strongest links are at the poles that connect the two worlds."

"Huh? There are other worlds?" Lloyd frowns in further confusion. "How are there other worlds too and does Cruxis have control over them as well?"

"The connections to those other worlds are obscure and are only activated on chance," Altessa explains. "Most information concerning those other worlds besides Sylvarant and Tethe'alla is theoretical and originates from before even the Ancient Kharlan War. It's a subject that only trends in forgotten myths."

I bit my lip before forcing myself to say, "In other words, we need to focus on Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Any other world isn't important. Let's pay attention to what's important to us."

I catch the knowing glances from Colette and Zelos but refrain from commenting.

Altessa continues, "While I don't know where the poles to the two worlds are, Mithos the Hero possibly knew where they were and traveled between the two worlds using those poles."

"I have additional theories to this . . ."

Our attention is drawn to Raine. Her face keeps a stern shape and her eyes glint with a strange light. "On the assumption that the two worlds are connected in a bipolar manner, we can use the information we have to conclude that the Ancient Kharlan War was a war between the two worlds rather than two nations on one world or the other. Mithos the Hero would have arranged the peace treaty between the two warring worlds by using the poles connecting the two. It may even be possible that the two worlds used any other connections beside the poles in order to stage attacks on the other world."

"Ohhh! So that would be why the legend of Mithos is the same in both worlds!" Lloyd expresses.

"Further more," Raine goes on, "if we assume that one of the poles is the Holy Ground of Kharlan, that would explain why there are two Holy Grounds. That is the door between the two worlds."

". . . That would make sense." Regal adds, "There are many theories regarding the bipolar nature of the two worlds, yours working from a logical standpoint."

"What other theories have there been?" Raine wonders.

"There is a legend passed down in Altamira that concerns something called the Otherworldly Gate," Regal informs. "Some say that is a pole."

". . . Tell me about the Otherworldly Gate." Raine politely demands, "Give me its description and how it could possibly be a pole."

"Bear in mind that this is a legend circulating around a structure with unknown origins." Regal tells, "The Otherworldly Gate is a circle of large cylinder boulders with runes carved into them. They say that the stones light up on midnight during a full moon and spirit people within the circle away to some unknown destination."

Raine frowns in contemplation. Her eyes glance away from Regal and reflect upon his words, completely oblivious to the rest of us.

Lloyd groans. "I can't wrap my mind around all this at once . . ."

"Why don't you rest for the night," Altessa offers. "All of you can stay, especially the remaining villagers of Ozette. It is . . . the very least I can do for all that I have caused . . ."

Presea stares at Altessa for a moment. ". . . My time will not come back. My daddy and the other villagers will not come back."

Altessa bows his head in sorrow. "I'm sorry . . ."

"Don't apologize." Presea says, "Even if you apologize, I cannot forgive you right now."

Altessa stares back at Presea. After a moment's pause, he turns his eyes away from her and everyone else and focus on his tools as his hands pick up the idle polishing tools and labor over completing the pieces before him. Tabatha observes her master's behavior and ushers us all out the door. When Presea finally leaves, Tabatha addresses her.

"Presea," Tabatha says, "your loss has been great. But please, do not lose yourself in this as well." Tabatha bows to all of us. "Thank you for listening to what Master Altessa had to say."

With that, Tabatha departs from us to attend to whatever chores are needed.

Mithos grabs his arm and keeps his eyes averted. "I . . . think I can understand Presea . . . at least a little." He looks up at us as he makes his point. "Some things . . . never come back. Even if he apologizes, even if you want to forgive him, it's hard to control those feelings."

"Not being forgiven may be the harshest punishment . . ." Regal sadly observes.

Lloyd shakes his head as his eyebrows furrow in deep contemplation. "I don't think that's right. Forgiving or not forgiving isn't a punishment . . . I can't quite explain it but . . ."

I wonder, "Think you could try to explain it when you have the idea clearly explained to even yourself?" I hold my hand up to motion along with my words. "Forgiveness is a very big thing. It is one of the first steps to healing a personal wound and is one of the hardest steps to healing and eventually moving on."

Zelos speaks up, "I get the feeling that you could go on and on about that so let's save the philosophic discussion for another time."

I'm a Christian. My basic beliefs center around the ultimate forgiveness of sin. Of course I can go on and on about it (though that isn't the point).

"Anyway," Zelos says, "Presea doesn't need to force herself to forgive him or anything. It's her own personal choice."

I nod. "Yeah, you're right about that. Philosophy-on-the-fly isn't exactly the most inspiring or persuasive in the first place so it won't do anyone any good."

"Lloyd," Genis goes, "what are we going to do about Altessa? He just told us about his involvement in Cruxis but . . ."

"Altessa isn't with Cruxis anymore," Lloyd says. "He told us everything he could. Let's leave him alone about this."

"Presea, Mithos . . ." Genis turns to the two. "What about you?"

Presea faces Genis. "Don't worry about me."

Mithos keeps his eyes averted. "I just . . . I know Altessa . . ." Mithos sighs. "I need some time to think."

I glance over at Mithos with confusion.

* * *

"I would be happy to tell you more about the Otherworldly Gate," Regal says, "but I don't know anything more about it. I already told you everything I know about it."

Raine sighs. "I see. Very well. Thank you."

Genis looks up from the books he shares with Mithos. "Raine, you have been talking about the Otherworldly Gate a lot. What's on your mind?"

Raine explains, "The Otherworldly Gate could be a pole we could use to go between the two worlds without interference from Cruxis or the Renegades. If we are to accomplish our goals without risking being captured by the Renegades, we need to investigate the Otherworldly Gate."

Lloyd enters the conversation and says, "Let's do that after we make the pact with the Summon Spirit of Darkness. We don't want to end up stuck in Sylvarant like we did with Tethe'alla and not able to get to one of the Summon Spirits."

Raine raises an eyebrow at Lloyd in contemplation but lets the issue drop. With that, Raine moves aside and begins working on her usual studies.

I approach Genis and ask, "Hey, Genis, mind if I borrow your spell book for a bit?"

"No, I don't mind," Genis replies. "Why do you ask?"

"I think it's about time I got Stone Blast and First Aid right," I state. "I can cast mid-level spells like Flame Lance and Spark Wave but I can't cast Stone Blast. It's pathetic and I'm tired of it."

Genis nods in agreement. "You're right. It is pathetic. I can't cast First Aid myself yet at least I don't end up doing more damage to whoever I'm trying to heal."

I scowl at him. "Hahahah. You're so funny, Genis. You should be a comedian." I get back to the point, "So where's your spell book?"

"It's in my bag."

Lloyd watches me leave for the spell book before expressing, "You two are so lucky to be able to cast spells. I wish I could do magic."

Mithos looks up towards Lloyd. "Why do you say that? You can use swords to defend yourself."

"So I could say cool things like," Lloyd clenches his fist and grins, "'Burn to oblivion!'"

Genis remarks, "Knowing Lloyd, he's more likely to set one of us on fire."

Mithos smiles. "Heheheh."

Lloyd blushes and shifts awkwardly at how easily his actions were dismissed.

Outside, I flip the pages to Genis' spell book to the appropriate spells and look over them. I raise my hand up and cast the first spell. "Stone Blast!"

To my disappointment, pebbles rise out of the ground in reaction. I sigh and start casting the spell again. "Stone Blast!"

The front door opens and I hear someone approach me. When they enter my peripheral vision, I recognize the person as Colette. "Stone Blast!"

Colette claps at that spell. "You got rocks up!"

"Not enough for a good attack." I shut the spell book so I can place my attention towards my friend. "So what's up?"

"Do you . . . remember what Altessa said?" Colette asks. "About there being other connections in the two worlds that go to other worlds?"

"I remember," I state.

"Do you think you went through one of those connections?" she continues.

My head lowers a notch in speculation. ". . . Maybe. I just . . . don't really know."

"Then maybe we can use one of those spots to help you get back home!" Colette chirps.

"Yeah . . . Home . . ."

Colette frowns. "What's wrong, Kelsey?"

A second goes by before I look up at her with a smile. "Nothing, Colette. I'm just imagining what it'll be like when I finally get home." I open Genis' spell book back up and continue practicing the spells. "Stone Blast!"

After a while, Tabatha calls us back inside for dinner. I bring the spell book with me to the table and study more spells from it, figuring that since I have the book in front of me that I might as well look over other spells.

Lloyd looks over at me in confusion. "You're studying while eating?"

"Yeah," I absentmindedly say as I focus in not spilling food on Genis' book.

"Why would you study while eating?" Lloyd goes. "It doesn't make any sense."

"That's because you don't like studying at all."

The teen stuck to Orochi stares in awe at Zelos. "So you knew Fujibayashi-ue for years?"

"That's right," Zelos confirms with a grin.

"You even dated her?"

Zelos wraps his arm around Sheena's shoulders as his hand wanders over to one of her breasts. "It didn't last very long but it was—_gah!_"

With an elbow to the face, Zelos falls over to the side. Sheena growls, "And you wonder why I won't even consider getting a drink with you."

Genis tries to grab his sister's attention. "Raine?"

Raine doesn't respond.

"Raine, are you going to eat?"

Again, she doesn't respond.

Mithos tells Genis, "I don't think you should worry. She will come around."

Genis nods. "Alright."

Regal raises his eyebrow at something Colette told him about. "'Dwarvan potluck surprise'?"

"It's amazing," Colette expresses with reverence towards the dish.

"What is the recipe?"

"Well . . . It's difficult to explain . . ." Colette turns towards Lloyd and grabs his attention. "Lloyd, how do you make dwarvan potluck surprise?"

"Well, Dad would turn out all the lights or put a blindfold on," Lloyd explains. "Then he would put into the pot whatever he grabbed."

Regal blinks in confusion. ". . . He would just cook whatever he got his hands on?"

"Yup!" Lloyd recalls, "One time I got a piece of inhibitor ore in my bowl."

"And I got a shoelace!" Colette adds.

Tabatha takes up an empty plate when she notices Presea is barely touching her food. "Are you well, Presea?"

Presea blinks and returns to reality. She shakes her head. "I'm fine. Don't mind me, Tabatha."

"Are you certain?"

Presea reassures, "It's alright."

I finish eating my dinner and sneak out the door, the spell book in hand.

* * *

Later that night, I pull my head out of my sleeping pallet and scan the darkness. Confirmed that no one else is up at night, I slip out and snatch up Genis' spell book and head out the door.

I've been thinking, ever since my practice with Stone Blast, that maybe I can switch from being a weak melee fighter to being a mage. I'm definitely more powerful when I cast spells so I should make a good transition if I just dedicate more practice to each of my spells.

I open the door and—

I catch Raine with one foot on a rheaird. Raine whirls around at the sound of the door and stares back in an awkward silence.

". . . Professor?" I go, my brain stuck in a half stun. "What are you doing?"

Raine stares before she says, "I was . . . going to go on a night patrol."

"Isn't that the job for the ninjas?" I wonder.

"I figured they could use some help," she offers.

"A healer?"

"A healer is always needed."

I motion for indoors. "Get inside, Professor. If you want to go somewhere then we can go with the entire group."

"I can handle myself just fine."

"I don't have any doubts about that."

Raine turns away and puts her other foot.

My brain jumpstarts and I rush over to stop her. "Wait, Professor! Let's just talk to the others! You've been talking about the Otherworldly Gate all day long, right? Tell the others how important it is to you and we'll go to it first!"

Raine looks down at me from the rheaird. "Kelsey, I know that, if you just knew, you would understand how important the Otherworldly Gate is to me."

"The others would too!" I insist. "Just don't go off by yourself!"

"That isn't what I meant." The rheaird activates and hovers over the ground. "Sometimes I wonder how long you will delude yourself into thinking that you can hide everything forever."

"What?"

The rheaird takes off in a flash. Raine's rheaird gets smaller and smaller until it finally disappears. I fall down to the ground in shock. ". . . How long has she known . . . ?"

* * *

I rush inside and shout, "Wake up!"

I hear grumbles and complaints. With a growl, I repeat myself, "Wake up!"

Genis' voice gripes, "Unless someone's on fire from Lloyd's spell casting, don't wake me up."

I stomp over to Genis. "I guess I shouldn't wake you up over _Raine disappearing with a rheaird!_"

Genis, Lloyd, and Colette bolt up while everyone else forces themselves out of their bedrolls.

"What?" Genis snaps his head towards Raine's bedroll and races out the door when he finds it empty. "_Raine!_"

Lloyd questions me, "What happened? Why did Professor Raine leave?"

"She left to go see the Otherworldly Gate," I tell him. "I found her while she was leaving."

"Damn it!" Lloyd heads for the door. "It's not safe to just run off like that!" He calls out, "Colette, Sheena, Zelos! Grab a rheaird! Maybe we can catch up to her before she goes too far out!"

When the four make it outside with the remaining rheairds, I join them to point out the direction Raine left in. I watch them leave and remain outside, hoping that they'll find her and put some sense into our healer. Genis, Presea, Regal, and Mithos join me as we all play the waiting game.

Genis asks, "Hey, why were you going outside at that time?"

I admit, "I wanted to do some extra practice on some spells."

"It's fortunate that you decided to sneak out at just that moment," Regal says. "Otherwise, we would not have learned of Raine's disappearance so soon."

"Raine will come back, won't she?" Mithos asks.

"She has to," Genis insists. "It's not like her to just leave like this."

"Even if she won't, we can go with her," Presea says.

"Yeah . . ." Genis goes.

Time ticks on by without anyone returning. Genis started pacing nervously and I decided to continue practicing until the others return with or without Raine. Regal went in to inform Altessa of the situation. Presea and Mithos just sit there and watch for any sign of change.

When the sky colors into a strawberry-lemon pink, Mithos scans the horizon. His eyes widen before he points up and announces, "Look!"

Little dots in the distance grow larger and larger until finally shaping into rheairds. I count each one . . .

I frown. "Four. Raine didn't come back . . ." I should've tried harder back there to make sure she didn't leave . . .

Lloyd lands and looks around at each of us before stopping at Genis. His face says it all. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find her . . ."

Genis sighs and hangs his head. "It's . . . It's okay, Lloyd." Genis rises his head back up to show more determination. "We can go after her!"

Regal says, "I know the direction of the Otherworldly Gate. I can act as a guide since Raine took our map."

"Alright. Everyone pack up! We're leaving right now!" Lloyd announces.

Mithos goes up to Lloyd with this determined expression. "I want to go too! Raine is one of the first half-elves I met. As a fellow half-elf, I can't stand by while she's missing!"

Lloyd looks over at Mithos. "It might get really dangerous. Are you sure?"

"I'm not going to change my mind," Mithos informs.

Lloyd crosses his arms in contemplation. "The biggest problem we have with you coming is that we might not have room on the rheairds. One rheaird can carry only two people and there are eight of us and only four rheairds now."

Genis eagerly suggests, "We can make another harness for him! That way he can be safe on the rheairds while we fly around!"

Lloyd nods. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

Zelos comes up from behind and pats on Lloyd's shoulder. "Hey, man, I'm all for buddies and all, but flying isn't the only problem with having someone who can't fight come along. He'll only be a liability if monsters attack."

"Most monsters don't attack in groups unless they're pack animals," Lloyd reasons. "As long as Mithos doesn't go charging into battle with us and stays back, he'll be fine."

Zelos holds his hands up in surrender. "Alright, it's all on you."

"The first place we should stop at is Altamira," Sheena states. "Raine will have to stop there in order to find out where exactly the Otherworldly Gate is."

"Altamira?" Regal goes.

Sheena nods. "That's right. We can look around to see if she's there or if someone spotted her. At the very least, we can check to see where the Otherworldly Gate exactly is and what kind of monsters might be there."

". . . I see."

Zelos stops and whirls around, a broad smile on his face. "Are you serious? Altamira? Oh yeah!" Zelos pumps his fist into the air. "Woo! Look out, beach beauties! The Altamira Punk is making a comeback!"

"We're not going to that flashy resort for a vacation!"

Genis nags, "Let's go, already! The sooner we leave, the sooner we catch up to Raine!"

* * *

Review if you wish.


	63. Beautiful Beaches Bountiful

I would like to point out the link (or web address) to Cafe-Production's rendering of my OC, for anyone interested. It's on my profile and either look at the top of the profile or at the bottom where my OC's description is.

I like this chapter until I reach the Otherworldly Gate. No, no side quests. I already have a specific point for each and every side quest in the game (except for the Demon Arms since I have other plans for those).

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Three: Beautiful Beaches Bountiful

As we land on the Altamira Island, I realize there is good news and bad news to visiting Altamira during the summer in just the same way as there is in visiting Disney World during the summer. Good news: it's going to be nice and warm; bad news: it's going to be more crowded than a mall during the grand opening. Still, the thought of at least seeing this place is making me giddier than I should be. I remember that, back when I still played Tales of Symphonia, Altamira was my favorite place to visit. Sure there wasn't too much to do but it had the swimsuit side quest, pretty lights and details, and many subsections to visit. Now I get to see it in person!

Sometimes I love being the stand-in for Mary Sues.

Lloyd gets in front of us, blocking mainly Zelos from entering too fast, and announces, "Remember: we're here to look for Professor Raine and find out where the Otherworldly Gate is. Don't go anywhere that's too heavily guarded and don't attract attention."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go in already!" Zelos badgers.

Regal stays where he is as everyone else begins to walk towards the city-turned-resort. When Lloyd stops again when he notices that Regal isn't moving forward, everyone else slows down to see what is keeping Lloyd. Lloyd asks, "What is it, Regal?"

Regal sighs out a breath. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to wait here?"

"What's up?" Lloyd repeats.

Regal refrains from answering, his eyes closed and his face crumpled up into a reluctant frown.

"Won't say why, huh?" Zelos says, "Well, if that's the way you're going to be, then so be it. Lloyd, let him do what he wants."

Lloyd nods. "Alright. We'll catch you on the way out. We won't stay here for too long."

"I can wait for as long as it's necessary," Regal informs.

I frown at Regal as I hesitantly move along with the group and leave him behind. For fear of letting anything slip, I try to keep my thoughts away from Regal's tragic past and focus on finding Raine. With a sigh, I leave Regal behind.

Once we enter the city, we gather around to divide ourselves into groups.

"I'll go with Mithos, if it's alright with him!" Genis chimes in.

Mithos shakes his head. "I don't have any problem with going with you, Genis."

"I'll go with Sheena, Kelsey, Colette, or Presea," Zelos insists.

"I want to go by lots again," Sheena expresses. "That way it'll be random and fair."

Eventually it was decided that we would do lots but rig it according to everyone's desires. Since Sheena didn't want to go with Zelos, she went with Colette after a random draw of lots; Genis and Mithos got together by their own choosing; when Genis protested against Presea going with Zelos, everyone decided that I would go with him (besides, I'm the only girl who doesn't mind most of Zelos' antics); then the last two, Lloyd and Presea, went together by default. After Zelos pointed out a nearby map, one of those "you are here" maps, we divided Altamira up into different sections for us to search before regrouping at a certain time. Genis and Mithos got the main hotel, Lloyd and Presea got a memorial park near what appears to be a small tram station, Sheena and Colette got to search specific buildings such as a public library and public facilities, and Zelos and I were designated to the area near the Lezerano Company Headquarters despite Zelos' insistence that Raine could possibly have wandered into the casino or to the beach.

On the way to the tram station, Sheena and Colette and I wave at Lloyd and Presea as the two leave for the memorial park. Zelos continues to be pouty over not being able to play around at Altamira.

"Quit complaining," Sheena scolds. "You know we aren't here to have fun."

"Maybe we can come back later!" Colette says in an attempt to be helpful.

I add, "Sure, once we cleared our names from being international terrorists."

Colette wonders, "Zelos, you know a lot about Altamira, right?"

"Yup." Zelos states, "I know who built Altamira, I know who runs the Lezerano Company, I know the history behind Altamira, I know a lot more about Altamira than I probably should."

"Who is the memorial park built for?" Colette asks.

Zelos informs, "A few years ago, there was a monster that wandered into the resort area. It went on a rampage and killed lots of people before someone finally put it down. That memorial park was built for every person killed in the attack."

Colette stops to look back at the entrance to the park. When her name is called, she takes a step forward before returning back to us. She makes it to Zelos' side. "It's so sad what happened!"

"Yeah, it is," Zelos agrees. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his coin purse. After counting a few coins, he huffs a sigh at the pouch but hands the coin purse to Colette. "Here, you can use what's left to buy some flowers for the memorial. I'm sure the victims and their families will appreciate it." He turns away and sighs, "I finally ran out."

Knowing what this means, I respond, "Time to dig into my savings again."

"By the way," Sheena mentions, "does it cost anything to ride the waterway?"

"Nope. It's a free service," Zelos informs.

"That's good."

When we arrive at the waterway, I find that the "trams" resemble the rail-based mechanisms in the game, only with actual seats and multiple cars attached to accommodate a lot of people. Sheena and Colette board one tram (for that is the only word I can think of to call them) while Zelos and I wait on another. When our ride finally arrives, we leave for the Lezerano building.

* * *

"Excuse me."

A female employee in a bunny costume turns around to Lloyd with a smile. "May I help you, sir?"

Lloyd asks, for the hundredth time, "I'm looking for someone named Raine. She's a professor with white hair and wears orange. She was probably asking around about the Otherworldly Gate."

The employee sadly shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I haven't seen anyone like that. Maybe you can ask the help desk if they saw her."

"I already checked there. Thanks, anyway," Lloyd bids.

"I hope you find her," the employee wishes well before leaving.

Lloyd senses Presea coming and turns to meet her. "Did you find anything?"

Presea shakes her head. "I'm afraid not."

Lloyd looks around before pointing down the path. "Let's look over here."

Presea follows as Lloyd leads the way to the end of the memorial park. When they make it to the end of the path, they find a tall stone carved into a neat vertical slab with names written down the front. Before the stone is a garden of beautiful large flowers native to the area with white benches for people to rest while viewing the garden. Behind the stone is a lovely view of the eastern horizon, providing those who would be present at the appropriate time to a glorious sunrise to honor the names on the stone.

Presea looks around in awe. "This place is . . . beautiful."

"Yeah, it is," Lloyd agrees.

Presea approaches the memorial stone and traces her hand down the names. "I wonder what happened to all these people?"

Lloyd steps next to her and speculates, "Maybe we can ask Zelos or Regal about it. They seem to know a bit about Altamira."

Presea's finger continues down the names, but then she pauses at one name. Her eyes widen as her lips move to silently form the name.

A splitting shatter crashes behind them. Lloyd and Presea whirl around to find an older gentleman in a suit, his eyes wide and shocked and his mouth shaped into a big circle. His hands shake in their stiff clutching, unable to support anything let alone the shattered vase that once contained the scattered flowers at his feet. The old man gasps before sputtering, "A-Alicia? Is . . . Is it really you?"

Presea utters, "Alicia is . . . is the name of my sister . . ." She turns back to the memorial stone, her finger returning to the name she spotted, and then she faces the old man. "Are you talking about Alicia Combatir?"

"Presea?" Lloyd goes in his confusion.

"My sister's name is on here . . ." Presea's hand quivers. "If you know her, tell me why her name is on here. Was it a mistake?"

The elderly man calms down as he realizes that he isn't staring at a ghost. He sighs in sorrow. "No, it isn't a mistake. Alicia came to work under our Master Bryant years ago. However . . ." The man swallows. "Th-there was . . . an unfortunate accident that . . . that claimed her life." A shudder goes through his body. "I . . . I'm sorry that I am the one to . . . to tell you this . . ."

As Presea stares in shock, all remaining color draining from her face, Lloyd glances back at the memorial stone and asks, "Was the accident the same accident that took all these other people?"

The man nods without another sound. He kneels down and picks up the scattered flowers and finishes his journey to the memorial stone. He places them all neatly at the foot of the stone. When finished with his task, the gentleman stands and faces them, mainly Presea.

He continues, "Alicia was very precious and beloved to everyone. Unfortunately, it took . . ." The man shudders, a few tears slipping out from his tightly shut eyes. "It . . . It took her death for some of us t-to realize just how precious she was to all of us. Myself especially. Even more so was she beloved by our company president, who placed her grave at the Sky Terrace in the Lezerano Company headquarters." With that, the man clips off a tag hanging off his shirt, containing his identification and picture, and hands it to Presea. "My name is George, and if you give this to the guard he should let you through. I'm sure Alicia would be happy to have a visit from her younger sister."

Presea takes the tag and stares at it even as George leaves. Silence fills the air . . . "Lloyd," Presea suddenly says, "I want to go see Alicia's grave."

"Of course," Lloyd says. "Let's go find that company building."

When the two cross the entrance to the memorial park, they hear someone call out, "Lloooyyyyd!"

Lloyd and Presea look over to find Genis and Mithos hurrying up to them. Genis stops at Lloyd as Mithos staggers behind until finally catching up with the other three and leans on his knees as he heaves out heavy pants. Genis turns to Mithos and asks, "Are you okay, Mithos?"

Mithos continues to pant. "I'm . . . okay . . . Your . . . Exsphere . . . makes it hard to . . ." Mithos swallows his breath. "Hard to keep up with you . . ."

Mithos straightens up and informs, "We couldn't find Raine nor could we find out about the Otherworldly Gate."

Genis discovers Presea's woeful expression and frets. "Presea? What's wrong? What happened?"

Presea stares at Genis, finding the words to tell him, and finally says, "Alicia . . . My sister . . . She's dead . . ."

Genis gasps and Mithos' expression jolts into shock.

"Dead?" Genis exclaims.

"I'm so sorry, Presea," Mithos tells her.

Lloyd informs, "We're going up to the Lezerano Company building to see her grave. We just got permission from one of the employees. If you like, you can come with us."

"I'll go," Genis says.

Mithos adds, "Me too."

Presea responds, "Thank you . . ."

* * *

"It's no use," Zelos sighs as he leans against the railing. "She's not here and if she was here earlier no one remembers if they saw her."

I sigh as I rub my face with my hand. Hours of searching did nothing. It's starting to get late and there's still no sign of Raine. I'm about this close to giving up. Plus, I think I'm getting a sunburn, if that toasty overheated feeling on the skin of my face is any indication. Why couldn't Raine wait at least a few more hours before urging us all to go to the Otherworldly Gate?

"Hey, you twoooo!"

I look over to find Sheena and Colette rejoining us, each having more hope on their expressions than I probably have.

Zelos leans off the railing and says, "From the look of things, it looks like you two had more luck than we did."

Colette chirps in an even more bubbly tone, "We found the Professor, or at least we know where she is!"

Sheena reports, "Raine went to the public library to see if there were any documents that explain the Otherworldly Gate in detail. The library employees remember her quite well."

"We even got to look at the documents she looked at!" Colette adds.

"I managed to mark it on a local map we bought with the money you gave us," Sheena informs.

"Though, I did save some for a flower I bought for the memorial," Colette says as she holds up a single small flower that resembles an ivy geranium.

"Good thing you found all that," I mention. I wave my hand at myself and Zelos. "Cause we found nothing."

Colette frowns at me in worry. "Kelsey, are you alright? Your face is all red."

Dammit . . .

Zelos suggests, "Now that we know where Raine and the Otherworldly Gate are, let's head back to the others."

We all head back to the waterway and wait for our ride back. As we sit there on the bench, I half listen out of pure boredom to the conversation Zelos engages with Sheena.

"It sort of amazes me on how wide spread and profitable Lezerano became," Zelos idly mentions.

"Hmmm . . . Yeah, it is pretty impressive," Sheena agrees. "They market in just about everything."

"A monopoly," I state. "Kinda frightening to me, knowing that only one company has a say in prices rather than pure competition."

Zelos corrects, "Actually, the government holds the final say on how high or low prices can be."

"Still frightening."

"Anyway," Zelos continues, "Lezerano once even produced Exspheres and other related ores, most of it coming from the Toize Valley Mine, until just a few years ago. After that, they severely cut down on their Exsphere production and now Vharley is the one who controls the Exsphere market."

"Hold on, I'm thirsty." Sheena goes over to me and asks, "Can I borrow a few pieces of guld for a drink?"

"Sure." I fish out a couple pieces and hand it over to her. With that, Sheena leaves for a moment before returning with a bottled pink drink that's probably Tethe'alla's version of a soda. She moves to open it . . .

Zelos speaks, stopping her with a distraction, "It's kind of weird how Regal knew where the Toize Valley Mine exactly was. I mean, the only ones who would know where that mine is would be the company leaders, such as their president."

"Yeah," Sheena goes, "but so what? He had a job that directly involved it."

Zelos smirks. "Oh, man. Don't tell me that your breasts are the only things that are well-rounded."

Sheena scowls angrily at Zelos. She begins shaking up her soda bottle furiously and, before Zelos can react, pops open the bottle. Pink soda shoots out all over Zelos and hits even those behind him, meaning Colette and me.

The three of us jump up out of the way, carping and complaining about the sticky soda.

"Sheena!" Colette complains, "Why did you do that? You didn't have to spill your drink all over us!"

"This is going to stick on me all day long!" Zelos carps.

"If I knew you were going to do that whenever Zelos said something stupid, I wouldn't have given you those coins!" I growl.

"Sorry, Colette and Kelsey," Sheena says. "I didn't think the soda would get you, too."

After a quick search for any helpful employees to provide towels, we return with a dry sticky paste on us that won't come out until our next chance to take a bath. Colette quickly forgives Sheena but I make certain that I'm not between Zelos and Sheena or at least within Sheena's long distance striking range.

A tram comes in. I crane my neck over to see if it's ours but find, to my disappointment, that it isn't our ride. I slump back down and wait for the tram to come in. Suddenly, I hear Colette gasp in delight. "Lloyd! Genis! Presea, Mithos!"

Colette jumps up and rushes over to the four. The rest of us follow closely behind and catch up.

Lloyd smiles at seeing the other half of the group but then frowns in confusion. "Colette, what happened to your dress? It's stained. Did you trip or something?"

"Sheena spilled her drink on me," Colette dismissively explains. "Anyway, we found out about where the Professor is! She's at the Otherworldly Gate and Sheena has that marked on a map she got!"

"That's great!" Lloyd says, "The rest of us weren't so lucky. But . . ." Lloyd turns serious when his eyes land on Presea. "We need to get to the Lezerano building. Presea's sister's grave is there."

Colette's face drops. "Her grave? She . . . She died?"

"That's terrible!" Sheena expresses.

"Life just isn't right when a hunny is gone." Zelos points to a specific building, a rather tall one that looks like something out of the 1910s. "The Lezerano Company Headquarters is right there. You said her grave is there, right?"

As the group moves towards the building, my curiosity gets to me and I eye Presea, watching her emotions and expressions. She appears fixated on her destination as her hand clutches the plastic ID card in her hand. As I watch her, I begin to wonder how my own sister is handling my disappearance. Is she acting the same as Presea? Is she in denial about me truly being gone? How is she in general?

We enter through the main entrance. After asking around, a few employees point towards an elevator with a guard posted at it. With Presea in the lead, we approach the guard. I glance around as Presea hands the guard the ID, half expecting the security to recognize us as the wanted criminals. You'd think that word would spread to over here by now, though maybe they don't expect wanted traitors to come over here for a vacation.

The guard takes the ID and immediately recognizes it. "This is George's!" The guard looks up from the ID to the rest of us. "Very well. You may use the elevator. You can go anywhere but the record keeping room and the presidential office."

"Thank you, but I only want to go to the Sky Terrace," Presea states.

"That would be the top floor." The guard ushers us inside the elevator and goes about his own business.

The Sylvaranti half of our group glances around the elevator room in bafflement. Getting impatient at them, I worm my way through them and glance at the elevator buttons. When I find the highest floor level, I press the right button and wait as the elevator doors (or rather gates) close.

"Whoa!" Lloyd cries out, "How does it do that?"

Then the elevator starts moving upward.

"Wh-what's going on?" Lloyd exclaims.

I carp, "You're yelling in my ear. Stop it."

Genis questions me, "How did you know how to operate this thing?"

Oops. I'm not supposed to know about elevators. I recover, "When I saw the buttons, I thought it was rather self-explanatory."

As the elevator goes up and up, I spot the different floors. I begin to wonder, again, what would happen if someone recognized us. Like, if they so happened to glace over at the elevator, spot us, and suddenly have a heart attack over spotting the terrible wanted criminals who wish for Tethe'alla's destruction. In the meantime, Lloyd leans close to the door in amazement over the moving floors. Sheena notes Lloyd's proximity to the very edge of the elevator and goes, "Do you wanna lose your nose?"

Lloyd jerks away from the elevator door.

Finally, the elevator stops. The gates part to let us through. As we exit the crowded elevator room, our eyes wander the rooftop area. With beautiful flowers and shrubbery set in just the right place with a large white stone fountain flowing with water at the middle of the area, I can't help but admire the beauty put into this area. The view off the Sky Terrace beholds all of Altamira in a gorgeous sight of the beaches and the sea. When I notice the others gathering around one spot, I rejoin the group and find the grave we were searching for, placed in the one spot that would make it appear to be the center piece of all this surrounding beauty.

Presea stands before it in a solemn silence. Colette steps forward for just a moment to place the flower she got earlier onto the grave and steps aside and begins to—surprisingly—pray for the departed soul.

Presea sniffs. In a high pitched voice, she says, "Alicia . . . what happened to you . . . ?"

As soon as those unanswered words left her mouth, Presea begins to outright sob. I lower my head as the general mood of the group drops down. I focus onto reality as images of my sister flash before my mind, keeping my own tears at bay. Presea kneels down at the grave and continues to cry as she runs her hand over Alicia's name. Her hand trails down as she stares at Alicia's name through her flowing tears.

Presea's hand stops at something that feels different from the stone. She pulls herself away to get a good look at what her hand touched. ". . . What is this?" Presea steps aside to display a smooth red gem embedded into the grave.

Lloyd takes one look to recognize it. "It's an Exsphere. What is it doing here?"

Presea furrows her eyebrows in confusion as she returns her attention to the Exsphere. "Why is there an Exsphere . . . ?"

Presea reaches out with her hand and gently touches the Exsphere. A while passes as she stares out. Then, the stone takes on a faint bluish hue. Presea frowns in further confusion and blinks furiously, trying to set her sight right. She glances around to find that her vision is normal and looks back again, seeing that blue haze is still there, yet gaining more details, such as a white haze above the blue and—

Colette gasps. "Look!"

Lloyd stares in shock. "It's a . . . !"

"Ghost . . . !" I whine, gaining chills down my spine. Despite knowing that this would happen, ghosts still give me chills.

Presea stumbles away from the grave to get a good view of what just appeared. Her jaw drops when she sees what's before her.

A woman appears in a faded form. Instead of a full form of the woman, only parts and sections are visible, some so faded that they could only be seen through keen concentration. I can make out a dark blue uniform with a nearly impossible to see white vest. I can also make out a head shape and pink hair.

Lloyd asks, "Genis, you can see ghosts, right? What do you see?"

"That . . ." Genis forces out, "That has to be Alicia! She looks just like Presea!"

Zelos shivers. "Wait, the kid here can see ghosts?"

Presea says, "Genis, I can barely see her. Please, give me details!"

Genis says, "I see a uniform just like the female staff of the Lezerano Company, the ones from inside this building. She has a round face and short pink pigtails and blue eyes. Then I think she's around Raine's age. She really does look just like Presea!"

Presea's chin trembles. She takes a deep breath and says, "Alicia? Is it really you?"

The haze moves a little, as if using hand motions while speaking. Presea just ends up more confused as the ghost's words end up lost. ". . . What? I can't hear you."

Genis approaches the grave and says, "I can tell you what she said. I can hear her."

Presea turns to Genis and desperately begs, "Tell me everything! Word for word! Exactly as she says!"

"Alright." Genis looks back at the ghost and listens. Then, Genis says, "'I'm so happy to see you again before I disappear!'"

"What are you talking about?" Presea asks. "Are you still alive?"

The ghost's blue arms close in on itself. The pink color lowers into a bow.

Genis raises an eyebrow as he hears the information and retells, "Alicia isn't alive anymore. She says that she only exists in the Exsphere. Soon the Exsphere will take over her consciousness. She says that it was the Exsphere that killed her."

"An Exsphere did this to her? . . . I can't believe she became a victim too . . ." Presea sadly expresses.

Then, softly and only a mere whisper, another voice sounds out. I barely catch any of the words, though I can catch the sound of this voice.

Presea's eyes widen as she hears the voice. "Alicia . . . ? Was that you? I only heard something about a 'request' and 'Bryant.'"

Genis informs, "She wants us to find a Master Bryant before she disappears."

Presea recalls, "Master Bryant? The same person who that older gentleman George serves?"

The haze grows stronger, giving more details to the vest and Alicia's face. The voice becomes more distinct and louder. "Yes . . . ! . . . find . . . ast . . . Bryant . . . !"

"So that Bryant and the noble you went to serve are the same person . . ." Then Presea demands, "Alicia! Tell me more!"

The details fade away into almost nothing. Only basic colors can be seen now. The voice disappears entirely, although the haze still moves.

Genis scowls in frustration and some in desperation. "Her voice is fading out! I can't hear some of the things that she's saying! Something about Vharley and Bryant—"

Genis stops when he hears the next thing, shock very evident in his face.

Presea widens her eyes as she takes in Genis' expression. ". . . Genis?"

Genis gulps. He stammers out, "Sh-she was killed. It was during . . . during a-a monster attack that happened a while back. She was in pain and . . ." Genis pinches his lips together, as if keeping something to himself. He forces his lips open and says, "She w-was in p-pain and . . . R . . . _Bryant_ . . . killed her."

If there was any color in her face, it would have all drained out by now. _". . . What . . . ?_" Presea whirls around at Alicia, who is now quickly fading. "_Alicia! Tell me what happened! Why did your master kill you?_"

The figure completely fades out, the haze no longer even there.

"ALICIA!" Presea screams. She presses her hands against the grave, trying to bring the ghost back. "ALICIA! ALICIA!"

Alicia's ghost doesn't return . . .

Presea stays there for a long moment. Then, without even turning, she says, in a calm tone that's almost disturbing, "Lloyd, help me find Alicia's killer."

Lloyd gets this determined expression, his lips trembling with anger. "Of course. We'll beat this Bryant guy to a pulp and drag him back here!"

Presea finally moves, turning her face towards a still shocked Genis. "Genis . . . Thank you for telling me what Alicia was trying to tell me."

Genis just stares back with wide eyes, his mind reeling back. He gives a shaky nod. "Y-ye-yeah . . ."

Lloyd ushers, "Everyone, it's time to go. We need to go find Professor Raine."

We gather around but stop when we realize that Genis is still standing there, shaken. I stare at him with confusion as Mithos says, "What's wrong, Genis?"

Genis snaps to and rejoins us. "N-nothing . . ."

Mithos sadly frowns. ". . . Exspheres are terrible things . . . They did this to Alicia . . ."

Genis slowly nods in agreement.

* * *

Genis was silent on the way out of Altamira. He didn't say a single word. As for myself, I have a lot of mixed thoughts. I wonder if my sister thinks that I'm dead and, if she does, how is she handling it? Presea is no longer crying but she's clearly upset. Is my sister acting like this? I wish I knew . . .

We reach our rendezvous point with Regal. As Lloyd fills him in on Raine's location and the Otherworldly Gate, I stare at Regal, feeling a strange sensation of sympathy and a sort of out-of-body feeling as if I weren't an actual part of the group and was actually watching it all happen before me, very much like a ghost.

With the local map in Lloyd's hands and the quickly sun setting behind us, we fly out to a lone island southeast of Altamira. Several times we had to stop and check the map to make sure we were going in the right direction, taking up costly time. Upon arriving, we land in an impressive circle of stones that resemble one of those stone fairy ring from Ireland or perhaps even Stonehenge. Once free from the rheairds, I look around at the stone giants circling around us in complete awe. I can feel the mana just pulsing through the stones although nothing else could be as still as these stones.

Genis runs about in the circle. "_Rrraaaaaiiiiiinnnne!_"

". . . Genis?"

A sigh of relief passes through the group. When Raine steps around from one of the stones, Genis races to her and tackles her into a massive hug. Raine stares in bemusement as we all gather around her. "How . . . Why are all of you here? I would have returned back to Altessa's as soon as I was done here!"

Genis looks up at his sister's face and gripes, "What do you think? We were worried about you! If you would have told us how important the Otherworldly Gate was to you then we would have come here first and let you study it!"

Mithos states, "It's dangerous to go out alone. With monsters out in the world, I couldn't just leave you like this."

"You're an important member of our group too!" Lloyd scolds, most of the heat for his "scolding" completely replaced by his relief. "You should have told us that you wanted to come here that badly!"

Raine smiles at us all. "Thank you, everyone. This . . . This is more important to me than any other ruin I have ever encountered."

Genis' face turns blank. ". . . Why is that, Raine?"

Raine's arms slide from her brother's hug. She steps away to gaze upon the stone giants around her.

". . . This is where Genis and I were abandoned," Raine says.

Lloyd frowns in confusion. "What are you talking about? You're from Sylvarant."

Raine shakes her head. "No. Ever since we arrived at Tethe'alla, ever since I heard about the Otherworldly Gate, this place has been on my mind." Her voice turns soft and contemplative as her memories surface. "I was born in a place called Heimdall where my elvan mother and human father lived."

Mithos furrows his eyebrows and tilts his head. "Heimdall? The village of the elves that is only open to those of elvan kind?"

"Yes, Heimdall." Raine reflects, "I definitely remember that name."

Genis shakes his head. "That's impossible! All my memories are from Iselia or anywhere else we tried to settle down—in Sylvarant! I don't remember this place at all!"

As if in a trance, Raine continues, "My father was an emissary staying at the village. The relationship between he and my mother, Virginia, was supposed to be a secret. Sometime after I was born, the secret leaked and exposed my father."

Genis interrupts, "Raine!"

"Fighting broke out among the elves and what few half-elves were in the village," Raine goes on, "and the initial source of the conflict, my parents and I, were banished from the village. We spent years running from place to place, never able to settle down due to the hostile views towards half-elves and interracial relationships. Towards the end of this time, Genis was born . . ."

The dark twilight hours overcome the entire group as silence answers Raine's unfinished story.

"While Genis was still a newborn, my mother and father escaped to this island and . . ." Raine takes a breath and finishes, "and left us here . . . They never came back . . ."

Genis' chin trembles as his eyes moisten. "Raine . . . Raine, I . . ."

"Days passed . . . And then a full moon came." Raine gazes up into the sky. "I remember that night so clearly. I couldn't sleep due to Genis' crying from hunger. I remember continuously thinking that I couldn't feed him and that mother and father had to come back, at least for Genis' sake . . ." A pause goes by. "Then, we ended up in Sylvarant. Specifically, the outskirts of a city I would learn later to be Palmacosta."

"So . . ." Sheena tries to comprehend the situation. "You guys are really from Tethe'alla and not Sylvarant?"

Raine confirms, "Yes, we are."

"_This time, let me send you to hell instead!_"

Damn it! I completely forgot!

I whirl around and grab my spear. My heart pounds in my ears as I stare down at the figure in the darkness.

Sheena steps forward. "Kuchinawa! What are you doing here?"

Kuchinawa glares with intense hatred. His fists quiver from the tension. "I'm here to avenge my parents' deaths."

Sheena steps back. "A-avenge your parents' . . . ?"

"Yes!" Kuchinawa barks. "You will die for what you did to Mizuho!"

Lloyd protests, "What happened with Volt was an accident!"

Kuchinawa shouts, "Accident? Sheena purposely didn't put in the necessary effort to make a pact with Volt! As consequence, Volt attacked! She caused the deaths of my parents and the other villagers!"

"I really did do the best I could!" Sheena cries out. "I—"

"_No more excuses!_" Kuchinawa bellows, "You have always been a plague! When you not only failed to kill the Chosen of Sylvarant but also _joined them_, the Tethe'allan Royal Family targeted the village for betrayal, placing _everyone_ in danger! Then, just to add insult to injury, you started making pacts with Summon Spirits left and right!"

"You have all of it wrong!" Colette shouts.

"Do I?" Kuchinawa snaps.

"You do!" Lloyd persists. "Listen to us for a moment and we can explain everything!"

"_There's nothing to explain!_" Kuchinawa roars. He jabs his finger at Sheena. "You are a coward who only hurt Mizuho! _Admit it!_"

Sheena backs away even further, her eyes dripping with tears.

"Fine!" Kuchinawa raises his hand and beckons something . . .

Oh, shit.

As soon as figures—countless bulky figures—start rising from the horizon, I draw my spear and mentally prepare myself for a long battle. My only prayer is that the Otherworldly Gate will activate in time like it did in the game.

"The Papal Knights!" Raine shouts. "He led them right to us!"

Zelos curses to himself as he draws his sword.

"Kuchinawa, wait!" Sheena cries.

Kuchinawa narrows his eyes hostilely. "_No!_ All of you will get what you deserve! And you, Sheena, I will handle personally. With all of you in the Pope's hands, Mizuho will be safe!"

I snarl, "You idiot! The Pope would as soon as raze Mizuho as he would have us all killed!"

Sheena whips her head around at the Papal Knights and at the rest of us. She whimpers in fear before turning back to Kuchinawa. "Kuchinawa! Your grudge involves me, not them! I'll just . . . I'll just let you finish me off, but only if you will let them go!"

Zelos protests, "Damn it, _no_, Sheena!"

Lloyd grabs Sheena's shoulder. "Sheena, don't think like that—"

Sheena jerks her shoulder out of Lloyd's grasp. She steps away from Lloyd, refusing to look at him.

She begs, "Please, Kuchinawa . . . !"

Kuchinawa huffs. "When you have your companions so close?"

Sheena regards Kuchinawa for a moment. Then, she takes her first step.

"Sheena, stop!" Lloyd panics. "Think about what you're doing! Do you really want to die? If you do this, you will take yourself away from all of us! From your village, from your friends, from everyone! Don't you see what's wrong with that? Sheena! You have to—"

"But to keep all of you alive!" Sheena interrupts. "I have to . . . I have to . . ."

Silence passes through the two. Sheena begins walking.

Zelos rushes forward. "Damn it, Sheena! Don't you dare do this!"

Sheena halts and shouts, "Don't you dare stop me, you idiot Chosen! I'm doing this for you too!"

"Don't be a damn hero!" Zelos growls. "He won't keep his word about keeping us from getting arrested! Even if he did, the Papal Knights would just ignore him and arrest us anyway!"

"Don't . . . !" Sheena says, "Don't question . . . his honor . . ."

"I'll question his honor if I want!" Zelos exasperates. "He's allied with the very people who are willing to destroy his own village and didn't even check in with the village to check his facts! How many times has Orochi asked you if you've seen Kuchinawa?"

Sheena finally decides to ignore him and continues to step forward.

Kuchinawa draws his blade.

Zelos bolts forward. "Sheena! No!"

The runes carved into the towering stones light up. Everyone staggers into a stop to find out what in the world was going on. The glow spreads from the runes to every surface of the stones. The energy collects at the very center of the entire structure, forming a bright white circle on the ground.

Raine gasps and commands, "Everyone! Run into the gate! NOW!"

Raine grabs hold of Genis and Mithos and shoves the two into the circle. As soon as they disappear in a flash, Kuchinawa snarls at the phenomenon and dives for Sheena's throat.

Zelos bounds at Kuchinawa and slashes at the rogue ninja. Kuchinawa cries out in pain and stumbles back. Zelos takes advantage of Kuchinawa's lapse and viciously stabs at his leg, temporarily crippling him.

"_Aahh!_" Sheena cries out at the sight of Kuchinawa's quick defeat.

Lloyd spots Regal taking hold of Presea and racing into the gate and Raine pushing Colette and me into the gate. He snatches Sheena's hands and pulls her towards the gate. "Let's go!"

"Uagh!" Sheena trips over her feet and refrains from moving.

Zelos bolts from Kuchinawa, the Papal Knights charging in just some distance away, and pushes Sheena forward, helping Lloyd get her to finally head for the gate.

The energy begins to fade . . .

Kuchinawa bolts up and forces himself to run after the three as they enter the light, ignoring the pain in his limp.

Lloyd, Sheena, and Zelos vanish into the light.

Kuchinawa pushes himself to go faster, causing blood to spill from his wound. The light continues to fade and fade. The rogue ninja gets to the edge of the light . . .

The circle fades out of existence, leaving Kuchinawa alone with an army of Papal Knights. The light retreats from the center ground back to the respective stones and back to the respective runes before finally going out completely. The only light around is provided by the full moon.

* * *

I collapse to my knees when I discover a distinct lack of giant stones, Papal Knights, and a crazed ninja. I stare absentmindedly as I try to take in my location. Colette, Presea, and Genis huddle together as the severe drop in temperature hits their bodies. Raine takes in her location before putting that aside in order to combat the polar opposite of the weather we had just experienced. Regal fishes a blanket out of our packs and, rather than wrapping it around himself, drapes it around Mithos who stands apart from the little huddle made by Colette, Presea, and Genis. Zelos cleans off his blade and sheathes it before rubbing his arms to get himself warm. Sheena stands in complete stun. Lloyd glances around, his hand at one of his swords, continuously on guard.

Finally, Lloyd asks, ". . . Did we make it?"

Raine nods. ". . . Yes, yes we did. What happened just now with the Otherworldly Gate happened almost exactly what happened to Genis and me roughly twelve years ago."

Colette speaks up, "So we're . . . we're back in Sylvarant?"

Genis closes his eyes and studies the energy around him. He confirms, "The mana level may have increased a little, but it's definitely Sylvarant."

Lloyd sighs in relief. "We made it . . . We're safe . . ."

Sheena blinks, and turns against Lloyd and Zelos. "Lloyd! Zelos! Why did you two butt in?"

Lloyd turns in surprise at Sheena. Zelos snaps, "Excuse me? Don't tell me you actually wanted to die back there?"

"Of course I didn't want to die!" Sheena bites. "But . . . But it was the only way that . . ."

"The only way that we'll get Kuchinawa off our backs?" Zelos questions. "Maybe, maybe not, but I know that the Papal Knights he brought with him wouldn't follow his orders to stand down if he suddenly had a heart to honor his enemy's last request after committing coldblooded murder. Kuchinawa is nothing more than a tool to them."

Sheena protests, "Kuchinawa couldn't have allied himself with the Pope! He . . . He wouldn't!"

"He just did."

"But . . . why?" Sheena cries. "He knew that I did my best to make a pact with Volt! He knew that I did what I could with Cruxis and the Renegades!"

Regal states, "His eyes were clouded with hate. Words and logic could never reach him."

Colette scowls at the ninja in deep frustration. "Sheena! Never think that sacrificing yourself will solve anything! I almost made that mistake all my death would have done is just switch the positions of the two worlds! Don't make the same mistake I almost did!"

Lloyd says, "Colette is right. Sheena, the only way you can bring change or help anyone is by staying alive. You should thank Zelos for defending you."

Zelos gives a half smile. "I wasn't alone in that, bud. You helped get her out of that too."

Sheena hangs her head. "Th . . . Thank you . . . Both of you . . ."

Zelos badgers, "You could add a little more to that. Like maybe a kiss?"

"Zelos, you're horrible!"

Sheena grumbles, "Don't push your luck."

Suddenly, Mithos finally speaks up, "But where are we?"

"Possibly in the outskirts of Palmacosta like Genis and I were sent to twelve years ago," Raine speculates.

"Which means . . ." Lloyd moves over to me and shakes my shoulder. "Kelsey! Did you hear that? We might be at Palmacosta!"

I finally gather my remaining wits. "Ah . . . Right . . ." I stand up and fully face him. "Let's . . . Let's head over to shelter. We can't just stay here if we can get into a city."

"You're right, but can we afford an inn?" Raine questions. "Sylvarant goes by a completely different currency, after all."

Silence answers Raine's question.

Genis suggests, "Lloyd, do you think we can go to Hima and ask your uncle for shelter?"

Lloyd shakes his head. "Right now we are just guessing where we are. If we try to fly from place to place in the dark, we aren't going to do anything but get ourselves lost. We need to wait until daybreak."

"Great." Zelos questions, "But what season is it over here in Sylvarant? It's cold!"

"Late winter, I think," Lloyd unemotionally states.

"Winter?" Zelos frowns. "I was just kidding when I asked what season it was, but Sylvarant is literally the polar opposite of Tethe'alla down to even its weather?"

"Let's make a fire and huddle up," Lloyd says. "We need to get warm."

As the cold settles into our bodies, we push ourselves to make that fire even sooner and to ignore former personal boundaries such as personal space. Our summer clothes from Tethe'alla definitely don't serve us here. We pack on additional layers of clothes and work to keep ourselves warm. We each take turns keeping the night watch and making sure we don't get too cold. When the cold morning sun rises and wakes me up, I recognize the surrounding area: this is the same general area where I first arrived at this world. I've come in a complete circle, but still my part in this journey must continue.

Life has a way of giving you its own brand of irony.

* * *

Presea was twelve when she stopped aging and when Alicia left to serve Regal. Alicia was two years younger at the time so that would make her ten when all that happened.

In the present time, Presea is twenty-eight and Regal is thirty-three and Alicia, if alive, would be twenty-six. That makes sixteen years between Alicia leaving and Presea and Regal meeting.

So that would mean that Regal has a seven year difference between him and Alicia. Their romance possibly started when Alicia got older and out of her teen years.

Then, even though I understand this about Regal, I'm still having a hard time characterizing him.

Please review.


	64. Courage is the Magic

Yeah, you can tell from the title that this is mainly filler. The next chapter will be a little more exciting.

Guess what suddenly popped into my head when I started this chapter?

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Four: Courage is the Magic that Turns Lines into Earworms

It was my turn to do night watch when early morning came. The sky had a cool grey color cloaking the sky for the time and didn't help me stay awake at all. Fortunately, I had a subject I needed to address at the moment while I had the chance.

With Raine sharing my watch and everyone else taking full advantage of sleeping through until they must wake up, huddling around Noishe's warm fur, I summon up the courage to speak with her. I open my mouth and force out, "Raine?" She looks up and I address her once more. "Professor . . ."

"Yes?" she prompts.

"Do . . ." I huff out an irritated sigh. If I'm wrong she'll think I'm crazy. "Do you . . ."

"Do I . . . ?"

"Do you know where . . . where I'm . . . I'm . . ."

Raine waits for me to finish, damn her. Maybe I do deserve it for lying to everyone about this for all this time, but she could at least help me make it easier to really tell her!

I make myself say, "Do you know where I'm . . . where I'm really from?" Then my words rush to justify my question. "What you said before leaving makes me wonder . . ."

Raine observes me for some time before saying, "No, Kelsey, I don't know what your actual origins are. It is impossible for me to know due how you avoid the subject passionately and your clear efforts to erase any chance of anyone guessing."

My stomach twists as I try to make up some sort of understanding of what she said.

"However," Raine continues, "I do know that you are not from where you claim to be."

Curiosity pikes as questions flood into my head. Just where did I go wrong in my façade? "How did you figure this out—and how long have you known?"

Raine says, "Perhaps we had better save this conversation for a time when the others won't be likely to overhear us."

I slump at the anticlimactic dismissal of the confrontation. "Yeah . . . I suppose so . . ."

"If we are near Palmacosta, as the surrounding environment suggests, then we can continue this conversation as we shop for supplies," Raine suggests. "No one would pay attention to us and the ones who matter to us wouldn't hear anything you would be uncomfortable to reveal."

I nod. "That makes sense. Yeah, let's save this for later."

Raine allows the subject to drop. "Wake the others up. I will take my turn to cook breakfast this time."

"Not with me awake, you won't!"

Although breakfast was basic since we still didn't have anything fancy to cook with (though that will change as soon as we get extra supplies), it was still quite edible and did have some taste. For a second, while Raine wakes everyone up, I speculate on how my taste in food has expanded. Normally, some of the things that we were made to eat wouldn't have been considered edible or even having a bit of taste back where I lived. Now, however, I could probably eat some roasted lizards for lunch.

. . . Okay, that's a hyperbole at the very least and, if it actually came true, it would be a last resort, but I still made a point.

Sheena huddles close to the fire I cook over and stares at the wooden crane charm Kuchinawa gave her a month ago. She turns the crane on its face to examine the charm carve into the back. After long and close inspection, Sheena's eyes tear up as her face twists into indignant rage. She flings the crane into the fire. "He betrayed us a long time ago!"

Colette's face turns downcast at Sheena's declaration. "You mean Kuchinawa?"

"Yes! The charm on the crane he gave me was actually a guardian signal he used to track us down!" Sheena shouts. "He was telling the Papal Knights where we were the entire time!"

Raine notes, "That would explain how the Papal Knights were able to track our movements."

"It could be possible that Kuchinawa was able to direct the Papal Knights to our location," Regal suggests, "or he could have also taught certain members of the Papal Knights how to track the guardian signal."

Sheena flinches at what Regal said. "Teach the Papal Knights how to . . . ? He wouldn't! Kuchinawa wouldn't leak Mizuho's secrets!"

Zelos points out, "He might not have even needed to teach them. Someone clever could have learned by observing Kuchinawa."

"That's ridiculous!"

"In any case," Raine states, "we need to return to Tethe'alla as soon as we find a way back. It may be possible that the Papal Knights have the ability to trace our movements to Mizuho."

Sheena's eyes snap wide and a stunned silence goes by as we stare at her. I pause for a moment from cleaning the cooking dishes to focus more on the issue. If Kuchinawa really let this secret slip then Mizuho could end up being razed. My mind flickers back to all those innocent people who are completely complacent in the idea that their village won't be found by their enemies.

"He . . . He wouldn't!" Sheena protests. "Kuchinawa wouldn't . . . !"

Raine diverts the conversation, "In any case, we need to fill up on supplies in Palmacosta. After that, we can continue forming pacts with Sylvarant's Summon Spirits until we have a way to go between the two worlds without the Renegades attacking us."

Lloyd says, "First, let's see what the Desians are up to. We need to make sure they haven't rebuilt their ranches and regained control over the area."

Genis agrees, "That's a good idea."

A second passes before Lloyd asks, ". . . But can we check on Luin first? They should still be pretty vulnerable right now and I want to make sure that the Desians don't attack them during this time."

"I second that," Sheena says.

With Palmacosta in my mind, as well as the fact that Cruxis had more time to rebuild the Palmacosta ranch than the Asgard one, I frown and calmly demand, "We need to check on the Palmacosta ranch since we're in the area. Maybe there isn't a rush to get details since Palmacosta can defend itself at least a little but we need to make sure that they don't have the foundation for their buildings back in place before we go off to another ranch."

"You have a point," Raine gives. "We can check with Governor-General Neil and then investigate for more details as soon as we know that Luin is safe."

I relax. "Thank you."

Then Raine announces, "I will be heading into the city to gather supplies. Is everyone coming with me?"

* * *

After a little exploration, we found ourselves northeast to Palmacosta, just west to the main road. Now we know where we are and our map of Sylvarant is more than just extra paper, we finally travel around knowing full and well were our destination is, aside from the Tethe'alla half who has absolutely no idea where we are. As we get closer, I get a strange twist in my stomach, like I shouldn't dare come back to Palmacosta yet. The world isn't saved yet, Chocolat isn't back, and I'm still the weakest member of the group. Do I have any right to come back? This place isn't even my home.

We stop before entering the city and group up in pairs or threes: Raine and I together, Genis and Mithos with Regal, Sheena and Zelos and Presea in one group, and Lloyd and Colette going off somewhere. Before we part, each of us are given instructions of what we should be doing before we leave and to remember that this is a quick stop and nothing more, which gives me a sense of relief since the last thing I want to do now is encounter anyone who knows me and face their questions. Further instructions from Raine aim towards Sheena's group on the demand that Zelos get some outfit that will blend in better with Sylvarant so we don't attract attention (while we ignore Zelos' complaints against that).

As we part ways, I keep a lookout for anyone I recognize as Raine and I walk along. Raine waits until we're out of earshot from the others and in the crowds before she speaks.

"We can speak about your world now," Raine says. "No one will listen to us in this crowd."

I glance around at the crowd warily. "But . . . there are so many . . . people! They could all hear us!"

"Whatever we say will be drowned out in the noise or just dismissed," Raine informs as she looks over her own shopping list.

Still a little apprehensive over someone hearing us, I hesitantly ask, "So . . . So how long have you known?"

"About your origins?" Raine tells, "To be honest, I never believed your story about a travelling family and getting separated from them. There were too many holes for me to believe that. Then there were those books over 'Middle Earth,' how all your items were damaged in unnatural manners, and the lack of knowledge you had over Sylvarant's basic history. Those factors were large hints, but I was too skeptical to believe that there could possibly other worlds until Tethe'alla was revealed. After that, I was certain that you were from Tethe'alla like Sheena."

". . . But I'm not from Tethe'alla," I remind.

"As I would discover after arriving to Tethe'alla," Raine continues. "You were just as lost and confused about Tethe'alla as the rest of us were. You couldn't have been from Tethe'alla."

Good thing Tethe'alla has a lot more about it than Tales of Symphonia could show.

Raine finishes, "I had a hard time allowing myself to believe this, but what other explanation fits?"

I keep silent.

Raine asks, "Tell me, who else knows of this?"

"Colette and Zelos," I list off. "Oh, and Kratos too. He was rather . . . hostile at first."

"I see . . ." Raine comments, "As for Kratos, it could be possible that your secrecy frustrated him. His mission to deliver the Chosen to the Tower of Salvation was a delicate task where the Renegades were a clear risk, after all. It could also be possible that he had met others like yourself who proved to be a danger to any previous Chosens."

"That's a bit of a stretch," I remark. "And others like me? How could there be more people from other worlds besides Tethe'alla?"

"If it is possible for one person to cross from one planet or dimension to another then it is possible for others to do the same," Raine reasons. "Don't exclude this possibility."

"Sooooo why didn't you chase me away since you could tell I was lying?" I question.

"I could tell that you meant no harm and that, after some time, you would provide for the entire group," Raine recalls. "Initially, you joined us so that you could save Chocolat, remember?"

My mood drops. "Y-yeah . . . I remember . . ."

"Tell me," Raine prompts, "just where did you first appear in Sylvarant."

I hesitate. ". . . I think it's the same place where we appeared from Tethe'alla to Sylvarant: the outskirts of Palmacosta."

Raine looks at me with wide eyes. "Is that true? Are you certain?"

I nod. "Same area. Same direction I walked from there to this city."

"Then the poles truly do more than connect Sylvarant and Tethe'alla together," Raine concludes. "They connect to other worlds as well."

Then Raine wonders, "Kelsey, have you ever thought that perhaps you might not be the only one to cross over to either world?"

I wave my hand back and forth to indicate an iffy-ish emotion. "Sssort of. I speculated it now and then but I was focused more on blending in and taking my origins down to the grave."

Raine raises an eyebrow at the last part of my answer.

I tell her, "My world hasn't been kind to anyone who was even suspected of using magic. 'Hasn't been kind' as in 'burned them alive.' I didn't really know how people over here would react to someone like me and I wasn't keen to find out."

"In any case," Raine continues, "if one person from your world arrived here, there may be others as well."

"As far as I know, they may have died from old age a long time ago," I point out. "There are countless people on my world and many of them disappear each day through both mysterious and 'typical' (albeit cruel) means. I don't know what fraction of them ended up here or on some other world."

"Yes, but you need to keep an eye out for them." Raine offers, "I will help you discover who they are but if any are alive today there is the chance that we might not even encounter them, let alone recognize them."

"Thanks, Professor."

"One more thing . . ."

I focus my entire attention on her.

Raine asks, "I don't keep secrets from Genis if I can help it. I would like to tell him about your origins, if you will allow it."

I frown in contemplation. "I don't know . . . My biggest problem is him not believing any of this."

"Once we recover some of our inventory from Ephraim, I can use your possessions as evidence," Raine reasons.

"Oh. Go ahead, then, but only once you have evidence." I sheepishly admit, "The . . . The last thing I want is anyone giving me looks."

"The society you grew up with had a very anti-magic sentiment, I presume."

"Innocent people were drowned, burned alive, and hanged because of it."

Raine crosses her arms. "I must wonder, then, how you were able to surpass such sentiments and use the spells you currently practice."

"Well, there are two reasons how I got passed it." I inform, "One, the drowning, burning, and hanging are a couple hundred years before my time. Two, I tell myself that this kind of magic isn't devilry, which is what the sentiments are really trying to bar."

"I see." Raine replies, "That would explain. Please know that you are among people with differing sentiments and a clearer understanding between different types of magic."

"That . . . actually is a bit of a relief." Kinda surprising.

"One more thing . . ." Raine wonders, "When are you going to tell the others?"

I sigh. "I don't really know . . . I mean, I'm just now getting used to telling someone about my background. I freaked out when Kratos and Colette found out. I'm just now calming down and figuring that, eventually, everyone's going to know."

"Then I suppose I will leave that to you." Raine looks forward. "Just know that the sooner you tell them, the easier it will be on both you and the person you tell. Don't let anyone find out in a situation similar to how our true racial backgrounds were exposed."

"I'll take note of that."

Raine glances at me for a moment. ". . . I have a few other questions, ones concerning your homeland. Do you mind?"

Presenting the fourth round of the Twenty Questions game!

* * *

"Where are we meeting up with the others again?" Genis asks as he, Mithos, and Regal walk down the street with supplies in hand.

"We are meeting back at the entrance of the city," Regal answers.

"That's right."

Mithos mentions, "We could meet up with Sheena and Zelos on the way since they should be along here too."

"Alright, let's do that," Genis decides.

The trio goes down the way before encountering a small stand with racks of clothes just before the stand. Sheena, who wears a Sylvaranti traveler's garments to blend in, stands a little out from the racks as her foot taps impatiently. When the two make it to her side, Sheena waves a dismissive hand at them. "Oh, hey, guys. You may have to wait a little longer." Then the ninja gripes towards the racks, "Hurry up! You take longer than a pampered Meltokio noblewoman!"

"Quit pressuring me!" Zelos' voice nags back from among the clothes nearly obscuring him. "You want me to blend in, right?"

"That does _not_ mean you get to take five years choosing out an outfit!" Sheena says with a huff.

A smirk creeps onto Genis' face just before he suggests, "We could get Lloyd over here and have him choose for Zelos. I'm sure Lloyd would pick out a great outfit for him!"

Zelos goes, "Alright! Alright! I'm picking! Anything but that!"

Sheena looks towards Genis to give him a smile. "Nice move. I should have taken advantage of Lloyd's horrible taste in fashion earlier. I don't know why I didn't think of that before."

"That's because you don't know the full extent of it," Genis comments.

Mithos glances at Genis with a curious expression. ". . . Is it really that bad?"

"Think about it, Mithos . . ." Genis mentions, "How many people do you know who would wear suspenders and multiple belts at the same time?"

"Okay, I'm out! Just paid for it!" Zelos marches out and rejoins them in a new outfit and other pieces of pre-made clothes draped over his arm. This new outfit hung a little loosely on him, as if just a notch too large, with loose off-white pants and a tan traveler's cape that hung over him as if to cover whatever top Zelos disapproves of despite picking it out himself. An irritated scowl carves his face.

"Let's go! I'm tired of this place!" Zelos nags.

"What's under the cloak?" Genis mocks.

"The others must be waiting on us by now!" Zelos leaves, determined to put this scene behind him. "We need to get a move on!"

"I'm sure the others are waiting on us with how long _you_ took," Sheena grumbles.

Zelos marches onward with Sheena following closely behind. Mithos joins the two while Genis and Regal lag behind. Genis frowns as his shoulders tense, his eyes entirely downcast. Regal notices this change and asks, "Are you alright? You seem downcast."

"R-Regal . . ." Genis hesitates before he says, ". . . Do . . . Do you . . . I mean, did it . . . ?"

"Genis?" Regal responds in confusion.

Genis pauses. He forces on a smile and questions, "Wh-what do you think of Sylvarant so far?"

Regal raises an eyebrow, knowing that Genis avoided asking what the boy really wanted to ask, but replies, "I am not in the place to form a good opinion as of yet. I haven't been on this world long enough to tell."

"You might like it here now that most of the Desians are gone," Genis says. "Though, it's not nearly as advanced as Tethe'alla . . ."

Regal tells, "Life can be enriching even without luxuries. Life is what you make of it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Genis' forced smile becomes real as he ponders about that thought.

"By the way," Regal wonders, "what do you think of Altamira?"

Genis' smile returns to that forced grin. "Ah, we liked it! Despite what was going on, I think everyone would like to go back when we get the chance."

"What is it about Altamira that you liked or disliked?" Regal continues to question, his face showing pure interest in Genis' answers.

"W-well, we didn't see a lot of Altamira so I don't know if I can have a decent opinion of it," Genis speculates. "Though I would like to visit the beaches over there sometime and Raine would love to look over its history and visit the city's public library."

"Anything else?"

The corner of Genis' mouth twitches. "No. No. Nothing else. I didn't see anything else."

Regal senses Genis' apprehension and asks, "Is there something bothering you, Genis?"

"Hey!" Zelos calls from up ahead. "Catch up before I get old! I still have things on my list of things to do before I die!"

His attention temporarily diverted, Regal hurries to catch up to the other half of his group. Genis keeps up with Regal's pace before slowing down just enough to where Regal wouldn't notice the steady growth in distance between the two. Genis frowns heavily as he watches Regal.

Genis mutters to himself, "I . . . I promise . . . The _real_ murderers won't get away with what they did . . ." With newfound determination, Genis catches back up with the others. "I promise all of you."

* * *

I shift the bag filled with supplies from around my elbow onto my shoulder as I try to explain, "I know it sounds shaky to you, but it has kept despots from taking over."

"A tyrannical rule isn't what I fear for a nation such as those 'united states,'" Raine expresses, "it is total control from the civilians that frightens me. A government acting solely from the majority population is at risk of being vulnerable to the whims of the people. A tyrannical rule from the majority is a lot harder to dispose of than a single dictator."

"Palmacosta runs elections, and Iselia has a mayor, right?" I point out.

"While Palmacosta's government does use elections, the elections are used for city representatives and officials. The governor-general ascends to power through the military due to the militaristic mindset the majority population adopted due to their struggle against the Desians," Raine explains. "Iselia, in the meantime, has a—"

"Professor Raine!"

Lloyd's voice calls out through the crowd and temporarily silences our discussion. When Lloyd and Colette come into view, they quickly approach and rejoin us. The two display the supplies they gathered once Lloyd announces, "We got everything you asked!"

"Wonderful! Thank you, both of you," Raine says.

"What were you two talking about?" Colette wonders. "We couldn't hear you over the crowd."

Thank God for that . . .

Raine motions towards me. "I was explaining to Kelsey the differences between the government systems of Iselia and Palmacosta. Care to listen?"

"No," Lloyd flatly states.

Raine huffs. "Sometimes I swear, Lloyd, you can be quite a headache."

"Are you two done with getting the supplies on your list?" Lloyd asks. "If you are, let's catch up with the others."

The four of us head out to our meeting place with a glance from Raine telling me that our conversation isn't over yet. When we reach the entrance to the city, a quick glance around tells us that we made it there first since no one else is in sight.

Colette looks around and observes, "They aren't here yet."

"Give them time," Raine says.

I stand there and observe our surroundings, keeping to myself. I focus on each scene to keep personal memories at bay.

"Hey, Kelsey," Lloyd catches my attention. "Have you see Cacao? Do you know how she is?"

I shake my head. "No, I haven't seen her."

His face stays neutral as he speaks, "If you want, we can wait while you can say hi to your friends here. I'm sure Elvira and Cacao would like to see you again."

I consider him for a moment. "No. I'm fine."

Lloyd lowers one of his eyebrows. ". . . Are you sure? We can all wait."

I shake my head again. "I don't have family here to check on. Any friends I have here can wait. We'll come back here, anyway, right?"

"Yeah, but this is the first time you have been in Palmacosta for a while," Lloyd points out.

I sigh. "Lloyd, I'm fine. I don't want to see anyone here. Least, not yet."

"If . . . If you say so," Lloyd says with uncertainty.

I raise a quizzical eyebrow. ". . . Lloyd? What is it?"

Lloyd sheepishly answers, "Well, it's that these people are your friends. I would think that you would want to see them again, even if only for a moment."

"On one hand, I do want to see them." Then I express, "On the other hand, I don't think I should just come back here and see everyone without finishing what I started. I joined all of you so I could save Chocolat, or at least do something that will take down the Desians."

"I-I see . . ."

I frown in empathy. ". . . You were avoiding Cacao too?"

"Yeah, I was . . ."

"Welcome to the club . . ."

Colette lowers her head, downcast. Raine notices Colette's movement and discovers her downtrodden mood. "Colette?"

Colette shakes her head as if to say "not now."

It doesn't take too long for the others to return. My eyes are drawn to Sheena, who must've changed out of her ninja outfit for a plain traveler's garment to blend in, and Zelos, who's obscured by a cloak, as I find the two in different outfits than before (besides Regal who is now wrapped in a blanket). My mission switches from distracting myself from Cacao and Chocolat to teasing someone.

"For somebody who's prone to showing off, you sure are pretty obscure," I mock at Zelos.

"Shut up. This is the best I could find," Zelos irritably says. "It's not my fault Sylvarant doesn't have anything good."

"It's not Sylvarant's fault that you couldn't find any ready-made clothes that fit your picky style," I counter. "You could get your clothes tailored, but that'll take longer than we have. You'll have to get used to what you have for now."

"I know that!"

I reach over and pull at his cloak. "So what's under the cloak?"

Zelos snatches his cloak out of my hand, his struggle to hide only encouraging me. I chirp, "I saw magenta~!"

"Me wearing pink is not recent news."

Raine points out, "Zelos, you aren't going to be able to wear that when flying on the rheaird. You will have someone else with you and that cloak will get in the way."

Zelos pauses for a second before stripping off the cloak. He tosses it indignantly into the air, finally revealing his outfit. I take a good look at his outfit to see what the fuss is about, and then snort at his long-sleeve black shirt and the loose magenta vest and the black gloves.

While Sheena picks up the cloak he discarded, I tell him, "Zelos, stop throwing a hissy fit. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You're fabulous enough for _all_ of us, let alone that one outfit."

Sheena returns and shoves the cloak back into Zelos' hands. "We're wearing things that are convenient and battle ready. Which reminds me . . ." The ninja stops just behind Lloyd and tugs at his streamers. "Haven't we told you before how these could get you killed?"

Lloyd defends, "But they're cool! They flow in the wind like a cape!"

"You're missing the point . . ."

"You know what, who cares what I look like!" Zelos declares. "My inner beauty and confidence will shine through no matter what!" Zelos' mood swiftly turns back to its usual confidence. "Who gives a damn when I'm fine no matter what?"

Lloyd crosses his arms. "That's the spirit. I guess."

"Let's go! We're in a hurry, aren't we?" Zelos cheers.

"Not necessarily, but yeah."

"Off to the other hick towns!"

"Hey, don't call us hick!"

* * *

Good news is that the Desian ranch in Palmacosta isn't being rebuilt and there are no activities in the area. We spent just ten minutes or so hovering in the air as Raine observed the ranch from above to see if any structures even appear as if they're being rebuilt. With a final judgment, a sigh of relief spread through all of us before we left.

Even better news: Luin is on its way to being rebuilt.

"Ohh wow!" Lloyd gasps as his eyes lay on the village's progress. "All the debris is cleared up!"

"Most of the buildings have their foundation back!" Sheena cries out.

"This is wonderful!" Colette cheers.

Raine happily adds, "Once spring arrives, Luin should be able to speed up reconstruction."

"Really?" Genis pumps his fist into the air. "Then Luin will recover in no time!"

Zelos casually mentions, "You guys told me what happened to Luin, but despite the fact I've never seen what this village was like when it was destroyed, this looks pretty impressive."

Genis snatches Presea and Mithos' hands and drags them along encouragingly. "Presea! Mithos! You two have got to see this place! Luin is really friendly!"

"B-but, Genis . . ." Mithos begins.

"Sheeenaaa!"

A laughing girl charges towards the group, her arms spread wide for an incoming hug. Sheena's eyes widen before she grins with sheer delight. She kneels down and embraces the girl into a big hug.

"Hey, kiddo! How are you and the others?" Sheena asks over the girl's giggle fits.

"We're fine! Everyone is helping out!" the girl chirps.

"You aren't getting in the way, are you?" Sheena casually questions.

The girl shakes her head. "Uh-uh. Lots of people are saying that we're all very big helpers. We helped Connor yesterday by carrying medicine to the captives!"

"Good for you!" Sheena says.

The girl starts tugging on Sheena's shirt. "You'll play with us, right? Everyone's taking a break right now! Play with us? Please?"

Sheena turns her head towards us. "You guys won't mind if I leave for a little bit, will you?"

Lloyd encourages, "No, go ahead! It's been a while since you saw them."

Sheena smiles in gratitude and turns back to the girl. "Then let's go! We can't keep them waiting forever."

The girl pulls Sheena away with her energy soaring up. "Let's play hide-and-seek! Let's play hide-and-seek!"

With that, Lloyd turns to the entire group and announces, "Let's split up for now. We can rest for a little bit but meet up at the fountain in three hours."

"Okay!" Genis pulls Presea and Mithos further with him. "Presea! Mithos! Come on!"

Colette hurries away. "I'll go catch up with Sheena!"

Raine leaves. "I will be with Connor healing whoever could be sick or injured."

Zelos raises his arms up helplessly. "I'll be . . . wandering around, I guess."

"If no one minds, I will make myself as useful as possible to the village," Regal accounts for.

"I'll be wandering around until I find something to do," I inform.

Lloyd nods. "Alright. I'll catch you guys later."

We all spread out into the village, some of us getting caught into working and some of us just observing the village's progress. As I found out later, Luin has a new mayor now directing the entire village and works closely with the people involved. I even found him helping to rebuild a house. Some home owners are taking advantage of the destruction and having their homes rebuilt in a certain pattern with extra work being their payment to the city. The fountain itself is now being remodeled and most of the basic facilities are back in place.

When I get to another island, I hear Genis' voice call out, "Kelsey!"

I turn around to find Genis, Presea, and Mithos willingly caught in rebuilding the inn. Genis cheerfully beckons for me to come over. "Get over here and help!"

I look around at the other workers and note, "It looks like everything is under control. I don't want to be just a useless worker."

"Come on! The more people help out the sooner this gets done!" Genis nags.

"I'm sure there's a dwarvan vow for something along the lines of 'too many chefs in the kitchen.'" I pause for a second. "Closest I have is 'Dwarvan Vow Number Five: The more you add, the worse it gets!'"

Genis' face turns flat as he regards me. Mithos glances at Genis before saying to me, "Well, Lloyd also says 'Dwarvan Vow Number One: We all must work together for a peaceful world.'"

"Yeah!" Genis backs Mithos up. "Get over here!"

I walk up to them. "Okay. Though I'm pretty sure that everyone here has it covered—"

"Are you helping out?" A man leading the group on this project addresses me. "Good. We need a bit more help. You can carry the rotten planks from around here to over there in that discard pile. Be careful of the nails."

While the man leaves, Genis goes, "See?"

I give in. "Alright, I'll get to work."

Keeping a lookout for rusty nails, I carry planks of wood from the construction sight to the trash pile. The process eventually becomes meditative as I drag these planks back and forth. What I note the most is Mithos' involvement. While Genis and Presea are engaged in their work, it actually surprises me that Mithos is equally as engaged. It's . . . confusing. Why would someone who hates humans so much freely work with humans to rebuild their human village? I ponder this as I move another batch to the wood pile.

When I drop the planks onto the ground, I notice something pink in the distance and look up. Spying Zelos wandering up to this area, I catch his attention and shout, "Come over here and work up a good sweat! You're young and strong! Help out!"

Zelos stops just a little ways from me with a smirk. "I already helped out!"

"How?"

"By lifting a finger."

"Nice."

"Can't say I didn't do anything!" Zelos chirps.

"Oh wow!"

Zelos turns around to find a girl around my age with pinned up dirty blond hair who gives me a sense of déjà vu. The girl practically drools as she goes, "You're hot!"

Zelos cockily smirks. "I know~!"

"No, I mean, you're _really_ hot!" the girl continues.

"What can I say? The Goddess Martel blessed me with good looks," Zelos says. He winks at her. "I can see that she made her personal touch on you too."

Her eyes widen with delight.

I turn slightly away as I snap my fingers around my head. "I know her . . . I know her . . . Tip of my tongue . . ."

The girl suddenly glomps Zelos around his stomach. Zelos takes a step back. "Whoa! Hey! Even I need some personal space—"

The girl chatters, "My name is Marian Susan but everyone calls me Mary Sue and you're just the hottest guy I've ever seen in my life and I love you and want to love you forever and ever and ever and I'll do whatever you want and all you have to do is just be my boyfriend and marry me someday and we'll travel around the world together forever and ever and have lots of kids and grow old and die together _just be my boyfriend!_"

After that hideous introduction, I smirk in my grimace. "Oooooo, she's clingy."

Horror flashes across Zelos' face before he gets himself back together and gives her an apologetic smile as he pries her arms off of him. "Look, I'm sorry, but you got it all wrong!"

"No I'm very sure we're just destined to be together!" Marian Susan happily insists.

"No, you do!" Zelos manages to pry her arms from around his stomach and struggles to keep her from glomping him again without using too much force. "You see, I . . . I'm actually . . . gay! Yeah, I'm gay!"

As I take in a long breath to keep myself from bursting out laughing, Marian Susan gasps in disappointment. ". . . What?"

"I'm totally gay!" Zelos repeats. "Just like you, I love staring at a hot man!"

Marian Susan crosses her arms in a huff, not really believing him.

Zelos sighs as if in bliss and utters, "No, really, just feeling the hard, sweaty muscles while making love . . . It's just _fabulous~!_" Zelos blinks and glances at Marian Susan with this sheepish expression. "Oh, but you're still so innocent! I shouldn't tell you all the details of man-on-man love~!"

Marian Susan sighs. "Please don't let this be true! You're so hot and sexy and nice! Do you realize how hard it is to find a guy like you?"

"I know, right?" Zelos empathizes. "A good guy who's into you is always hard to find! But there's one out there! Don't worry! Maybe one day we can meet up again—that time with a guy for each of us—and brag about how our guy is hotter?"

"Nooo!" Marian Susan protests. "Please actually be into girls! Please, please, please with a cherry on top!"

"Sorry, I prefer bananas."

It takes me a second to understand that before I grimace. "Ugh! That one was just _bad_."

Zelos turns to wink at me. "I know! I'm just so _naughty~! _Naughty, naughty, naughty!"

"No! I meant the pun was horrible!" I clarify.

"No!" Marian Susan stops on the ground. "You're just pretending to be like that so you could get away from me! You're just a jerk!"

Zelos saunters over and slumps over my shoulders. "Tell her, Kelsey! I really am into guys!"

Marian Susan's eyes widen when she finally notices me. "Y-you! Ahhh . . ."

Oh, I'm not wasting this opportunity.

I chirp, "Relax! When Zelos is around, his happy attitude is contagious! And yes, he is totally gay." I take a second to clench my jaw so my giggles to come through. "Sometimes, we sit out and rate every passing guy by hotness level~."

Marian Susan loosens up as she begins to reluctantly accept this. "O-oh . . ."

I look up at Zelos. "By the way, I wondered every now and then . . . Have you ever been the sheep?"

Zelos' eyes turn sharp at me. "Hey, now, my love life is none of your business."

"Oh . . ." Marian Susan sighs. "I'm sorry, then."

"It's okay," Zelos waves off. "Ladies fall at my feet all the time. You're not the first one I had to explain this."

I wonder if Marian Susan isn't the first one Zelos pulled this on.

Marian Susan approaches me. "I . . . see that the Chosen's group has returned to Luin."

"We have," I confirm.

Marian Susan sheepishly says, "Look . . . About last time . . ."

"Just put it behind you and watch what you say," I dismiss.

"You know each other?" Zelos questions.

"I wouldn't say 'know' but we have met," I reply.

Marian Susan expresses, "Look, I know I was really bad back then but I learned something from all of you?"

"Oh? What is it?" I ask.

"If you have courage," Marian Susan says, "then you can do anything! I even came up with a phrase!"

I prevent myself from rolling my eyes at the cheesiness and just listen. With the opportunity, Marian Susan tells, "My catch phrase is that courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality!"

My eyes twitch. ". . . What?"

"Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality!" Marian Susan continues, "My dream is to travel the world and find adventure as well as true love! With monsters and the Desians out there, it'll take a lot of courage for my dream to come true! I hope with your dreams, you'll have enough courage to turn them into reality too!"

"Yeah . . . Good philosophy to live by." I tell her, "I have a bit of work to do so I'll be getting back to that, if you don't mind. And you . . ." I turn to Zelos. "Will you help out a bit?"

"Sure." Zelos hurries away to get right to the job.

I add, "Colette—the Chosen One should be somewhere in Luin. She's probably playing with a group of children with Sheena."

"Okay!" Marian Susan waves at me. "Bye!"

"Later!" I wave back at her just before she leaves. Hopefully I'll get distracted before—

Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality.

Too late . . .

As I return to work, Zelos passes me by with an arm full of planks and stops me when we get close. His expression is tense as he says, "Tell anyone about this and you will pay."

"But that was _gold!_" I tell him.

"I don't care! I just don't want the others finding out about that! Not a word!" Zelos pressures.

Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality.

My mood deflates as that line repeats.

"Alright, alright! I won't say anything about this," I give in. "But that doesn't mean I won't tease you about this."

"Just don't tell the others."

"I promise."

I get back to work with giggle fits.

Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality.

The giggles die.

* * *

"Okay! Okay! So I'll be it this time!" Sheena gives in.

"Yay!" a boy cheers.

"Start counting, Sheena!" a little girl demands.

Sheena turns towards the fountain and covers her face with her hands. "One hundred! Ninety-nine! . . ."

"Everyone hide!" Colette shouts as she and the children run away from the ninja.

Sheena counts down all the way to zero and leaves the area. First she flushed out all the children in the nearest islands who chose the most obvious spots but left the ones hiding in more obscure places. Every now and then she would get very close to a child's hiding spot and glance around as if looking for the child, calling out "hello" and "anyone there" as she pretends not to hear the giggling.

When Sheena finds the area where the new mayor's house is going to be, she spots Colette hiding behind a pile of soon-to-be-used planks with three other children. Sheena sneaks around them and hides at the other side of the pile.

"Think she'll find us?" one boy asks.

"Shhh!" Colette gently hushes. The other two children giggle.

Sheena hops over the pile right in front of them. "Got ya!"

The three children scream out in shock and joy before falling into laughter.

Colette laughs, "You got us!"

"Back to the fountain!" Sheena playfully orders.

"Yes, ma'am!" Colette chirps.

Sheena gets out from the area and moves on to another island, flushing out a few more children before moving on to the ones she purposely left alone. She glances around the docks for the hiding spots she left alone . . .

"Sheena!"

Sheena turns around to find Raine approaching her. "Raine! What is it?"

Raine asks, "Have you seen Kelsey? I need to speak to her."

"I think she's helping out the people rebuilding the inn," Sheena directs. "What do you need to talk to her for?"

"I need to speak to her about the homework she turned in recently," Raine says.

"Oh."

Raine wonders, "Are you still playing with that group of children?"

"Yeah, I am. We'll finish up sometime soon," Sheena promises.

"Don't worry, we still have an hour and a half left," Raine assures. "Take your time."

"Alright."

With that Sheena leaves and flushes out all but one of the remaining children. Knowing exactly where the last child is, she leaves for the area around the smithy. Upon arriving, Sheena spots Regal studying one of the buildings and the work placed into building it—as well as a child hiding at his feet. She pretends not to notice the child as she approaches.

"Hey, Regal," the ninja greets.

"Hello, Sheena," Regal returns with.

The child stifles her giggles.

"You seem pretty engaged in watching them work," Sheena notes.

"With my hands chained like this, there isn't much hand work I can do, I'm afraid," Regal explains.

"Don't worry about it. They understand." Then Sheena says, "But I'm surprised no one around here is giving you any looks."

"They were at first until Lloyd explained the situation with them."

"Not all of it, I hope."

"No, not all of it."

The girl's giggles hiccup before continuing.

"I have to admit," Sheena says, "this village is my favorite place in all of Sylvarant."

Regal smiles. "I can see why. Despite the hardships and loss they suffered, the villagers are all full of hope. It's very uplifting."

"Oh, by the way, I think you have a kid at your feet."

The giggling gets frantic and loud.

"I do?" Regal goes, acting oblivious to the laughter.

"Yeah. I don't know why, but something tells me that there's a little girl around here laughing in her little hiding spot," Sheena implies.

"Hmm. Indeed."

"Hold on, I'll get her out." Sheena kneels down at the girl's level. "Boo!"

"Eeek! Heheheheheheh!" The girl gets up from her knees and runs away.

"Oh no! I got you!" Sheena hurries after the girl, purposely going slower than the girl to drag the chase out longer.

After Sheena passes the smithy, James Hermann returns from his lunch break. He glances over at Regal's direction and turns back to the door—

James suddenly stops and turns back towards Regal's direction. He looks passed Regal and passed the reconstruction going on down to a shadowy corner barely visible. Nothing about it seemed too suspicious; yet, there was just something that made James feel as if something was there just waiting in the shadows.

James retreats into the smithy and brings Lloyd out. He points towards the shadow. ". . . Is it just me, or is there something wrong with . . . ?"

Lloyd peers at the strange shadow. After a moment of inspection, Lloyd tells his cousin, "I'm sure it's just a weirdly shaped shadow. I'll go check it out, but don't worry about it."

James sighs and nods. "Alright. I'll get back to work. I better see you in five minutes."

Lloyd laughs. "Hahaha! Don't burn down the smithy while I'm checking that thing out."

"Don't get kidnapped!" James teases as he returns to the smithy.

Lloyd grins and turns away. He walks towards the area James pointed out but slows down into a guarded pace as his instincts tell him that something really is there in the shadows. Once Lloyd approaches the alleyway corner, he leans in to peer down the expanse . . .

Nothing.

Lloyd huffs a sigh. "At least no one was actually watching the area from here."

A sharp pain strikes Lloyd's head.

"_Gah!_"

Darkness overcomes him.

* * *

"Don't get kidnapped!"

Failed foreshadowing FTW!

Blah! I can do better than this! Yet I feel like I've hit a wall where I either get proper instruction for once or don't improve at all! Seriously, the only time I actually had a mentor was when I was in 8th grade (13-14-yrs-old) and I lost that connection when I moved up a grade. Everything else from then up to now was self-taught.

I hate the feeling like I can't improve.


	65. Under Another's Thumb

Zelos: Happy, about your last chapter . . .

Me: Yeah?

Zelos: You can do better. Just because you whine about not being able to improve without proper instruction doesn't mean you can't improve. Your excuse falls flat.

Me: I know . . .

Zelos: From now on, before you update something, I'm reading over it. I know I slacked off as your muse a few times, but I'm not letting this slide while under my watch.

Me: I understand . . .

Zelos: I hate to resort to an overused meme, but, happy, I am disappoint.

Me: T.T

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Five: Under Another's Thumb

James Hermann didn't notice his cousin's absence until ten minutes into his shift. At the time he just shrugged and figured that perhaps Lloyd was simply caught in some other work. After all, people got caught into work all the time. There always seemed to be a surplus of work to be done.

Once a little over half an hour passed, James started wondering what happened to Lloyd. He did say that he would be back to help. Lloyd is the type who keeps his word.

An hour gone and James drops his work. On the way out, James grabs his short sword and sets his mind to investigating the shadow first before looking around the village.

When he leaves the smithy, James glances around to see if anyone a part of Lloyd's group is within eyesight but finds no one. Figuring that they all must have moved on to another part of the island, James continues on to the shadow he pointed out to Lloyd earlier. Once the distance is closed, James presses himself against the wall and sidesteps to the corner. He stops and peeks around the corner to check the rest of the area. Upon finding absolutely nothing, James leaves the wall and glances around the area.

"Lloyd!" James calls out. When no response comes, James sighs and searches the area. Eventually, he kneels down to the ground and studies the soil, tracing any extra sets of footprints he finds.

James scowls at the ground. "It looks like two other people were here but which set belongs to Lloyd . . . ?" He ponders the situation for a moment. ". . . I can't figure that out but someone in Lloyd's group might."

James stands back up and hurries out of the area. He asks around for anyone belonging to the Chosen's group or if anyone has seen Lloyd. Differing accounts on each member's location confuse James and send him on a wild goose chase. However, his search for Lloyd specifically leads James to the southern islands of Luin, the one area that was left somewhat intact from the Desians' attack and quickly rebuilt afterwards. As James combs through the southern islands, he wonders if some sort of errand pulled Lloyd to the area that involved any travelers, since this is the one area that Luin houses visitors (potential workers) during their stay. James enters the large house that is temporarily converted into a small inn for until the Phoenix Inn is rebuilt and looks over the common area. Still, no Lloyd.

"Hmph," James huffs. "Go figure."

Deciding that he might as well ask around, James approaches a nearby table holding a group of four and stands just before a redheaded swordsman wielding cheap armor. As soon as he stops, the swordsman's companions notice James and bring the table's attention towards him.

The swordsman questions, "What do you want?"

"I'm looking for someone," James says. "Have you seen a guy my age named Lloyd Irving? I heard he was here."

The swordsman answers, "That would be me. I'm Lloyd Irving."

"Oh." Remembering that "Lloyd" and "Irving" are common names, James gives specific details, "The Lloyd Irving I'm looking for has brown hair, wears lots of red, and wields two swords. He's a companion of Colette the Chosen of Regeneration."

The swordsman exchanges a strange glance with his companions before turning back to me. "_That_ guy again? He and his friends got a wide range. Don't let yourself be fooled by that imposter!"

James' eyebrow twitches. "'Imposter'?"

The mage in light blue robes informs, "The particular group you met are imposters of the Chosen of Regeneration's group. They travel around only to use the Chosen's name to gain fame and glory."

"And we're the real group!" the swordsman declares.

James takes a deep breath, remembering his mother's words about the importance of patience. Exploding on these fakes won't help him find Lloyd or the rest of his group. "Then tell me where I can find the other Lloyd Irving, if you've seen him in the village."

"I don't know and I don't care!" the swordsman says. "Why would you want to be around a liar like him, anyway?"

"I want to find him because he's my cousin," James replies.

"So the entire family is in on the entire fraud?" the swordsman carps.

The girl in yellow says, "Jude, stop!"

James hisses, "Are you questioning my family's honor?"

The swordsman tilts his head up. "Yeah, I am. What are you going to do about it?"

Patience suddenly became overrated.

James punches the swordsman full in the face, knocking the young man down onto the ground. The only other man rushes to the redhead's side and helps him up. The swordsman growls, "Why did you do that? Do you know who we are?"

"I don't know and I don't care! You mocked my family!" James snarls. "If you want to avoid trouble, leave Luin! This entire village owes that group our lives for saving us from the Desians!"

James forces himself to leave, reflecting on how his search led him nowhere. While the mage speaks to the swordsman about the situation, James exits the building and moves onward for another island. He stops, however, when he spots, in the distance, Lloyd's entire group minus one red-clad swordsman approaching his direction.

Genis runs up to James as soon as he sees him. "James!" The mage stops when he reaches Lloyd's cousin and says, "Lloyd went missing. Have you seen him? We heard he was on this island."

"Lloyd isn't here. I already checked," James answers.

"So you were looking for Lloyd too?" Raine guesses.

James nods. "Though, I already found something that worries me. I found footprints in a corner where I last saw Lloyd that look as if there was some kind of struggle. The problem is that I can't tell who was the one struggling."

Grim expressions shape everyone's faces.

Sheena tells, "Take us to those footprints."

James leads the group to the reclusive spot Lloyd investigated earlier. When they make it, Sheena kneels down at the footprints with Raine, Presea, and Mithos the closest, studying the footprints themselves and watching Sheena work. A moment passes before Sheena stands up, a grim expression on her face.

"Lloyd was here alright," Sheena announces. "There wasn't a struggle, though. Someone got to him before he could even put up a fight."

"Lloyd didn't fight back?" Genis questions. "How couldn't he?"

Raine states, "It could have been a trap. Someone must have followed him and waited for a moment when his back was turned. From the looks of this, it's likely Lloyd was knocked unconscious."

"Lloyd was abducted," Presea says, condensing the event into one phrase.

"Damn it." James bitterly grimaces. "I should have just gone here myself and taken a look at this. This wouldn't have happened if I had just hauled my ass over here."

"Don't blame yourself," Zelos tells him. "Whoever got to Lloyd was prepared to do this. They probably would have tried this sooner or later and just so happened to get lucky here."

"But now we need to find Lloyd before anything happens to him," Regal redirects the conversation.

"We could get Noishe to follow Lloyd's scent!" Colette suggests. "Noishe was able to find Lloyd when he first got kidnapped by the Renegades back in Triet, remember?"

"That's right! We should get Noishe over here!" Genis exclaims.

"Wait, who are these renegades?" James questions.

Raine directs, "Never mind the Renegades for now. Genis, Colette, go get Noishe. Sheena, Presea, see how much further the two of you can track the footprints."

Mithos asserts, "I'm going with you."

"What?" Genis turns around and faces Mithos with wide eyes. "No, Mithos! It's too dangerous!"

Mithos scowls in offense and tilts his chin up stubbornly. "I can fight! I can fight quite well! How do you think I was able to survive on my own in the outskirts of Ozette?"

"Native monsters are one thing, but whoever got Lloyd is going to be trained in combat!" Genis argues. "It's going to be dangerous even for us! And none of us want you to get hurt!"

Mithos averts his gaze from Genis and mutters, "I . . . I suppose when you put it that way . . ."

"When are we leaving?" James asks.

"'_We'?_ What do you mean _'we'?_" Sheena stands from the ground. "_We_, as in everyone but you and Mithos, are leaving to look for Lloyd. _You_ are staying _here._"

"I'm not staying here while my cousin is in trouble!" James insists. "The only reason I did that back when all of you left for the ranch was to watch over my sister!"

Raine considers James for a second before suggesting, "If you feel that way, then you can search the area opposite of where we ultimately decide to search. It could be possible that we will leave in the wrong direction."

James narrows his eyes knowingly, and then he surrenders, "Fine. Least that gives me _something_ to do."

"Now that we're done babbling about this, let's get going already!" Zelos demands. "We don't have much time to find Lloyd!"

* * *

Lloyd wakes up in a dark room with something wet slowly dripping down his head. As he stirs, he finds something cold and metallic restricting his arms and legs. Forcing himself to wake up in an instant, Lloyd suddenly realizes the basics of his situation and struggles against the chains binding his legs and keeping his arms behind his back.

"Give up," a cold voice blandly tells him. "Those chains were made especially to restrain angels. You won't be breaking them without help."

Lloyd snaps his head up to snarl at the darkness. "Who are you and where am I?"

"You don't remember me? How sad. I thought I made a lasting enough impression when I shot your leg and your friend back at the Temple of Ice," the voice mockingly hints.

"You! You bastard! You'll pay for what you did to Sheena!" Lloyd shouts.

"I'm sorry that happened. I'll give Sheena a bouquet of roses as an apology."

"Shove it, M . . . Ma . . ." Lloyd scowls as the tension dies from his struggle to remember his enemy's name.

"Maverick."

"Maverick!"

"You didn't even remember my name," sighs Maverick.

"Shut up!" Lloyd barks. "A lot of important things happened since the Temple of Ice! More important things than _you!_"

"Gee, that's such a terrible insult." Maverick halfheartedly mocks, "You really do know how to hurt another person's feelings."

"Where am I?" Lloyd demands.

"In a dark room of my choosing."

"I can see that!" Lloyd repeats, "Now tell me where we are!"

"In a location of my choosing."

"Damn it! Give me a straight answer!"

"You want a straight answer? Fine." Maverick offers, "Here's a straight answer: a perfect horizontal line."

"Stop playing around!"

"Not good enough? Alright, here's another: a perfect vertical line."

"Forget it! I'll find out as soon as I escape, anyway!" Lloyd bends himself over to grab his lock picks. In that moment, a light flickers on and reveals Lloyd's surroundings. Maverick lights an oil lantern resting at his side, covered from the outside world by a room formed from metal debris, possibly a shelter attached to some advanced building. Maverick reaches to his other side and pulls up a little bundle and holds them up for Lloyd to see.

"Looking for these?" Maverick asks, displaying the very lock picks Lloyd was about to reach for.

Lloyd glares viciously at his captor.

Maverick sets the lock picks down and casually says, "In all honesty, you should just give up right now. As soon as your companions give up searching for you and move on to another area, I will move you to the Renegade base. I already did a good job covering my tracks and I make certain that I don't leave any more for anyone to trace. It won't be long before they pass you off as dead."

"My friends would never do that!" Lloyd protests.

Maverick stares at Lloyd with a pitying expression. "Look at you, so young and naïve . . ."

"Like you would know what friends would do for each other!" Lloyd says.

Maverick frowns and looks away melodramatically. "Actually, I _would_ know. Like you, I once had friends of my own. We were always there for each other, through thick and thin, always at each other's throats and yet slitting the throats of those who would try to kill us . . . Nowadays, if we were free to kill each other, we would take the chance in a heartbeat. How sad life has treated us . . ."

"You're just trying to mess with me!" Lloyd accuses.

Maverick drops the melodrama and smirks. "Absolutely. What fun is it to simply act stoic while you have a helpless prisoner under your thumb?"

"Go to hell!"

"Sure. I'll say hi to Nebilim for you."

Lloyd looks through the room and spots a hatch just to the side above their heads. He glances away before Maverick decides to comment and glares back at his captor, making a mental note to investigate that hatch once Maverick isn't watching.

"How did you find me?" Lloyd questions. "We just got to Sylvarant!"

Maverick leans back against the wall with a bored expression. "So you know that Mizuho has those guardian signatures to track things down, right?" A pause gives Maverick his answer. "The Renegades have their own variation of that kind of thing. We use it mainly to identify which rheairds flying in the sky are ours since the only other group who has rheairds is Cruxis."

As a dawning realization overcomes Lloyd, Maverick continues, "When we spotted one of the rheairds you stole at the Otherworldly Gate and the rest following it, after studying the probability of moving over to Sylvarant, some of us were ordered to move to Sylvarant." Maverick waves his hand to the side dismissively. "I just decided to go a step further."

"The Renegades know exactly where we are?" Lloyd gasps.

"Yes. We know your present location." Maverick smiles. "Have fun sleeping at night with that knowledge."

"No! Guys!" Lloyd kicks the chains and attempts to shove the ones on his legs off his feet.

"Calm down," Maverick says. "The most that could happen to them now is the Renegades sending one of the men to take back their own stolen property during the night. Now that you're in chains, your friends can go on their merry way."

"Damn you . . ."

* * *

Just a few hours north of Luin, Noishe stops and whines. He continues whining and circles around, trying to pick up the scent again. The trail has ended.

Genis pounds the ground with his foot. "Grrr! We're in the middle of a field! How could someone just up and disappear like this?"

Sheena takes a few more steps towards the same direction before stopping to turn to the entire group. "At least we know that whoever got Lloyd is heading up north. If they were going to go in some other direction, they would have done so by now."

"This would mean that Lloyd's captor is heading towards the Asgard Human Ranch," Raine states.

A shocked hush passes through us.

Sheena grumbles, "Not there again . . ."

Zelos, his eyes wide, says, "So we're actually going into one of those hellholes? Tell me that this ranch was destroyed like that Palmacosta one!"

"It's destroyed," I assure him. I shift my weight from my left leg to my right. "But we have a few . . . scars from that particular ranch."

"We don't need to worry over the Desians," Raine says. "What we need to worry about are environmental hazards and Lloyd's captor."

"Then we need to keep moving!" Colette hurries on ahead.

Zelos scratches the back of his neck. "Wouldn't it be faster to just use the rheairds now that we lost the trail?"

Colette stops when she hears that. Sheena glances at Zelos before pulling out the wing pack. Sheena says, "While we're at it, let's have Noishe run along side us. Maybe he can pick up the scent later."

With Noishe running below us at his top speed, we fly close to the ground. We get closer and closer to the forest surrounding the human ranch yet find no sign of Lloyd or his captor. The more ground we cover, the further we spread out, thinking that perhaps we just missed Lloyd. That tactic proves futile, however, when we reach the point that would have taken a day to reach on foot. Baffled, we regroup to speculate on some sort of solution to this puzzle.

"There's no sign of him anywhere!" Sheena reports.

"Perhaps the abductor used a vehicle," Regal brings up from Sheena's rheaird.

"That sounds more like the Renegades," I state from around Zelos. "Why would they settle for basic means when they have more advanced technology than the Desians?"

"Then they could be long gone by now!" Genis panics.

Raine turns towards Colette's rheaird to face Genis. "Genis, calm down. If we cannot find Lloyd in the area around the Desian human ranch, then we will go to the Renegade's Sylvarant base in Triet."

"Does anyone remember where that is?" Colette wonders.

"I don't!" Genis cries out. "Back when Lloyd got kidnapped by the Renegades in Triet, we were all just following Noishe who was following their scent! By now their scent isn't going to be there anymore!"

Sheena announces, "I remember the coordinates of their Sylvarant base! They gave those coordinates to me back when I came to this world to assassinate Colette so I could return to their base if I managed to succeed in my mission and return to Tethe'alla."

"With those coordinates," Presea says from Raine's rheaird, "we can go rescue Lloyd once we know for sure that Lloyd isn't in the area."

"Then shouldn't we be stepping up our search a bit?" Zelos questions. "Our friend just got kidnapped and we might not have any time to find him at all!"

"Zelos is right. We need to hurry." Raine looks between Genis and me. "Genis! Kelsey! As half-elves, the two of you are sensitive to mana! I need you to focus on the mana distribution in your surroundings for any sign of life! Colette, I need you to pay careful attention with your acute physical senses to your surroundings for anything that seems suspicious. Sheena, Regal, I need the two of you to do the same by studying and potential hiding spots! Let's go!"

At Raine's command, we spread wide and keep a sharper eye out for Lloyd or any sign of his captor. We keep our search party heading north, checking on Noishe every now and then to see if he caught Lloyd's scent again. However, the further north we go, the clearer it becomes that we may have to search through the human ranch.

Upon arriving at the ruins of the Asgard Human Ranch, Sheena orders us to coast low to the ground and slowly in order to spot any signs of life and directs us in certain paths for us to follow. The rheaird I'm on, with Zelos driving, flies over the eastern area of the ruins. I keep my eyes closed and focus on the mana around me, ignoring the mana produced by the rheairds and the others.

"This place is even creepier up close . . ." Zelos utters.

I respond, "Should've seen it while it was still working. Better yet, you should've seen Palmacosta's human ranch. The Desian Grand Cardinal running the place, Magnius, didn't care about conserving the surrounding mana and used up as much mana as he please. The surrounding environment looked as if the grim reaper came in and started killing everything from plants to animals indiscriminately."

"Glad you guys already took care of him before now," Zelos comments.

"So am I." I express, "At least that means Palmacosta will be safe."

"You're rather attached to Palmacosta despite not living there for very long," Zelos notes.

"I've lived there longer than anywhere else in this world," I tell him. "It was also the place where I found support." Then I frown as the memories return. ". . . There were a lot of things wrong with me at the time . . ."

"Even sheltered kids have their moments," Zelos says.

"I can vouch for that . . ."

Suddenly, to the far left more towards the inner area of what was the ranch, I sense a spike in mana level. I jab my finger in the direction and yell, "Zelos! Over there! Hover over there!"

Zelos turns the rheaird around and heads over to the spot I indicate. He hovers the rheaird over a large pile of twisted metal. I focus on the mana, trying to identify what it could be.

Zelos studies the metallic formation. "It looks like this was some sort of underground level before the explosion."

"Then someone might actually be here," I conclude. I raise my hand and send off a few fire balls to signal everyone to come over here. The others get the message and fly over.

Then, in a blink of an eye, the mana disappears. I gasp and search the area again for any explanation but find nothing out of the ordinary.

"What happened?" Zelos questions.

"I don't know! It's just suddenly gone!" I exclaim.

Raine and Presea make it over just as Colette and Genis arrive. Raine shouts, "Genis! Did you feel that?"

"I did!" Genis confirms. "I don't like it!"

Zelos demands, "How about someone explain what just happened!"

Genis begins, "The mana distribution just—"

"What happened?" Sheena and Regal fly over. Sheena asks, "Did you find anything?"

"I did but it's suddenly gone!" I account.

"How is that possible?" Regal questions.

"That's what I just asked!" Zelos says.

"Then give me a second to explain!" Genis barks. With everyone silent now, Genis returns to his explanation. "What just happened is that the mana distribution in the area suddenly became perfectly level. Unnaturally level. Mana distribution acts a lot like temperature: there's an average level it reaches at but individual points will have a different level itself. Say one spot is hotter or has more mana than average but there's another spot that's cooler or has less mana than average."

"Then each individual point would be dependent on the independent factors within that particular spot," Regal finishes, getting the point very quickly.

"Exactly!" Genis responds with a smile. "With that in mind, we know that some mage close by is doing this!"

"What kind of mage could do this sort of thing?" Sheena doubtfully questions.

"This is simply mana manipulation. Every mage can do some variation of this," Raine answers. "What makes this case special is that the mana within a certain range has been completely leveled, with the exception of larger sources of mana such as our bodies and the rheairds. This kind of mana manipulation leans towards half spells, a risky method of mana manipulation, and will take up a large amount of concentration. This is possibly the work of a few mages or a single powerful mage."

Presea asks, "How far is the mana leveled?"

"It's not going to be very far, no matter how powerful the mage or group of mages is," Genis states.

I add, "Which means whoever did this is still around here. Probably right under us, in fact."

"While they're distracted, let's get the jump on them and rescue Lloyd," Zelos says with a smirk.

Sheena lands on the metallic structure and returns her rheaird to the wing pack. As Zelos lands, a sharp spike in mana appears just beyond the edges of normal vision. Raine rises her rheaird up and steers towards it. She commands, "Kelsey, Sheena, Zelos, Regal, the four of you stay here and search for some way into the hiding place. Colette, come with me. We'll investigate that mana spike."

"Yes, Professor!" Colette replies.

With that, Raine and Colette fly off with Presea and Genis with them, leaving the rest of us alone.

I look down towards the ground, studying the drop. Seeing clearance and a short fall, I jump off the ledge and land with a thump. As the others follow suit, we debate on how to accomplish our mission.

"Wouldn't you be able to use Gnome's power to make a tunnel to our mage?" Zelos asks.

"Not really. A Summon Spirit's power is used strictly for emergencies," Sheena states.

"It might be easier if we make a quick trip to Hima via rheairds and get that map Lloyd's uncle has," I suggest.

"A map?" Regal goes.

"There was a group of people in Luin who worked against this ranch by sneaking captives out," I inform. "In the beginning of that effort, they made a map of the ranch layout."

"We don't have time. Whoever is around here would have a chance to escape as soon as we leave," Sheena reminds.

"Then we're stuck combing through holes we don't even know where they go off to," I state.

"That's pretty much it." As we continue on to search for the nearest tunnel, Sheena calls out, "Noishe! Come here, boy!"

* * *

Lloyd watches Maverick do some sort of spell that takes up the man's concentration. Testing the extent of Maverick's concentration, Lloyd scoots closer to the man. When no response comes, Lloyd scoots closer once more. Again, no response. Fully encouraged by this, Lloyd pushes himself closer and closer until he sits right next to his captor and adjusts to the restrictions placed by his chains in order to give his legs the freedom to move. With all his might, Lloyd kicks Maverick out from under his feet.

"AAHH!" Maverick yelps as he hits the metal ground. As he gets back up, Lloyd pushes himself out of Maverick's immediate reach. Letting a second or two pass to glare at Lloyd, Maverick pounces on Lloyd and pulls him up from his feet, gripping the swordsman's head.

"Let go!" Lloyd struggles and kicks despite the chains binding him. Maverick, however, isn't deterred.

"You know you're in trouble, brat!" Maverick snarls. "All that effort won't be for nothing!"

With that, Maverick slams Lloyd to the ground. With the pain briefly distracting Lloyd, the man grips the red jacket and pulls at it.

"What are you doing? Get off!"

The struggle only serves to rip the jacket off Lloyd from the seams. Once Lloyd is free from Maverick and the torn jacket in Maverick's grasp, the struggle ends and separates the two. Maverick moves over to the hatch and stops for a moment to jeer, "Thank you for the generous contribution to my mission. I'll use your signature jacket wisely."

The man slips through the hatch and leaves Lloyd in complete darkness. Time passes by in silence . . .

Lloyd scoots himself in the direction of the hatch. The tight chains restrain himself to short movements and slow him down as he makes his way to the only escape. Just below the hatch, Lloyd pushes himself up against the short wall and—

His balance gives away and causes Lloyd to fall. With a frustrated snort, Lloyd tries again. Just like last time, he loses his balance and falls. As Lloyd continues with his effort, time marches on without his notice.

On one more try to reach the hatch and make it rise, the hatch suddenly opens and reveals Maverick about to drop in. The two share a moment of staring at each other in stun.

Maverick's face turns flat. His hand blurs as it strikes Lloyd on the head.

* * *

The four of us stop to rest on the far northwest area of the ranch. With the setting sun to her back, Sheena sighs. "We aren't going to find him tonight. It'll be almost impossible, especially with possible enemies around."

"It would probably be best if we continue searching until the others return," Regal says. "Lloyd depends on us."

Zelos drops down onto a seat on large debris. "Yeah, but we already searched most of the tunnels in the area. As far as we know, whoever got Lloyd probably left the area a long time ago."

"It's depressing . . ." I comment. "Just when Lloyd needs us the most, we fail him."

"Hey! We haven't failed," Zelos counters. "We just haven't succeeded yet. This isn't over."

"Let's keep searching like Regal says," Sheena urges. "We can mope around when we stop for the night."

However, the darker it gets the more evident it is that searching in the dark in these ruins will be too dangerous and near impossible without possibly getting attacked. As the last bit of sunlight dies, the others finally return from their search. As they land the rheairds, their expressions make it clear that their search yielded little good.

Raine informs us, "We need Noishe. We found something . . . interesting."

"'Interesting'?" Colette responds with a distressed squeak. "We found Lloyd's _jacket!_ Covered in _blood!_ How could you say that's 'interesting'?"

"You found his jacket!" Sheena exclaims.

"Did you find anything else?" I question. "Please let there be some sort of sign that the blood wasn't his."

"I examined the jacket itself." Raine states, "I believe it was planted."

"And so you wish to trace the jacket back to Lloyd or whoever placed that there," Regal concludes.

"Exactly." Raine continues, "Furthermore, I want us all to follow the trail in case something should happen."

I argue, "What about that mana spot? What if those people are still around? If you believe it was planted, then some of us need to stay in the area."

"Actually," Genis mentions, "we sensed similar hot spots at the edges of our senses, as if someone was running around the place or casting spells. What's disturbing is that it reminds me of the amount of mana Kratos and Yuan had in their bodies. Whoever got Lloyd moved on to a different location in the area."

"So Kratos or Yuan are around?" I ask, somewhat doubtful.

"It makes sense," Zelos speculates. "Yuan is one of the few people strong enough to get at Lloyd. He probably would have succeeded back at the Renegade base if it weren't for that earthquake."

"There could also be more than one person in the area," Regal points out.

"In light of all this," Raine says, "it would be best if we stick together this time. We will search this one lead and then move on to the next step."

"Let's hurry with the rheairds," Colette urges. "The sooner we find Lloyd the better. Noishe, come with us."

* * *

As soon as he was confident that the group was long out of earshot, Maverick lifts Lloyd's unconscious body over one shoulder and pushes open the hatch with the other. He scans the area for any threats before leaving the security of the ruined enclosure and drops down to the ground. Maverick races westward as he finally makes to leave the area.

Three blades of wind race along the ground and crash into Maverick's side, causing him to collapse and drop Lloyd. Maverick leaps to his feet and lashes out his fire arm. Maverick glares at his enemy and shoots out three rounds into the darkness. As the figure quickly closes in, Maverick shoots more bullets in hope of hitting his moving target. Suddenly, the fire arm is knocked out of Maverick's hand. Maverick attempts to escape.

"Fierce Demon Fang!"

The shockwave's impact sends Maverick flying out. The man hits the ground harshly and stops moving.

Kratos Aurion glares down at Maverick, waiting for a moment in case Maverick decides to get back up and fight. However, Maverick remains still. When the expected attack doesn't come, Kratos turns away from Maverick and towards Lloyd. He kneels down and rips the chains apart at opportune weak points after some straining, freeing Lloyd's hands and feet. Kratos reaches into his bag and pulls out a life bottle and pours the contents down Lloyd's throat. With the medicine applied, Lloyd stirs and awakens.

"Oww . . . !" Lloyd groans as he forces himself up, his hand clutching his head. Kratos silently administers First Aid to Lloyd's head, mending any damage done to Lloyd's skull and brain. Lloyd finally notices Kratos at that point.

"Kratos!" Lloyd demands, "What are you doing here? Where am I?"

"You are at the ruins of the Asgard Human Ranch," Kratos informs. "I heard of recent Renegade activities in the area and was ordered to investigate." As he turns to shoot a glare at Maverick, Kratos adds, "It seems as though this was . . ."

Kratos' comment stops short when he finds Maverick moved into hiding.

"Lloyd, draw your swords!" Kratos orders as he draws his own blade.

Lloyd instinctively reaches for his swords but grasps nothing. Then he remembers. "They aren't on me! Maverick must have taken them!"

"Check the enclose he kept you in," Kratos urges.

"Where was that?"

Kratos nods in the direction where Maverick just exited and Lloyd follows Kratos' directions. The seraph scans his surroundings for any possible recluses Maverick could hide himself in, never once letting his guard down. As Lloyd returns with his swords gleaming in the moonlight, Kratos cranes his neck up and catches sight of light within the darkness. Dim brown light glows behind a dark silhouette hovering just above the top of a platform constructed of twisted metal. The shadow casts a spherical barrier around himself, granting protection against most attacks.

Lloyd looks up at Kratos' focus and stares in shock. "What? He has wings too? How many other people have wings? It's ridiculous!"

Maverick huffs. "Why are you surprised? Cruxis hands out Cruxis Crystals like free candy! Then the Renegades have a policy that any Renegade member who successfully kills off a Cruxis Crystal user can keep the Crystal. Botta and many other powerful Renegades have Cruxis Crystals of their own, with the older Crystals being more powerful." Maverick motions towards Lloyd with a sarcastic smirk. "The same rule applies to you once I drag you to the Renegades."

Lloyd steps back before denying, "I don't have a Cruxis Crystal! It's an Exsphere!"

"Liar~" Maverick taunts. "Your mana says otherwise. Besides, even if it is still an Exsphere—which it isn't—I would have enough time to develop it. As you know, your 'Exsphere' is special. It is a product out of Kvar's Angelus Project, meant to be an offering to Yggdrasill himself. It's going to be powerful no matter what stage it is at."

"So you kidnapped me just to have my Exsphere?" Lloyd questions.

"No. That's just a minor bonus to what I have in mind," Maverick says.

Maverick rises his hand up at the two and a rough ball of fire collects at his hand and shoots down at his targets. Kratos and Lloyd leap out of the way as the fire crashes into the burnt ground.

"What kind of spell was that?" Lloyd exclaims.

Another bolt of fire crashes to the ground as Kratos jumps away. "A half spell!"

"A what?" Lloyd ducks under as another flame barely hits him.

"A half spell!" Kratos explains, "All you need to know—" He dodges another pelt of fire. "Is that the mana used for the spell—" Yet another flame barely hits Kratos. "Is very unstable and will backfire if his concentration breaks!"

"Then we need to break that barrier!" Lloyd concludes.

"Exactly!" Kratos dodges yet another spell. "Lloyd, can you distract him long enough for me to cast a spell?"

Maverick gleefully shouts, "Thank you for shouting that tip at the top of your lungs!"

"Get cover!" Lloyd directs just before bounding for Maverick's perch. As Kratos hurries towards a safe place to cast his spell, Lloyd leaps on the structure and climbs up the twisted metal. When he catches Maverick in the middle of casting some spell, Lloyd rises his weapons to slice down at Maverick's barrier.

Maverick moves the energy focus of his spell off to one side with one hand and uses the other to cast a wind spell at Lloyd and the swordsman falls back to the ground. With Lloyd out of the way, Maverick quickly finishes casting his spell and sends it out. The earth rises around the spot Kratos should be, breaking the seraph's concentration at the very least. Maverick waits a second for any sign of his success . . .

"_Judgment Ray!_"

A single beam of light strikes Maverick, causing him to cry out. His barrier, although withstanding, severely weakens from the blow, no more than a veil to protect against most melee attacks. Wide eyed in shock for a second, he pulls himself together.

Maverick gathers energy around him and patches up the damage caused by Kratos' attack. When finished, Lloyd suddenly reaches him once more in mid-jump. Just as Lloyd slices at the barrier, Maverick sends out a bolt of lightning, hitting Lloyd and causing him to soar out and fall to the ground. Kratos returns to Lloyd's side and casts, "Healing Stream!"

During the hiatus of Kratos healing Lloyd and Maverick forming a new half spell, Kratos comments, "Your Exsphere has evolved."

"Yeah. It has," Lloyd sheepishly replies.

Kratos doesn't make another comment in response to that.

Maverick casts his spell and the earth underneath Kratos shoots up and sends the man flying. Kratos unleashes his blue wings and stabilizes himself in the air, catching his fall. Another gust of wind rushes at him before Kratos has time to react and knocks him down to his feet. As soon as he gets up, Kratos finds Maverick preparing a larger spell and Lloyd charging at the enemy.

Kratos begins casting another spell, rushing through the incantation. Just before Lloyd reaches Maverick, Kratos casts his spell. "Judgment!"

Beams of light strike down the area. Although each misses Kratos' target, one beam hits too close to Maverick, causing the man to jump. Maverick's lapse in concentration causes him to lose control over his spell and the energy he gathered loses form. It convulses for a second before bursting out in an explosion.

Just when the energy explodes, Lloyd dives out of the way. He lands safely on another level of the fallen structure and hears a weight thump against metal just close by. Lloyd looks over to find Maverick lying on an awkward platform. Just a moment later, Maverick shifts and forces himself back on his feet. Just when he gets up to crouching, Kratos lands next to Maverick with his sword ready to kill.

Maverick dives out of the way, Kratos' sword striking the metal he was just at. He lands on the ground and swiftly gathers energy into his hands.

"SPREAD!"

A pillar of water leaps into the air, throwing Maverick into the air . . .

"NOW!"

"PRISM STARS!"

Orbs of light zip through the air; crashing into Maverick over and over. The number of hits seems almost never ending. Finally, after a long colorful display, the attack ends and Maverick falls to the ground. His sepia wings fade out of existence. As the entire group reunites and surrounds their enemy, Maverick remains motionless.

* * *

I stare in stun at the enemy who attacked Lloyd, recognition and fear completely replaced by exasperation and surprise. This guy has wings too? Who else has wings? Wait, let me guess, I'll get wings at the end of this too and they'll be pretty Mary Sue wings with every color of the rainbow to represent my "colorful" and "beautiful" soul.

That aside, is that guy going to start attacking again? It's nerve wracking . . .

"Lloyd!" Colette and Genis race to Lloyd and tackle him into a tight hug. Noishe hurries up to Lloyd but stops between him and Kratos, confused on to which one he should greet first. Raine and Sheena eye Maverick hostilely.

"Guys!" Lloyd gasps. His stress visibly rolls off of him as he reunites with his companions and friends.

"Lloyd! Are you alright? Were you hurt?" Colette questions.

"I'm fine," Lloyd reassures. "He hit me on the head a few times, but I'm fine."

Raine asks, "Do you have a headache or feel any dizziness or anything else?"

"Huh? I have a headache but that's it," Lloyd states.

Raine moves over to Lloyd and casts First Aid on his head. "We can't be too careful."

"_Get back on the ground!_"

Sheena glares at Maverick as he begins to stand. Maverick just huffs at her. "As if you hold any power over me."

Kratos approaches Maverick and stares down with a cold glower. "Get back on the ground."

Maverick slowly, reluctantly, lowers himself back to the ground.

I express, "This feels way too easy. At the Temple of Ice, he was almost untouchable! But here?"

Genis leaves Lloyd's side to circle Maverick. "He's a long-range fighter. That weapon he has is more of a long-range weapon than anything else. Lloyd and Kratos are close-range fighters, something that evidently he's weak at." He crosses his arms. "But that still doesn't explain why he uses something as risky as half spells."

"I'd like an explanation over what half spells are once this is over," I comment.

"Half spells are simply spells at the most basic and roughest form," Raine explains. "All you simply have to do to cast one is to gather an appropriate amount of energy, convert it to suit your needs, and release the energy. They are quick to cast and use only the amount of energy you gather. However, they have no uniform structure to keep the spells together. As Maverick proved to us, a spell caster cannot afford the spell to disrupt during the casting."

"In any case," Raine says as she steps up to Maverick, "we want information right now."

"You think I will tell you anything?" Maverick bites. Kratos' sword rises close to Maverick's neck. He changes his tune. ". . . Maybe I can afford to leave cryptic hints."

"What do the Renegades want with Lloyd?" Raine interrogates.

"We want him in order to further our ultimate goals," Maverick answers.

"I want more details than that."

"You do? Fine. Our ultimate goals include Kratos' demise," Maverick states. "Kidnapping Lloyd fits into a long complex plan resulting exactly that."

As Kratos narrows his eyes, Lloyd growls, "Damn it! Why am I so important?"

"Because you simply are. Don't you feel special?" Maverick jeers.

"Give me the truth!" Lloyd demands.

Maverick raises an eyebrow. "The truth? Really? Fine."

Kratos says, "Maverick—"

"Lloyd and Kratos are related."

My jaw drops. Did he . . . Did he just . . .

Kratos tenses up as Lloyd shows mixed feelings of shock and confusion. "What? That's not true! You're lying!"

Maverick waves his hand at Lloyd. "It is true. Kratos is actually your great-great-grandson from the future. He stumbled upon a warp in time and space and was sent to the ancient past where he helped found Cruxis. Killing you means erasing Kratos' existence."

Kratos' tension lets out, replaced by extreme irritation expressed through his scowl and his hand clutching his sword as if ready to kill Maverick right then and there. Lloyd, in the meantime, shouts, "You're just saying a bunch of bullshit again!"

"In actuality, only eighty-three percent of everything I said is bullshit," Maverick says.

Regal remarks, "Eighty-three percent of statistics are made up on the spot. How much of what you said is actually true?"

"That would be the remaining seventeen percent of everything I said."

"Be specific."

"The things among what I said that are true are the actual truths."

Zelos gripes, "He's not going to tell us anything. Questioning him like this is just a waste of time."

"I want to know one more thing." Raine says, "If he won't tell us anything about the Renegades' goals then what is his role within the Renegades?"

"Something I won't tell you without beating around the bush again," Maverick tells.

Kratos' sword rises to Maverick's throat again.

"Damn it . . ." the Renegade member curses. "Although I'm sent out into missions on the rare occasion, my main job is to observe the mana flow."

Genis raises a skeptical eyebrow. "You . . . study the mana level of each world? That's it?"

"My job entitles studying how mana flows from one area to another. Through that, I am able to note larger amounts of activity caused by anything such as large projects Cruxis or the Desians are keeping under the rug," Maverick explains. "Considering how busy each of the higher ups are, specializing really helps."

"How are you any specialist on mana if you use half spells?" Genis demands.

"Notice how the half spells only backfired when my concentration was completely destroyed rather than disrupted."

"Anything else you can tell us concerning the Renegades?" Raine urges.

"The only thing I can tell you about without Kratos reacting on Cruxis' behalf is the nature of Exspheres," Maverick blandly states. "I'm sure you already know the basics of that topic, though."

"So that's it," Lloyd sighs in a disappointed tone. "That's all he can tell us."

"No," Raine corrects. "He can also tell us how he got that unique weapon."

Maverick dismissively informs, "It's a pre-Kharlan War weapon that lasted for hundreds of years before the technology upgraded from shooting metallic bullets to mana-based lasers. Cruxis allowed the Desians to use fire arms since these weapons not only inspired fear in the comparably primitive population but also used almost no mana. Cruxis discontinued that practice when it became evident that this weapon is too easy to abuse by both the Desians and the occasional lucky captive who gets a hold of one. I just so happened to be lucky enough to get a hold of some manufacturing blueprints during my youth."

"And where is your weapon now?" Sheena demands.

"Ask Kratos. He was the one who disarmed me."

"I am not going to say where it could be in front of you."

Raine huffs a sigh. ". . . We have no further need for Maverick."

Sheena's mouth twitches irritably. "You're right. As much as I'd like to say we could use him as a punching bag, we really can't keep him around. We'll have to let him go."

Lloyd looks up at Kratos. "Kratos might not. Just because we can't get anymore information out of Maverick doesn't mean that Cruxis won't try."

"Good," Kratos says. "You know that our goals don't match even if we must fight alongside."

Lloyd questions, "Will you respect our decision and let him escape? We'll just end up fighting each other if you try to capture him."

Zelos asks, "Why would we fight over that? It's not like whatever Cruxis does with him will affect us—just the Renegades."

Lloyd states, "We could be sending him to his doom if we let Kratos capture him. Can we really place that on our heads, knowing that we could have prevented that no matter what someone has done to us?"

"There's no 'could' or 'if' about this," Maverick snaps. "Cruxis getting a hold of me equals a slow painful death. No exceptions."

Kratos says, "Lloyd, you are too soft. The man before you is an enemy." Lloyd gives Kratos a stubborn glare. "Humph. But I suppose I could give him a chance to flee before chasing after him. It would be a better alternate to fighting against you over this where Maverick will certainly escape during the fight."

"I guess I can deal with that," Lloyd offers.

Kratos steps aside, allowing Maverick to bolt away from the group and into the forest. Kratos looks back to Lloyd with his usual stoic expression. "Whether or not Maverick is captured is up to him now."

Lloyd watches as Kratos unleashes his wings. ". . . Kratos, thank you."

Kratos doesn't utter a sound but merely pauses a second before racing after Maverick.

"Whiiiieeee . . . !" Noishe trots up to Lloyd and presses his face against Lloyd's arm. As Lloyd pets Noishe, the rest of us sigh with relief.

I tell him, "You scared us, Lloyd. Next time, don't go into suspicious dark corners. At least not alone."

"I second that," Regal states. "I recall being in the area for a long while. You could have asked me to accompany you."

"I'm sorry for screwing that up . . ." Lloyd sheepishly says.

"Screwing up doesn't quite define that but, hey, it's over now," Zelos mentions. "Let's just get somewhere safe."

"Yeah, we need to go back to Luin. Mithos is waiting on us," Genis agrees. Then his expression turns unnerved. "Besides . . . I-I don't like staying around here. Even if it is destroyed, this place gives me the creeps . . ."

Lloyd looks back at the ruins and nods. "Yeah. Let's leave right now." Then he looks back at all of us. A relieved smile appears on his face. "Guys, thank you for finding me."

* * *

Me: I'm pretty sure I just created a Mary Sue out of Maverick.

Zelos: Meh. Leave it be. You already drastically changed this little scene over and over again. Besides, Mary Sue symptoms are not the disease.

Me:I hate this chapter already.

Zelos: Quit with the angst. It's better than the "don't get kidnapped" line you pulled last chapter.

Me: *shudder*

Zelos: Yeah, you're not going to live that down for a long time.


	66. The Metallic Island

Omg this chapter is like . . . I reached my absolute page limit on this one. Be prepared for a very long read.

As for a little update on myself, I tried to enter the commentary community. Unfortunately, my computer is being a b**ch and won't let me save the files in appropriate file types. Tried everything I could but . . .

Bleh.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Metallic Island

"Aunt Elizabeth, I can't breathe . . ."

"I don't care. You're alive and that is all that matters to me."

On the floor next to the front door, Genis comments to Mithos, "He won't be alive for long if she keeps that up."

That elicits an amused smirk from Mithos.

I just let Lloyd suffer through the tight hug from his aunt as I try to fall asleep on the cushioned bench, my left arm draped over the wooden arm for an awkward pillow. Colette managed an epic moment by falling asleep on her feet and falling flat on the floor. She managed to wake up from the fall three seconds after it already happened and stumbled her way to the bed surrendered by James, who I keep forgetting is the name of Lloyd's older cousin (I don't know, it's way too late for me to remember names correctly). Presea fell asleep as soon as she sat down and had to be carried up to bed, sharing the same bed Colette sleeps in. Sheena stayed awake for quite a bit of time while Elizabeth's little daughter Rachel slept on her lap before falling asleep herself. Regal seemed to do well just standing straight until the truth was revealed when he casually sat down on a chair, causing his entire body to visibly relax by a significant amount. In fact, glancing at him now, Regal is fast asleep in that same chair. Raine stands to the side just observing everything. Zelos lounges on the same cushioned bench I'm trying to sleep on, hogging most of the space on it.

Elizabeth looks over Lloyd's shoulder and spots her tiny daughter fast asleep on Sheena's lap and finally releases Lloyd, allowing him to breathe. She lifts the girl from Sheena's lap, causing the ninja to stir.

Sheena mumbles, "What are you doing . . . ?"

"I'm putting my daughter to bed," Elizabeth patiently informs.

"Oh okay . . ."

Elizabeth leaves the room, the last member of the family to turn in for the night. With Elizabeth out of earshot, Lloyd announces to the remaining members who stayed awake, "We need to decide what to do next. We know that the Desians aren't rebuilding the ranches so we need to move on from there."

Genis comments, "Making pacts with Sylvarant's Summon Spirits would be the obvious thing."

"Then again," I add with a groggy voice, "it's been so long since we've been here that there could be a few things we want to take care of first, like getting our stuff back from Ephraim."

"Ephraim . . . ?" Sheena scratches her head. "Yeah, we left all our money with him . . ."

"Why did you leave your things with this one guy?" Zelos asks.

Raine states, "Ephraim is someone we know who was able to hold our things while we left for the Tower of Salvation. We just didn't get the chance to come back afterward."

"Can't exactly complain, though . . ." I utter.

"We had a bunch of gold sitting around on one side of the world we could just fly to and we didn't go get that before buying supplies?" Zelos says, questioning our logic.

"Buying supplies was quicker . . ." Sheena grumbles.

"Then we get back to making pacts with the Summon Spirits," Lloyd finishes.

"While avoiding the Renegades," Sheena adds.

"Definite must," I respond. "I don't want to see if Maverick managed to escape Kratos or not."

"I do," Sheena firmly states. "I hope he escaped Kratos and comes after us again. That way, I might get a chance to pay him back for what he did at the Temple of Ice."

"We need to avoid Cruxis as well." Raine reminds us, "When the mana links between the Summon Spirits are broken, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla will separate and Cruxis' power over both of them will weaken considerably. It is unnerving that Cruxis hasn't responded as of yet."

"Procrastination: it's everyone's drug addiction," I comment.

"Kelsey, go to sleep. The more you speak, the less sense you make."

I grumble in response.

Sheena wonders, "So what ranches are left to check?"

Genis lists off, "There's the Remote Island Ranch off Palmacosta."

"Huh? I never heard of that one before," Lloyd goes.

"That specific ranch isn't very well known outside of Izoold and Palmacosta," Raine informs. "It's the reason why Palmacosta doesn't have a large navy and also why large-scale trade over the sea is limited."

Genis finishes off, "Then . . . Then there's the . . . Iselia ranch . . ."

Lloyd grimaces. ". . . We can't just fly over that one and know what they're up to. Triet is too far and Genis and I can't go to Iselia . . ." An idea comes to Lloyd's head. "In that case, Genis and I wait outside the village or we can ask about the Desians at that House of Salvation just between Iselia and Triet."

Raine states, "Lloyd, none of us would be happy entering Iselia while the two of you wait behind. Colette would be the most distressed out of all of us with that option. Not only that, but with the Renegades chasing us, this is too much of a risk to take. We can go to the House of Salvation."

Lloyd and Genis relax a little at that.

Genis then adds, "We could check up on the Iselia Human Ranch last since it's close to the Seal of Fire where Efreet is."

Lloyd finishes, "Okay, we leave for Hima to pick up whatever we need or can just carry in the wing pack, check up on the rest of the Desians with Palmacosta first, and then continue making pacts with the Summon Spirits."

Yay . . .

I shift my weight so my head doesn't cut off blood flow to my arm and try to fall asleep at that point.

* * *

Lloyd's off visiting with his uncle, Colette and Sheena are admiring the horses with Presea following Colette around as usual, Regal is relaxing somewhere, Mithos is in an unknown location (which disturbs me a little) on the ranch property, Zelos is probably having fun flirting with any young women he can find in the immediate area, Raine is exposing my secret to Genis, and I'm here at Ephraim's empty table stressing over my exposed secret and what I imagine how Genis might react. Why, why, why, WHY couldn't I be normal and avoid things like this?

. . . Or, as normal as anyone in this group is going to get.

Genis is probably going to hate me after this. I'm actually human when everyone thinks I'm a half-elf due to some freaky mana signature thing. That's gotta put _someone_ off. Then again, am I really that important? Sure, this'll bring a shock, but will this really be more than a meh thing in the end? I'm just some person who's tagging along. As far as anyone knows, I may leave the group as soon as Chocolat is rescued (which is the stated reason why I joined).

Also . . . how long is it going to be before everyone knows? How is this going to change my relationship with the others? I know Lloyd is going to be furious with me for keeping information from him. Then, how many people are going to believe me?

My stomach does flips when another thought comes to mind. What if everyone already knows and they're just hiding that from me to see how long it'll take before I spill my guts? Raine did that so who else is doing it?

If it weren't for how much I love my lungs, I'd probably end up smoking.

The door opens with Raine entering the room. She carries a large metallic box with my Lord of the Rings books stacked on it. As soon as she sets the box down, I grab my books and sink into my chair with my arms wrapped tightly around the last remains of what I had back on Earth. I glance at the box, noting the dusty cryptic style with its high-tech look to it, and look back to Raine who eagerly studies it.

"Soooooooo . . ." I ask, "What did Genis say?"

"He said that it explained a few things," Raine dismissively informs. "Now, back to my precious preservation box~!"

Oh, beautiful. She's focused on something that doesn't relate to the reason why I'm a nervous wreck. I'll just put that aside for later angst. "A what box?"

Raine explains, "A preservation box. It is a container used by an ancient human civilization from pre-Kharlan War ages to preserve items, much like a shadow box. This is a sample of the technology that gave birth to magitechnology, as this is fueled by surrounding mana. This ancient civilization buried the boxes into the ground to protect it from the elements and would return after a number of years to dig the box back up."

"That sounds like the 'time capsules' children made back home," I reflect.

"'Time capsules'?"

I tell her, "It's just a small silly thing where schools have children write letters or draw pictures about the current time period and they bury the container for ten years or so. The containers are usually buried in a very public place so it gathers a lot of attention, especially when it's dug up."

"Interesting." Raine looks back at discerning the lock mechanism. "The society that invented preservation boxes were being chased out of their native lands, along Palmacosta and Luin, and placed whatever precious objects they couldn't carry with them into the preservation boxes, buried the items, and left thinking that, in time, they would return to their homes. Unfortunately, that was not the case and the boxes remained buried."

"Wait, if the Kharlan War was four thousand years ago," I wonder, "how can anyone know what happened back then?"

"Archeological discoveries and unearthed preservation boxes shed light onto the time periods these were buried in," Raine states. "Although there may be difficulties translating the written texts and the items might be damaged, this is still a great discovery!"

"Do you even know how to open this?"

The answer to my question comes when the box suddenly hisses and Raine gasps in delight. The lid to the box pushes slightly open and becomes loose enough for Raine to pry open and reveal the contents. Raine's face twists into a frightening level of glee.

"Ohohohohoho! Marvelous!" Raine gently takes out chosen artifacts, keeping her giddiness leashed for the sake of the items older than even Mithos Yggdrasill.

"And I could be outside riding Punky . . ." I grumble, mainly to myself.

"Hush! This is the last remains of one of the first human civilizations recorded," Raine scolds. "Most of them were absorbed into the population that eventually participated in the Ancient Kharlan War and any remaining villages living separately were eventually destroyed by the very same war. This could be the only glimpse into their culture I will ever find!"

"Knowing you, I seriously doubt this will be the last time . . ."

Raine takes out the items inside, giving loving attention to each and every thing. A fragile doll with a faded face, a decorated dagger with a stone sheath, washed-out maps that were most likely damaged before being placed inside the box, several pages of scribbles and notes, and a hard-back book of modest size with many loose pages sticking out from it that Raine treats as a grand treasure, finer than any jewel she has ever encountered.

"Look at this! _Look_ at this!" Raine flips open the book and pours herself into the pages. "This is wondrous! It appears to be a journal of some sort! Imagine all the information I could discern from this! . . . Oh!" Raine takes the note pages and sets them side by side with the book. "It seems as if someone has already attempted to translate this—and in the angelic language! Fate must be smiling at me today!"

"Errwhat?" The angel language? Isn't that a language that Yggdrasill simply chose to use for, well, the rest of eternity to set the angels apart from every other "mere mortal"? Or was it simply an older language that could already differentiate itself from the rest of the population? Probably both . . .

My head hurts already . . .

A light gleams in Raine's eyes as she dramatically stands from the table. "Colette and Zelos will be able to translate this! Kelsey! Watch this journal and the notes while I collect them!"

Before I can even give a "yes, ma'am," Raine dashes out the door. Moments pass as I wait for her to return, interested in the reactions Colette and Zelos will have once they're dragged into the room. I didn't have to wait too long before I find Raine pushing Colette through the door and racing off to find Zelos.

"Hi, Kelsey," Colette says, her blank face exposing her bewilderment from being dragged about.

"Hey, Colette."

It wasn't long before Raine forced Zelos into the room. With both Chosens in the room, she beckons them over to the notes. "Colette, Zelos, I need you to help me translate these notes. They are in the angelic language and only members of the Church of Martel know this language."

Zelos states, "I would be happy to, especially for a woman as lovely as yourself, but I'm not as fluent in angelic as you would think."

"You are Tethe'alla's Chosen," Raine points out. "You would have studied the angelic language for all your life."

"Well, yes, but—"

"But nothing. You are simply trying to weasel your way out of this." Raine gives Zelos a sharp gaze. "Zelos, no matter how many times you act like a buffoon, I know you are smarter than you would like us to believe. You can either give up the act for just this one moment and help me or you can make this hard on all of us and continue this façade."

Zelos stares with wide eyes. In the end, he and Colette sit at Raine's sides as they translate the notes. I stay in my seat with a slightly amused expression. Besides, what this person wrote about their lifetime, which could be before Kratos was even born, would be really cool to learn.

"What's this paragraph? It's very weird," Colette says.

"I think this translator is trying to explain some cultural differences that are lost after several thousand years," Zelos comments.

"The spelling is off in this spot . . ."

That is, if their translations were clear and cut. The three are now just trying to read the notes. Unfortunately, translating stuff takes more time than just a day. Hopefully they'll get it translated and let others read their work at the end.

When it becomes very clear to me that they aren't going to get any information out in even the first page, I get up and leave the room. After stuffing my books into my bag with the exception of The Hobbit, I finally discard my hiding-from-everything mentality (adopted to avoid Genis) and focus on the book itself, flipping casually through the pages. My mind zones out as words catch my eyes and block out most of my surroundings.

"So . . ."

Of course, I miss Genis walking up to me while focusing on the book.

"You aren't from . . . here."

I ask, "How broadly do you define 'here'?"

"The entire world."

I refrain from looking away from my book. "Then you'd be correct."

Clearly a little irritated, Genis continues, "This would explain some things, but I still have a hard time really believing it. It seems like something out of a fantasy book."

Not caring to note on the irony of that statement, I simply say, "Hey, I'm the one living it."

"Yeah, then there's everything we just went through." Genis remarks, "Out of everything that happened, you would think that we would stop getting surprised over things."

And I'm still expecting a brief visit from Harry Potter.

"But how did you handle all this, being from a different world?" Genis finally asks. "From what Raine said, it's completely different from Sylvarant and Tethe'alla."

Which do I do first: answer his question or confirm that it's completely different? I take a moment's pause to contemplate this and my words before finally giving my answer. "It is different. Some things are similar because, well, people are people, but the thing was an entire social shock. I basically lived my life for the first few months imitating others and learning through cultural osmosis, a lot of things about Sylvarant I learned either through all of you or Chocolat." I close my book and stare down at the ground. ". . . To be honest, I don't know how I managed to get through a lot of that. I know I was in denial about a few things . . ."

Genis raises his eyebrows a notch. "Like what?"

I shake my head. "Just . . . know that I was pretty disturbed."

Genis says to me, "But you have the rest of us. Like Lloyd keeps saying, tell us when something is bothering you and don't let yourself suffer alone. If you tell the others, they will believe you. You've been around us for this long so you should know this by now."

I finally meet Genis' eyes with a surprised expression. I consider his words for a moment before sheepishly smiling. ". . . You're right. I should know better by now. Lloyd will be mad at me for keeping this quiet, though."

"Only because you're his friend and he cares," Genis tells me.

I glance away to keep myself from staring in stun. Lloyd considers me his friend? Wasn't I distant to everyone in the group since I'm, well, introverted? How could anyone become friends with someone who just stands to the side? But if Genis is right . . .

My smile grows hopeful and wide. "Then I guess I was worrying over nothing all this time."

"Like how Raine and I thought Lloyd would hate us for being half-elves despite Lloyd being raised by a dwarf," Genis reflects.

I look out towards the ranch property. "I'll tell everyone else eventually. I just need a bit of time."

"Time I wish Raine and I had," Genis mentions as he scratches the back of his head. "It would've saved everyone a lot of stress if our real identities weren't revealed while we were being arrested."

"Things like that seem to happen to everyone in our group," I say. "Does life hate us?"

"_Something_ hates us . . ." Then Genis tells me, "Get ready to leave soon since our first stop is Palmacosta. While the ranch isn't being rebuilt we want to check on the Remote Island Ranch that hurts Palmacosta's sea trade."

I frown as the thought of Rodyle's ranch fills my mind. On one hand, I know we're going to be fine in the end. On the other hand, with little things starting to stray from the game, I can't help but wonder if something's going to happen . . .

* * *

The day continues normally. Raine is buried in the translations she managed to make in the short time she was granted, Zelos flirted with as many women as possible before trying his (nonexistent) luck with Sheena, and Colette managed to not only name three dogs but also tripped into the ocean before being fished out by helpful fishermen. Then there's a cute little line as Presea follows Colette as Genis follows Presea as Mithos gets dragged along by Genis. Luckily the entire line didn't follow Colette into the ocean like a herd of lemmings.

That's pretty much where the normalcy ends. The rest of the day ends like a nightmare, starting with the beginning of the afternoon.

While Lloyd and Raine arrange a quick meeting with Governor-General Neil, the rest of us wander around the main square until either Lloyd or Raine come out to signal us in. I look around the area, allowing myself to explore old memories but only the pleasant ones. I can do without the ones that remind me of when dark thoughts clouded my mind. However, during my exploring, I notice that something is missing. I try to place my finger on it before slowly realizing what it is: Elvira's fortunetelling stand.

Wondering if today is just a day off, I pull out my journal and check the day. No, today shouldn't be an off day. She should be out here making fortunes based on cards and that sort of hoo-ha. I walk over to the empty space where her stand should be and wonder where she could be.

A group of people pass by and I simply ignore them until one comes up to me. "Excuse me . . . Are you looking for that fortuneteller that used to put her stand up here?"

The universe never ceases to grant me minor conveniences. I look over to the man who addressed me and answer, "Yes. Know where she went?"

"She gave that up," the man informs. "We don't really know why but one day she just refused to continue with it. Said something about how it was just her staying in denial or something."

"Oh. I see." I don't really see but I don't want an awkward pause. "Do you know where she is? I don't want a fortune but I'm still curious . . ."

"Funny thing is that she left Palmacosta a few days back," he tells me. "Rumor has it that she's returning back to wherever she came from. I don't know if she'll be coming back."

"Oh." I begin to walk away. "Thank you."

So . . . Elvira is actually gone. Instead of just gone for some time, she's really gone from Palmacosta. Well . . . good for her. She's going on a journey to further herself, if that's really what she did. I'm happy for her, really, but . . .

That's just one less bond I have to Palmacosta . . .

That's selfish of me; I know . . . I know . . . but . . . still . . . How can I stop those feelings from coming forth? I can control them once they're there but how can I prevent them from springing forth?

I shove the feelings down as I return to the government building and wait there. I open my hand out and bring forth a small flame at the palm of my hand. The fire reminds me of the size of a fire demon by the name of Calcifer only the flame isn't blue, just a plain mixture of reds and oranges. I turn my hand over and use gravity and mana to guide the flame around my hand without it burning me. Through the fire, the sight of the others catches my eye. To the left of the flame, I spot Regal watching over the rest of the group with a watchful eye as Genis, Mithos, and Presea sit by his side. To the far right of the flame, Colette plays with a stray dog she either just named or had named before. Barely visible through the flame, Zelos approaches Sheena, who takes a moment to watch the boats, and wraps his arm around her shoulders before Sheena shrugs him off (although she doesn't step away from him).

I sigh and the flame reacts by flickering forward away from me. I really don't have any strong ties to Palmacosta anymore. Chocolat is no longer my friend, the adults I previously hung around with were more like tolerating me than anything else, and the person who once sheltered me might not return to the city. Then there are the memories I have of opening my eyes to the disappointment of not being home again, wondering if the Desians will attack and finally finish me off, trying in vain to distance myself from my inevitable fate of joining the group, praying to be returned to my life, wondering how I—a spoiled American teenager—will survive in this rough world, wondering if death is inevitable for me, and even, in the deepest part of my mind, contemplating if . . .

No.

I trade the flame off to the other hand and hold it between three fingers, narrowing the fire off into a long column.

No. I won't allow such thoughts. There's more I can do. There are people who I will disappoint. And . . . most of all . . .

I have hope.

The Eternal Sword.

Once Lloyd gets that then he can send me back home. Though . . .

I move the flame down to my palm and close my hand just enough to keep the fire small without extinguishing it.

I don't want to just use him to go home. I want to give him something in return before leaving; do something for Lloyd before asking something from him. The rule of equivalent exchange that FullMetal Alchemist preaches on so much about. The question is . . . what can I do?

Even after all that, will I be able to adapt back to the society I was raised in?

I close my hand completely and extinguish the flame.

Pain scorches my palm.

"Owowowowow!" I yelp. I dive my other hand into my bag and pull out a cloth and hurry over to Genis and set the cloth down. "Genis! Ice! Make ice!"

Genis gives me a flat look. "You just did something stupid, didn't you?"

"Less talking, more ice!" Ow ow ow ow ow!

Genis waves his hand over the cloth and clumps of ice appear on top of it. I wrap the cloth over the ice with an awkward hand. I press the cold ice over my burn, temporarily relieving the pain.

"You burned your hand, didn't you?" Mithos guesses.

I reluctantly admit, "Yes I did . . ."

Genis remarks, "That's what you get for playing with fire."

The doors open to reveal Raine coming out of the government building. She ushers us in. "Gather everyone in. Governor-General Neil is ready to see us."

We all follow Raine into the building and towards the main office. A part of me somewhat expects Dorr to somehow still be there but, unfortunately for Dorr, such a thing doesn't happen. Standing at the meeting table, Neil waits as we all crowd in. He bows his head.

"Chosen One, Lloyd Irving, everyone, welcome back to Palmacosta," he greets. "I see your group has grown significantly since we last met."

Oh, indeed it has. Minus one plus five, in fact.

"Hello, Neil," Lloyd speaks.

Raine smacks Lloyd upside the head. "_Governor-General_ Neil, Lloyd. Pay him due respect."

"It's alright," Neil assures. "With everything that you have done for the city, you may address me by my given name. Is there anything we can do to help you?"

"We are investigating any recent activities from the Desians," Raine informs. "Do you know of any suspicious activity or any changes in their behavior?"

Neil narrows his eyes. ". . . You have impeccable timing. While the Remote Island Human Ranch hasn't changed in their comings and goings, there are strange rumors spreading about the city that the Desians are lurking around the ruins of the land based human ranch in the area. Our scouts have reported that there is stock in these rumors."

My eyes narrow. Renegades.

Lloyd exchanges looks with Raine and Colette who are both by his side. He says, "Don't worry about that. We'll look at that and take care of any Desians at the ranch."

"Thank you." Neil relaxes, though only barely enough to be visible. "We are in your debt."

Raine mentions, "By the way, we have a member within our group who might not be able to come with us. Investigating the Desians could become too dangerous for him to come with us. Could you look after him for us while we are gone?"

Knowing exactly who she's talking about, Mithos protests, "I can fight! I really can! Why won't you believe me?"

"It is better safe than sorry. We would rather not put you at risk," Raine states.

Neil agrees, "Yes, I will be more than happy to take care of him. You don't need to worry about him. Do what you need to do and leave his care in my hands."

Mithos huffs a sigh; then, a thought comes to mind. He dips his hands into his bag. "Genis . . ." Mithos' hands gently pull out an old looking blue pan pipe with seven pipes beautifully carved with grace. He takes Genis' hands and gingerly places it in the mage's palm.

"Wow . . . ! Mithos, what is this?" Genis awes at the craft work on the pan pipe.

"This . . . This is my sister's memento . . ." Mithos answers.

"Your sister's . . . !" Hearing that, Genis shakes his head. "I can't take this! It's too precious!"

"I'm lending it to you for your mission," Mithos says. "If you play it, help will come—or at least that's what my sister told me. I never played it before because it's so old but I want you to play this if you and the others get in trouble."

"Mithos . . ." Genis stares at Mithos in sympathy.

"Good luck," Mithos bids, "everyone. Come back safe and sound."

Lloyd assures, "Don't worry about us. We survived worse than what the Desians can give us!" Lloyd grins encouragingly. "They can bash us over the head but we'll still get up and fight!"

"That's only for you, Lloyd," Genis remarks. "I'm sure by now after how many times your head got hit your brain is too dead to get any worse."

Mithos smiles while Lloyd scowls. His smile fades a little as he adds, "Be safe."

* * *

This has got to be the most awkward staring contest in my life.

As soon as we flew within range and found no activities suggesting any plans to rebuild or retrieve valuable parts, we knew that it was the Renegades who were waiting for us. They had most likely planted the "strange rumors" spreading around Palmacosta and allowed themselves to be seen when Neil sent the scouts in, one way to draw our attention to them without initiating any combat. To be honest, it makes sense that they could do this. For one, Maverick acted on his own and, two, it fits into how Lloyd told us that they could track our present location using the rheairds and therefore . . .

. . . Never mind, I'm not making any sense even to myself.

Point is we came down to confront Yuan and Botta and Botta's two typical lackeys. Granted it took us forever with searching for any sign of a trap (they're the only ones there and we didn't see any devices) and preparing a quick escape in case something went wrong. Then we came right to them, and just stare at each other. Silently. For several minutes.

I know it's supposed to be tense since we're all kind of testing each other but . . . I'm not feeling it.

I stifle an awkward cough in this silence.

Finally, Regal had enough with the staring. "You have been expecting us."

"Does that really matter?" Botta asks. "We have more important matters to discuss, such as joining forces."

Raine huffs at them. "Unbelievable. You actually expect us to trust you after all you've done to Lloyd and Colette? How do you dismiss Maverick's mission to kidnap Lloyd?"

"The circumstances have changed," Yuan states. "As for Maverick, he acted independently and will be duly punished for that."

"Maverick managed to escape from Kratos?" Sheena snorts. "Good. That means I get another shot at him."

"That occasion will only occur if Maverick breaks away from the Renegades and acts as your enemy." Yuan hand waves the issue. "However, Maverick's actions are not what we are here to discuss."

"Only if you keep him off me," Lloyd says as he eyes Yuan suspiciously.

"You have my word that, should we become allies, I will order Maverick to stand down."

Lloyd nods. ". . . Okay, I'm listening. What do you want?"

Yuan questions, "Do you know of the Giant Kharlan Tree?"

Zelos says, "The legendary Giant Tree said to have existed in the Holy Ground of Kharlan, right? It's the tree of life, which produces infinite mana."

Colette frowns. "Isn't that just a fairy tale?"

Personally, I'm getting a little bored. I've already heard this before and know what's coming next. "Probably not if he's bringing it up."

"The Giant Kharlan Tree indeed existed, but its mana supply wasn't infinite. The Kharlan War exhausted its mana supply and the tree wilted away," Yuan informs. "All that remains of it is its seed left in the Holy Ground of Kharlan, known as the Great Seed."

Colette's eyes widen. "Not only did the Giant Kharlan Tree exist but it had a seed that's now in the final seal? This is stranger than fiction!"

If this is stranger than fiction then try living my life.

"The Great Seed?" Genis scrunches his face up in confusion. "Are you talking about the Soul of Mithos?"

Botta's lackey Jack snorts. "Now _that's_ a fairy tale."

Botta ignores Jack and adds his statement. "The Great Seed, the source of the world's mana, is the seed of the Giant Tree. The tale concerning the Soul of Mithos is a mere myth."

Yuan continues, "The Great Seed is absolutely vital in order to reunite the two worlds."

"You said 'reunite,'" Raine interrupts.

"What do you mean by 'reunite'?" Lloyd questions. "Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are separate worlds, aren't they?"

"I believe I told you before that Yggdrasill is the creator of the two worlds," Yuan states.

"You never told us any details about _how_ he created the two worlds," Genis criticizes.

Yuan spares a quick frown at Genis before saying, "Originally, the world was one, but Yggdrasill ripped it asunder."

"How is that even possible?" Lloyd exclaims.

"It was possible for Yggdrasill."

In other words, he's not going to be bothered to explain about the Eternal Sword to us.

Yuan continues, "The two worlds have managed to survive by vying for the small amount of mana seeping from the Great Seed."

"Then, because of that, the two worlds compete for the mana coming from the Great Seed and put them in competition against each other," Sheena says.

"So that's why the cycle of flourishing and declining continues, and the Chosen goes on the journey of regeneration . . ." Colette then says, completing the connect-the-dots moment.

"But if the Great Seed germinates, the Giant Tree will be restored and the cycle will come to an end," Yuan states. "Because the Great Seed is nearly dead, we must expose it to a large amount of mana in order to save it and germinate it."

"There's no supply of mana like that to be found anywhere in the world," Raine reminds. "Where do you intend to get this amount of mana?"

"Cruxis' base, Derris-Kharlan, is a comet made from a giant mass of mana. It lies suspended in the sky high above this land." Yuan indicates to us, "All we have to do is use that."

"But then why doesn't Yggdrasill revive the Giant Tree?" Lloyd questions.

"All of Derris-Kharlan's mana is being given to Martel for the sake of resurrecting her."

"What?" Colette gasps.

"Wait, so she really is a real person?" Genis goes. "She's not just some symbol or excuse for Cruxis to use?"

Yuan keeps a neutral face as the group is shocked over things he's known for a very long time. He's probably used to these reactions since recruiting people means telling them things like this. "Yes, Martel was a real living person, although she certainly wasn't a god like Cruxis claims. By using the power of a Cruxis Crystal, Martel's soul lives on despite lacking a physical body, existing as part of the Great Seed."

Botta tells, "If Martel awakens, the Great Seed will be absorbed into her and disappear. The reverse also holds true." Using his hands as visual aids, Botta continues on. "In order to prevent the Great Seed from absorbing Martel, Yggdrasill protects the Great Seed with the seals of the Summon Spirits. It acts as a cage to prevent the Great Seed from germinating until a Chosen of Regeneration can accept Martel's soul."

"So that's why the Renegades are trying to stop Martel's revival," Raine says as her eyes light up in the revelation.

"Yes." Yuan summarizes, "We will make the Great Seed germinate. Martel will be absorbed into the Great Seed, and then . . ."

"The Giant Kharlan Tree will be reborn," Lloyd echoes as he realizes the Renegades' plan.

"If that happens, will the two worlds become one again?" Colette asks.

"You have failed to mention how you will accomplish all this," Regal points out.

"Although we do have a plan of action, reuniting the two worlds isn't a guarantee." Yuan then says, "What is guaranteed is that the world will end if the seed is lost."

"So, you're going to have Martel be a good little girl and disappear," Zelos casually states.

Yuan sighs. "Martel is already dead. If it weren't for her Cruxis Crystal and Derris-Kharlan's mana, her soul would have disappeared a long time ago."

"Why is Yggdrasill so obsessed with Martel?" Genis questions. "He's putting the entire world at stake just for her!"

Yuan dismisses, "That doesn't matter. What does matter is that we see to it that the Great Seed germinates."

"Up till now, the Great Seed has been protected by the Summon Spirits of the declining world, using the mana links that all of you have been destroying," Botta states. "Now that the mana links are beginning to unravel, the Great Seed's protection is weakening."

"Because we have been forming pacts with the Summon Spirits of both worlds," Presea finishes.

"Now I understand why you want us to join you." Raine critically says, "It's because we have Sheena, a summoner, on our side."

"Why go through all that trouble of having us join together?" Zelos asks. "We're already forming the pacts by ourselves so you could have just reaped the benefits of us going about our business."

"That is because Cruxis is beginning to suspect your motives," Yuan informs, "and we have a direct informant within Cruxis who can provide you with information on Cruxis' movement and warn you in case Cruxis acts against you."

"Meaning, you're the informant . . ." Lloyd frowns at the Renegade leader. "Yuan, are you with Cruxis or the Renegades?"

"I am with Cruxis, but I am also the leader of the Renegades," Yuan declares.

"A double-agent?" Regal goes.

"Literally a renegade," I remark.

"In other words, a traitor," Zelos adds.

"So, what's your decision?" Yuan questions, the lines on his face revealing slight agitation and impatience.

Lloyd stares at Yuan for a moment. ". . . Okay."

Raine gawks at Lloyd in disbelief. "Lloyd, you're going to trust him?"

Lloyd nods. "Yeah. He revealed that he is in fact a traitor. He's putting himself on the line; that has to mean something!"

"Since he's putting trust in us, I'll trust him too," Colette says.

The general air now very relaxed, everyone gains a slight casual touch to their speech. Yuan comments, "You were investigating the Desians' activities, correct? Rodyle's ranch would be among them. We can get you inside and help you take that ranch out."

Zelos grimaces with a sarcastic smirk. "You sure know a lot about our activities. You have a spy watching us or something? That's more than just watching our rheairds go form point A to point B."

"No kidding." Lloyd continues on the subject, "Either way, since Rodyle is building some Mana Cannon thing, we have to stop it before it's completed. He can cause a lot of trouble without it and will cause even more once it is."

"We also have a debt to pay back to Rodyle," Presea adds.

Yuan says, "The ranch and the control room should be interlinked. Disabling the control room should be our first priority. I will send Botta and his men with you to accomplish that."

"You seem to know . . . quite a lot about Rodyle's activities," Raine notes.

"We have a reason to infiltrate Rodyle's ranch as well." Botta offers, "We can guide you through the ranch, if you like."

"We're teaming up, right?" Lloyd goes. "Of course. Please take us there."

"Why are you going to the ranch?" Sheena asks. "You need the Mana Cannon?"

"Yes. We need to make preparations to fire mana at the Great Seed." Yuan states, "Originally we were influencing Rodyle to build the Mana Cannon in the first place."

I refrain from rolling my eyes. Yuan is now the root of all the evil and trouble that will be caused by the Mana Cannon in the future. He simply couldn't let the thing die in the Kharlan War like it should've.

"Oh, by the way, the rheaird dimensional transfer system will be offline while we make our preparations," Yuan mentions. "You'll have to wait until after we infiltrate the ranch if you want to get back to Tethe'alla."

I remark, "Not like we weren't going there as soon as you are."

Yuan turns to Botta. "I'll leave the rest to you, Botta."

Botta nods. "Understood."

* * *

Our camouflaged boat hits the shore of the Remote Island. Our tired eyes and the high moon tell us that midnight is well passed. As soon as we step on the beach, we scramble to a spot Botta directs us to the ranch entrance and hurries us in. The entrance to the ranch gives me a sense of déjà vu and I try to place it as we cram into an elevator that leads down under the sea . . .

Wait, an elevator that leads down to a hell hole under the sea. No wonder it felt familiar. It's similar to Rapture from Bioshock!

Well . . . at least I won't have to deal with Big Daddies, Big Sisters, freaky Little Sisters, splicers, and everything else there in Rodyle's ranch. I seriously would've just killed myself if I became a self insert of that. I know suicide isn't supposed to be treated like I'm treating it, but I'd rather be dead than go through the hell that Rapture is . . . Just end it before it even begins . . .

As the cramped elevator goes down, we all wait impatiently for the elevator to make it. Some of us, though, are fascinated by the view into the ocean that we're granted through the elevator windows.

Speaking of elevators of doom . . .

I ask, "What if Rodyle knew we were coming? What if he sabotaged this thing to where it falls and crashes and kills us all? It's not like we can escape. Even if we could and did, we'd just drown in the ocean."

Everyone grows slightly tense. Even Botta's lackeys grow a little more tense.

"Just some food for thought," I comment.

Raine smacks me over the head.

After what seems like forever, the elevator finally makes it to the end and lets us all get off. Several of us sigh in relief from being trapped in a single small space with twelve people squished in. That ends quickly, however, as we refocus back onto our main objective. Botta pulls out a map of the ranch and points out hotspot areas from where the captives are to the control room itself.

"By the time we reach the control room," Botta adds after pointing out where everything is, "Rodyle will know of our presence and will likely meet us there to stop us."

"That will give us the opportunity to pay Rodyle back for the debt we owe him and shift control of the Mana Cannon over to the Renegades," Presea states.

"Yes." Botta directs, "If you follow us we can avoid detection until we reach the control room."

"What if something happens?" I ask.

"We have plans for such occasions," Botta assures. He puts the map away and ushers us onward. "Follow us."

Botta guides us through the main entrance into the ranch from the elevator. It resembles exactly what it does in the game, a glass tunnel leading us to an ominous tower that might be a reject of H.P Lovecraft's novels, and shows any aquatic life that so happens to swim by. I notice a shark swimming by and comment to myself, "That one needs some freakin' laser beams on its head . . ."

Lloyd looks over at me with a slightly concerned expression. "Are you alright? You've been rambling a lot ever since we started heading here. You're normally pretty quiet. Is something on your mind?"

"Nothing, really. Just nervous." I say, "I mean, when has any of our plans succeeded without something devastating happening?"

"Even if something did happen, we always manage to make it through," Lloyd reminds.

"O-okay, Lloyd . . ." It's not just that I'm worried about . . .

Events have been happening that aren't part of the game. First, I was sucked into this, then Lloyd ended up having some long lost family (it's wonderful but not consistent with the game), I got sucked into this, then Lloyd and Kratos got captured by Kvar, I got sucked into this, Zelos and I got arrested along with Genis and Raine, I got sucked into this, a few of us found out about Zelos' sister earlier than when we should according to the game, I got sucked into this, there was that ambush by the Renegades at the Toize Valley Mine, I got sucked into this, Kratos joined us in our search for Colette, I got sucked into this, Lloyd got his wings, I got sucked into this, the Renegades ambushed us again at the Temple of Ice, I got sucked into this, Maverick exists, I got sucked into this, and Lloyd got kidnapped by Maverick. What else am I missing? Oh, yeah . . . I GOT SUCKED INTO THIS.

Anything non-canon happening equals somebody might actually die. Then, since more things are either going away from the canon or I'm just simply forgetting details, I'm starting to lose my reassurance that everything will be just fine.

. . . Well, that everything will be just fine for _me_. Since I'm not canon, I don't exactly have plot armor.

Shame that Botta is leading us _around_ battles instead of _into_ them and risk triggering the alarm. I could use a good distraction.

We get into the main elevator of the underwater tower without a hitch or getting caught and enter. This one is a lot roomier than the first elevator and provides us enough elbow room to shift around although not enough to avoid people "accidentally" elbowing each other. Poor Zelos' stomach.

Botta activates this elevator and we wait out the entire ride. I start wishing that the Desians thought to put in some elevator music. That way no one would go insane from boredom here. Really, I just feel like it's going on . . . for . . . ev . . . er . . .

Then the elevator stops. Botta plays with the buttons for a moment before cursing at it.

"What happened?" Lloyd questions. "Why can't we go higher?"

One of Botta's two lackeys, the second one named Mark, answers, "It's locked so only authorized personnel can go higher. Since this floor is where the captives are held, we can cause a disturbance to force Desians from the upper floor to use the elevator to go down and then hijack the elevator and go up from here."

"We could also use the same plan to use the other elevator on this floor," Botta says as he holds up the map. "You're confusing the two elevators here as one, but your plan will work for the other one."

"What's the difference between the two?" Colette wonders.

Regal informs, "This elevator cannot go any further than this floor. The other elevator, which Botta says is secured, can go higher up."

"We'll release the captives and force the Desians to come here," the first lackey, Jack, paraphrases. "You guys go up to Rodyle and take care of him while the three of us send the captives on their way and secure their path. We'll catch up to you after that."

"Alright," Lloyd bids. "Good luck."

"And you too," Botta returns.

We all exit the elevator and move on to different cells, releasing all the captives. At first they cheer and cry in relief to find us rescuing them but then once everyone has gathered together Botta announces the escape plan. Their faces turn grim, but already the spark of hope and rebellion is in their eyes. Their spokespeople voice that everyone will participate in this no matter how suicidal it seems. It's their last hope and they will take it even if it leads no where.

It didn't take long for the Desians from the lower floors to reach the captives. However, I observe the fatal flaw in the elevator system: there is no room for moving a large number of people in case of emergencies. In a display of mob power, the captives overwhelm the Desians despite having few weapons and flood into the elevator no matter how crowded it gets. Each of Botta's small team gets into the elevator with them and escorts each group down before coming back up. We, in the meantime, wait for the other group of Desians to take the elevator from the upper floor to handle the situation.

Some of us wait outside the elevator as bait for the Desians while the others hide to ambush them. The elevator opens and the Desians rush out to attack us. Unfortunately for them, they fall right into the trap and their lives are swiftly ended. We crowd into the elevator and send ourselves up. Once again, we're treated to a tediously long wait . . .

When the elevator finally stops, we get out and go through into the room on the top floor. Once again, the control room is just like it was in the game: large circular room surrounded by another room with rock walls that appear to be part of the island itself and holding cells within those rock walls that are large enough to fit a dragon. There's also a creepy pedophile with a nose larger and longer than Severus Snape cackling to himself while standing by himself at a small teleportation device only large enough for small objects as we enter.

Rodyle turns towards us and sneers at us. "Well, I see that the failed Chosen and her traveling band of fools are still alive. You're as stubborn as cockroaches."

"You and Vharley will pay for deceiving me!" Presea spats.

Rodyle shakes his head. "Presea, what a shame. It's such a waste that your little body couldn't produce the Cruxis Crystal I need."

"_Die!_"

Genis snarls, "Burn to a crisp! We'll avenge the people you killed and tortured!"

"Huhuhuhuh! Settle down, all of you." Rodyle activates the projector next to him. "Take a look at the projector. I have a special underwater show for you . . ."

Oh god . . .

My stomach starts doing flips as my memories recall faded details from the game. The projector displays one of the lower floor with the captives we just saw walking across a bridge into some sort of sanctuary. I don't see Botta and his men but I do see captives and a very small number of Desians on that floor, the Desians keeping themselves at a distance from the wild mob. All the doors on their level and higher suddenly seal shut as water gushes up from underneath, rapidly flooding the room. Captives and Desians alike scream in terror and claw at the seals, resembling trapped rats trying to escape a predator.

"They'll all drown!" Colette cries out.

"You sick bastard!" Zelos shouts.

"_Stop the water now!_" Lloyd bellows.

"It's too late!" Rodyle laughs. "This is a recording from just some minutes ago! All the lower floors are already flooded!"

"Damn you!" Regal curses.

Sheena snarls, "How could you do that? Even to your _own men!_ I saw YOUR Desian subordinates down there! Your _allies!_"

"Who cares about their pathetic lives?" Rodyle shouts. He regains some of his composure and goes on. "I know why you've come here. You're here to take over my Mana Cannon. But you won't succeed! I'm flooding the corridor with the very same sea water that killed those worms!"

"All that was just to stop us?" Colette gasps.

"Who cares? Once I have the Cruxis Crystal from Pronyma, Thor's Hammer will be complete!" Rodyle declares, "I will have even Yggdrasill at my knees begging for mercy!"

I'm pretty sure he'll just kill you with the Eternal Sword. He's been in power for four thousand years, after all. As my disgust and rage boils over, I speculate that it's a shame that he won't get far enough into his plans to see Yggdrasill kill him without giving Rodyle the chance to beg for mercy, the f**k tard.

"This is just some take-over-the-world scheme?" Lloyd says. His glare and snarl nearly clenches his teeth together. "What can you do with something like that?"

"It's just like you lower life forms to be unable to imagine what the possibilities are once Cruxis is gone," Rodyle sneers.

"No," I say. "You're just clichéd, unoriginal, and uninspired. The idea to take over the world is older than dust. And like any other clichéd, unoriginal, and uninspired Satan spawn who's made one too many enemies, you're finally going to realize just how much of a b**ch karma can be."

Rodyle opens his mouth to comment but is interrupted by the small portal just behind him. He hears it go off and sneers at us before turning towards it. "The Cruxis Crystal is finally mine!" Rodyle snatches it up and holds it before us triumphantly. Something strange about the stone gives it a strange feel to it. While it's certainly shaped like a Cruxis Crystal and has the same transparency to it, its color is this purple color, as obnoxious and ugly as purple prose. Then there's the mana . . . It feels off . . . It's nothing like the Cruxis Crystals Colette, Lloyd, Kratos, or Yuan have and not even close to Presea's evolving Exsphere.

"I think I shall test it by putting it on myself!" Rodyle says. "I can kill all of you once and for all with its power!"

Raine frowns at it. "That stone isn't a—"

Rodyle sticks it on his neck, one of the few places of exposed flesh he can quickly access. He grins wildly as the effects immediately take place. The veins around the Cruxis Crystal bulge, his eyes turn a deep earthy brown and almost glow with mana, and he gains a brownish aura that reminds me of run-off water.

"AHAHAHAH! I'M INVINCIBLE!" Rodyle roars as he takes out a sickle and holds it up threateningly, already drunk from the unstable power.

Raine sighs as she gives Rodyle the same expression she gives to Lloyd whenever he does something extra stupid. "And now you have signed your own death warrant."

"He signed it a long time ago," Presea corrects. "He will pay for taking away my time!"

"_As if you can defeat me now!_" Rodyle immediately starts casting spells.

Lloyd, Presea, and Regal charge in with Sheena, Colette, and Zelos protecting the mages. Just as fast as Rodyle sends off earth-based spells, Raine sends out support spells left and right. "Sharpness! Barrier! First Aid!" Genis and I, meanwhile, focus on slipping spells passed Rodyle's physical defense.

Presea swings her ax at Rodyle. "Resolute Infliction!"

"Rock Breaker!" Rodyle swings his sickle down and smashes the ground, throwing pieces of metal into Presea's face.

"First Aid!"

Lloyd and Regal slip into the battle.

"Hunting Beast!" Lloyd slams his blades into Rodyle and brings them back around to throw Rodyle down on the ground hard enough to send the Desian Grand Cardinal into the air. Regal takes advantage of Rodyle's fall and leaps up into the air. "Swallow Kick! Eagle Fall! Triple Kick!" Regal's combo takes Rodyle out of the air and sends the Desian rolling across the ground.

Presea hurries to take advantage of Rodyle's position. She rises her ax into the air. "Finality Punishment!"

Rodyle dodges Presea's slow attack and slashes his sickle at her face. He narrowly misses the kill and only manages to slice her cheek open.

"Spread!"

A giant pillar of water rises up from the ground beneath Rodyle. No sign of a flying glowing body can be seen and leaves a bad feeling. When the pillar disappears it becomes absolutely clear that Genis' spell couldn't lift Rodyle from the ground. Rodyle gives a mocking smirk and slashes his sickle down.

_Clang!_

Lloyd blocks the incoming attack and puts himself between Rodyle and Presea. Sheena zips in and attacks with a combo of Life Seal, Mirage Seal Pinion, and Pyre Seal. Sheena's attack sends Rodyle on his knees while Lloyd, Sheena, Regal, and Presea round up to finish him off.

"Insanity Force!"

A black aura surrounds Rodyle and engulfs everyone close to him. The ground beneath them shakes and they all scream in pain as the mana around them pierces their nerves.

"Healing Circle!"

"Healing Wind!"

Raine and Zelos' spells circle our allies and mend their wounds and pain. Rodyle takes a quick look to know that their spells are dependent on range and knocks Regal, the person closest to the edge, out of the circle. Rodyle begins his attack—

"Angel Feathers!"

Colette slices at Rodyle's arm and the feathers made of light-based mana damage whatever part of Rodyle they touch.

Rodyle snarls at the Chosen. A quick cast of Stalagmite rises up from the ground, aiming for the Chosen. Colette merely flies to the side to avoid the spell.

"Power . . . !"

"Thrust!"

Lloyd and Sheena's combo attack slices at Rodyle. The Desian Grand Cardinal's rage switches from Colette to them. He casts a spell like Grave but one that doesn't have the middle stone shaft and leaves the four other stone spears up, trapping the two.

"Ground Dasher!" Rodyle casts.

The floor shakes wildly and the two scream in pain. When the spell ends, we all hear Lloyd and Sheena cry out for help and freedom.

"Gravity Well!" Genis casts.

Genis' advanced spell circles around Rodyle and the cage Lloyd and Sheena are trapped in. The spell causes the stone cage to crumble through the tremors and keeps Rodyle at the spot he's at, thought it doesn't seem to do much damage due to the spell being half ground-type.

Rodyle laughs, "Hah! You think this will do anything to me? Even the lightning doesn't feel like much!"

"Now!"

"Aqua Laser!" I cast my new water-based spell and put Rodyle off balance. I tell Genis, "Thanks for keeping him still."

"No problem."

Presea charges at Rodyle. "Zelos!"

"I got it!"

Zelos sets a fire spell on Presea's ax, the blade now laced with fire. Presea slams her ax into Rodyle. "Critical Blade!"

Rodyle finally falls to the ground. He quickly gets back on his feet before Presea can hit him with another attack and, seeing all the melee fighters coming at him, casts Insanity Force once again. He catches Lloyd, Sheena, Regal, and Presea once again.

"Genis!" Raine calls.

"I know!"

The two gather their mana together and cast their spell. "Prism Stars!"

Star-like bits of mana shoot through Rodyle over and over, interrupting his spell and adding to the damage. Once the unison attack is done, Raine moves on to cast Nurse.

Rodyle reaches his limit. His glee in the thought of killing us all is fully replaced by rage. All of his veins turn black and bulge and his aura grows darker and thicker as he resorts to half spells and laces them onto his sickle. Rodyle slashes at Lloyd, missing with his blade but the spell hitting the swordsman completely and knocking him down. He whips around and does the same to Sheena and Regal before moving on to Colette. The Chosen dodges Rodyle's attack before she too falls to the ground. Rodyle swings his sickle around towards Presea—

Presea's ax makes it to Rodyle's torso before he can hit her.

Rodyle staggers back and raises his sickle again. Suddenly, agonizing pain cripples the Desian. He drops the sickle and staggers back. Parts of his body bulge into unrecognizable shapes. Rodyle's fingers inflate up into a giant stub and his skin changes into a grotesque color combination of red, green, brown, and black. His jaw goes slant and his spine arches backwards into a clearly unnatural shape.

"Ugh!" I gasp. "What is that? What's happening to him?"

Raine states, "That is the effect of unstable mana. That 'Cruxis Crystal' he received from Pronyma wasn't developed properly. We are just seeing the gruesome side effects."

"_M-my body!_" Rodyle gasps. "_My body is DISINTIGRATING!_" He struggles back to his feet, closer to the computer, before collapsing again. "_PRONYMA! YOU TRICKED MEEE!_"

We all exchange looks, wondering if we should just put him out of his misery. However, a decision is finally made against that. Why give this man mercy when he needlessly killed even his own men and is unapologetic about all the pain he's caused?

Rodyle, resembling some twisted inhuman form now, climbs up onto his computer and punches in just a few buttons. "_B-but I WON'T die alone! I'm taking you AAALLL with me!_"

He punches in the last button before finally collapsing on it.

_RWEEE! RWEEE! RWEEE!_

Raine gasps and clutches her chest. "No! He activated the self-destruct system!"

"Botta warned us not to destroy this place!" Colette cries out.

"Even if we were going to destroy this place, we don't have a way out!" Sheena shouts. "All the escape routes are flooded with water!"

"This is what we get for refusing to mercy-kill someone like _Rodyle?_" I curse.

Lloyd pulls Rodyle's twisted corpse off the computer. Raine rushes to the computer and examines the controls. Despair flashes across her face.

"Professor!" Lloyd shouts.

"I know! But I can't do this on my own!" Raine exclaims. "Rodyle made reversing the self-destruct order too complex for me to do by myself! I need someone to help me!"

We all exchange uneasy looks as Raine desperately looks over us.

"None of you can do this?" Raine cries.

Silence answers her question.

"Then that's it then . . ." Raine slumps her posture. "We're doomed . . ."

I bite my lip as I pray for Botta to—

The door to the control room opens. Botta and his lackeys Mark and Jack enter in a rush. Raine regains her vigor at the sight of them. "Rodyle activated the self-destruct system! Tell me you know how to operate magitechnology!"

"All three of us are qualified," Botta says. "Step aside and let us take over."

Raine steps away from the computer as Botta studies the system and orders his lackeys in corresponding places. Their fingers rapidly jab at the keys.

Lloyd sighs in relief. "Botta! You're okay! I thought the water flooding in got all of you!"

"There is no time for chit-chat!" Botta scolds. He presses a separate series of buttons and then returns to his work. A hatch to the side opens. "That is your escape route! Go through it now!"

"Come with us when you're done!" Lloyd insists.

"Of course."

Lloyd hurries out the hatch followed by the rest of us. Sheena and I hesitate before Zelos and Regal push us through the hatch. As soon as we were clear of it, the hatch closes and seals shut.

Sheena hurries up to it. "I thought something was up! They sealed themselves in!"

"What?" Lloyd runs up to the hatch and tries to pull it open. ". . . Ugh! Colette! Presea! Help me!"

Colette and Presea go up to Lloyd's side and pries the hatch open, but to no avail.

Raine's eyes widen in shock. "Botta and his men did this on purpose! They knew the water was coming in and sealed the control room shut!"

"So this . . ." Lloyd stares at the hatch in horror. "This is suicide? Damn it!"

"Why would they do this?" Colette asks.

"It's not suicide. Look up!" Raine points towards the room's ceiling. "See that dome? If the water comes in this room then this room would be flooded as well. There is no place for the water to escape to!"

Lloyd's expression changes into rage. "_Damn it!_"

"_We stopped . . . the self-destruct system."_

We all look up to the glass wall separating us from Botta and his men. They look up from the computers with sad acceptance on their faces as Botta speaks through an intercom.

Lloyd demands, "Botta! Open the hatch now! If we destroy the dome overhead then we can all escape!"

Botta ignores Lloyd's pleas and continues. _"Our goal was to modify each ranch's mana reactor to help fuel the Great Seed's awakening. Tell Yuan that we have succeeded."_

Lloyd charges at the glass wall and slams his swords into it. Their expressions don't change, knowing that the wall won't yield. When Lloyd is finally exhausted, he shouts, "Tell him yourself! Open the damn hatch!"

Regal races up to the wall. "Move, Lloyd!"

Lloyd steps aside and watches as Regal attempts to kick down at least part of the glass wall. Seeing Regal's unsuccessful attempt, Lloyd pulls his fist back and punches the wall with all his and his Cruxis Crystal's strength. A second passes before Lloyd pulls back and clutches his hand in pain. "Owowowowow!"

Regal looks over at Lloyd. "Did you break your hand? Your punch was improper!"

Walls always win when someone punches them.

The sea water Rodyle let in finally rushes into the control room. Botta says, _"We pray for your success in regenerating the world and the defeat of Cruxis. Please make sure that Martel is given her final rest . . . for Yuan's sake as well."_

Botta turns off the intercom and gives an unheard command to Mark, who gives Lloyd one last glance before activating something on the computer. A metal wall closes down before the glass door, concealing their eventual death.

"NO!"

Lloyd sinks to the ground and grimaces. "Damn it . . . ! I couldn't stop them . . . !"

Zelos frowns bitterly. "Man . . . !"

Colette begins crying.

Raine runs up to Lloyd's side and sets his hand before healing the break. Lloyd looks up to her. "I-I couldn't stop them! I couldn't stop them! I . . ."

"I know, Lloyd," Raine says. "None of us could stop them . . ."

Presea gasps and I turn around to see what she spotted. I feel my stomach drop as soon as I see what she's gasping at. ". . . What deux ex machina will save us now . . . ?"

At this, the others turn and reacts with despair and terror at the sight. Dragons crawl out of the cells carved into the island wall and approach us. Their scales are dull and their flesh is unnaturally thin, starved and skeletal. Their eyes reflect what we are to them: prey.

We back into each other and cluster together.

Raine states, "This must be where Rodyle kept his dragons . . . He clearly starved them . . ."

"Their cages must have opened when the self-destruct system activated," Regal says.

"It's just one thing after another, isn't it?" Zelos asks with his voice weak from fear.

Genis shakes from head to toe as the starved dragons on the ground approach them. His quivering hand dips into his bag and pulls out Mithos' pan pipe: the last hope he has right now. Genis plays just a few little notes, though his shaking is so bad that the accidental vibrato he creates almost ruin the notes. When a second passes with nothing happening, he wails, "_Aaaahhh! Why couldn't we just kill Rodyle? We could've avoided this mess!_"

Nothing . . . happened . . .

My head begins to feel light and dizzy.

Nothing . . . happened . . .

No Aska . . .

No rescue . . .

We really are going to die this time . . .

The stronger dragons leap up into the air and fly at us—

_KREEAAASSSHHH!_

A rush of golden mana shatters the dome and dives into the place, killing all the dragons surrounding us in one fell swoop. The mana spills around us and gathers us into it as if we were nothing more than additional energy to collect. I feel the mana around me and feel as though my body doesn't exist, that I really am nothing more than energy, like some sort of out-of-body experience. Faint whispers of everyone else's voices echo out to me. Although their words are indistinct, I can hear the emotions behind them and some of the desires behind them, as if words were meaningless noises made. When one of the voices, I believe to be Genis', cries out a desire that includes three lives to be saved, the mana turns about towards the wall and charges at it.

The wall crashes down as if it were nothing more than rice paper. I hear three more voices join the chaotic sounds. With that business done, the mana whirls around and flies up from the post and rushes out of the island through the dome, killing whatever dragons chase after us and the mana. When the mana reaches high in the sky, I feel the mana take a more distinct shape.

With wings spread wide and two heads crying out a sweet melody, the bird-shaped mana soars out into the night, far away from any lights the city nearby creates. It doesn't take long before the bird finds a suitable place and drops us off in some dark location with only the moon and the stars to light up the night. It drops us all at that spot and departs from us. When I feel solid ground beneath me and that out-of-body feeling is gone, I look up into the night sky to find the golden mana disappearing. I drop back down to the ground as I calm down from everything that happened.

Aska is one awesome Summon Spirit.

* * *

Ugh! This chapter! Took forever to type up!

Review. Please. For my tired self's sake.


	67. Where the Blame Truly Lies

Me: Okay, next chapter will be over making a pact with Efreet! I have it all planned out and everything! Lolololololololol!

BigBossofMoss: Wait, happy, isn't the next thing in the plot supposed to be Regal going to see Alicia's grave?

Me: *headdesk*

There goes all my planning. Looks like some things will come earlier and other things come later.

**Edit: Omg this chapter is rough. Found a few mistakes that had to do with page breaks but I don't think I got them all. I should've gone to bed and finished this the next day since I finished and uploaded this all after midnight. Man, writing seventeen pages in one day should've clued me in that there might be some things to edit.**

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Where the Blame Truly Lies

I slowly got up to stand but decided to just rest by sitting down. I wait for the others to get up as I just sit there watching them, somewhat dazed from Aska's rescue.

Genis stares off to the distance, slightly stunned. "What . . . just . . . happened?"

"Who cares? We're alive!" Zelos says with his voice high strung from stress.

"The . . . thing that saved us . . ." Sheena stands up and takes in her immediate surroundings. "It looked like a golden sparkling bird."

"'Golden sparkling bird'?" Raine goes, "Could it possibly be Aska?"

"Aska?" Colette asks, "You mean the person who the Summon Spirit of Light asked us to find back at the Tower of Mana?"

"That feels like forever ago . . ." I mutter.

"If that was Aska," Sheena wonders, "why would a Summon Spirit come save us?"

Presea's eyes widen and recalls, "It came right after Genis played those pan-pipes Mithos gave him!"

Shaken from this revelation, Genis gasps. "No way! They're just pan-pipes!"

"Perhaps the material the instrument was made from will provide some sort of clue," Raine says.

"They're waking up!"

Lloyd draws our attention to the three additional people Aska saved along with us. I hurry to his side and stop dead in my tracks when I discover who these three are.

Botta and his men Mark and Jack are still alive.

Botta slowly pushes himself up as Lloyd helps support the half-elf. Raine examines each Renegade to make sure all three are okay and find that Aska had saved them in time before they started drowning. She orders a few of us to gather wood and start a fire and one other to pull out blankets for them, considering that all three are soaking wet and getting cold. It takes me a while to accept the fact that Botta is still alive and that this isn't some hallucination. Just . . . what's going on?

When the three have settled next to the fire and are clearly safe, Lloyd finally begins his tirade. "Botta, why did you think sacrificing yourself was a good idea?"

Botta turns sharp eyes towards Lloyd. "You should know our reasons well. I don't need to explain myself."

"There's always another way! We could've destroyed the dome!" Lloyd says.

"Then what? Would you have all of us wait together as we drown?" the lackey Mark questions. His youthful features and short blond hair are finally revealed now that all his armor is off, giving him a distinct look among the three.

"There was a chance we could free ourselves!" Lloyd growls, "We even managed to get out alive!"

"And that last part is what we should focus on," Jack says. His wet brunette hair nearly obscures his face. "Those dragons would've killed you off and we would've drowned in the flood. Either way, we all would've died if it weren't for Aska."

Sheena admits, "They're right. If it weren't for Aska we would have all died and everything would have been for nothing. Breaking the dome wasn't a sure thing and they did what they could to keep us from sharing the same fate."

"Then something else! The walls were carved out of the island itself, right?" Lloyd suggests, "We could've had Gnome make a tunnel out of the island!"

"That's great, but now it's all over." Zelos points out, "Lloyd, your philosophy only works when there really _is_ another way. Sometimes there just isn't any other way."

"No! I refuse to believe that!" Lloyd protests. "No one should ever have to sacrifice themselves!"

Raine says, "Lloyd, calm down. It's over. No one had to sacrifice themselves in the end."

"But people did die . . ." Genis responds. "Rodyle killed all those people . . . Even his own men . . ."

A sad silence goes over us as we reflect on the day.

* * *

"So our next destination is the Triet base," I summarize as I eat the warm breakfast Genis made.

"We might as well." Raine throws in a bite and swallows it before continuing. "Yuan holds valuable information for us once we report that Rodyle's ranch has been apprehended."

Colette spots movement off to the side and smiles. "Look who's up!"

I look over to find Lloyd walking over like a zombie extra from Shaun of the Dead. He's even moaning like one. "Mornin', sleepy. If you want breakfast then I'm afraid you're out of luck. We already ate it all."

That jerks Lloyd out of his sleepy daze. "What? Seriously?"

I shrug. "Hey, what can I say, we were hungry."

"That's not fair!"

"Then you should've woken up earlier."

Lloyd stares at all of us as if we committed the ultimate treachery.

Genis scoops up a plate of food for Lloyd. "She's teasing you, Lloyd. We always save enough for you."

Lloyd's mood swings from sorrow and rage to sweet bliss and happiness as he snatches the plate and gleefully wolfs all the food down. Jack huffs at him. "Kid could win an eating contest."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Genis says. "Lloyd's stomach is a bottomless pit."

Sheena flinches. "Don't . . . say anything about pits . . . please . . ."

Zelos scoots close to her. "Did you have a nightmare, Sheena? Let me sooth your fears away."

"You have three seconds to give me back my personal space. One . . ."

Zelos doesn't move.

"Two . . ."

Zelos still doesn't move.

"Three."

Sheena hooks her finger into Zelos' jaw, digging into a pressure point, and pushes him away.

When the food finally runs out enough for Lloyd to speak, the swordsman asks, "Where are we, anyway?"

"We are on the western side of the Ossa Trail," Raine states.

"This is where we first met Sheena!" Colette chirps.

"Yeah, as an assassin," Genis says.

Sheena grimaces. "I really don't want to recall those memories . . ."

Hey, Sheena! Remember when you were out to kill Colette? Ahh, good times, good times.

"Be prepared to leave once we finish breakfast," Mark states. "We're going to the base as soon as we're done eating."

Lloyd nods. "Alright."

"But let's get back to Palmacosta, okay?" Genis says. "We can't leave Mithos there all the time."

"We will also have to drop Mithos back off at Altessa's home," Raine adds.

"Long day of flying," I comment.

Speaking of flying, Botta and his lackeys had rheairds themselves, which was very convenient. They led the way as we flew across the desert, flying high to avoid the sand blowing through the wind. The heat from the desert bakes my skin and makes me wish that we had gone during the night where at least it'll be cold rather than scorching hot. Mercifully, the flight doesn't last long as we land and enter the Renegade base.

Botta leads us to Yuan's office with Lloyd somewhat taking the lead due to his memory of running around the place at the beginning of the journey. He stops us at the door to Yuan's office and makes us wait there while the three enter and make their report. Some time passes before Botta and his lackeys finally come out and tell us, "Lord Yuan wishes to speak with you." A second passes as he looks over us. "And thank you . . . for saving our lives."

Lloyd smiles. "Your welcome."

We enter Yuan's office and find it the same as the first time we ever entered it. Yuan sits at his desk with a pile of paper work spread before him while, to our surprise and slight irritation, Maverick casually stands off to the side leaning against a wall.

Sheena snips, "For a bit, I thought the Renegades were lying when they said you manage to escape Kratos."

"I find that running speed is directly proportional to how desperate a person is," Maverick remarks.

"Quiet." Yuan looks over us with an indecipherable expression. ". . . You not only succeeded in the mission but you also brought my men back alive."

No one answers to that as we take in those words, wondering how to reply to him. Yuan lets the words hang in the air before he moves on to business.

"Out of the nature of our alliance, you may access our archives," Yuan informs us. "The information we have includes theories over the mana links and the Great Seed, which you may find vital to know. Also, you may switch between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla using the dimensional transfer system as often as you please."

"Thank you," Lloyd replies.

Yuan then adds, "Since Maverick seems to have nothing else to do, he will escort you to the archives."

"Are you serious?" Sheena questions. "Couldn't someone else do that?"

"Quit complaining unless you want me to just leave you wandering around." Maverick leaves his spot and exits the office. We follow him with a little reluctance as the man maneuvers through the base's corridors.

Raine asks, "Maverick, what is your position among the Renegades? It seems to be a bit more than just observing mana levels."

"I am simply a tool for Yuan to use," Maverick simply answers. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Not exactly ideal working conditions," Zelos comments.

"Everyone has their reasons."

"What else do the archives contain?" Raine questions, changing the subject back to the matter at hand.

"It depends on what you want," Maverick answers. "If you search for something on the fickle pop culture of the Tethe'allan nobility, you'll find nothing in the archives."

"I mean the general contents. Who contributes to the archives and what do they contribute?"

"All of the Renegades contribute to the archives," Maverick informs. "Some work on editing, translations, and checking citation. Some gather information and put it into appropriate formats in order to store the information into the archives. Everyone has put in at least one piece of information into the archives."

"I assume you have contributed some information to the archives due to your position," Raine suggests.

"That's right." Maverick says, "I've lived a long enough life where I have submitted quite a bit of information to the archives."

"How long is 'long enough'?"

"Long enough is long enough to have the collection I have."

"You're just going to avoid that question too." Lloyd then wonders, "But why would anyone want to put much into these archives?"

Raine smacks him across the head.

"Ow!"

"The pursuit of knowledge is a wonderful endeavor!" Raine proclaims. "Maverick, your knowledge on mana may become vital to our journey. Please, lead us to the information you have contributed to."

"That section of the archives belongs to those who have private research and only Yuan and those in question can give permission for anyone to enter," Maverick explains. "Since Yuan only gave you access to the general archives that contain public information, you will have to bribe me with something to convince me to let you in."

Raine raises her chin up stubbornly. "Information should be free to those who wish to see it."

"We can argue about free sharing of information all day but it won't change my stance." Maverick gives a beckoning hand motion. "Give me something new and I will give you access to all my life's work."

A hostile gleam appears in Raine's eyes. ". . . Fine. I will give in to your demands. I'm certain I have something you may find valuable."

Maverick leads us to a door and it opens automatically. When we all move in, Maverick ushers with one hand towards the table. "After you, ma'am."

"Hmph!"

I look around to find that the archives resemble a high-tech library, seemingly several decades—if not hundreds—of years ahead of Earth. I find paper copies organized in some manner and terminals most likely containing digital copies of those paper copies. If only I knew their method of organization, let alone how to work their computers.

I scratch my neck. "I'm already lost . . ."

"I'm just going to let the professor handle this," Lloyd says.

I glance over at Raine and Maverick to find the Renegade rejecting offer after offer. I note that Raine's irritation level increases with each rejection.

"Well, if she ever gets around to that," I comment.

"Zelos! Hands off!"

"Hey, calm down, Sheena. I was just—"

"You were just trying to cop a feel!"

A wild chase begins off to the side with Zelos running for his life.

I sigh. "Let's go find Genis or Regal. I'm sure they can make _some_ sense out of this."

Lloyd points out, "Genis is over there. I'll go look for Regal since I can't find him around here."

Instead of going over to someone else's side, I move over to Raine and watch her interact with Maverick. I can feel her indignation as Maverick cherry picks over the items from the preservation box. A bored look stays on his face as he goes over the items until he reaches the journal with the translation notes.

Raine sighs. "Is that really the only thing you want?"

Maverick grins at the ancient book. "This is a treasure! Congratulations on finding it. You may now have access to all the information I have recorded, with the few exceptions of course. There are some folders I have that I don't think Yuan would want you going through without his knowing, but I can count them with my fingers and still have enough left to hold a wine glass. Follow me . . ."

Maverick gets up and leads Raine to a far side of the archives. I follow as Genis, who was watching their exchange, hurries up to Raine's side. The Renegade stops at a room closed off with plastic walls, the kind you can't break down no matter what, and swipes a card over a scanner. The lock beeps and the door opens. Maverick swoops in and slips a few number of files from certain shelves before returning to Raine.

"Shelves number three to seven are among my private contributions and research," Maverick says. "Help yourselves." With that, he leaves.

Raine looks through the directed shelves as Genis and I wander through them.

"Zelos! Come back here!"

I ignore Sheena and Zelos' chase as I glance at the files and continue on even after Genis stopped to look at something. I pick something at random and open the file up. My eyes go wide at what I find. "Holy cow! This is detailed! How the Balacruf Empire used mana and how it affects Sylvarant today? Impressive."

I guess since Yuan doesn't send Maverick out very often the guy has to fill his time in productive manners _somehow._

Suddenly, I notice things get strangely quiet. I close the file and put it up before heading over to Genis. I find him pouring over a thick file and hesitantly grab his attention. "Hey, Genis, did you notice it got quiet all of a sudden?"

Genis looks up from the file and looks out through the clear plastic walls. He smirks and points out to something in the general archives. "Sheena and Zelos are getting escorted out for their behavior."

I look over and chortle. "Serves them right for acting like that in this place."

"Hey, Kelsey . . ." Genis holds up the file he was reading. "Maverick studies more than just mana flow. He's been studying other worlds too."

This catches my immediate attention. "Really?"

Genis nods. "This is just a general summary of his studies. The multiple poles, basic information on other worlds (and some of them are just blank pages with names), and how strong of a connection Sylvarant and Tethe'alla have to these worlds. It looks like he was really serious about this. The one thing he keeps emphasizing is how strong the connections are between our world and these other worlds."

"That's really . . ." I frown as I try to consider this. ". . . weird . . ."

"I found some information on your world. Earth."

I focus my attention to Genis.

Genis continues, "According to this, the connection between our world and Earth was really strong. A few of the oldest human civilizations come from your world, including the one that inspired magitechnology."

"Let me see." I take the file from his hands and read over it. The further I read the clearer Earth's connection to Symphonia becomes to me. My mind starts rebelling against some of the information I learn and some things I even—

I close the file. "No."

Genis raises his eyebrows in shock. "No?"

"No." I place the file back in its slot. "I can't look at this yet."

"But you could find out how to get back!" Genis says.

"I need to accept the fact that I'm never going to be able to go back," I tell him. "Even if I could, it somehow seems cruel to just rip me from this world when I'm just beginning to heal from being ripped from my own home. I can't look at this or take in the information this has. At least . . . not until I've healed."

Genis frowns. "I'm sorry . . ."

"Me too . . ." I sigh. "I'm going to try to forget about what I just read."

"What is it that you just read?"

I shake my head. "All I will say is that it confirms a theory I've had about these connections: the links between other worlds aren't bonded by space or time."

"And that would mean . . . ?"

I ask, "And have you noticed Maverick's wording when he talks about these connections? He talks about them as if they were escape routes."

Genis crosses his arms. "Maybe that's the Renegades' final plan if Martel is awakened."

"It's kinda disturbing . . ."

Raine walks around to the shelves we stand around at. "Go get the others and meet me at the table. I want to talk to them about the mana links."

With everyone gathered (and Zelos and Sheena granted permission to enter the archives under the condition of being supervised), we all place our findings on the table, Raine placing the most. She looks through them and whatever notes we placed, tacking down notes and summarizing the information in easily understandable concepts. When everything is done, she finally gets around to speaking.

"I believe I have everything at hand." Raine clears her throat. She peers through her reading glasses at the notes she holds up. "Basically, to summarize, the mana links are connected to the opposing Summon Spirits of each world: Efreet to Celcius, Sylph to Gnome, Undine to Volt, and Luna and Aska to Shadow. Their bonds act as a cage to contain the Great Seed to prevent it from germinating, and thus, preventing Martel from being absorbed."

"We already know this," Lloyd says.

"Let me get to that." Raine looks back down at her notes. "The affects of severing the mana flow between the Summon Spirits are mainly theoretical, but it's assumed that the Great Seed will gravitate towards the world where the Summon Spirits are awakened and germinate when it is exposed to enough mana. As for the two worlds—Sheena! Zelos! Knock it off! You call yourselves reasonable adults?"

A humiliated hush goes over the two as the rest of us give them annoyed glances. Raine catches our attention and the issue is put to rest.

"The worlds will begin to separate after this but this is a gradual process," Raine states. "It will take many years before Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are completely separate. During this time, Cruxis will still hold control over the two worlds and things such as the dimensional transfer system will still be operational. Poles such as the Otherworldly Gate will remain consistently active until the worlds have separated. Once the mana links are severed, we need to find a method that will reunite the two worlds, though I suspect that the Renegades already have one."

That's it? Nothing over a crazed tree that will destroy the world? I question, "Do we have all the information over this? We don't really know what will happen once the mana links are severed."

"We will have to check with Yuan," Raine says. "I suspect that there are some things the Renegades are holding from us. It makes me uneasy."

The thought of a crazed tree that will destroy the world makes me uneasy.

"It would be best to check our information with Yuan or another authority on this matter," Regal says. "It would be a terrible remiss if we don't."

Raine nods in confirmation. "Yes. Let's go to him right now."

Yuan's answer?

"That would be a good summarization of the information we have over the mana links and the Great Seed. Whatever information we may be missing is in Cruxis' grasp and I'm working on getting that information. Continue making pacts with the remaining Summon Spirits. I will tell you when I get an update."

Damn it . . .

* * *

Palmacosta is our first stop as we pick up Mithos from Neil. We meet the two at the government building and welcome back our little non-fighting addition to our group.

"Mithos!" Genis hurries to his friend. "The pan-pipe you lent me? It actually saved us! I played it when we were in danger and it summoned the Summon Spirit Aska! Did you know about that?"

Mithos' eyes widened. "N-no! No I didn't! All I knew about the pan-pipes was that it was made from the nuts of a tree. My sister told me that the tree is almost nearly extinct." Then he smiles. "But I'm glad that you're all okay. I was really worried about you."

Neil meets with Raine and informs us all of Mithos' stay. "I must say, Mithos is a very bright young man. He's very caring and thoughtful. Mithos is welcome here as a visitor anytime."

Raine nods. "I'm glad to hear that. We took care of our business and will bring him back with us."

"Oh no!"

Our attention is drawn to Mithos and Genis as they stare down at something in Genis' hands. Genis looks absolutely dismayed while Mithos seems stunned, as if hit with a mind-numbing blow.

The pan-pipes are broken to pieces.

"It must've been when Aska dropped us!" Genis grimaces in guilt. "I'm so sorry, Mithos! It was your sister's memento and I . . . I . . . !"

Mithos stares at the pan-pipes for a long moment. He works to bring words to his mouth but a while passes before he can get any sounds out. ". . . Nn . . . No, it's okay . . . They were very old and fragile. To . . . To be honest . . . I kind of expected this when I lent it to you."

"I'm so sorry . . . !"

"No, Genis," Mithos says. "Accidents happen. Besides . . . While the pan-pipe is broken, my memories of my sister are still intact. As long as I remember her, I'm fine."

"There's no way I'm going to be able to make up for this . . ." Genis utters.

Mithos pulls out a soft cloth and sets it down. He gently takes the pan-pipes from Genis' hands and steadily places them on the cloth and wraps the broken instrument up. "These things happen . . . It's okay, really . . ."

Raine walks up to Mithos and gently informs him, "We will take you back to Altessa's. Is that alright with you?"

Mithos nods. "Yes."

* * *

Genis was miserable while Mithos was around. He broke Mithos' pan-pipe, his sister's memento! How could he be so careless? So thoughtless?

Mithos approaches the door to Altessa's home before stopping and turning back to him. "Genis, really, I told you that it's okay."

"But . . . if it was me . . ."

Mithos shakes his head. "It was very old. I'm surprised that it lasted as long as it did. Please stop blaming yourself."

Mithos begins to turn away. "Goodbye for now . . . And Presea?"

"Yes?" Presea says.

"Good luck on avenging your sister." Mithos' eyes narrow into this strange knowing expression. "There really needs to be more justice in this world . . ."

With that, Mithos goes through the door and leaves us.

"Avenge?" Regal frowns. "What are you talking about?"

Lloyd goes, "Oh yeah, we never told Regal about that."

Genis' eyes grow wide. "Oh no . . ."

"Ahh! Um . . ." Zelos tries to redirect the conversation. "You know, that's probably not an issue we should be dragging out right now."

Genis turns back towards us. "Zelos is right! We should focus on making the pacts right now!"

Sheena looks between them. "What are you two talking about? This is important! Presea's sister was killed!"

"Killed?"

Colette nods. "Yes . . . It seems that Presea's sister served under a noble named Bryant. But then her master Bryant . . ."

"It's horrible!" Sheena shouts. "How could he kill an innocent?"

Regal's eyes widen as a dawning realization comes over him. "Presea, what was your sister's name?"

Presea answers, "Alicia. Her name was Alicia Combatir."

Resignation shows on his face. "I see . . . I may know who Alicia's killer is."

Presea makes a small gasp. "Really?"

"Yes. Take me to Altamira."

Lloyd and Presea take the lead as the rest of us follow. Genis and Zelos hesitate in following and exchange looks.

"So . . ." Genis says, "you know, too?"

"Known for a while," Zelos answers. "I'm afraid if we defend him then we'll become outcasts in this group."

Genis' panic surfaces. "They wouldn't do that! They wouldn't! Not to us or Regal!"

Zelos gives Genis a long silent look.

"I won't let it come to that . . ." Genis says.

Zelos lets out a sigh and ruffles Genis' hair in the stride. "Then let's catch up with them and make sure it doesn't."

* * *

The rheairds take off and head right to Altamira. As we approach, things start to set into my mind. Regal will soon confess his part in Alicia's death.

But everything will be fine, right? The game shows that everything is fine.

Yeah, but then again, the game showed that Botta died. What if there's another deviation?

That was on an event. This is more on people. Everything will be fine.

Will it?

Yes. Have faith.

In a video game?

Although I'm pretty sure everything will be fine, I'm still a touch nervous.

Regal, though . . .

As we enter Altamira, people immediately start staring at us with their eyes zeroing in on Regal. Although most of the guests stare simply because of Regal's prisoner outfit and his shackles, it's the employees who stare the most. They whisper to each other and point towards Regal. Some are giddy with excitement while some are uneasy. Regal, however, just ignores them all.

When we move to the Lezareno building, something different meets our sight. Bodies of security guards litter around the door and employees are nowhere to be found. One lone figure, however, stands amongst the dead in grim silence.

"Orochi-san!" Sheena runs up to her old friend. "Orochi-san, what happened here?"

Orochi stands there in silent anguish, staring at the corpses with disbelief.

"Orochi-san!"

Lloyd, Raine, and Regal check the bodies for anyone struggling to survive. Unfortunately, it becomes all too clear when Regal curses to himself and rejoins us with this angry look. Raine stands from the last body she checked and shakes her head. Lloyd stands up with this determined expression. He states, "The person who did this was a skilled swordsman. Each wound was a killing blow."

Sheena demands, "Orochi-san, we need to know who did this! Who went into the building?"

Orochi grimaces in pain. "It . . . It was . . . Vharley the exsphere broker went inside. He had a small number of men with him in . . . including Kuchinawa . . ."

Sheena recoils in shock. ". . . No . . . ! I can't . . . believe it . . . ! Kuchinawa-kun wouldn't do this!"

Zelos walks up to the guards' bodies. "Seeing how far he's gone, I'd say he would do this."

Orochi turns on Zelos, his eyes defensive and hostile. "Explain yourself, Chosen One!"

Behind Orochi, Sheena shakes her head at Zelos. Raine, however, either didn't catch the message to Zelos or doesn't care.

"Kuchinawa attacked us at the Otherworldly Gate," Raine says. "He had Papal Knights accompanying him and intended to kill Sheena for the incident with Volt."

"_Raine!_" Sheena cries out in protest, but her tone is what makes it final for Orochi.

Orochi's eyes widen in shock and despair. He slowly turns towards Sheena. "Sh-Sheena . . . Is this true? Is it really true?"

Sheena is rendered silent at Orochi's questions.

Knowing he won't get an answer from her, Orochi turns to Lloyd. Lloyd gives him a sad confirmation. "It's true. Kuchinawa betrayed us. He gave Sheena a guardian signature disguised as a gift and used the Papal Knights to attack us many times. He personally attacked us at the Otherworldly Gate just before we escaped to Sylvarant."

Orochi takes a second to let the words sink in. He shakes his head. "This . . . This explains things . . . and yet I can't believe it. I can't! Kuchinawa would never . . ."

Regal finally reaches the end of his patience and begins walking into the building. "In any case, we need to find Vharley. The employees are in danger and I cannot just stand by while this happens."

Lloyd turns towards the entrance. "Regal is right. No matter if Kuchinawa is in there, Vharley is still inside! We need to stop this!"

Regal and Lloyd hurry us in. Orochi follows us but diverts now and then to check any quick places and takes the stairs rather than the elevator. It takes several stops before we finally find Vharley on, as the game predicted, the Sky Terrace. We hurry through and catch Vharley pinning George at Alicia's grave.

"Tell me the password to the inner Toize Valley Mine now!" Vharley shouts.

George chokes. "I don't . . . know anything . . . about it!"

"Wrong answer!" Vharley slams George's head against the headstone.

Regal growls, "How about _I_ tell you instead?"

"M-Master Regal!" George gasps. "Ahh!"

Seeing Regal there, Vharley tosses George to the side and turns his full attention on Regal. "So, the president himself decided to pay a visit. Perfect. You can tell me the password, then, or else I'll toss your servant over the roof!"

Sheena runs around to keep herself between Vharley and George. Lloyd glances over at George to make sure he's safe before going, "President?"

Regal ignores Lloyd in favor of Vharley. "The route to the Toize Valley Mine opens by my voice and cornea scan. Forcing it open would undoubtedly cause the exsphere mine area to collapse."

"Is that so? In that case, Regal, you're just going to have to come—_open it_—FOR US!" Vharley's eyes bulge with rage. "I'm gonna be out of business if I don't get my hands on some more exspheres!"

"I think not." Regal points out, "Besides, Rodyle is dead. You don't have anyone to unload huge numbers of exspheres on."

"Are you stupid? I don't need Rodyle. I've got the Pope himself on my side!" Vharley spats. "And there's plenty of people around who'd love to get their hands on some exspheres!"

"That's enough!" Presea begins marching up towards Rodyle with rage in her eyes. "I cannot forgive you for killing innocent people!"

A blur of red slips between Presea and Vharley and slashes a blade towards Presea. In a faster reaction, a blur of blue zips into that and blocks the attack. Kuchinawa and Orochi stare each other down.

"Orochi, get out of my way!" Kuchinawa says.

"Kuchinawa! What are you doing? Why have you allied yourself with this man?" Orochi questions.

"Why have you allied yourself with Sheena, our parents' _murderer?_" Kuchinawa bites.

"Why would you call Sheena-ue a murderer? Do you still bear a grudge from the incident with Volt?" Orochi asks.

"Why don't you?" Kuchinawa yells, "Because of her, countless people from the village died! Now she makes pacts left and right as if it were nothing! I bet she wasn't even trying during the first pact-making!"

Orochi shouts back, "Look at yourself! You know nothing about how a pact works and yet you act as if you know how difficult one is! You didn't see her when she was about to leave to make a pact with Volt! You didn't see her when she finally made the pact! You saw absolutely nothing!"

"You dare—"

"You also allied yourself with the _Pope!_" Orochi's indignation and rage surfaces. "You allied yourself with someone who has the power and the mindset to _raze_ the _entire_ village of Mizuho! The Pope wouldn't even bat an eye if he witnessed every man, woman, and child slaughtered! _That_ is the man you _allied yourself with!_"

Kuchinawa breaks the parry and leaps away and lands where Vharley had slipped to during the commotion. Orochi attempts to follow but Kuchinawa throws an electrically charged dagger to the ground as a warning to keep back.

Vharley puts in a few last words. "Soon the King will die and the Pope will take over. And when that happens, I'm going to grind your pathetic Lezareno Company into the ground!"

Kuchinawa throws down a grey sphere and smoke erupts from it, obscuring the entire place. Orochi cries out in protests and attempts to follow. "Kuchinawa! Kuchinawa, stop! Come back! Sheena-ue, I will go after him! I saw his escape!"

"Bring him back home!" Sheena shouts.

Orochi slips through the perceived escape and disappears. When the smoke clears, everyone calms down. Presea, however, stares at Regal in deep wordless shock.

Regal walks over to George and Sheena. George stands to greet his master, looking ruffled and beaten yet working to keep his dignity. Regal asks, "Are you alright, George?"

George nods. "Yes, Master Regal. Thank you."

Regal takes a second to himself before sighing and turning around. He looks over all of us before saying, "My name is Regal Bryant. I was granted the title of Duke by His Highness, and also the president of Lezareno Company." His eyes drift to Zelos. "Although it would seem that the Chosen already knows me."

"I saw you at one of the Princess' birthday parties," Zelos comments. "It's hard to forget a guy like you no matter how many years passed."

Presea begins shaking her head in denial. "It can't be . . . Alicia's killer is . . ."

"Wait, wait!" Genis gets himself between Regal and Presea. "It's not like that, Presea! It's not like that at all!"

My eyes pop. "What? Genis? You _knew_ something about all this?"

Genis admits, "I knew ever since we saw her ghost . . ."

"Her ghost?" Regal's eyes snap to the headstone in alarm.

Genis informs, "Her soul is trapped in the exsphere. Because she was a ghost, I was the only one who could really see or hear her. There were some things I couldn't really catch, but I heard most of the story . . . What you went through sounds almost exactly what happened to Marble . . ."

Regal slowly turns back to Genis as Presea says, "Marble? You mean the ranch captive you and Lloyd tried to save?"

"Yeah . . ." Genis expresses, "I didn't want to tell you about what happened in such a way that you would blame Regal, because the ones who are really responsible for her death are the ones who created the circumstances that forced death to be the only way to save her. I kept thinking of how to tell you but now I ran out of time . . ."

"Genis, it's alright . . ." Regal gives the mage a smile that doesn't quite meet his eyes. "You don't have to go that far. The one who ended her life was me . . . It is only just that I bear the weight of that crime . . ."

"What happened?" Presea demands, "Tell me what happened. How did Alicia die?"

Regal frowns and looks back to the headstone. ". . . Can she speak to us?"

Genis frowns. "I-I don't know. She was really weak before when we last saw her and that was about six days ago. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to hear her this ti—ahhh!"

A ghostly form of Alicia, this time so detailed that she might as well be alive, appears before us and beams up at Regal. _"Master, I'm so happy to see you again!"_

Regal's torn face gazes at Alicia. "Alicia . . . ! Even now, after death, you still suffer . . ."

"_It's alright. It's not your fault,"_ she tells him.

Presea steps up to her sister's spirit. "Alicia, what do you mean?"

Regal hesitates to say anything. Alicia spares him a glance before looking over to Presea. _"Regal and I were in love."_

"In love?"

"_Those were the happiest days of my life."_ Alicia's eyes turn dazed and dreamy. _"The only thing I would wish for would be that I could share them with you and Daddy."_

George steps forward with tears budding in his eyes. "And then I, Master Regal's _servant_, interfered . . . and forced them apart. I handed her contract over to Vharley who used her for an exsphere experiment without anyone knowing."

Regal picks the story up this time, "As soon as I heard, I made a deal with Vharley: give Alicia back to me and I would give him the Toize Valley Mine. But he . . . !" Regal shudders.

"_That was when my life ended . . ."_ Alicia says, _"I don't know what Vharley did to me, but I never felt such excruciating pain! I was barely aware of what I was doing and, when I came to, I saw myself killing innocent people in Altamira! My hands weren't hands but . . . ! I was a monster!"_ Her voice gets higher and higher in pitch. Alicia seems as though she's about to cry. _"People I knew and friends I made while working as Master Regal's servant died because of me! I remember striking them down with my own hands, or claws, whatever they were then! I couldn't control myself and I was in so much pain . . . !"_

Regal tells, "She wasn't compatible with the experiment Vharley placed her under. It turned her into a monster and Vharley unleashed her onto Altamira. I tried to evacuate people but I was too late at times to save them . . . When I had finally cornered Alicia in what are now the memorial gardens, she came to her senses. She . . . She begged me to . . . to kill her . . ."

"_It was the only way,"_ Alicia says. _"There wasn't a cure for what happened to me and it would have been hell to exist as a monster and to see myself kill innocent people and not be able to control myself."_

Lloyd utters, "It really is just like Marble . . ."

Tears roll down Presea's tears. "A-Alicia . . . !"

"_Don't cry, Presea!"_ Alicia tells her. _"Don't cry! It's over now. The pain ended. No one else will die because of me. I'm just happy to see all of you again before I disappear!"_ She turns to Regal. _"And that includes you too, Regal. I have no regrets now. Please, Regal, stop punishing yourself!"_

"Alicia!" Regal shakes his head slowly. "With my own hands I . . . !"

"_I will disappear very soon so please don't leave me with anything else to worry about,"_ Alicia says. She points to his shackles. _"You don't need those shackles and you never did need them! Haven't you suffered enough?"_

When Regal still seems unable to accept Alicia's words, Lloyd steps up. "As you heard, Genis and I experienced the same thing you did. And I also can't imagine what it must've been like . . . for my dad . . . When my mom turned into a monster and he struck her down, he must've suffered as well."

Shock flashes across Regal's face. "Your father did the exact same thing?"

"That's what I heard . . ." Lloyd says, "I don't know if what the decisions you or Genis and I or my dad made were correct, but I don't think my mom would've wanted my dad to punish himself and live the way you had."

"_It's exactly as he says!"_ Alicia insists. _"At least, I don't want you to live like that!"_

Regal stares at Alicia before he relaxes and allows himself to accept these words. "Alright. But I will never use these hands as tools of death. I swear that to you. To you and to Lloyd and to everyone. Once we have defeated those who would use exspheres to toy with people's lives, I will remove these shackles."

Alicia relaxes into bliss. _". . . Thank you, Regal. Presea, I think I can finally rest in peace. Please, destroy the exsphere before I'm totally absorbed into it."_

Presea wipes her tears and asks, "Why? Can't you stay like this forever?"

Alicia explains, _"If I stay like this then I will live on forever! An isolated consciousness, unable to even speak, existing for all eternity . . . It would be true hell!"_

Lloyd looks between Presea and Regal. "Presea, Regal, what will you do?"

Regal watches Alicia without glancing to another. "Please, set her free!"

Presea nods. "Yes, Lloyd, please do this . . . Goodbye, Alicia."

Alicia begins to fade away. _"Thank you . . . Presea, please forgive Regal . . . Please . . ."_

When the apparition disappears, Lloyd steps up to the exsphere, draws his sword, and crashes the hilt's end into the exsphere. The tiny stone cracks under the force and crumbles away. The mana inside escapes from the stone and scatters about and blends in to the world's mana.

A moment passes before Regal turns around to face us all. "I'm sorry I never said anything about this before. I'm a criminal."

George says, "Master Regal confessed to killing Alicia and went to prison on his own will."

"While I was in prison, the Pope promised to arrest Vharley in exchange for kidnapping Colette," Regal further explains. "I believed him and agreed to do it."

"So that's why you were after us," Colette states, her voice cracked from crying.

"Yes . . ." Regal looks over all of us until facing Lloyd and Presea. "Please, I ask you to postpone my final judgment until we defeat Cruxis and stop them from using exspheres from toying with people's lives."

Lloyd glances at Presea before saying, "As long as it's okay with Presea. We always thought of you as a friend, anyway."

Presea takes a long moment to speak. ". . . Vharley was responsible for Alicia's death as well. Okay. I'll . . . try not to think of you as my enemy. I'm not sure I can change right away but . . ."

"I'm sorry . . ."

Presea shakes her head. "It was Alicia's last request so . . . I won't say a word about it anymore."

"Master Regal." George draws our attention. "Please, rest here in Altamira. We will make certain that your criminal status does not affect you during your stay and all of you will receive a full night's rest."

Regal shakes his head in refusal. "Oh no, George, I cannot—"

"As a thank you for risking yourself to save my life despite all the misery I've caused." George's sad eyes glance downward for a moment. "After all, if I hadn't interfered then not only would Alicia still be alive but the two of you would be happy together, regardless of any scorn you received because of the difference in social class."

"George . . ." Regal says, "I don't blame you for what you have done."

"And Alicia doesn't blame you for your hand in this," George reflects. "Please, learn to forgive yourself of this."

". . . Very well. I accept your offer."

As George leads us out, I slip into the elevator and do all that I can to keep my sobs from becoming audible.

* * *

Guess which hotel we got into? The nice one (which ever that one is) and it's all on the house! Shame we're all too tired to enjoy most of the services. We each got our own individual rooms so that's a relief. Some of us, though, aren't really able to enjoy even that much.

Orochi couldn't catch up to Kuchinawa. He returned to get the full story from Lloyd and Sheena before leaving to report the betrayal. Regal's emotions are still raw from the revel and has closed himself off, needing a lot of space for himself. Presea has done the same as Regal, although she's a bit more receptive to visitors such as Lloyd, Colette, and Genis. I myself . . .

It's complicated . . .

Alicia's words to Presea echo in my mind; Presea's tears continuously appear before my eyes; thoughts of my sister repeat in loop. My eyes ache as I imagine what I would've said to Kaylee if I got the chance to say goodbye.

"_Don't cry!"_

I sniff.

"_Don't cry!"_

I guess someone has to have their final goodbyes. Alicia was lucky just to have those. I wish I was so lucky. I wish I knew. I wish . . . I wish . . .

I wish, I wish, I wish . . .

I can wish forever but wishing doesn't ever make it true.

Disney is full of a bunch of naïve liars.

I can wish on a star, on a person, on an ideal, or even on a god, wishes are never guaranteed to come true.

"_Don't cry!"_

Lucky Alicia.

"_Don't cry!"_

Lucky Presea.

"_Don't cry!"_

Lucky, lucky, lucky . . .

I bury my despairs as much as I can but I can't escape them. My personal demons come, I cry about them for a moment, and then I simply bury them again and ignore them until they dig themselves back up again. I never let myself learn my lesson. I never truly confront these demons.

Regal has.

Sheena has.

I run away from my demons faster than anyone else in the group has. It doesn't matter how fast I run, though. I know they'll catch me in the end. Then I have a choice: defeat them once and for all or get eaten.

"_Don't cry!"_

Kaylee . . .

"_Don't cry!"_

Mom . . . Dad . . .

I sigh.

The door knocks, interrupting my wallowing.

I get up and open the door. Before me stands the incredible male specimen that is Zelos Wilder. The lighting nearly makes him sparkle.

He flashes a smile at me. "Hey, hunny! Let me escort you around—"

I start closing the door.

Zelos blocks the door with his hand. "Please. Everyone else rejected me."

"I'd find that funny if it weren't so sad," I remark.

"That's harsh, Kelsey. Really harsh." Zelos pushes the door open a little further and smiles at me. "Come on! The night is young and there's a lot you need to see of Altamira! I'll bet you've never heard of anything like it, even in your world."

Two words: Las Vegas. Although I'll give him that Nevada doesn't have a beach anywhere in it, let alone in Sin City.

. . . But Altamira was my favorite place in Tales of Symphonia (even though my reasons are centered on the side quests).

I reply, "Alright. As long as no one reports us and gets us arrested."

"Don't sweat it! No one will recognize us in the dark!" Zelos chirps.

I'm pretty sure people can recognize Zelos with all the bright neon lights lighting up the city. However, I just pretend as though this is the second half of the story and that our names are now cleared and follow Zelos out. I felt a little naked without my spear with me but then again I do have my spells so in case something happened . . .

No, no, enjoy this moment. I get to be a bit of a kid again and this kind of thing won't happen very often. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Zelos leads me down to those waterway transits (or whatever they're called) and, as we're sitting down, he comments, "Altamira has two faces: one for the day and one for the night. During the day people can go to the amusement park or hang out at the beach. It's pretty kid friendly. During the night is when the adults can enjoy themselves. There's the casino, some nighttime pubs, theater, and so many other things I can list off. I personally like Altamira's night hours over the daylight hours but there are advantages to each one." He grins. "Beach babes during the day and the casino bunny beauties during the night~!"

I look down at the water and wonder if it's too late for me to dive in and swim back to the hotel.

The first thing Zelos does is drag me from one place to another, showing off all the glitz and glamour Altamira's nighttime face has. I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting security to recognize Zelos and arrest us, but nothing happens as Zelos dashes off from one place to the next. He seems more relaxed and carefree and, although that's pretty usual of him, this time it feels more genuine, as if he really is enjoying himself. I go along with his obnoxious tendencies so whatever paranoia I have doesn't damper this change in attitude.

I raised my eyebrow when he pulls me to the casino, though.

"Come on!" he pleads. "What I have on me isn't enough for a decent bet. I'll be laughed out!"

"No. You'll lose it all," I deny.

"We don't know that until everything is said and done."

"How will we explain the sudden increase or decrease in money?"

"By telling the truth."

"Won't we get into trouble?"

"So? What's the big deal?" he questions. "We're both reasonable adults."

"Correction: you're an adult but not reasonable and I'm reasonable but not an adult." I remark, "Those two together do not make a reasonable adult."

"I've been to the casino dozens of times and know when to pull out," Zelos assures.

"Still doesn't—"

"If I win then I'll pay you back double the amount you give me and if it's not enough then once our names are cleared and I'm rich again then I'll pay you back with five percent interest."

Well, there's really no arguing anymore . . .

I pull out my purse and hand over a random amount of guld. "Fine. Just don't go broke on me."

Zelos snatches the guld and gives me a swift peck on the lips before I can even react. He hurries to the door before any repercussions happen for the unwanted kiss. "Thanks, sweet~!"

I scowl at the casino door before turning away to lean on the railing. I look down at the dark sea water below . . .

Yyyeeeaaahhh, it's far too late to make my escape and swim back to the hotel.

When Zelos finally comes out I find a moderate sized winning in his hands. He pulls out twice the amount I gave him and hands it over to me with a wink. "See? The Great Zelos never fails his hunnies~!"

I smile as I gain back my guld. "Nice, Zelos, nice. That's a really good stroke of luck."

"I'll say."

I pocket the money. "Yup. At least you didn't lose every—hey, wait a minute! If you lost, I would've gotten more than double simply because of the interest building up!"

Zelos turns away. "Hey, I think there's a play about to start now. Let's see if we can get a ticket in time."

"Get back here!"

After a bit of chasing, Zelos evades me. I lose him in the crowd and stop where I am for fear of getting myself lost. I sigh to myself. He'll find me later. Zelos can't just leave me here by myself. Even he won't be that much of a cad.

I find a bench to rest on and sit on that as I wait for everyone's favorite idiot Chosen to return. Wandering around will only make things more difficult for the both of us. As I glance around, however, I note my surrounding environment. The occasional drunkard stumbles through the streets laughing his heart out and I feel eyes staring at me from the dark corners. I stay on that bench where an overhead light beams down on me. Worse-case scenarios go through my mind as I figure out counter measures for those, debating on whether to prepare a few basic spells or not . . .

"I'm back! Did you miss me?" Zelos waltzes back to me as if we didn't even lose each other.

"Where were you?" I question. "You left me behind!"

Zelos flashes two tickets. "I decided to burn some of the winnings on this one-act play. If we hurry we can make it just in time to see the start."

"_That's_ why you left a tiny seventeen-year-old girl by herself?" I spat. "Zelos, what if something happened to me? I was alone in the dark for a good ten minutes! Girls travel in packs for a reason!"

"Calm down," he tells me. "You might not have been able to see me, but you were in my line of sight the entire time. If something happened, I would've been there to lend you a hand. Even then I'm pretty confident in your spells and common sense to help you out in a pinch. You can easily defend yourself."

I give him a good long look. "Hmph . . . Well, what's the play?"

"Don't know, don't care. I'm just burning gold."

I sigh. Hopefully I'll get lucky.

Later . . .

Zelos and I leave the theater. Our eyes hold a glazed look to them as if we witnessed a terrible horror.

"I wasted some of my winnings on _that?_" Zelos goes.

"They turned their backs to the audience . . ."

"I could've bought myself a cheap potion and put that gold to better use," he carps.

"The plotline had no organization and made absolutely no sense . . ."

Then he shrugs. "I suppose its only merit is that it's so bad it's good."

"Even the accidental innuendos were terrible . . ."

Zelos looks down at me. ". . . I see you're feeling better."

I scowl. "I just saw what's gotta be the worst play I've ever seen in my entire life. How do you think that's 'better'?"

Something catches Zelos' eye. He points at the spot I'm at and says, "Wait here." I huff at him as he goes to buy himself a drink. When he returns, I raise my eyebrow at him. "What? Nothing for me?"

"You have the money. Go buy yourself something instead of mooching off of me," he teases.

"You jerk."

"Life's tough."

I give him a good long look. ". . . What did you mean by 'feeling better'?"

Zelos blows out a sigh. "Stubborn, aren't you?"

"Had to be in order to survive. So will you tell me what you meant by that random comment?"

He leans against the railing and takes another drink of his potion. ". . . Out of everyone except Presea and Regal, you seem most affected by what just happened with Alicia. You shut yourself off from everyone and it didn't seem like anyone noticed since they're worried about Presea and Regal."

I frown. "For good reason. Why should I go first when they need our support more than me?"

"I'm not saying that." Zelos says, "I'm saying that you should at least get a little 'hey, how are you doing.'"

"So . . . you . . . you took me out here to try to cheer me up? I wasn't your last resort because everyone else rejected going out to Altamira with you?" I respond, touched by his concern.

"Well, yeah, that too," Zelos adds.

My touched-by-his-concern feelings drop instantly.

"Was it Presea and Alicia's interaction that upset you the most?" he then asks.

I sigh. ". . . I really shouldn't feel jealous, I really shouldn't. I'm happy that they got to see each other one last time, really, but . . ." I sigh once again. "I never got that chance with my own sister. A lot of the things Alicia said to Presea are things I wanted to say to my sister. I want my sister and my family to know that I'm fine now, that I want them to be happy, that I want them to be able to move on and live. I'll never get that chance. Never."

"You realize that if it weren't for the exsphere then Alicia and Presea wouldn't have had that chance either, right?" he questions.

"Of course I do!" I reply. "I know that this is on the level of being miraculous. I just . . ." My shoulders slump. "I just miss my family so much . . ."

"Be grateful of the fact that you had such a good relationship with your family," he tells me. "Not all of us are that lucky."

"I know . . ." I stare down at the ground. "I've had friends who've . . . been through things that I'm not allowed to repeat. Family issues were a bit of a norm in the environment I grew up in. Kids bonded over having those things in common and provided a sort of a makeshift group therapy. It's quite amazing, actually." I rise my head up and stare out in that direction. "I've known I was lucky. I've always been grateful of the fact that I had a happy family. But now it's gone . . . All of it . . ."

"I'll admit that part sucks."

"I'm not too lonely, though . . ."

Zelos glances at me.

I comment, "I consider all eight of you to be the closest to a family I'll ever get now. Even if I'm separate from my blood relatives—all who I love with all my heart—I still have the friends I have here. I'm not completely alone . . ."

Zelos stares down at me before wrapping a supportive arm around my shoulders. ". . . Let's get you back to the hotel. You're falling asleep on your feet and about to fall flat on your face."

"I mean it . . ."

"I know you do."

* * *

Zelos: You poor lonely soul.

Me: Shut up! Like you can talk, Mr. Failed-to-Even-Score-with-Sheena-or-Raine!

Zelos: The reader can review while this lonely girl daydreams lemons.

Me: Hey! My mind's not anywhere close to being that perverted! I'm the most innocent one out of my entire group of friends!

Zelos: You're protesting too much. It's awfully suspicious~

Me: Shut up!


	68. Power Goes Out and I Forgot to Save

Guess whose USB drive bit the dust? MINE DID! LOLOLOLOLf**kyouusbdrive. ikeepmystoriesinit.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Power Goes Out and I Forgot to Save

"Mmmngh . . ." I rub my eyes and try to get over the growing headache pounding against my head. I return my focus to Regal and George as they say their goodbyes before we head off to the last Summon Spirit we have yet to make a pact with in Tethe'alla. George continuously offers additional supplies and services we can't take with us while Regal politely declines each and every one once we could accept all we could.

Colette notes my groaning and asks, "Are you alright? You look pale . . ."

"I couldn't get much sleep last night . . ." I grumble.

"Heheheheh."

"Shut up, Zelos."

A blank look on Colette's face shows just how much Colette understood the exchange.

I hear someone coming towards our group and turn to find Presea returning to us. She looks at everyone who noticed her and isn't distracted by George and says, "Thank you for waiting on me."

Lloyd replies, "Your welcome. We'll come back here anytime you like."

"Thank you, Lloyd, but that won't be necessary." Presea states, "I'll visit Alicia's grave and the memorial gardens whenever we return to Altamira."

With everyone regrouped, we head outside Altamira, ignoring all the stares Regal gets from the employees.

"Which Summon Spirit should we make a pact with next?" Sheena asks.

"Since we're in Tethe'alla, let's go to the Temple of Darkness," Lloyd says.

A unanimous agreement follows Lloyd's suggestion. Once we get a good distance from the city, we take off with the rheairds and follow the half of our group that has been to the Temple of Darkness from back when Ozette was destroyed. It takes a few hours before we reach the Temple of Darkness and engulf ourselves into pitch-black nothingness. The lack of light brings a slight relief to my headache.

"Wow! We're not even that far from the entrance and already I can't see a thing!" Genis exclaims.

"Last time, we couldn't light the place up," Lloyd says. "Not even Colette's wings or mine could make any difference. Professor Sage, will your magic be able to give us light?"

Silence . . .

". . . Professor?"

"My spell does nothing. This darkness is caused by the mana inside the temple. If we don't find a way to counteract this effect then we will have to navigate through the dark."

"I have an idea." Sheena recalls, "The Elemental Research Laboratory supposedly did research here before, so they should know a way to light this darkness."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Come on, everyone. Let's go back outside."

Lloyd goes, "Alrigh—_aahh!_"

"_Ahh! My foot!_"

* * *

My head is now under constant massaging. The trudge through the sewers and the noises from the city are not helping me. Hopefully the day will end relatively soon . . .

I tolerate my pain as Sheena and Zelos guide us through the city towards the Elemental Research Laboratory. Once we were clear of the more crowded areas where we would definitely get caught by Papal Knights, we get back on the street and walk about towards our destination. I focus on following the rest of the group and leave watching out for unwanted attention to the others.

Suddenly, Lloyd tenses up and glares in a specific direction. As everyone else begins to stop and immediately get their guard up, I follow Lloyd's line of sight and curse to myself.

"Kratos!" Lloyd barks.

In his old violet outfit once more rather than his Cruxis gear, Kratos steps up to us and looks towards Presea. "I've heard that the sacred wood only grows in the area near Ozette. Is that correct?"

Lloyd turns a shade red at being flat out ignored.

"Y . . . Yes . . ." Presea answers.

"Then, does that mean that sacred wood no longer exists?"

Lloyd clenches his fists.

". . . It will take several decades before the sacred wood around Ozette grows back to harvestable amounts," Presea states. "The wood I cut is stored in the church."

Kratos' frown deepens. "So that really is all that is left . . . I seems I have no choice."

With that, Kratos begins to walk off.

"Wait!" Lloyd shouts. When Kratos stops, he continues. "Why is Cruxis worried about sacred wood?"

Kratos turns his head. "Because it is necessary. What other reason could there be?"

"Necessary for what?"

"I do not feel the need to tell you that now," Kratos says.

Translation: I'm going to be a cryptic douche bag and refrain from telling you things that will be very important to you in the near future.

Kratos then adds, "By the way, Lloyd. The Summon Spirit pacts you are currently forming . . ."

Lloyd narrows his eyes suspiciously. "What about it?"

"You must stop."

Lloyd scowls at Kratos. ". . . Do you think we'll stop because you said so?"

"It is dangerous to engage in activities in which you cannot predict the outcome," Kratos tells the young swordsman. "It may result in something you cannot undo."

"Oh, really?" I snip. "Care to elaborate?"

Kratos ignores my comment.

Lloyd declares, "If there's no other way to save the two worlds then we'll keep making pacts!"

"Be patient, Lloyd . . ." Kratos warns. He turns away from us and finally walks off.

Lloyd frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"No point in worrying about it now," Zelos points out. "We need to get to the Elemental Research Laboratory before the Papal Knights spot us."

After Zelos' reminder, we hurry away to the Elemental Research Laboratory. Once we enter the building, Sheena approaches the blond receptionist.

The blond woman cheers at the sight of the ninja. "Sheena! It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too." Sheena mentions, "By the way, we need a bit of a favor, if that's alright. You see, Shadow's temple . . ."

"Ohh, I see. The darkness inside the temple obscures your sight." The receptionist frowns. "I could go down to the lab and talk to them about this but . . . none of them are happy right now."

Sheena frowns. "What's wrong?"

"It's . . ." The receptionist explains, "A friend of theirs, half-elf in Sybak named Kate, was arrested and is planned to be executed today during the evening."

Shock waves through us.

"Kate?" Lloyd questions, "Why was she arrested?"

"Well . . . It's . . ." The receptionist takes a deep breath before informing, "Kate is charged for harboring criminals and helping them escape . . ."

"Damn it! So it's our fault?" Lloyd turns back to all of us. "We have to save her!"

"How can we?" Colette wonders, "The prison will be guarded and we might not be able to sneak in!"

"There has to be a way," Presea says. "I . . . I want to save her too . . ."

Regal looks around at each of us before suggesting, "How about participating in the matches being held at the Coliseum?"

Zelos raises an eyebrow at Regal. "What for?"

Regal explains, "It was originally constructed to watch fights between prisoners and wild beasts. There is a passage inside the prison which allows prisoners to be taken into the Coliseum."

". . . Oh yeah, you were in there before . . ."

Sheena urges, "Then let's hurry up and rescue her!"

* * *

I peer out at the heavily guarded coliseum and wonder when Sheena is going to get back. Since no public execution, a fate reserved for criminally charged half-elves, has happened yet, I know Kate is still alive. Her minutes are numbered, though, and we don't have much time. I retreat back into the recluse we all hide ourselves in as we wait for our ninja to return with information on how to sneak in and sneak Kate out.

Lloyd paces around irritably. "I hate this. Why can't we just go in and rescue her?"

"Lloyd, you know that we will get captured and arrested," Raine reminds. "This method is safer for all parties involved and will attract the least amount of attention."

"I know . . . I just hate waiting around here when they could be executing Kate right now!" Lloyd expresses.

"None of us like it either but we can't just run in and grab her," Genis says.

Lloyd fidgets in his spot. "Damn it. If Sheena doesn't get here soon then I'll go in and get them both!"

"Or you can listen to what I found out."

Lloyd whirls around and finds Sheena just now returning to us. Dressed in a typical Meltokio middle class woman with her hair let down and curled (a quick hairstyle courtesy of Colette), the ninja appears almost nothing like she would as a Mizuho ninja. She holds up a paper with notes scrawled on it and tells, "I wrote down the listings of all the combatants entering the Coliseum. Since only combatants and employees are the only ones allowed in the hallway connected to the passage that leads to the prisons, I say we should disguise ourselves as one of the combatants and sneak in."

In other words, we'll have some of the combatants take a "sick leave" and act as their "alternates."

"That's a good plan," Lloyd comments. "Which ones can we disguise ourselves as?"

Sheena states, "I found a group that is a party of three with a swordsman, an ax man, and an unidentified rogue. You can be the swordsman, Presea the ax man, and I can be the rogue."

"Will you have to participate?" Colette wonders.

Sheena shakes her head. "No. We can just slip through when no one is watching. The tricky part is getting Kate out of there without causing a stir."

"Alright! So what's the plan?" Zelos questions.

"I've got a few ideas. Listen closely . . ."

* * *

Inside the Coliseum, impatient and eager combatants wait inside the lobby as time slowly passes time. An inconsequential group of three approaches the counter and the receptionist looks up at them. The leader, a swordsman, seems typical enough with his modest chainmail and average brown pants, the exception to this being the twin swords at his belt. To his left is a small girl with a large ax strapped to her back that should be impossible for her to carry and to his right is a strange rogue whose appearances are cloaked by all black and the person's form completely bonded and clothes adjusted to prevent people from guessing the rogue's gender with a mask covering his or her face.

"Hi!" the receptionist greets. "Are you here to sign up or are you here to compete?"

"We're here to compete," the swordsman informs as he looks at her through the brown hair framing his face. "We're the Exceptionals."

"Let me take a look here . . ." The receptionist looks down her list and smiles. "Here you are! The Exceptionals at ten in the morning with a swordsman, a rogue, and an ax man! You're just in time! Go down the hall over there and take the first right and wait there."

"Thank you." The swordsman motions for the two to follow him and heeds the receptionist's directions. As he goes down the hall, he reaches up with his hand and furiously brushes the lock of hair covering his left eye.

"Stop messing with it," the rogue scolds. "It took Colette forever to get that hairstyle right. It's part of the disguise, for crying out loud!"

"It's in my way!" the swordsman carps. "How can Kratos see with all that hair in his face?"

"I imagine he can see perfectly fine. Now tough it out and act natural."

Instead of taking the first right, Sheena leads Lloyd and Presea down the hall and to an older and rougher corridor. The warm atmosphere chills; the stones change from clean and well-kept to grimy and neglected; the lighting turns dark and forbidding. Once they reach the prison, Lloyd picks the lock on the door separating the prison from the Coliseum and easily opens the door. Sheena slips in and snatches the prison records and the keys as Lloyd and Presea search the prison cells manually. Sheena catches up to them and leads them to the right cell.

Lloyd approaches the cell and calls out, "Kate!"

Grimy and beaten down with bruises and cuts as evidence of the kindness granted her, Kate looks up at them with dull eyes. ". . . Is that . . . ? No . . . Presea! Lloyd! What are you doing here?"

"We have come to save you," Presea tells her as Sheena unlocks the cell door.

Kate shakes her head. A sad smile reveals her resignation. "It's alright . . . After what I had done, death is a fitting punishment."

"No, that's not right!" Lloyd argues. "You're in here because you helped us! There's no way we're letting you die because of us!"

Kate frowns and sighs in defeat. ". . . Fine . . . Do whatever you want with me . . ."

Sheena opens the cell door and ushers Kate out. The half-elf follows as if she were nothing more than a puppet to be controlled. The ninja closes the door and hands Kate to Lloyd. "Get her out of here while I put these back where they belong. The later they realize something is off the easier it'll be for us to escape."

Lloyd and Presea sneak out of the prison and wait for Sheena to return before leaving for the Coliseum. Sheena enters the hallway first and signals to the other three that no one is around. She leads them down to a back area where they could quietly sneak out of the Coliseum and make their way to their next destination . . .

". . . sucks that we don't get to see the competition."

The four halt and search for a good hiding spot. They spot a door nearby and open it up to find that it's a tiny custodian's closet big enough to only fit two people. Lloyd and Sheena shove Presea and Kate inside and search wildly for a hiding spot of their own.

"You'll get used to this once you've been here for a while. Competitions happen regularly."

Sheena spots the large potted plant just a little ways from the corner. She gets a last-minute idea and pulls Lloyd around and presses him against the wall. As Lloyd stares at Sheena in confusion, the ninja pulls down the mask and kisses him full on the lips.

The security guards halt at the sight of the two.

"Ahh . . . Okay . . . This is awkward . . ."

"Just keep moving. You'll find people like that every now and then. It's best to just ignore them."

"I can't even tell if one of them is male or female . . ."

A moment passes before the guards are finally out of eye sight. Sheena moves away from the now-flushed Lloyd and places her mask back on. ". . . We need to keep moving."

Lloyd stares at her with wide eyes. ". . . You kissed me . . ."

"You can conveniently forget that ever happened . . ."

". . . You kissed me . . ."

"Let's go, Lloyd."

Presea opens the closet door and walks out with Kate behind her. ". . . What happened? Lloyd's face is completely red."

"N-nothing . . . !" Sheena says. "Now let's go!"

The four finally make it out of a back door without incident. They move on down the shadows and split up at one point: Sheena taking the shadows with Kate, Presea moving on alone, and Lloyd heading towards another destination by himself. Lloyd arrives at a specific point to meet up with two people . . .

I stare at Lloyd with slight apprehension as I rub the sides of my head. "So? Is everything going alright?"

Zelos remarks, "Considering that he isn't telling us to make a break for it, I'm guessing that everything happened without a hitch."

I don't dare to jinx that with a stupid comment . . .

We head down to the sewer manhole where our escape from Meltokio lies and find that Presea, Raine, and Genis already made it before us. After waiting in the shadows, the rest of our group arrives with Kate amongst them. Raine immediately heals the more serious injuries the half-elf sustains and ushers us all into the sewers. Once we are safely below the ground, we all sigh in relief.

"That was nerve-wracking . . ." Lloyd comments.

"It went smoother than I expected," Raine notes.

I remark, "That's pretty much a record for us, isn't it?"

Kate looks around at us and sheepishly speaks up. ". . . Excuse me . . . I would appreciate it if you would take me to Ozette."

"Ozette?" Genis turns to Kate with wide eyes. "Are you sure? It's completely destroyed!"

"Ozette was the place where I was born, and I need to think for a little bit . . ." Kate says, "Please . . ."

Lloyd quizzically frowns at Kate but complies. "Okay. If that's what you want."

Kate smiles at Lloyd, this time with a true smile. ". . . You're a lot like him."

Now Lloyd gives her a blank look. "Who?"

"Kratos Aurion, that handsome man who was so kind to me." Kate sighs. "You are both kind and generous and so caring . . . You also look a little like him."

Lloyd turns away without another word. Kate stares at Lloyd with bewilderment. ". . . I-I'm sorry. Was it something I said?"

Raine assures, "Don't worry about it. We will take you to Ozette if that is what you wish."

Now that we're done with the first plan in a very long time that succeeded without any dire problems getting in the way, we leave Meltokio and fly Kate over to the ruins of Ozette. The half-elf stares at the destruction in shock, almost unable to take in the amount of damage done to what was once her home. When she finally seems to recover, Kate turns back to us.

". . . Thank you for saving me even though I was the one that experimented on Presea . . ." she tells them.

Lloyd reminds her, "We're here because you helped us escape and you were about to be executed because of that, so we had to save you."

"Despite who I really am?" Kate asks.

"What do you mean?" Colette wonders.

Kate sighs. ". . . My mother, who passed away, was an elf. My father is human, and . . . and is currently the Pope of the Church of Martel."

Sheena's eyes grow large. "Your father is . . . the Pope?"

"I heard that the Pope had a family in Ozette," Regal recalls, "but I had no idea that the family in question was with an elf and a half-elven daughter."

Zelos remarks, "You're lucky you took after your mother."

"Is that all you can say?" Genis snaps. "He tried to have his own daughter executed!"

"But it was the Pope who ruled that all half-elves who commit crimes are to be punished by death," Zelos reminds.

"What?" Genis shouts, "Why did he do something like that when his own daughter is a half-elf?"

Zelos holds his hand in front of himself. "Hey, hey, don't get angry with me."

"I swear he'll pay for this!"

Kate pleads, "W-wait, please! Don't do anything bad to my father!"

I'd stare in shock but my head hurts and I'm feeling overheated. I leave that job to Genis as he argues, "Why? He's done bad things to you!"

Kate tries to explain, "But . . . he's still my father . . . When my father ordered me to perform experiments to turn exspheres into Cruxis Crystals, I was very happy. My father finally needed me . . ."

"I don't understand!" Genis shouts. "I can't understand that!"

"Genis, calm down," Raine scolds.

"But—!"

"I think I can understand a little," Colette says. "When I thought that Remiel might be my father, I was happy that he had finally come to see me, even though I knew that the journey would end in death."

Silence falls at Colette's words. Genis finally allows himself to calm down since his friends have finally gotten their words through to him. Kate looks between all of us.

". . . I'm going to think by myself for a while about my father and half-elves . . ." Kate says, "Thank you so much for saving me. And . . . Presea . . ."

Presea looks up at Kate. ". . . Yes?"

". . . I'm sorry."

With that, Kate leaves us alone.

Colette lowers her head. "This is so sad . . . Why do things end up like this?"

Regal replies, "Two forces will always oppose each other. Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, elves and humans, heaven and earth . . ."

"And those in the middle are sacrificed," Raine adds. "Half-elves, the Great Seed, and the Chosen as well."

"It's wrong to say that someone can be sacrificed," Lloyd says.

"But anytime there are two people one will be sacrificed by the establishment of superiority," Zelos states. "It's the same way with countries and worlds. Equality is an illusion."

Sheena shrugs. "Birth, status, appearance, race . . . you're engulfed by these things."

"But . . . everyone has the same heart," Lloyd answers to all that. "Everyone hurts when they're rejected. But people forget that."

"The same . . . heart . . ." Genis considers that ideal.

Colette nods. "Yes. If only everyone could live thinking about each other like that . . ."

"Little by little . . . people can change," Presea replies.

"The only thing we can do is believe in that and start doing what we can," Lloyd then says.

"Yes. What we can do right now is to release the Summon Spirits' mana links," Raine reminds. "Let's wait for some time before we return to the Elemental Research Laboratory."

"Yeah. Let's stay at Altessa's until things calm down at Meltokio." Lloyd turns around but then spots me. ". . . Kelsey? Hey, are you alright?"

My hand planted into my face, I hold up a hand and dismissively waves at Lloyd. Raine walks up to me and holds her hand against my forehead. The healer declares, "You're running a fever."

"Perfect timing . . ." I grumble.

"You may have gotten this while we were at Altamira or perhaps from among the Renegades," Raine concludes. She turns to the rest of the group. "Let's go to Altessa's home right now and get some rest. We will wait until Kelsey's fever has cleared."

I debate on whether or not to act tough and tell them to go on. On one hand, it'll be natural for me to do since I really don't want to get in the way; on the other hand, the longer we're delayed the more likely it is we'll get the information that, by releasing the mana links, we'll set a crazed tree of doom upon Sylvarant and destroy all life as we know it.

Rest first, though . . .

When we arrive at Altessa's, I notice a distinct lack of child survivors from Ozette. We enter the place as I continue to glance around for any sound or sign of the children and find nothing of them. At the table, Tabatha watches a small exsphere like a mother watching over a sickly child while Mithos sits next to her with a bored expression. The two glance up to find us entering.

Genis hurries to Mithos' side in cheer. "Mithos!"

Mithos smiles at Genis. "You came to visit!"

"Of course we would!" Genis says. "You're our friend!"

Sheena glances around, noting the absence of the survivors. "Where did all the kids go?"

Tabatha explains, "The village of Mizuho took them in. Mithos was the only one who stayed behind."

"Really? Why?" Genis asks.

Mithos sheepishly replies, ". . . I thought it might be easier to see you if I stayed here."

Genis takes in Mithos' words and smiles widely.

Raine goes up to Tabatha and informs, "One of our members is sick and needs bed rest. Would it be alright if we rest here until she gets better?"

"Let me ask the master." Tabatha gets up and moves out of the room. As she's gone, Presea walks up to the stone Tabatha was examining. Lloyd notes the stone and frowns in confusion.

"This exsphere looks weird . . ." Lloyd comments. "I wonder what's wrong with it."

"It is strange . . . Why was Tabatha looking at it the way she was?" Presea wonders.

Tabatha returns and informs, "The master offers the second guest room for your sick friend. It's just down the corridor over there."

Raine nods and ushers me towards the other room. "Thank you."

Presea says, "Tabatha, this exsphere seems strange. Why is that?"

Tabatha turns to Presea and smiles sadly. "This child is sick."

"Sick? The exsphere?" Presea goes.

"Yes." Tabatha explains, "In Tethe'alla, everyone attaches exspheres to machines. Sometimes abnormality occurs, and everyone throws them away when that happens."

". . . Abnormality . . ."

"So the exsphere has an . . . 'abnormality'? That's why you said it's sick?" Lloyd goes.

"Yes. The poor things . . ."

"Ah, I see. It's like they're alive too," Lloyd says.

"'Poor things'?" Presea turns away from the exsphere to Tabatha with an angry gleam in her eye. "It is because of these small stones that everyone is suffering. Countless lives have been lost in order to wake them. Yet you still feel . . ."

Tabatha stares at Presea as she considers something. ". . . Presea, would you come with me to the Toize Valley Mine?"

"To the mine?" Presea frowns and glances at Regal.

Regal says, "It's all right with me. If you have business there, I'll give you permission to enter."

"What about a rheaird?" Lloyd asks.

Genis says, "Since Kelsey is sick, no one is going to let her fly and Raine will be staying here so not only do we have a rheaird that's free and we have enough room to carry one more person on a different rheaird if everyone else is coming."

"Let's tell the professor about this, then," Colette responds.

"Let me explain the situation to her," Tabatha volunteers. She walks into the second guest room where Raine forces some strange medicine down my throat. "Ms. Sage?"

"What is it, Tabatha?" Raine goes as I gag on the medicine she gave me. After she hears what Tabatha has to say, Raine gives an approving nod. "Very well. I will stay here to watch over Kelsey."

"It's just a fever . . ."

When Tabatha is gone and everyone left Altessa's house, Raine turns to me with a grim expression. "A fever is a common symptom of many different illnesses. Also, considering that you are not from Tethe'alla, your immune system isn't prepared for the illnesses common to Tethe'alla. We need to be cautious about this."

Wait . . . my immune system? Diseases and . . . ?

I grimace. "Oh shit . . ."

* * *

"Just a little further in," Tabatha ushers. She beckons them down the path with a lantern.

"What are we looking for?" Colette asks.

"The exspheres, probably," Regal reflects. "However, the exsphere vein isn't down this tunnel."

"You would be surprised," Tabatha replies.

Tabatha takes the group down a long path that goes deeper than the tunnel the group took while hunting for inhibitor ore. The only one who seems to know where Tabatha is leading them to is Regal while everyone else memorizes the twists and turns Tabatha takes. The group goes down into a dark tunnel where an underground waterfall roars in the caverns.

Tabatha finally stops.

"Here, this is where you can hear the whispers of the exspheres," Tabatha says.

"The 'whispers of the exspheres'? Is that supposed to be a metaphor?" Zelos asks.

"Be quiet. Please listen carefully."

Tabatha extinguishes the lantern she carries . . .

Silence hushes the group as nothing but the waterfall sounds off. A few moments pass . . .

Soft blue lights glow from the earth, illuminating the darkness. A hushed gasp goes through everyone as the light and energy grows stronger. The energy radiates gently from the stones, giving off positive sensations.

"The mana . . . !" Genis gasps.

"It's so beautiful!" Colette goes.

"Are these exspheres?" Regal asks as he stares in wonder.

"Yes, these are all exspheres. They are too small and give off too little mana to be considered usable." Tabatha says, "The exspheres may not be organic, but they and I are the same."

Presea turns to Tabatha. "You're the same as exspheres?"

"We are the same in the sense that we are both sentient beings capable of thoughts and feelings. We are both life-less beings." Tabatha informs, "Exspheres have feelings too. They get lonely very easily. So, they are always trying to be with someone. Their loneliness is what absorbs people's lives."

Presea turns back to the illuminating exspheres. ". . . Lonely . . . Exspheres are lonely, just like me."

"Yes, and they seek companions. Just as you do now."

"Yeah." Lloyd says, "We humans are the ones digging them up and using them for our own purposes."

"We are the ones making use of their traits and making them even more lonely as well," Presea adds.

Tabatha continues, "I know that they are making you suffer but, please, do not hate them. Exspheres are alive, too."

Presea nods. "Yes . . . I will think about this . . . About being lonely . . . and about hate . . ."

Lloyd replies, "Just smashing one hatred up against another doesn't solve anything."

Tabatha expresses, "I think it is important to understand each other."

". . . Thank you, Tabatha," Presea tells her.

"Not at all, Presea." Tabatha smiles at them. "The exspheres are happy as well that you have come to understand them."

Zelos raises his eyebrows at the three and leans towards Sheena. He whispers, "All this stuff about exspheres sounds like a bunch of hoo-ha to me, but I really don't want to be the asshole that breaks the mood . . ."

Sheena whispers back, "Then keep your mouth shut for a bit . . ."

* * *

It's too hot . . . too hot . . .

I feel a damp washcloth rest against my forehead. It feels like heaven, but I know it won't last for too long.

I can hear Altessa and Mithos talking just outside the room. They're too loud. I wish they would at least be quiet! It hurts my head . . . !

Oh god why me?

On Earth this wouldn't be a problem. Normally I have a strong immune system. In fact, if everyone around me got sick then it's almost guaranteed that I won't.

But here . . .

I had to be the one. I _had_ to. It's always my luck to get the random crap that life gives the entire group. Always.

No . . . Too much cursing and thinking . . . Head hurts . . .

"Raine . . ."

Mithos! Idiot! You're too loud! Ow . . .

"Do you know when the others will be back? We should probably call a doctor."

And they're going to call a doctor when we have a healer right next to me? Is it really that bad? Calm down, calm down. Maybe this is because Raine doesn't specialize in Tethe'allan diseases and sicknesses. I don't remember us ever calling for a doctor in Sylvarant.

Then again I don't recall much of anything from Sylvarant right now . . .

"They should be back soon. We need to be patient."

Yeah, while I waste away to . . . to . . .

What was I going to say again?

I feel something move off my forehead. I wonder what the thing is before I scold myself for forgetting that I had a washcloth on my forehead. I guess I stopped noticing it once it got hot.

Head hurts . . .

"What about a doctor?"

"I can't leave her here and there isn't a qualified doctor that we can reach."

I love telephones, I love highways, I love living in a city, and I love anything that can connect people to each other in case something comes up.

My mouth feels dry again . . .

The door opens and a herd of elephants barge through stomping on the ground. To escape the noise, I bury my head under the pillow.

"Kelsey, get your head out from under the pillow."

I make a barely audible high-pitched sound that I can't even recognize.

"Moaning won't make me change my mind." Raine pulls the pillow off, leaving me vulnerable to the noises destroying my ears and head.

After tucking the pillow back under my head, Raine leaves the room for a minute to inform the group of how badly my condition grew worse. I wait for the conversation to start before burying my head under the pillow once again. Try as I might, I still hear the others speak at what seems to be at the top of their lungs.

". . . but we still need to call a doctor."

"The doctor I know is in Flanoir . . ."

"Well, I know one in Meltokio."

"Then let's split up to see them both."

"Wait a minute . . ." Raine walks back in for some reason and, before getting to what she was doing, rips the pillow off of my head. The healer sits down and writes something on two separate pieces of paper. While Raine does that, I hear someone approach. A red glove presses against my forehead.

"Whoa . . . she's burning up!"

No shit, Sherlock.

No. No. Don't be crabby. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts . . .

". . . Alright. I have written down all her symptoms as well as the estimated time she underwent them. Sheena, here is your copy. Zelos, here is yours. Even if we cannot bring a doctor here with us then it will still help if we could get some diagnosis and a recommended treatment."

"Okay, then—"

"Presea, Colette, and I will go to Meltokio."

"Picking only girls . . . Regal, let's go!"

"All right."

Activity moves through Altessa's door and it gets a lot quieter now that five people have left. My head gets some relief.

Lloyd goes, ". . . I got left behind."

"I guess so," Altessa responds.

"Someone must watch over her," Tabatha says.

"Well, that's true."

And what's Raine? Chopped liver?

Damn . . . Even my thoughts are clichéd . . .

"Genis? Can I talk to you?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Follow me . . ."

I hear the front door open before closing.

Wha? What are those two doing? No, forget about that. Just go to sleep, go to sleep . . .

* * *

". . . Kelsey's illness. I know how to cure it," Mithos says.

"Really?"

"Yes. It's probably the Ozette cold. It's a dangerous disease if it isn't immediately treated," Mithos states.

"What do we need to do?" Genis asks.

Mithos informs, "We need the nectar of the fandalia flower that blooms on the summit of the Fooji Mountains. If we get that, it'll cure her fever."

"The Fooji Mountains?" Genis starts heading towards the door. "Okay! I'll go tell Lloyd!"

"Wait!" Mithos says, "Let's go get the flower together, just the two of us."

"You and I?" Genis goes.

"Yes. There's not much time," Mithos says.

"Okay. Gotcha!" Genis still goes inside. "I'll get a rheaird."

It takes Genis a few seconds to return with the wing pack. He sends out one of the remaining rheairds and sets the wing pack on the ground next to the door. Genis steps on the rheaird.

"Genis . . ." Mithos wonders, "Do you know how to fly this?"

"I've seen the others do this dozens of times," Genis says. "Don't worry. I'm big enough to handle this now."

"'Now'?"

"Er . . . Let's go! You said we don't have a lot of time!" Genis urges.

Mithos chuckles to himself before getting on the rheaird. Genis starts the rheaird and flies off.

Altessa's door opens and Lloyd comes out. He looks out right at the rheaird and plants his face into his palm. "Oh brother . . . I guess I'd better keep tabs on them."

* * *

The sound of a door loudly closing jolts me back to consciousness.

. . . How long have I been asleep?

I take a breath and feel the air scratch against my esophagus. My tongue feels thick and sticky. Where's my glass of water? I hear voices in the other room but I ignore them. I don't care. My throat comes first.

I reach my hand out and carefully pull the glass of water set on the stool beside the bed towards me. I pour the water down my throat; not caring how much is spilled as long as my thirst is quenched. Once I've had my fill, I set the glass back down and just pray for sleep to take me again.

"What happened?" asks Raine.

"Well, to sum it up, it was a disaster." Zelos explains, "As soon as the good doctor took a look at me he locked the door and called for the Papal Knights. We had to get out of the city before they showed up."

Which means some more suffering.

. . . Well, they're doing what they can. As long as they're doing that then I'm fine (as long as my body can fight whatever I have, that is).

". . . Where are Lloyd and Genis and Mithos?" Colette wonders.

"Somewhere, I suppose. I've been too busy to really keep an eye on them."

I blame myself for that part . . .

"Lloyd and Genis can take care of themselves and as long as Mithos doesn't get himself into trouble then I don't see any reason to worry."

"It's not right to just leave a sick hunny alone like this."

"Zelos, you remember that I'm here keeping an eye on Kelsey, right?"

"Even still, Lloyd is a man. He shouldn't leave the two of you alone like this."

"And you forgot that Altessa and Tabatha are here as well."

I bury my head under the pillow again, wishing that I were deaf. Head hurts, head hurts, head hurts . . .

"Kelsey?"

Presea?

I look over to the side. Presea sits on a chair pulled up next to the bed. Why didn't I notice her come up to the bed? Don't know. Oh well.

She reaches her hand up to my forehead and feels how hot it is. Presea pulls her hand back and frowns in concern. I force myself to sit up straight but end up leaning down as the blood rush makes me feel lightheaded and dizzy. Never mind. Lying down is fine.

Presea tells me, "Sheena and Regal haven't arrived yet. The doctor in Flanoir should be able to help."

". . . Fluids and bed rest . . . All I need . . ." I croak out. "I'll be fine . . ."

"If . . . If you say so . . ."

Presea still seems concerned. I have to wonder, really. It's just a fever. Sweat it out. I'll be fine. Maybe.

"I'll be fine . . ." I repeat.

"Of course you'll be fine!"

Loud noises . . . Hate them . . .

Zelos struts over and grins at me and Presea. "Sheena and Regal will be back with a diagnosis and some medicine if we're lucky. Then after a day or two you'll be back up on your feet."

I just stare listlessly at him.

Zelos' grin turns a little tense. ". . . You really are out of it, aren't ya?"

Raine returns to the room and shoos Zelos out. "Leave, Zelos. Kelsey needs a quiet environment, something you aren't helping to provide."

"You won't even give me the option of staying as long as I'm quiet?" the Chosen asks.

"Zelos, a little of you goes a long way. Now give her back the space she needs."

"Hmph. Fine." Zelos finally leaves the room.

Colette says, "Professor, I can't find Lloyd or Genis or Mithos anywhere."

Raine sighs. ". . . I'll worry about them later. Right now I need to focus on lowering that fever. Her temperature is getting high."

Explains why my brain feels fried and . . .

Discontinued thoughts for the win.

* * *

Lloyd made certain to hide the rheaird in a spot where Genis and Mithos couldn't possibly spot it before hurrying to a nice upper level where he can keep an eye on the two as they climb the Fooji Mountains. As they go on, he races up ahead of them and takes care of any monsters he finds and hides the corpses in out-of-the-way places where Genis and Mithos won't find them and, thus, detect Lloyd's presence nor get into trouble with monsters. Lloyd found it fortunate that the monsters were relatively weak.

As Genis and Mithos make the climb, Genis notes, "I haven't seen any monsters around ever since we got here. It's a relief but pretty weird."

"I'm sure you could handle a few monsters, Genis," says Mithos.

Genis laughs. "Thanks, Mithos, but I don't exactly have the physical build for combat. I usually need cover while I cast spells during a fight."

"I could cover for you."

Genis grins.

Lloyd sighs as he keeps climbing.

When they reach the top, Mithos kneels down before a bed of wild flowers. "It's this flower."

"Great!" Genis kneels down at the flowers and starts collecting the nectar into sample containers he took from Raine. "Now we can save Kelsey."

Mithos smiles. "Yes. It's because of your hard work, Genis."

Genis shakes his head. "Nah, not really. You were with me, too. And the monsters here weren't around."

Mithos watches Genis as the half-elf collects as much nectar as he can fit into the containers. When the work is done, Mithos asks, "Genis . . . Between me and Lloyd, who do you like better?"

On a lower level of the mountain just out of the two's hearing range, Lloyd goes, ". . . What the? Why's he asking that all of a sudden?"

"What?" Genis gives Mithos a confused expression. "Why are you asking something like that all of a sudden? I like you both the same."

"If Lloyd and I . . . got into a fight, which side would you be on?" asks Mithos.

"What?" After a second of casual consideration, Genis gives his answer, ". . . Well, it depends on what the fight's about, but . . . I'm sure you wouldn't start a fight about something stupid like Lloyd would, so I guess I'd side with you."

Lloyd scowls irritably. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Mithos' face brightens up. "Really? For sure?"

Genis nods. "Yeah. Really."

Mithos sighs in relief. "Thank goodness. Because you and Lloyd are good friends . . . I was a little envious . . ."

"You're Lloyd's friend, too, remember?"

"Ah . . . yeah, I am, but . . ." Then Mithos shakes his head. "I'm sorry for asking such a weird question. I . . . You're the first half-elf friend I've had that is near my age, so I'm happy and excited."

"It's okay," assures Genis. "I'm the same way."

"I wish we could stay together forever . . ." Mithos says.

"Then why don't we?" Genis replies.

Mithos looks at Genis. ". . . Is it alright if I take that seriously?"

"Sure. We're friends, right?"

Mithos smiles. "Okay, I'm holding you to that, then!" Then the half-elf chuckles to himself. "Heehee . . . Now, let's hurry back."

"Yeah . . . Wait just a little longer, Kelsey."

Lloyd watches the two as they descend down the mountain. A moment passes by before he snorts. "Hmph. They have no idea how much trouble I'm going through for them . . ." He shrugs and gets up. "Oh well. I guess I'd better be getting back, too."

* * *

"The Ozette Cold, you say?" Raine reflects.

Regal confirms, "Yes, that is what the doctor in Flanoir told us."

"According to the treatment he recommended," Sheena reports, "we need the nectar of a flower called a fandalia flower. It grows on the summits of the Fooji Mountains."

"I see . . . Then we need to go to the Fooji Mountains as soon as possible."

The door suddenly swings open and Genis and Mithos rush in. Genis holds up the nectar he collected. "Raine! We got this nectar from a flower called a fandalia flower! It's supposed to cure an illness called the Ozette Cold!"

Zelos gawks at the two's timing. "Well, speak of Nebilim."

Presea asks, "How did you know we needed this?"

Genis explains, "Mithos recognized what Kelsey had and told me where we could get the cure!"

Raine scowls at the two. "And you left for the Fooji Mountains all by yourselves without telling anyone?"

Genis' smile begins to falter. "Yes?"

Raine sighs. She grabs the containers Genis offers and turns away. "I will punish you for needlessly endangering yourselves later. Right now, I need to process the nectar into medicine."

Genis scratches his head.

Moments later, Raine approaches the bed and sits me upright. "This medicine should treat your illness."

I take hold of the small bowl with this unidentifiable substance and ignore the help Raine is giving me in supporting the bowl for the sake of my ego. I bring it to my lips and choke on the taste.

Raine says, "Would you rather have me force this down your throat too?"

I shiver.

"Have your chills gotten worse?" she then asks.

Genis comments, "I don't think that was from the chills . . ."

I swallow the gooey substance, doing my best to ignore the bitter taste. When it's down my throat, I wash the substance out of my mouth with even more water. When Raine is satisfied with that, she ushers everyone out of the room. Genis smiles before turning around and scowling.

"Lloyd! What are you doing?" Genis scolds.

Lloyd frowns. "What do you mean, what am I doing?"

"Mithos and I went to the Fooji Mountains!" says Genis. "See how mature we are?"

"Yes, we all see how mature you are," Raine remarks. "While I am proud of you identifying Kelsey's illness and getting a necessary ingredient to treat it, you both left without telling anyone where you were going. You didn't even bother to tell me what it is that Kelsey could have. You just left and placed yourselves in unnecessary danger. Do you realize how worried I was?"

Genis and Mithos hang their heads. Genis goes, "I'm sorry, Raine . . ."

Zelos comments, "The kid has a point, though. Genis and Mithos were doing what they can to help even if they made some stupid decisions. And here's Lloyd, doing . . . what again?"

"No kidding," Sheena adds.

"Lloyd, you ought to be ashamed," Presea scolds.

Regal shakes his head. "It's appalling to abandon a sick young woman."

And here am I, trying to sleep. It's appalling to yell at someone while over a person's sickbed. They ought to be ashamed.

Colette says, "I'm sure Lloyd was doing what he can to help, too. Right, Lloyd?"

Lloyd replies, "Y-yeah."

Raine studies Lloyd's reaction for a moment before nodding. "Thank you, Lloyd. Though, now that Kelsey took her medicine, we should stay here and wait for her to recover."

Everyone leaves the room. Lloyd goes outside to practice his sword and burns off some energy and frustration. Some time passes before the door opens and Genis walks out.

"Lloyd . . ."

Much calmer now, Lloyd turns around. "Hm? What is it?"

Genis crosses his arms. "On the way down the Fooji Mountains, I spotted a few monster corpses that looked like they were killed by a sword. I guessed back then that someone helped us but didn't bother to reveal themselves. That person was you, wasn't it?"

Lloyd goes, ". . . Wha? . . . Ah, well . . ."

Genis smiles. "Thanks. Sorry it took me a while to figure that one out."

Lloyd smiles back. "You're welcome."

"Hahahah!"

* * *

After examining the probability of someone in the group getting sick, I decided that the character with the most vulnerable immune system would be my OC. I mean, Genis, Raine, Sheena, Zelos, Presea, and Regal were all born in Tethe'alla and would at least have some immunity to Tethe'alla's illnesses through genetics. Then Lloyd and Colette are lucky they didn't get sick. Who would think that someone from Earth stands a chance?

So you Lloyd/Sheena shippers get something interesting from me. It's kinda unusual since I'm more of a Sheena/Zelos shipper despite how the "slapslap" part of "SlapSlapKiss" (check TV Tropes) is turned up to eleven (check TV Tropes for that one too).

The next chapter will NOT be filled with useless filler! So review and rejoyce!


	69. Shadow of the Valley of Death

RRRAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!

I put the page breaks in but when I posted the new chapter they weren't there! UGH! Talk about frustrating.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Shadow of the Valley of Death

My fever finally broke.

Granted I still feel horrible and I smell like old gym socks but I managed to sweat the fever off. For right now we're taking a few days off for rest and to wait out whatever chaos is going on in Meltokio over Kate's escape. From what Zelos told me, the Imperial Guard and the Papal Knights were in a hustle to find Kate and the ones who helped her escape. It must've been hard for him, Presea, and Colette to avoid all those police officials while they were searching for a doctor in Meltokio . . .

Speaking of Meltokio, once the initial shock and scrambled search was over, part of our group left for the Elemental Research Laboratory and returned with an entire box of these blue candles. It doesn't take a social scientist to guess that they were overjoyed by Kate's rescue. After simply holding one I could sense the dormant mana within just waiting to be used. We won't have to worry too much about the Temple of Darkness.

A blond head pokes into my room. "Hi, Kelsey!"

I smile up from my bed at Colette. "Hey, Colette."

"Are you feeling better today?" she asks as she takes a seat in the chair next to the bed.

I nod. "Yeah, though I smell horrible. I really want a bath . . ."

"Um . . . Do you mind if I ask you something? . . ."

"What is it?" I ask.

Colette blushes and sheepishly asks, "Do you . . . know how to get a guy's attention?"

"Simply say 'hey, you!' and start talking."

She shakes her head at that. "Not that way! I mean . . . like . . ."

"Oooohhhh." I tell her, "Colette, I'm the wrong person to be asking for guy advice. You should probably ask Sheena. She gets a lot of attention from guys."

"Okay." Colette gets up. "I'll go ask her."

I grab onto her sleeve. "Don't. Don't. I'm just kidding. She has no clue why she's getting so much attention, actually."

Colette sits back down. "She doesn't?"

"Nope. It's a pretty bad case of willful ignorance."

Colette frowns. "I don't get it."

"You'll get it when you're older."

"But who else can I ask?" Colette says, "The Professor is with the others and I don't really want them knowing about . . ."

I raise an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me who it is that you like?"

Colette suddenly gets this determined and defensive expression. "I didn't say I liked a guy! When did I say that?"

"You didn't but asking a question like 'how do I get a guy's attention' really makes it obvious."

She sighs. "I just . . . really don't know what to do. I like him but I think he might like other girls."

I'll just pretend I don't know who it is. "Well, I really don't know what to tell you other than just be yourself," I say to the Chosen. "If a guy doesn't like you for who you are then he's really not worth it."

That determined and defensive expression returns. "He's worth it!"

"Hold on a moment," I interrupt. "I'm just saying this as a general statement. I don't know who this guy you like is so how can I say anything offensive about him? Anyway, if a guy doesn't like you for your personality and intelligence as well as any good looks you have then he's not worth it."

Colette frowns. ". . . I'm a bit ditzy . . ."

"That's a part of your personality we all love about you."

"And I'm not very smart . . ."

"Colette, you have more up there in your head than most would expect." I mention, "For example, most of the things you cook could be really good vegan dishes, like that 'apple steak' you make. With a little tweaking on the nutritional balance, a person could live off of your cooking—and getting the nutritional balance for vegan eating is a really tricky thing to get right."

"And I'm always getting into trouble . . ."

I pause for a second before saying, "Well, life really sucks for all of us. Can't really blame you."

"You hesitated . . ."

I gripe, "Are you going to dissect everything I say or are you really going to ask for guy advice?"

Colette remains silent.

At this, I simply shrug at her. "Look, just be yourself and be there to support the guy. If the two of you get together then let it develop naturally instead of forcing it. Though, I don't really see how much stock you can put to whatever I say since I'm pretty graceless."

"Okay. Thank you."

Finally having enough of pretending, I guess, "It's Lloyd, isn't it? The guy you like."

Colette passionately denies, "N-no! It's not Lloyd! I never said that!"

"Yeah, it's totally Lloyd."

"I bet you have a crush on someone!" Colette returns with.

"No, I don't. Sure, there's a couple guys I like but not in the way that . . ." I pause and pinch my lips together stubbornly. "Sh-shut up!"

Colette giggles at me.

* * *

By the time I completely recovered and we went on our way to the Temple of Darkness, I had to update my journal and keep track of the date. July seventh. Unfortunately, though, it's a lot more convenient to go by the dates that Sylvarant and Tethe'alla use (which conveniently is the same possibly due to Cruxis). Using Earth's dates is becoming more like me clutching onto something obsolete rather than just keeping track of how much time passed on Earth. Not like it matters now. The only people besides my family who wouldn't have given up would be private detectives and that's a stretch since it's been six months.

As we enter the Temple of Darkness, we all light our candles—each of us holding one each—and move onward into the temple as the candles shine a blue light from the individual flames. The darkness creeps at the edges of the light, grasping as close as they can at the light's boarder. I look out into the darkness and feel as though someone is watching me. This entire temple is going to be a nightmare . . .

Hey, at least this is the Temple of Darkness and not the Shadow Temple that's nicknamed as the Silent Hill level of Ocarina of Time.

But . . . the absolute _nothingness_ is getting reeeaaalllyyy creepy . . .

"The mana in here feels unstable . . ." Genis notes.

"Is that typical for a Summon Spirit?" wonders Regal.

Genis shakes his head. "No, not at all. I wonder what happened here . . ."

We wander around the place with only our candles as our source of light, relying on the different paths and exploring different forks before actually deciding which path to take. Absolutely nothing happens. There are no monsters, no sounds besides our own, and no movement besides what we make.

It's chilling.

As we explore a platform, I move a little further than I'm normally comfortable with to see how far the floor goes. I make it to a sudden drop and halt before I go over the edge. Kneeling down to the floor to keep my balance, I lean over with my candle going as far as I'll let it to see how far of a drop it is. The light doesn't even get close to the bottom. The blackness makes the drop seem endless and suggests thoughts of jumping down. Just a foot and maybe I will see how far it'll go. Go ahead. No? Then drop the candle. My only light source will show me how far down it is. See how much temptation Fate will resist.

I pull myself away before my curiosity gets the better of me.

"Hey, over here!"

I look over and find the others walking closer to where Sheena is. As their candles gather, I get the feeling as though I'm being cut off from them and making myself vulnerable to whatever could be in this darkness. My feet bolt out to join them.

With all of us gathered, Sheena motions towards a mass of mana just before her. It appears as a dark blob with a purple core emitting this chilling energy. It feels . . . like a Summon Spirit, to be honest, only weaker.

"It feels like a Summon Spirit, only one-fifth the power," Genis observes.

Raine sticks her hand in the blob. She frowns when her hand goes right through as if nothing were there. "My hand goes right through . . . Well, this entity certainly isn't physical."

Lloyd wonders, "Do you think this is Shadow?"

"Possibly, if he were broken into pieces," Raine says. "Let's check the altar for Shadow before we mess with this."

"Okay."

We walk away from a blob in a tight knit group. Our eyes shift along the edges of the darkness surrounding us. I can feel ourselves growing tense from the silence.

Genis looks back and goes, "Guys . . . It's following us . . ."

We stop and look back to find that blob keeping up with our pace.

Colette chirps, "Awww! It's like a duckling!"

"A creepy duckling . . ." Sheena comments.

"Well, this way we could find out for certain if this is a part of Shadow without having to backtrack from the altar," states Raine. "Let's keep an eye out for any more of these."

So we gain a new group member. The longer it stays with us, the more endearing it seems. I'd even warm up to it if, well, the temple was better lit. It doesn't help that this blob blends into the surrounding area.

As the floors get lower, the deeper into the temple we go. The darkness around us refuses to give us even a sign of life besides the mass of energy tailing behind us. Zelos once started whistling before that whistle dies from the discouraging silence.

I think I get why this place is so creepy. It's the fact that, really and truly, there is _nothing there_. Through our own expectations for there to be some sort of puzzle or monsters we have let our imagination become our own worst enemy. As that thought takes root in my mind, I start taking the silence as a good thing. Nothing is there therefore nothing will happen. This temple will be a cake walk as long as we don't get lost.

Then we come to a stop in the wide hallway. I crane my neck over everyone, trying to see what they found, but my height fails me. Instead of sight, I start relying on sound.

"Another one," says Sheena.

"This is the same as the one before," Raine notes. "This mana feels like a Summon Spirit only about a fraction of the power."

"Let's take this one with us too," Lloyd replies.

"Yaah!" Sheena yelps.

We all jump and draw our weapons. Something is actually there? _Omg, what is it? What is_—oh, it's just Zelos.

As we all scowl at the idiot, Sheena whips around and smacks him on the head. "_You idiot Chosen! You chose to do that here of all places? What is wrong with you? We're all up in arms thinking that something could come at us any second and you just . . . !_"

Zelos sighs with a blissful smile.

"AAAAHHHH!"

Genis' shrill scream chills our blood. We lash around and find Genis' candle swiftly retreating on the ground as Genis is being dragged by some unknown thing in the darkness. The boy cries out, "HELP! HELP ME! AHHHH!"

"GENIS!" Raine dashes for her brother while the rest of us hurry to catch up. Genis' light swerves passed a corner and we hear him scream again. Raine shouts, "GENIIIS!"

Then all we hear is Raine crying, "No! No! No, no, no, no, _no! Genis! Geniiisss!_ No . . . !"

The rest of the group turns the corner and finds a passageway leading to a dead end. Raine leans against the wall where Genis should be and sobs. All that is left is just the blue candle the boy carried.

Lloyd rushes to the wall and searches around for any suspicious detail. When his search proves futile, he stops and stares at the wall in shock. Colette joins him and unleashes her wings to continue Lloyd's search along the ceiling. She, too, finds nothing.

Raine forces herself to calm down and turns to us. "Everyone, we need to search for Genis. Whatever took him will be inside this temple."

Zelos asks, "Are you sure we can do that? We don't even know the temple layout." He falls silent when Raine sends a glare at him. After a second, she turns away from Zelos.

"I suggest we split up into pairs to cover more area," Raine tells us.

"Split up?" I ask, "Isn't that just going to make us more vulnerable?"

"The sooner we find Genis the sooner we can regroup." Raine ushers us, "Pick your partner. I will not rest until my brother is safe."

Lloyd steps up to Raine. "I'll go with you, Professor Sage."

"Thank you, Lloyd," Raine replies with a relieved smile. She then turns back to the rest of us and motions to this spot. "This corridor will be our meeting place. Meet back here in thirty minutes."

Sheena sighs. "I don't like this, but if you insist . . . Let's go, Presea."

Zelos takes Colette's free hand. "Shall we, my adorable angel?"

Regal and I exchange looks and move on together.

Lloyd, Raine, Colette, and Zelos backtrack while the rest of us follow the path ahead and go deeper into the tunnel. The pieces of Shadow follow Sheena and continue to stay by her side no matter which direction she goes. Eventually, Regal and I end up alone as our half of the group splits at a fork in the path.

We enter into a small room and stay close as we explore the place. The silence keeps me on the edge. It's almost choking. _Something_ is out there and is most likely picking us off one by one. Why couldn't this dungeon be anything like it was in the game?

"Regal?" My voice trembles as I speak. "Do you think we'll find Genis?"

"I'm not certain," he responds. I can hear the tension in his voice. "This may be a test the temple gives us."

"Pretty sick and twisted if you ask me," I remark.

"Indeed . . ."

After checking around the shadows of a piece of décor, I move around it and double-check to make sure there really is nothing there. "Oh god, this is terrifying . . ."

"'Oh god'?"

Shit. I go, "Is that what I said? Goddess, I really am tripping up. I can't even speak right . . ."

"Don't worry about something like that," Regal tells me. "We have direr things to fret about."

I nod even though I know he won't see that. Keep calm, keep calm . . .

"_Ahh!_"

"_Regal!_" I whip around and find this form of literal darkness wrapped around his arms and legs like vines or tentacles. Just as Regal dropped his when this thing grabbed him, I drop my own. "_Oh sweet mother of—REGAL!_"

The vines pull Regal—the large six-foot-two and two hundred pound man—down to the ground with ease and pulls him away. I dive for his hand and miss. "_REGAAALLL!_"

"_Aaaahhh—!_"

His scream is suddenly silenced.

Oh my god.

_Oh my god!_

_OH MY GOD!_

I scramble for both the blue candles we dropped and hurry to where Regal disappears. Only a wall appears before my sight. No suspicious furniture, no out of place details, no anything that could give me a clue to how Regal disappeared.

Nothing.

And here am I, a girl who is five-foot-two and weights little over one hundred pounds, completely alone.

If that thing is still there then I could very well be next. I can't stay alone like this. I'll just share the same fate as Regal and Genis—and I don't want to find out what happened to them.

I race back to our meeting place and hope—pray!—that someone will be there too. My panicked flight carries me down the corridors and through the darkness and eventually back to where we first split up. I stop at that dead end and search around.

No one is here.

I sob and gasp in air as my eyes scan the area. When I'm positive that I'm completely and utterly alone, I set one candle down and let my free hand clutch my other arm and rock in place. I wrack my brain for anything that'll help calm me down and only find singing. My voice trembles and comes out weakly as I sing, "Catch a falling star and, put it in your pocket, never let it fade . . . a . . . way . . ."

I sniff.

As time goes on, I keep turning around to make sure I really am completely alone. As usual, nothing happens. It's both a comfort and unnerving. I don't dare go near the walls or sit down. I don't dare move from this spot. I don't dare do anything.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, I see the light from a blue candle approaching. I watch it as the light approaches and sigh with relief when I see Zelos in that light. Finally, another person. I take a step forward to the first person I've seen since Regal, but then I halt when I see Zelos' free hand grasping his sword and eyeing me suspiciously.

"Zelos?" I croak out. "What are you doing . . . ?"

Zelos stares in my direction. I get chills and glance around to see if anything is behind me. When I find nothing as usual, I turn back to him and question, "What's with you? It's me!"

"Then tell me something about yourself I don't know," he demands. "Prove it that it's just you and not some trick."

"What? You idiot!"

"Just do it."

"Umm . . ." I wrack my brain for something. What's something I didn't tell him? Uhh . . . Well . . . I force out, "There was this . . . this nation called the Soviet Union. My homeland and the Soviet Union were in a fifty-year struggle. On the year before I was born, the Soviet Union was officially dissolved."

Zelos releases a tense sigh. He lets go of his sword and joins me. "Sorry. Colette . . . That _thing_ that's out there tricked her into thinking that she found Genis and . . ." He glances around when he makes it to my side. ". . . What happened to Regal?"

My silence answers him. He grimaces. ". . . Oh . . ."

"I-I couldn't stay there any longer . . ." I whimper. "It carried him away so easily and effortlessly! He didn't stand a chance . . . !"

Zelos says, "Hush. There was nothing you could do. The only way we can fix this is by making a pact with Shadow."

"But Sheena isn't here!"

"Sheena isn't here _yet_," he reminds. "We still have a chance to get them back."

"What if it gets us too?"

"Well, at least we won't be alone."

I look up at him. "What about Colette? And Regal and Genis? Are they alone?"

Zelos looks away. The shadows cast on his face prevent me from seeing how his facial expression changed.

"Zelos? Is that you?"

Zelos and I turn towards the direction I came to find Sheena and Presea returning. As they approach, a mass of mana runs passed us, scaring the ever-living daylights out of me, and joins the gaggle of mini Shadows following Sheena around. I suppose Zelos found one.

Sheena looks around and narrows her eyes. ". . . What happened to Colette and Regal?"

"They . . . They got taken . . ." I tell her.

Sheena's face drops as the horror sinks in. However, instead of reacting as I had, Sheena lashes out in rage. "Zelos! Why weren't you looking out for Colette?"

Zelos snaps, "Excuse me? Are you suggesting that I just left as soon as she disappeared?"

"You're damn right I am!"

"I'll have you know that I did all I could!" he shouts.

"Oh, really?" she goes.

"Yeah!"

"_Really?_"

"I searched everywhere for her!" Zelos defends. "As soon as she took off from me!"

"I don't believe you!"

"Oh for the love of Marte—"

"SHUT UP!" I scream. "_What the hell is wrong with you two? What's with your constant bickering? Do you think this is the place to do it?_" I turn on Sheena. "Why do you think that Zelos could do anything if that _thing_ took even _Regal_ away? Do you think Colette could stand a chance if it even got _him?_ And if you're going to put that standard on Zelos then hold it on _all of us_ with what happened to _Genis!_ And you!" I turn on Zelos. "If you know that you did all you could then why did you have to defend yourself? Sheena was just taking out her fear and paranoia on you rather than let herself seem scared! If you wanted to combat that something that stupid then you could've ignored her! And . . . ! And . . ."

I glance around. "Why haven't Lloyd and Raine gotten back yet?"

Silence answers my question.

Presea says, ". . . Fighting amongst each other will not solve our problems. If we want to save the others then we need to form a pact with Shadow. Once we have the pact then we can ask him to return our friends. Right now we have five of those Summon Spirit pieces. Kelsey, see if all of them together feels like a whole Summon Spirit."

With my outburst and Presea's scolding shattering the tense mood, things calm down considerably. I wordlessly approach the blobs of mana and wave my hand through them. After gauging just how much mana is there, I look back up at the other three and make the estimate. "Though it doesn't feel like a whole Summon Spirit, when they merge together for a moment, it feels like the same amount of power that a Summon Spirit would have. This is definitely Shadow."

Sheena turns away from Zelos and says, "Then let's go before we run out of candles."

We continue onward in complete silence. Our eyes stay towards the darkness as we descend down each level, going deeper and deeper into the temple. Each time one of our candles goes out we replace it with another candle from the box. My eyes start feeling strange as if it's starved and weak from the lack of sunlight. Now that I'm with at least a few group members I feel a lot calmer now. Oh, I'm still paranoid as hell but it's a lot easier when there's at least one other person with me.

When we get to another room, we step forward and suddenly halt when the blobs of Shadow leave us and gather into another area obscured by the darkness. I sense the mana reforming into one complete whole as the entire room lights up to reveal that we had finally arrived at the altar room. With the room light enough for us to see perfectly, we blow out our candles and ready ourselves for another fight with a Summon Spirit. Sheena approaches the altar.

Shadow appears as a spindly humanoid form with the lower half of the body blended into the darkness and with his overall form smoothed out and nearly shapeless. I can still make out an outline of him and the eyes on his head and the giant eye on his torso resembling the Sheikah symbol just outright glow with an eerie blue. A hushed whisper echoes into our ears.

". . . Mmmithos and I . . . paaact . . ."

Sheena proclaims, "I am Sheena! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me!"

Silence follows as Shadow considers this . . .

". . . Fffiiiggghhht . . ."

Shadow immediately dissolves into the surrounding shadows.

We group together and press our backs against each other to watch all sides. Should Shadow appear then we will immediately know about it.

"_Aaahh!_"

Zelos, Presea, and I whirl around towards Sheena and find the ninja pulled down into a shadowy mass on the floor just beneath her feet. The mass disappears and we desperately search the area to locate where Shadow will leave Sheena.

"AH!"

Shadow reappears with Sheena in his grasp just some before the altar and drops her there. His hands pummel her into the ground in a rapid fire.

Zelos slashes his sword into the air. "Double Demon Fang!"

The attack races at Shadow but the Summon Spirit dissolves into darkness again and the attack is rendered useless. Sheena jumps back up and prepares for another sneak attack from Shadow. I begin casting Flame Lance and hold the spell in case I need to cast it quickly.

"Over there!" Presea shouts.

The melee attackers charge at Shadow prepares a spell. Seeing that Shadow is busy casting, I let loose Flame Lance and let that dive at the Summon Spirit. Although it doesn't disrupt Shadow's concentration, I still manage to land a hit. The melee fighters manage to start a series of combos—

"Crumble . . ."

Shadow casts Bloody Lance on the melee fighters with Sheena as the focus and Zelos and Presea getting the aftershock. After the spell finishes, Shadow disappears and Zelos retreats to a supposedly safer location and begins casting healing spells.

Sheena retaliates by slamming her spell cards into Shadow one after the other. The force she applies to her attacks causes the Summon Spirit to stagger before she even finishes. When the attacks pause between a finished combo and a new attack, Shadow dissipates once again.

I prepare Air Blade and hold it for when Shadow reappears . . .

"_Ah!_"

Presea disappears this time. We wait anxiously for Shadow to reappear with Presea . . .

"Eek!"

Shadow thrusts his fists into Presea's tiny body over and over. I take advantage of this short moment and cast Air Blade. My spell races out and crashes into Shadow, causing the spirit to stumble over, giving the others a chance to attack.

Sheena, Zelos, and Presea waste no time in taking full advantage of this. They unleash attack after attack and never give Shadow the chance to get back up. When their combination attacks end, the three attack simultaneously. As Sheena prepares a seal, Zelos casts a lightning spell on Presea's ax. Presea charges in and chops into Shadow. "Lightning Punishment!"

When Presea's attack ends, Sheena sends up her Serpent Seal. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Dark Serpent!" Zelos runs Shadow through with his blade.

Shadow staggers back and disappears into the shadows. As Zelos immediately starts casting First Aid, the rest of us gather back around and watch each others' backs. Then I suddenly feel something grab my ankle.

Oh shi—

"_Aahh!_"

I feel myself flip upside down and hang there for a second before dropping down onto the ground. Rapid punches punish my stomach. The pain and the impact nearly make me puke. As Shadow moves on to the next attack, I try my best to recover without getting sick all over again.

Shadow dives into the ground and disappears once again. Suddenly, he reappears behind Presea and collapses on top of her before she can flee. The mass remains there for a second before it spits Presea out and sends her flying. Zelos casts Lightning but the spell doesn't garner any response from the mass.

I hurry back to the melee fighters. With everyone around me again, I get an idea . . .

I know Flame Lance and I know Air Blade. If I follow Genis' instructions and the instructions on the spell book . . .

I begin casting a new spell. This one takes up more of my concentration and energy than any other spell. I try to focus on this task and ignore the battle around me—

Shadow collapses on top of me. I feel myself get flung around and I suddenly shoot up into the air. I land harshly on the ground with a thud.

Zelos now constantly casts healing spells as he fills in the hole Raine left empty when she disappeared. Our remaining orange and pineapple gels go to Zelos to keep him casting healing spells while the apple and lemon gels stay on the rest of us to patch up any wounds Zelos missed or to keep our energy up. Each time I try the new spell I get interrupted by either Shadow attacking me or someone pulling me out of Shadow's range. Eventually I just gave up on casting that new spell. I'll get to it during practice or up against some monsters.

Shadow casts another spell. "Crumble . . ."

A dark sphere traps Zelos and shatters around him. The dark mana stabs and pierces into him, causing severe pain. He falls to the ground completely unconscious.

I search my bag for life bottles but only find gels. I call out, "Does anyone have any . . ." I stop when I find that the others were searching their bags for life bottles too and came up with nothing. Then I remember: Raine was the one who had the life bottles.

The closest thing to a healer we have is now out of the battle.

"That's it! No more messing around!" Sheena begins casting some sort of spell. It doesn't feel like a summon yet it does at the same time. "Cover for me!"

I grab my spear and race to Sheena's side. Presea and I keep a good eye out for Shadow. When we finally spot him rising up from the floor, we dive in to fight him. I lash my spear at him in rapid strikes and slashes. Presea joins in and swings her heavy ax into Shadow's form. Where I lack in power, Presea picks up on; where Presea lacks in speed, I pick up on. Although we don't stop the Summon Spirit, we do manage to hinder his progress.

A bolt of lightning leaps through Shadow from Sheena's direction. The powerful attack stuns Shadow momentarily, allowing a moment's pause for Presea and I to look back at the source of that strike. Lightning courses through Sheena's body and jumps to specific points on her person. Her aura radiates with Volt's mana. She looks at the two of us and commands us, "Get out of the way!"

Presea and I dash away from Sheena. The summoner takes out her cards and sends them out against Shadow. The electricity on her body jumps from whatever point and focuses on Sheena's cards before zapping Shadow. When she ends her combo, Shadow takes advantage of the split second pause and thrusts his fists onto her body. Although it knocks Sheena down and causes damage, the lightning in her mana zaps Shadow's hands and arms and causes damage in turn.

Both Sheena and Shadow take a second to recover from the attacks before going after one another again. Shadow dives at Sheena and engulfs her. Instead of disappearing into the mass, Sheena's mana zaps every part of the Summon Spirit that makes contact with her body. Shadow dissipates and silence surrounds us . . .

Shadow reappears once again and casts Bloody Lance on Sheena. The ninja easily dodges the spell, but then Shadow casts another spell. Dark Sphere traps Sheena where she is and bursts around her. Before she can get up from that attack, the vines of darkness that once got Regal rise up from under her feet and throw her into the air.

Sheena sends out a stream of lightning at Shadow. The Summon Spirit of Darkness dodges the attack and barely even feels the sparks that branch off the bolt. When Sheena lands, the vines wrap around her and restrict her from even moving. As Shadow casts a spell, Sheena touches her hand to the floor and sends a bolt of lightning to travel through the floor to the Summon Spirit. Just before the bolt makes it to Shadow, the spell completes and Bloody Lance stabs into Sheena over and over.

The ninja gasps heavily for air. The electrically charged mana fades away. When Shadow recovers, he charges at Sheena and grabs hold of her. He lifts her high into the air.

I finally cast the spell I've been trying to cast. "Spiral Flare!"

Wind laced with fire dives down from above and strikes Shadow full on the head. Although the spell is a lot smaller in range and a lot weaker than what Genis could do if he cast that, my spell at least gets the job done. Shadow releases Sheena and gives her an opportunity to renew her attack. She lashes out her cards and slams them into the Summon Spirit over and over. She ends her attack with Pyre Seal and knocks Shadow over into the ground.

Shadow remains there on the floor and slowly dissolves into the shadows. Sheena remains on her guard until Shadow reappears at the altar. He stares her down with his three eyes . . .

"Vvooowww . . ."

Sheena sighs in relief. ". . . For the sake of creating a place in which the two worlds must no longer sacrifice one another, I ask that you lend me your power."

". . . Agrreeeed . . ."

Shadow's mana collects into Sheena as the pact forms. When the transition is done, Shadow disappears. Sheena cries out, "Wait! What about our friends?"

A mass of dark mana collects before Sheena and forms into our missing companions. They all shiver and shake with fear as they realize that they are now safe. Sheena, Presea, and I hurry up to them and help a few of them up.

"You're all alright . . . !" I sigh with relief.

"N-no we're not . . ." Genis shakes where he stands. "I-I don't . . . don't ever . . . want to come back here again . . ."

Colette stares at the ground with this depressed expression. "I want to see the sun again . . ."

A tense expression carves into Lloyd's face. "Let's just get out of here as soon as we can . . ."

"What happened?" asks Sheena.

No one answers. Even if Sheena repeats her question, they all refuse to give any details. It's as though they wish to forget about the ordeal, not that anyone can blame them.

* * *

We decided it was best to rest with the Renegades where we weren't likely to get captured or arrested. After switching over to the Triet base, we take a good day-long break to get our nerves settled after that scarring experience in the Temple of Darkness. In fact, from what I can tell from the others, I'm pretty sure we'll be putting off making pacts for a couple days.

I relax in a lounge where the Renegades gather around to rest during their break. I idly watch Raine as she looks over more of the studies from the archives to see if there are any details missing and hope that she discovers that one little detail about a crazed tree apocalypse. Genis hurries up to the table where Raine is and drops a book down in front of her.

"Raine! You know that tree that Noah and his family told us about?" Genis asks with an excited grin on his face. "I think it's this tree! A linket tree! The nut that their daughter gave us matches the same kind of nuts that the linket tree produces!"

Raine leans over the book Genis offered her. "Really? Fascinating! If we find the linket tree then perhaps we can summon Aska and make a pact with him!"

"We can also make a new flute for Mithos!" adds Genis.

Raine smiles at her brother. "Yes. Also, since Noah had mentioned that the tree was around the Ossa Trail before disappearing, we can assume that the tree must be in the area."

"Let's go find it now!"

"Wait, Genis." Raine says, "Let the others rest for a little longer. After what happened in the Temple of Darkness, not everyone will be ready to leave any form of shelter so soon."

Genis frowns. "Oh . . . Yeah . . . That's right . . ."

I sigh with relief.

* * *

Nothing more was discovered about the mana links. To keep myself from feeling edgy, I focus on our task as we fly around the Ossa Trail. It didn't take very long to find the linket tree. It was out in the open even if it wasn't in a place where we could reach it on foot. From taking a good look at the area, I could tell that what caused the tree to move from the Ossa Trail to the other side of the rough terrain was a landslide.

The tree, however, is dead.

Raine studies the area as Genis stares at the tree in disappointment. After a few moments, she states, "There are a few things we need to do if we are going to revive the tree."

Lloyd asks, "What can we do?"

"First off, we need to replenish the soil and make it healthy again."

Sheena grins. "I can do that! I can summon Gnome and have him make the ground healthy again!"

"Second, since we have the linket nut that Noah's daughter gave us, if we accelerate the growth of the nut with an exsphere and strengthen it with my healing arts and the unicorn horn then we could revive the tree."

Lloyd says, "Dad or Altessa should have an exsphere or something with them."

Genis asks, "What about the wind and the melody part?"

"I can make a flute like Mithos'," Lloyd says with a smile. "I can't do anything with this little nut but if the tree has big nuts on it then I can carve something out of it."

"With the wind, if we make a pact with Sylph then I can have them carry the sound out far," Sheena informs.

"Then that settles it." Raine turns to Sheena. "Let's do what we can right now and go to Dirk later to see if he has at least an exsphere shard. Sheena, if you will, summon Gnome and replenish the ground."

"Sure." Sheena gets into a stance and holds out her hands. "I summon the servant of Mother Earth! Come, Gnome!"

Light brown mana collects at the ground and Gnome appears. "What is it?"

Sheena gestures towards the ground. "Gnome! Please make this ground healthy again!"

"Okay!" Gnome dissolves into mana and the energy pours into the ground. Although I can't tell much of a difference visually, I can feel bits of mana inside the earth that feel typical for a healthy garden.

"Alright, let's go visit Dad!" Lloyd says. "I'm sure he could have something to help the tree."

"You're pretty excited," Zelos notes. "Homesick?"

"Wha? No!" Then Lloyd admits, "Okay, maybe a little."

Raine asks in a tone that's more suggestive than asking permission, "Lloyd, would it be alright if Colette visits her family while we are in the area? Iselia is just right there."

"It . . . It's okay, Professor," Colette replies.

Lloyd looks over at her. "But Colette, don't you miss your family? I mean, it's been a long time since you saw them."

Colette shakes her head. "No. You and Genis were both banished from the village. It wouldn't be fair of me to go back when the two of you can't."

Lloyd's head dips downward a little. "But it's not fair to you if I can visit my dad but you can't visit Frank or Phaidra."

Colette firmly says, "I still stand by what I said. I won't go into Iselia."

"O-okay . . ."

* * *

I'll have to admit. Dirk's house is beautiful.

It's a lovely cottage with a second story all made of finely cut planks of wood. Potted plants and gardens in sunny patches are everywhere and placed in nice locations such as on window sills and in corners and next to the bench near Noishe's pen. Vines grow along the walls and nearly cover one side of the house. A stream flows by at peaceful pace and carries along leaves and the occasional twig.

When we approach Dirk's house, coming from the west so we didn't tip off the local ranch of our presence, it didn't take long for Dirk to spot Lloyd and come out.

. . . And he looks just like a Tolkien-esq dwarf as well as what he looks like in the game. Just FYI.

"Lloyd!" Dirk hurries to his foster son as Lloyd hurries up to him.

"Dad! How have you been?" Lloyd's wide smile in seeing his foster father for the first time in a very long time can't be missed.

"It's been the same. Though it's been a little too quiet for my tastes." Dirk smiles up at Lloyd through his thick brown beard. "I've missed ya, son."

"I missed you too, Dad."

After a second's pause, Dirk ushers, "Don't just stand there! Come in! Tell me all about your adventures!"

I stay outside while Lloyd and Dirk have a nice reunion and catch up on what's been going on. The others just wander around as the two visit. Colette, Genis, and Raine decided to let them have some time alone for a while and just relax in the comforting and familiar atmosphere. As Genis stays close to Presea who examines the forest landscape, Colette and Raine stick together.

Colette looks down into the stream. "I wonder if it's okay that I came back."

Raine looks over to Colette with a concerned expression. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I just quit in the middle of the journey," Colette explains, "even though the people of Sylvarant were cheering me on."

"It couldn't be helped. We did what we had to do," says Raine.

"But when I got my soul back, for a moment I was so happy," Colette's words grow heavy in tone, "I completely forgot about Sylvarant and focused on myself. Even after I learned about Cruxis, I only thought about myself. I forgot how much the people of this world were suffering . . ."

Raine puts her fingers under Colette's chin and gently lifts Colette's face towards her. "Even the Chosen smiles when she is happy and cries when she is sad. You don't have to bear all the burden by yourself," Raine tells her. "And also, Colette, as long as you care for the people of this world and work to ease their suffering, as you are doing now, you are the Chosen of Regeneration. At least, that is what I think."

Colette offers a small smile as her budding tears cease to manifest. ". . . Thank you, Professor."

"Aaaahhhh!"

We all look up towards the upper floor where Lloyd's cry came out. Colette, Genis, Raine, and Sheena race up to the second floor. Seeing how small Dirk's house is, and thinking that Lloyd isn't in any real trouble, I just simply stay down here. After a little time passes, though, my curiosity gets the better of me and I enter Dirk's home to listen in. Inside, I hear the others talking.

"Who was that?" asks Dirk.

"Th-that was . . . was the Wonder Chef . . ." Genis answers.

"The Wonder Chef?"

Then I hear Colette explain, "He's this friendly guy who teaches people cooking recipes. He disguises himself as items and pops out of nowhere when someone comes up to him."

"And he disguised himself as a figurine Lloyd had for . . . how long?" Genis wonders.

Dirk answers, "I believe he had that ever since he was small."

"Lloyd?" This time I hear Raine speak. "Lloyd, are you alright? . . . Lloyd?"

Silence . . .

". . . He's been here . . . in my room . . . watching me . . . Ever since I was little . . . here . . . this whole time . . ."

Finally too creeped out for my own good, I leave the house. I don't want to hear the end of that conversation.

I should probably study an item's mana before taking it home with me . . .

Regal spots me and comes up to me. "What happened? Is Lloyd alright?"

"Aaahhh . . ." How do I explain something like that? "Yeah. Yeah, he's fine. Just give him a moment."

When they all finally come out, Lloyd decides to leave rather than stay the night here. After Dirk gives a bag of random items, one item being an exsphere shard, we finally take off and leave for the linket tree. As we fly there, Lloyd is silent the entire time.

Zelos asks, "Sooo what happened back there? You just screamed but no one will tell me what happened."

". . . I'm not going to answer that."

Zelos raises an eyebrow. "We aren't supposed to ask that? Is it that disturbing?"

"Yup."

"Okay, I won't ask you about that." Then Zelos turns to Sheena. "Hey, Sheena! What happened back there?"

"If Lloyd isn't comfortable telling you then I won't say a thing either." Sheena grimaces. "In fact, I'd rather just forget about it."

* * *

As soon as we land, Raine takes the exsphere shard from Lloyd and the linket nut from Genis and plants it in the ground away from the original tree. She places the exsphere shard in with it and stands back. In one hand she holds the unicorn horn and her staff in the other. "Unicorn horn . . . grant me your power . . ."

I sense mana well up within her as she prepares a variation of one of her most powerful healing spells. "Resurrection!"

The mana within the earth pulses. Suddenly, a sprout shoots up from the ground and rises up into a full grown tree. I arch my neck up to the top of the tree and stare in awe. The leaves are green and healthy and the tree is strong and thick. Although it's a little early for this tree to have the nuts it has, with the seasons changing into spring for Sylvarant now I believe I have little to worry about for this tree.

"Wow! Professor, that was amazing!" Lloyd gawks at the new linket tree.

Presea walks up towards the tree and points towards the branches. "These nuts should be large enough to make a flute. It will be in the shape of a potato and won't resemble the original pan-pipes Mithos lent us but it will do."

Colette flies up to the branches and picks a few of the nuts. She descends back to the ground and allows Lloyd and Presea to cherry pick the one with the best size and shape. When they made their selection, they turn back to us. Lloyd informs us, "It shouldn't take too long for us to make a flute. It'll take a couple days so we can spend that time making pacts."

"Hey, Lloyd." Genis steps up to Lloyd and Presea. "Once we summon Aska, let's give the flute to Mithos. It's because of us that it got broken."

Regal adds, "It would be best if we do that, in my opinion. If Mithos had not lent his pan-pipes to us then we would have been killed in Rodyle's ranch."

Lloyd smiles. "Sure! We'll give it to Mithos after we summon Aska."

"What now?" Zelos wonders. "Are we going to make a pact with another Summon Spirit or are we going to summon Aska?"

"Let's make a pact with the Summon Spirit of Fire first since we are in the area," Raine says. "This will give Lloyd and Presea time to make the flute and will eliminate any excess time we take up that we could spend making the pacts."

Uh-oh . . . I turn to Raine and say, "Making an instrument requires a lot of time and patience so we might have to let Lloyd and Presea focus on the flute rather than dividing their attention."

"In that case, we will allow them to step aside when deciding who will fight alongside Sheena during the pact making," Raine states.

"Won't they need specific tools?" I question.

"I have them. Don't worry about that," assures Lloyd.

"We have the necessary equipment and skill to handle this," Presea informs.

"Ah . . . Okay."

I can't delay them from making pacts without giving away a disaster that I _shouldn't_ know will happen. Then again, I don't really know if this will happen or not but . . . I don't want to risk it. In any case, I'd have to explain about how I know about the tree and that will put a huge strain on my relationship with the others, to put it lightly. I . . .

I don't know what to do, really.

I am so royally screwed.

* * *

Please review. Hopefully most of you will get this with the page breaks.


	70. Returning to the Ossa Trail

This chapter feels . . . clumsy. Maybe because I've been going back and forth between lots of ideas.

I'd like to draw attention to a drawing by Kikionai who drew a picture of my OC. The link to the specific drawing is in my profile if anyone is interested and, please, take a look at the rest of her gallery and artwork. She's got a nice style.

Finally reached chapter #70. I wonder how long it'll be before I reach #100 and where I'll be in the story by then . . .

* * *

Chapter Seventy: Returning to the Ossa Trail

Sunscreen? Check.

Desert friendly clothes that reduce heat? Check.

Hair up and away from neck? Check.

Large water ration? Check.

Stupid list to introduce a new adventure? Check.

We fly straight from the Renegade Triet base where we borrowed our supplies for specifically the Triet desert climate right over to the Triet desert. Being a native of Texas, I'm used to high temperatures but . . . well, it doesn't exactly prepare me for the scorching heat that the desert has. Like any other sane person, I appreciate air conditioning. The clothes I wear, though, really do help to keep the heat off my body. I kinda look like a native of Triet but, hey, I'm not going to complain as long as I don't die from heat stroke.

. . . But I wonder how I'd start complaining if I do die from heat stroke? Hmmm . . . Maybe I'll just haunt Lloyd and start complaining there. Yeah, I'll totally haunt Lloyd. I know that's a bit ironic since I'm a Christian and I'm supposed to be looking forward to an afterlife of living on the clouds with Jesus but the opportunity to be an additional annoyance in someone's life for a little bit sounds pretty good if I'm going to die from something like a heat stroke when we have a healer and several other people watching each others' health.

As we approach the ruins we begin our descent. I squint my eyes as sand starts blowing up into our faces and hope that the amount of sand blowing around in the wind isn't as bad on the ground, though I'm probably just kidding myself on that. When we finally land, I do my best to blink the sand out of my eyes rather than rub them and hurt my eyes. We stop, however, at the strange sight of a certain Renegade knelt down on a low platform within the Triet Ruins.

"Maverick!" Lloyd steps up on the platform and approaches the Renegade. "What are you doing here? . . . Where's the oracle stone?"

"This really is the entrance to the Fire Seal?" Genis glances about. "I was wondering if we landed in the wrong part of the Triet Ruins."

Maverick stands from his spot and faces all of us. "You did find the right place. The problem is that Cruxis blocked the Fire Seal by closing the entrance and removing the oracle stone."

"They can do that?" Colette asks.

Maverick sends the Chosen an irritated glare. "Of course they can do that, you bimbo. This is Cruxis."

"Hey!" Sheena snaps, "Don't call Colette a bimbo!"

Regal questions, "Is there another way into the temple?"

"Not without making our own entrance and that requires heavy machinery." Maverick turns to the side and kneels back down to the spot he studies. "If I can make the oracle stones appear then the doors should open."

"The temples are only open when a Chosen has activated an oracle stone or during a flourishing era," Raine says. "If Cruxis has control over the oracle stones then how do you plan on making them appear?"

"You simply have to understand how Cruxis makes the oracle stones appear." Maverick explains, "Considering the massive distance between Derris-Kharlan and the temples and the complex triggers that would make an oracle stone appear, Cruxis will need magitechnology on both sides in order to make an oracle stone appear at each temple consistently. Of course, Cruxis has the main controls, but since technology has a tendency to fail at the worst possible moment, Cruxis would need some sort of back up on this side."

"Why would they need a back up at a temple?" Presea asks. "Would they have that at their base?"

"Usually any malfunction that happens up at Derris-Kharlan can be quickly fixed through the back up here in case the Chosen arrives before the angels in charge of the oracle stones notice. While Yggdrasill's favorite pet human would guard the Chosen, he would use the back up here if there was a mistake and started coming over here early while the Chosen slept at night to cover up the mistake." Then Maverick adds, "Well, he did that until the Renegades decided to take advantage of his quick absence."

Zelos questions, "So why are you here instead of Botta?"

"Because Botta and his team are busy looking for where Cruxis hid the Balacruf map so you can enter the Temple of Wind," answers Maverick. "And no, you can't just fly up to the altar on your rheairds. Botta's team learned the hard way that Cruxis planted a device to interfere with the rheairds at a certain range while they were investigating the Temple of Wind."

"Cruxis is finally moving against our efforts," Regal says.

"They've been doing so ever since you made a pact with Celsius." Maverick spots a point of interest at the very edge of the stone slab and digs his fingers into the stone as if prying something out. "I have to wonder what they did at the Temple of Darkness . . ."

Sheena glares. "So Cruxis was the one who broke Shadow into pieces! I should've guessed it!"

Maverick pauses in his work to gawk at Sheena's words. "Broke a _Summon Spirit_ into pieces? How could anyone . . ." Then his expression turns indifferent. "Unless Yggdrasill used _it_ then that would make all the sense in the world . . ."

"'It'?" Lloyd repeats.

Maverick ignores Lloyd and pulls a part of the stone slab out from the side. We move around him to get a good look at what he found and discover a small compartment with an advanced number punch pad of some sort inside. Sensing that it's been pulled out, the machine turns on with the demand for a word pass code.

"Fascinating!" Raine pushes those next to her away from her and leans towards the machine. She starts leaning close enough for Maverick to scowl at her in discomfort. "Hmmm. It demands a pass code. Maverick, do you have any idea what it could be?"

"If you give me back my personal space then I might," he bites. When Raine scoots over, Maverick nods at her. "If Kratos was the one who uses this most of the time then it will have a pass code of his choosing. Let's hope I'm right otherwise it'll take a day for me to manipulate the mana so it activates on its own."

Maverick stares down at the machine. He rapidly taps his forefinger four times against the compartment's side before punching in a code. The machine beeps and, after a couple seconds, the oracle stone fades into existence.

"It actually worked!" I gawk in disbelief.

Maverick slides the compartment back in place and remarks, "If knowing is half the battle then anyone who knows enough about Kratos would have already finished half the battle of any conflict they enter against him."

"What?" Lloyd stares at Maverick.

The Renegade gets up and observes us as Colette moves over to the oracle stone. "In other words, Kratos is too predictable for his own good."

Colette presses her hand into the oracle stone and the slab blocking the entrance moves away. We move around to go down the stairs and leave Maverick there. Sheena, though, makes an effort to comment, "If you try anything . . ."

Maverick smirks. "Like I will. I'm not going down there. Efreet has a worse record for violence than Volt does."

Sheena frowns in concern. ". . . Are you making that up to scare me?"

"Look around you. These ruins weren't made from a population abandoning the city. This was the results of Efreet wiping out an entire city larger than Palmacosta off the face of the map." Then the Renegade smiles maliciously. "Good luck~!"

Sheena scowls venomously at the Renegade.

We go down the stairs into the temple. The stairs themselves are long but are nothing like the Water Seal. It doesn't even feel long before we enter a large hallway circling around a much larger room inside. Sheena stops and turns to us.

"Okay, I'm going to pick who I'd like to come with me to the fight," announces Sheena. "Lloyd and Presea, you two need to work on that flute so you need to stay here. Anyone who won't volunteer for this?"

Zelos replies, "I won't. I'm just going to stick to the side this time like a lazy bum."

I glance at Zelos with a raised questioning eyebrow before looking back at Sheena. "I actually have a reason. I'm not much of a melee fighter and my most powerful attacks are _fire_ spells. I won't do much against the Summon Spirit of _Fire_ so I'm going to stay here with Lloyd and Presea and Zelos."

"Anyone else?" Sheena asks.

No one else volunteers to stay behind.

"Okay . . ." Sheena scans over the remaining members. ". . . Raine, Genis, I need your spells." Genis grins and nods while Raine gives a confirming reply. "And Colette, come with me. Your chakrams can keep you from getting burned by getting too close." The ninja motions with her hand. "You three come with me. We'll see the rest of you in a bit."

Lloyd frowns and steps forward towards her. "What about what Maverick said? What if Efreet attacks you like he did with the Triet ruins?"

"Then we'll subdue him like we did with Volt and make a pact," says Sheena. She smiles reassuringly at him. "Don't worry about us, Lloyd. We can take care of ourselves."

"Okay. Get back safely."

Sheena grins at him and turns away to leave as Colette, Genis, and Raine follow the summoner in. Lloyd sighs and joins by Presea's side as she takes out whittling tools and the linket nut. Not willing to sit around and watch people, I move off to the side and start practicing spells. I should at least get all of my mid-level spells down by now, Spark Wave and Grave first in my mind.

As Lloyd helps Presea start whittling at the linket nut, he pauses every now and then to glance up at the entrance where we left Maverick. Finally, when his nerves get the better of him, Lloyd gets up and excuses himself. "I'm going to check on Maverick. I'll be back in a second."

"Ah, alright," Presea replies.

Lloyd walks up the stairs into the desert. However, as soon as he gets close to the top, he begins to hear Maverick speaking as if conversing with someone else. Lloyd slows down to hear the conversation and discovers Yuan's voice in the exchange as well.

". . . I suppose that's a risk I have to take."

"Maverick, you will obey my orders and abandon that suicidal plan of action," commands Yuan's voice. "The Renegades cannot afford to have you captured and leak precious information. Is that final?"

"Understood."

"As for the information I sent you . . ."

"I have it now. I will give it to Lloyd and the summoner Sheena as soon as they finish making a pact with Efreet."

"Is everything under control?"

"As in Efreet isn't roasting everyone alive? I would say yes."

Lloyd finally makes it to the top of the stairs and peeks over at Maverick. He sees the Renegade's back but Yuan is nowhere in sight. As Maverick speaks, he keeps his hand up and level with his face, obscuring what's in his hand from view.

"Good. Once the pact has been made, have Lloyd's group rendezvous with Botta at the Ossa Trail."

With that, Maverick turns off whatever is in his hand and pockets it. The Renegade stares out into the desert, seemingly oblivious to Lloyd. Lloyd studies Maverick for a moment before walking up to the man.

"What was that about?" he asks.

Maverick spares a glance before looking back out into the vast desert expanse. "After your summoner makes the pact with Efreet, I will guide you to the Ossa Trail where Botta will be waiting for you. A piece of the Balacruf map was located near the area."

"'My summoner' has a name," Lloyd says. "Her name is Sheena Fujibayashi."

Maverick snaps, "Will you ignore the meaningless details and listen to my point?"

Lloyd argues, "Can you at least treat Sheena with some respect?"

"You want me to call her by her name? Fine, but I won't repeat what I was trying to tell you!"

"We're going to the Ossa Trail to meet with Botta! I know what we're doing next!" After driving that point in, Lloyd calms himself down and asks, "Do you know how we can get the Balacruf map?"

Maverick makes an irritated shrug. "I don't know since Botta is the one who has the details. My guess is that Cruxis sent a team of angels to guard the piece in case someone was able to find it."

"Angels . . . !"

"Nothing like Kratos or a Chosen," Maverick corrects. "These angels are more like the oracles sent to Chosens with physical eagle-shaped wings rather than mana-based wings."

"Oh! Like Remiel!" Then Lloyd asks, "Are those angels going to be like Remiel?"

"Would 'creepy doll-like lifeless beings with literally no personality whatsoever' describe Remiel?"

"Huh? No, not at all." Lloyd says, "Remiel was a jerk who acted like he was Colette's real father for no good reason and wanted to offer her to Martel in order to become one of the Four Seraphim!"

Maverick raises an eyebrow at Lloyd before commenting, ". . . There are several things wrong about Remiel then. I can see why Cruxis would restore some restrictions on an oracle angel's Cruxis Crystal to make sure they had enough personality not to fall under the Uncanny Valley but perhaps they should have paid attention to some of his personality before sending him down. How could someone think that the Four Seraphim would add anyone to the list without some really big reasons?"

Lloyd frowns. "Just who is the Fourth Seraphim, anyway?"

"Fourth Seraph. 'Seraph' is singular while 'seraphim' is plural." Maverick replies, "Don't you think it could be Martel? It's been established that she does exist as a person."

Lloyd shakes his head. "No, it can't be Martel. Cruxis named her as a goddess and all the angels including Kratos and Remiel called her a goddess even though they knew we knew Cruxis' true colors. They never even called her a seraph. And Martel being both a goddess and a seraph is like someone being both a general and a second-in-command. It doesn't make sense."

"Then who do you think the Fourth Seraph is?" Maverick questions.

"I don't know! If that Fourth Seraph is still alive then why haven't we met him?" Lloyd scowls in frustration.

"Perhaps you did meet the Fourth Seraph," suggests the Renegade. "You already met the other Seraphim. Yggdrasill, Kratos, Yuan . . . Why would the fourth keep him or herself from getting involved in something like this?"

Lloyd pauses as he thinks this through. "Maybe we already met the Fourth Seraph . . . Could be anyone we met . . ." His eyes widen as Lloyd reaches a conclusion. The swordsman snaps towards Maverick and exclaims, "Is it Pronyma?"

"Ahahahahahahahahah!" Maverick turns away from Lloyd and doubles up in wild laughter. "That made my day! Ahahahah! Made. My. F**king. _Day!_"

Lloyd scowls. "What? What's wrong with what I said?"

"What's going on?"

Zelos steps out into the open and looks between Lloyd and Maverick. After a pause, Zelos looks over at Lloyd. "Presea's waiting on you, man. It's not cool to keep a girl waiting like that."

"Sorry. I'll go back down and help her." Lloyd approaches the stairs but pauses just before going down. He faces Maverick again. ". . . Were you being serious about all that Fourth Seraph stuff?"

"Heheheh . . . Heh . . ." Maverick calms down from his laughter and answers, "Since when have I taken anything seriously? The details about the Four Seraphim are something you should ask Yuan about. How could someone like me know anything about that? I should thank you, though . . ." He smirks. "You gave me good material to scar Kratos with the next time I'm unlucky enough to meet him."

Zelos frowns and mutters to himself, "I know I'm going to regret asking but . . ." He then speaks aloud. "Just what do you have in mind?"

"I can't believe I'm explaining the joke . . ." Maverick huffs disdainfully at Zelos. "Pronyma uses underhanded tactics to climb her way up the ranks; sleeping with superiors is one such tactic she's notorious for. The only angels that could actually be receptive to her 'charms' are the Cruxis Seraphim, and since Yggdrasill and Yuan won't promote her even if she slept with them, take a good guess which superior might be receptive."

Zelos' mouth twitches. ". . . Kratos and . . . Pronyma . . ."

"Kratos and Pronyma." Maverick waves a dismissive hand. "She's been eyeing him for a very long while anyway so there's no question that she'll go for him first. I imagine Pronyma has been imagining herself performing some . . . devious and raunchy actions on Kratos' person. Actions that dip into BDSM, an assortment of strange fetishes, and role playing."

Zelos stares at Maverick for a moment before turning away to go back down the stair. ". . . I'm going to have Kelsey use me as target practice. Maybe some brain damage will wipe that image out of my brain."

Maverick smirks at Zelos and uses a near-accurate imitation of Kratos' voice to say, "Last night was . . . quite exhilarating. Frankly, I enjoyed it. As I promised I will put in a few words to Lord Yggdrasill and then it will be in his hands to decide. However, if you wish, we can continue this as a more . . . casual relationship separate from our duties."

"And my ears. I can live without my ears."

"I'm right behind you, Zelos." Lloyd hurries back into the Temple of Fire away from Maverick's mocking gaze.

Back inside, I finished my practice and go back to studying Genis' spell book. Now that I can successfully cast all mid-level spells without looking them up, I'm now taking a good look at the advanced spells. Unfortunately, I'm having some concentration issues.

"For the last time, no, Zelos!" I force my eyes to focus on the book rather than the idiot nagging at me. "I am not going to give you brain damage induced amnesia!"

Zelos huffs at me. "Fine. If you won't put me out of my misery then I'll just share the pain. Imagine Kratos and Pronyma together doing the most sexually explicit things you can think of. Take a moment and _really_ picture that."

Schmuck bait? Totally. Do I care? Not really. I waste a second of my precious life to imagine Kratos sleeping with Pronyma. The image is fuzzy as I find it hard to imagine and quite unbelievable.

I shrug. "Meh. I can live."

Zelos gives me a flat look and kneels down to speak in my ear. I feel my body rise several temperatures as Zelos paints the image in my head and refuses to spare any details. Finally, I get over my shock enough to react.

"EWWWW! NO! NO NO NO! I hate you! _I hate you!_" I wrap my arms around my body and shudder. "_Ugh_ . . . I feel so _dirty_ . . . And not in the fun way . . . !"

"Least I have company," says Zelos.

"What is going on?" Regal enters the hall and examines the situation.

"Nothing, Regal~!"

"I'll never be able to see Kratos the same way ever again . . ."

Regal motions towards the hallway Lloyd and Presea are in. "Come back to the group, Kelsey. It's not safe to be alone."

"Then what am I? Chopped liver?" Zelos nags.

I close Genis' spell book and hurry over to Regal's side. My expression tells him that I'm suffering through clear mental scarring. Zelos scowls in reaction. "Fine. Be that way."

"Regal, you're such a gentleman. Don't ever change that."

"Feh." Zelos walks towards us but stops when he spots movement from outside one of the branching passageways. He grins widely and says, "Hey, there, Miss Jugglies! Did you make the pact?"

Sheena, Colette, Raine, and Genis rejoin us, each one with burned clothes and smelling really bad. Sweat drips down from their faces and waits on Raine as she switches from each individual burn. Despite sporting mild burns on her face, Colette still manages to smile with this exhausted yet victorious air, telling all of us the results of the battle.

Sheena scowls at Zelos. "Replace 'Miss Jugglies' with my name and maybe I'll answer that."

Lloyd stands and smiles from ear to ear. "You did it!"

I glance away to hide my frown. Hurry up and get that information, Yuan . . . !

Sheena grins. "Efreet was mad about how this Mithos person broke his pact so he was pretty willing to make a new one. Pretty encouraging, actually."

Mad? Naaahhh, I don't think so. I bet he was just a little miffed when he wiped old Triet off the face of the earth.

"Next is Sylph the Summon Spirit of Wind, right?" Sheena says.

"Yeah, but what about the Balacruf map?" asks Genis. "Maverick said that Cruxis hid it to keep us from forming the pact."

Lloyd mentions, "I just talked to Maverick and he told me that we're supposed to meet with Botta at the Ossa Trail about that."

"Is that so?" Raine turns her eyes at the end of the stairway and narrows them suspiciously.

"Least that's what I heard."

Regal says, "The only thing we can do now is head to this Ossa Trail and keep our guards up."

Sheena scowls. "No kidding."

Lloyd tilts his head and twists his mouth into a half frown. ". . . I want to trust Maverick on this since we're allies now. He doesn't have a reason to go against us."

"He doesn't have a reason to act against us _right now_." Raine reminds, "He acted on his own when he kidnapped you."

"What can we do, though?" I ask. "The fastest way to find out if something's up is to fly over the Ossa Trail and look for Botta. Even if he does fight us, it's nine against one; he won't stand a chance."

I see the others nod in agreement as they add their own mental notes and remarks to the situation. With that, we return to the surface and rejoin Maverick who idly stands about with this bored expression. Even while Lloyd approaches him without checking his surroundings, a few of us make sure that this time there isn't a repeat of what happened at the Temple of Ice. However, all that happens is Maverick gives us an impatient frown. "Let's go, already," he urges us.

We fly high over the desert directly to the Ossa Trail and land in an inconsequential spot. When Maverick informs us that Botta will come to us, we wait on the Renegades' second-in-command to approach us. Once our waiting pays off, we stand face to face with Botta while his men are elsewhere. Looking at Botta gives me chills as I remember what could—or should—have happened to the man.

"You finally arrived." Botta removes his helmet and stares at us with bloodshot eyes.

"You look like you had fun." Maverick offers a lazy smile.

"It was . . . eventful, to say the least." Botta turns to the side and beckons at us with his hand. "Follow me. We will discuss the issue in a safer location."

Botta leads us to another area of the Ossa Trail. Often times I find the footing poor enough where I had to grab onto someone else for support or the ground giving away and causing me to fall over. Poor Colette fell so many times that she just decided to make things easier on herself by hovering. We enter a well-guarded camp site patrolled by many Renegades keeping guard against any suspecting foes. Botta leads us into the middle of camp and spreads out a map of the area out on the ground. Lloyd and Raine kneel down before the map while the rest of us gather around. In the corner of my eye, I spot Maverick breaking away from our group and sitting down against a tree, casually surveying the immediate area without a single care. I decide to ignore him and let Botta worry about the man as I switch my focus to the map.

Botta points down to a forested area northwest of Izoold and northeast of the Ossa Trail. "This is where the Balacruf Map is guarded. Cruxis placed five angels around the map and stationed Kratos Aurion there."

Zelos remarks, "Doesn't the guy have anything better to do like running Cruxis?"

"No kidding." Lloyd asks, "What can these angels do? We only saw Remiel, the oracle Cruxis sent to Colette. Are they any different from Remiel?"

"Very different." Botta informs, "These angels have lost all traces of humanity and only live to fulfill Yggdrasill's orders. They are dolls with only self-preservation and obeying the orders of superiors as their goals and will fight to the death with whatever method of combat they specialize in. They don't even feel anything that could be recognized as feelings nor are capable of being moved by concepts such as mercy. As they are, they are merely tools and no longer people."

"Just like . . . I was . . ." Colette pales.

Sheena questions, "Can't we put a key crest on them and save them?"

"You will be killed by them as soon as you get close enough to place a key crest on them," Botta says with a stern look. "The only way to 'save them' is by giving them a quick and merciful death."

Lloyd grimaces. "That doesn't sound right . . . A 'quick and merciful death'? It sounds like two contradictory things in one word or two."

"You mean an oxymoron?" I offer.

"An oxy . . . moron? You mean a moron that looks like an ox?"

Raine returns the conversation to the situation at hand by asking, "Botta, how do you plan on eliminating these angels with minimal casualties to us?"

Botta turns away to a wide metallic box at his side. "I was hoping that Maverick would come with you to our camp. He is our answer to swiftly destroy the angels with absolutely no casualties to us if we are lucky."

"A job. How delightful." Maverick doesn't look over to Botta until he spots something flying towards his direction. He reflexively catches the object and stares at it with wide eyes. What appears to be a, whether you believe it or not, rifle of some sort lies in Maverick's hands. A dark and angry glare immediately replaces the wide eyes. "Looks like Yuan really was scrapping the bottom of the barrel when he picked _you_ as his second-in-command. You do not _handle_ fire arms like this! Especially not when they're _loaded_, which is _also_ something you do not do when you are not about to use them!" Despite his wrath, Maverick's hands cautiously remove the bullets inside the gun. Once the bullets are removed, his free hand jabs and moves in emphasis with his speech. "What you just did is _begging_ for a tragic accident! That man just right there could have been _killed_ if this fire arm accidentally shot!"

The Renegade member that Maverick pointed to jumps and scrambles away from the line of fire of rifle's barrel.

"Lastly, _how_ did you get into my fire arm stores?" Maverick demands. "I keep that room locked!"

"I have the overriding code for the entire base." Botta moves away from Maverick to get back to the plan.

Maverick doesn't let him and continues on with his rant. "The next time I catch you around my fire arms without _my_ permission, I'll spare you the pain of accidentally killing yourself and shoot you myself—_especially if I find you mishandling them!_" Then he adds, "You most certainly won't be the first idiot I shoot!"

"Back to the plan . . ." Botta turns back to the map. "We will have Maverick take out the angels and retreat once he is flushed out. Then, at my signal, we will rush in and take out the remaining angels. We will have to rely on numbers for this since we are otherwise considerably weaker than Kratos and the angelic soldiers."

Regal asks, "Why not disable Kratos when we have the chance?"

"Because Kratos always finds a way to survive," Maverick interrupts with. "For one, if I aim my fire arm at something I must be prepared to destroy it and everything around and behind it so 'disabling Kratos' is out of the question. Secondly, I already tried disabling, killing, maiming, and otherwise annihilating Kratos many times with many different weapons. He _always_ survives. Besides, why waste bullets on someone who can still feel merciful when I need to aim at the ones who can't?"

"Sounds like a touched nerve," Sheena grimly notes.

"_In the end_," Botta loudly says in an effort to draw our attention back to him, "if everything goes well, we would have all the angels taken down and force Kratos into retreating. Any questions?"

"When will we do this?" Lloyd asks.

"As soon as we can mobilize everyone," answers Botta.

Colette raises her hand. "I have a question too."

"Yes?"

"Can you repeat everything you said? I didn't catch anything . . ."

* * *

I feel my stomach knot up as I cram study spells I copied from Genis' spell book as I try to ignore some of the looks I'm getting from the Renegades surrounding me. Sheena gives me an encouraging pat on the shoulder but it doesn't do much to help my nerves. I don't think we even go up against angels in the game until we reach Derris-Kharlan so . . . yeah, I don't feel very prepared with my still-getting-at-mid-level spells.

The group's been divided up according to our specialties and our needs. Mages like Genis, Raine, and me are in the back away from the main battle and granted our own little team so the angels can't kill us squishy mages if the fight ends up coming towards us. Raine especially got quite a bit of protection since she's the most advanced healer.

Then there's everyone else who are all melee fighters. Lloyd, Colette, and Regal are now part of the group that will charge in and take care of whatever Maverick leaves standing; Sheena, Zelos, and Presea are left behind to protect squishy vulnerable mages, especially Sheena considering that we don't want to risk our summoner. Sheena is with me; Presea is with Genis so the boy is probably a stuttering mess right now; then Zelos is with Raine in case the healer needs healing.

Then we have our sniper Maverick situated even further away from the battle than we are. I look up at his direction yet still don't see him through the cover he's under. Hopefully the angels can't see him either . . .

As for my own view, I can see the angels just fine. Sure there's some nature in the way but I can see them. Kratos accompanied by five swordsman angels surround what appears to be the Balacruf map, though it seems a little small to be the actual map. He scans the area with a narrowed glare. His hand stays on his sword and he pays keen attention to every single sound.

. . . I think he knows we're here . . .

A small pop echoes through. As soon as the sound happens, Kratos brings up his Guardian barrier. However, he finds that the angels are the targets and sees one fall before he can get an order out.

"Cover!" he shouts.

Under Maverick's fire, one more angel falls while another one is disabled in the wing before the remaining angels gain shelter from the rifle. Kratos keeps his barrier up as he leaves to take down Maverick. I start wondering if this is a shift in priorities since on one hand he'll lose the Balacruf map but on another he'll take down a Renegade member who's fully capable of killing many Chosens even if Kratos guards them. I begin charging spells and prepare to cast them for when the remaining angels come out.

When Lloyd and Botta charge in with the rest, the angels fly out from their hiding places to defend the Balacruf map. I immediately cast Spark Wave in an attempt to make them stagger in pace and result in simply adding minor damage with no change in their pace. Genis casts stalagmite on the one angel who can't fly and narrowly hits it. Lloyd, Regal, and Botta block against the large sword swings that fell other Renegade members while Colette uses lightning-based attacks to strike from above before one of the two flying angels charge at her. Their speed and strength easily rivals Lloyd and Colette's speed and strength.

Wow . . . I severely underestimated them . . .

One of the Renegades announces, "Mage One's team is going in! We're losing too many men!"

Even with Raine using her healing arts as fast as she can?

I hope Genis will be alright without protection . . .

I speed up my casting and start using Flame Lance, Spark Wave, and Spiral Flare. Eventually, I start practicing other spells for mastery such as Grave. Genis starts sending out his advanced level spells such as Dreaded Wave, trying to get the angels to slow down as those below start going on the defensive. I spot even the union attack Rock Mountain as Genis and Zelos cast out another spell to at least get the weakest angel.

"Everyone, we're going in! Those of you assigned to Mage Two stay!"

Sheena nods and dashes in. "Right! Hang on, guys!"

Oh help . . . !

I get a grip on myself and send in spells as fast as I can. There's no rhyme or reason to my attacks as I just simply spam spells left and right and hope they hit an angel.

Speaking of angels, one nearly killed Lloyd by flying from one end of the battle to the other with an upward slash. Colette saves him by flying above Lloyd's head and blocking the attack. Lloyd takes advantage of the block and manages to slice off one of this angel's wings. As soon as that angel goes down, the Renegade foot soldiers take advantage of this chance and finish it off.

Now with only two remaining, the other angels take their fighting a step up and become absolutely relentless. Raine takes out the unicorn horn and matches their pace even as she overly strains herself. The flightless angel runs through the group and kills a Renegade while slicing Regal open. Lloyd bolts through and takes down the angel, making its death as quick as possible. Lloyd sticks around Regal until he sees that Raine healed him and goes after the last angel—

In a narrow dodge, Lloyd avoids a close shave with the last angel's sword. Sheena goes around to the angel's back but ends up having to jump away when the angel counterattacks with a horizontal sword swing. Botta, Presea, and Regal join in and, together with everyone else, swamp the angel. Suddenly, I see everyone relaxing and moving away from the angel, revealed to be nothing more than a dead body. With the battle over, I rejoin the others.

Raine, Zelos, and Regal run about casting healing spells on any survivors while the rest of us fork over all our gels to anyone who needs them, especially the orange and pineapple gels to the mages. Lloyd focuses on doing what he can for the injured but, even after we take care of them, he still stares down at the dead—both the angels and the nine Renegade members we lost—with this expression of deep guilt and pain.

"Lloyd! Get over here and look at this!"

Lloyd answers Sheena's call and rejoins us at the Balacruf map. "What is it . . . What?" He stares down at a piece of stone which used to be the Balacruf map. "It's . . . !"

"Broken in pieces!" Genis finishes. "Cruxis broke it into pieces!"

"It must be repairable, though," Regal points out. "Cruxis wouldn't send angels to guard it if this was irreversible."

"Yeah, but . . ." Lloyd looks back towards the Renegades as they collect their dead and prepare to send them back to the base. "Nine people? Can we really allow ourselves to sacrifice nine people?" Then he turns to the angels. "Then what about them? They're just like Colette was before we got her soul back!"

"Sometimes it's necessary to do things we are averse to," Raine tells him.

Lloyd shakes his head. "I'm not going to just accept that! These are actual people who have lives to live!"

"Do you think the angels feel the same about you? Do you think they will hesitate to kill you?" Raine questions. "After this battle, we all know the answer to that."

"But this still isn't right!" Lloyd insists. "We shouldn't sacrifice them for our cause!"

"Lloyd, stop that." I say to him, "These men are soldiers. It's their duty to fight, and if needed, die for their cause; and since our goals and their goals are one and the same now, they are simply doing their duty. Failure would be a bigger dishonor to them than a victory with tragic ends. If you want to honor their deaths then keep their efforts from going to waste by taking this world away from Cruxis' control."

Raine then diverts the conversation back on topic. "In any case, what we need to do next is locate the rest of the Balacruf map. Perhaps we could use the map's mana signature to do this."

Genis' eyes widen. "Its mana signature? But it'll just get drown out by any stones of similar signatures!"

"Take another look, Genis." Raine holds out the chunk of stone in her hands towards him. "The oracle stone at the Temple of Wind identifies the Balacruf map by its mana signature, not by its size and fit. If we can track the rest of the pieces by using the unique mana signature this piece has then we can put it back together."

Genis approaches the stone and tilts his head to the side as if listening to some sort of unknown sound. ". . . Oh! I get it now, sis! Yeah, this is weird."

"I would also like Maverick's aid as a second opinion during the mana analysis," says Raine. "Botta, when do you think Maverick will be back?"

Botta looks up from his grim work and informs, "Maverick does whatever he pleases in the first place but he should report to either me or Lord Yuan. I will send word along to Lord Yuan to send him back here in case he doesn't return."

"How can we be sure about that?" Regal asks. "Last we checked, Kratos was chasing after Maverick."

"Maverick has the ability to survive even with the odds against him, much like Kratos does," Botta states. "I'm sure he will make it out of that in one piece."

"He managed to escape Kratos before when he kidnapped Lloyd so why can't he do it again?" Sheena reminds.

Colette says, "Let's just wait for Maverick until he gets back. I'm sure he'll be alright."

After that we all set ourselves different tasks. Lloyd, Colette, and I help the Renegades send their dead back to their base via portable teleportation unit, Raine tends to the wounded before analyzing the piece of the Balacruf map with Genis, Sheena and Presea set up camp, and Zelos and Regal help with patrol. Once the dead are gone and camp is set, we settle down for the day and take turns with patrol while we give Maverick some time to return.

Once the latest patrol comes back, Sheena and I get paired off and leave the camp. We go deep into the forest and simply chatter as we go about our business.

"You seem a bit nervous about breaking the mana links," Sheena comments.

"Ah . . . well . . ." How do I answer this?

"It's as though you're averse to it." Sheena wonders, "Is there something you're not telling us? We'll see how we can get around it if you just tell us."

Ah, yeah, I can just imagine it and Yuan's reaction.

Sheena: I'm sorry, Yuan, but we can't continue with this path because there's a tree apocalypse that was predicted by a video game made about us. Maybe we can figure out a different way?

Yuan: . . . Please tell me this is some sort of joke because this has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard—and I have seen some stupid things in my incredibly long life.

As if anyone will believe me until it's too late . . .

"Well . . ." I speak slowly and deliberately as I fish for the right words. "We're dealing with a lot of energy . . . so the consequences would be severe. I mean, it just sounds way too convenient: break some vital and powerful links that cause large earthquakes and the worlds will simply separate and weaken Cruxis' hold. There has to be something else to it."

"Relax. Yuan is looking into this and, so far, there isn't anything we need to worry other than Cruxis stopping us." Sheena smiles at me reassuringly.

I don't return the smile. "But this is a lot of power! Usually if you destroy something with a lot of power you end up with a big boom!"

"Is that how things went in your world?"

"Yeahuhwaitwhat?"

"You know . . ." Sheena prompts, "Where ever you originally came from?"

I stare at her as my mind pulls up a mental blue screen of death.

Sheena sighs and explains, "I overheard Raine telling Genis about you being from another world and I was confused so I tried to make sense out of it. Even after that I was still confused so I talked to Regal and Presea who were just kind of . . . well . . . standing there awkwardly together, probably not able to talk to each other."

I remain silent.

"So, uh, I think the only one who doesn't know about your origins would be Lloyd." Sheena then bites the inside of her cheek. ". . . He's going to be really mad once he finds out that he's the only one who doesn't know about this."

Error error error error error . . .

Sheena waves a hand in front of my eyes. "Hello?" She sighs. "It's going to take a while for you to pull yourself together, isn't it?"

Silence is her only answer.

With that, Sheena just pulls me onward to continue our patrol. "Come on, Kelsey. Let's go. I don't want to stay out here all night."

Sheena drags me along patrol while I brainlessly stare at whatever. We continue along in awkward silence and eventually reach the end of our patrol. Before we turn to camp Sheena turns back to me and snaps her fingers right in my face. I jump and bring my senses back together. ". . . You know . . ."

"Yes."

"Regal knows . . ."

"Yes."

"Sheena knows . . ."

Sheena groans. "Okay, you're obviously not thinking clearly. Let's just get you to bed before you hurt yourself. And yes, Presea knows, too."

"Y-yeah . . ." I follow Sheena back to ca—

I freeze and whirl around towards the forest. I peer out into the darkness and gasp. "Clara . . . !"

Sheena stops and turns around. "What?"

I turn back around. "Clara! It's Clara! Go get Raine now! Tell her it's Clara!"

A monster's snarl makes Clara's presence known as snapping branches alert me of her approach. Sheena brings out her cards and refuses to leave. "I'm not leaving you behind to face that monster alone!"

I shout, "Go before Clara gets hurt! Before an innocent life gets killed! GO! GET RAINE!"

Sheena takes a hesitant step back. Then, with clear regret in her eyes, she finally runs off back to camp. I turn back to Clara's monstrous form and grimace when I'm given a clear view of what the Desians turned her into. "I'm here, Clara," I tell her. "You don't know me but I know you. You and Dorr were an inspiration for Palmacosta. Looking at you now . . . I can see you putting up with so much pain. Don't worry. We're going to end it soon. Once you recover, you can go home."

Clara charges at me, knocking down all branches in her path. I dodge at the last minute and hurry away in another direction. Clara flings her talons around and sends large chunks of tree trunks flying in every direction. I duck behind a tree and wait for the wood pieces to land on the ground before reappearing before her.

"Clara, please! Calm down! I just sent for help!" I shout.

Clara suddenly charges at me and catches me off guard. Before I can get away, she knocks down the tree I was hiding behind. The tree manages to send me to my feet even if it fails to crush me under it. I scramble back to my feet and flee Clara's range. Her claws swing at me and graze my back. I get chills as all her talons catch is my shirt. I duck behind another tree and beg the Fates to give me a little bit more luck than my typical lack thereof.

"Kelsey!"

I sigh with relief as the others finally make—

A harsh force sends me spiraling off to the side. I land on the ground and feel a coppery taste in my mouth as my body refuses to move.

"_Kelsey!_"

As Clara approaches me, Lloyd dashes around and blocks Clara. He unleashes his wings and uses them as a distraction to hold Clara off. For the most part it works as Clara stares at Lloyd as her monster form doesn't know what to do with this strange glowing creature before her.

"Professor! Now!"

"I'm on it!"

I feel the tree remains on my body move off me. A pair of hands begins to lift me—

"Ahhh! Ahhh . . . !" I yelp as the movement aggravates my wounds.

"Regal! Zelos!"

"First Aid!"

"Healer!"

Raine gathers power into her staff. "Unicorn horn . . . Lend me your power . . ." With the unicorn horn's mana and the spell properly shaped, Raine casts her spell. "_Resurrection!_"

Light gathers on Clara's monstrous form. Her shape gently melts away to a normal human form. When the spell ends and her human shape is made plain for all to see, Lloyd blushes furiously and averts his eyes. Raine and Colette hurry to Clara's side and wrap the woman in a blanket Colette thought to bring along. They help the half-conscious woman up to her feet and lead her away back to camp.

Lloyd hurries over to my side and helps me up to my feet. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Uhhhhhh . . ."

Sheena says, "I think that means she's fine. At least, Regal and Zelos healed her wounds so she _should_ be fine."

"Today . . . Just . . . No . . . Ready for today to be over . . ."

"Yeah, she's fine," Sheena confirms.

Lloyd nods and dismisses his wings just before returning to camp. When I finally have a seat in my bedroll, I spot Raine and Clara returning with Clara wearing a spare change of clothes from Raine. The healer sets Clara down and wraps a blanket around Clara. Then Raine kneels next to her. "Clara . . . How much do you remember?"

Clara stares off into space for a moment before coming up with an answer. ". . . Some. I remember some things. I . . . I remember the Desians and . . . I remember . . . I r-remember Kilia's . . . and my hu-husband's . . ." Tears start welling up in her eyes. "I-I also remember some of you. You . . . tried to help me . . . didn't you?"

Raine nods. ". . . I am so sorry about your husband and your daughter."

The tears begin flowing and yet no sobs follow. "I-I saw it all . . . I saw what they did to her . . . My precious . . . baby . . . girl . . ." The tears flow even stronger. "M-my baby girl . . . !"

Botta approaches from the darkness and allows himself into our camp space. Clara looks up at him and gasps in fright. "A Desian . . . !"

Raine places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. This man is not of the Desians."

"He-he isn't?" Clara gawks at Raine. "But he dresses just like one! Look at his armor!"

"This man is from an organization called the Renegades," Raine explains. "They oppose the Desians and work against them. From time to time, their men must come out into the open and wear armor resembling the Desians in order to avoid being targeted by actual Desians."

With Clara somewhat settling down, Botta tells her, "If you wish, we can take you with us to our base and give you medical treatment you may need. Just because the demon seed planted inside you by the Desians is gone does not mean that you may need additional assistance. However, I do understand that you would be wary of us and wish to return home. If that is the case then we can return you to Palmacosta."

Clara frowns at Botta and folds her hands into her lap. ". . . I don't have much of a choice considering that my life is in your hands right now. I do wish to return home but . . . right now there is nothing there for me. I don't have my husband; I don't have my daughter; I don't even have a home to return to. The people of Palmacosta will be delighted to see me alive and well again but to return to them in a weakened state would be a disservice to them, especially if I die anyway because of the demon seed's aftereffects. So . . . take me with you. Help me recover . . ."

Botta bows his head. "You are a brave woman. As far as you know, I could be a Desian and yet you still volunteer to come with us to our base." He lets a second pass. "I promise you that we will take great care of you."

"I certainly hope so . . ." says Clara.

"How noble of you, Botta."

Maverick returns from the shadows and joins the fire where all his pretty wounds are placed on display for us. Lloyd gawks at his beaten face, the gash on his side, and numerous scraps and cuts and burns adorning his body and clothes. "What _happened_ to you?"

"Kratos caught up to me." Maverick pulls out several gels from his pack and goes at the more concerning wounds. "After getting away once he managed to land a few hits, it took forever for him to give up the search and let me escape."

Clara stares at Maverick. ". . . Who is this?"

Botta replies, "Someone you should ignore."

Maverick looks up at Lloyd and says, "By the way, I would like to speak to you once most of us have fallen asleep."

Lloyd eyes Maverick suspiciously. ". . . About what?"

"Nothing big. Just your evolved exsphere, your mana signature, and other pretty things."

Lloyd takes this in and simply nods. "Yeah, sure . . ."

Clara pulls her blanket tighter. "Can anyone tell me about Palmacosta's condition right now? How is the city after . . . after . . . Dorr's death?"

Raine and I fill Clara in on Palmacosta's status and Neil's promotion to Governor-General. We also tell her about Magnius' death and the destruction of the ranch as well as the destruction of all other ranches besides the Iselia human ranch. In the end, Clara's nerves snap and her tears finally flow freely accompanied by wrenching sobs. She could only fall asleep once she completely exhausted herself.

After more of us drift off to sleep, Maverick turns to Lloyd. "Do you mind if I examine your Cruxis Crystal?"

Lloyd frowns at Maverick. "Why do you want to?"

"Curiosity, mainly." Maverick then adds, "It's a good opportunity to figure out why your exsphere evolved sooner than usual."

Lloyd hesitates before holding his left hand out. Maverick leans over and traces the stone with a long finger. ". . . This is definitely unusual but nothing truly out of the ordinary. It's just as I expect from a success from the Angelus Project." Then he looks up at Lloyd. "Show me your wings. Those wings are an expression of the mixture between your mana and the Cruxis Crystal's and can give me several answers."

Without a word, Lloyd allows his wings to appear. Maverick leans back in shock and utters, ". . . I have never . . . ever . . . seen wings shaped like those before . . ." He gets up and moves around to Lloyd's wings and runs his hand through the mana. Several seconds pass as Maverick mutters incoherently to himself. Lloyd begins to feel unnerved by the muttering and only relaxes when Maverick returns to his seat and sits back down on the ground. "_That_ is out of the ordinary. I have many theories as to how your exsphere could have evolved faster than normal and produced wings of this shape and caliber but it requires one more test . . . Give me your Cruxis Crystal and let me equip it."

"What? No! What makes you think I'll just give away my exsphere?" Lloyd demands.

"Do you want to find out or not?" Maverick replies.

"I think I'd rather stay in the dark, thanks."

Maverick snorts. ". . . What if I gave you my own Cruxis Crystal? You can hold on to that while I hold onto yours. It will only be for a moment and then we can trade back."

"Why do you think that would change my decision?" Lloyd asks with an irritated glare.

Maverick's hand rests above the Cruxis Crystal on his hand. ". . . I'm . . . very dependent on my Cruxis Crystal. I'll give it to you first . . . and then you can decide for yourself . . ."

"No means no!"

Ignoring Lloyd's protests, Maverick removes his own Cruxis Crystal. His eyes widen a notch and his hands shake uncontrollably as he offers the Cruxis Crystal to Lloyd. While Lloyd stares at him, Maverick flinches at every little sound and shifts every now and then as if never comfortable in his position. Then he snaps, "Decide! Now! I can't . . . !"

Suddenly, Maverick flinches at the sight of Lloyd and turns away. ". . . Do something. Now. Trade. Reject. Whatever. Do something."

"What? Maverick!" Lloyd's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Now! Please . . . !"

With clear hesitation, Lloyd removes his Cruxis Crystal and places it in Maverick's hands. Before he can take Maverick's Cruxis Crystal, however, Maverick equips Lloyd's Cruxis Crystal. With the stone in place, Maverick calms down considerably. His hands stop shaking and his posture relaxes. No longer does he flinch at every little noise and his eyes return to easily stare at Lloyd. Maverick holds out his Cruxis Crystal to Lloyd and releases it when Lloyd takes it.

Maverick takes in a long and deep breath and sighs out with relief. "I see what makes this Cruxis Crystal so special now. It processes mana so . . . efficiently. That must be a reason why it was able to evolve so quickly."

Lloyd continues to stare at Maverick. "What . . . What was . . . ?"

Maverick ignores him in favor of releasing his wings. When his normal sepia wings appear and not eagle-shaped wings, he raises an eyebrow. ". . . Though it appears that your own mana had something to do with the uniquely shaped wings you have."

"Huh?"

"Possibly a biological factor . . ." Maverick ponders this for a moment before confirming it to himself. "Yes, definitely biological. He wouldn't remove something like that even if he were sleeping with someone. Not to mention there's the possible influence from the host's exsphere during prenatal development."

"Wha . . . ?"

"Needs further study . . ." Maverick glances downward as he removes the Cruxis Crystal and returns it to Lloyd with quivering hands. His hands grasp at his own Cruxis Crystal and swiftly place it back on once he has hold of it. Once he calms down again Maverick tells Lloyd, "Don't worry yourself over it. I need to look more into it anyway. These things take time."

"No . . . I mean . . ." Lloyd's face, with his frown and an uplifted eyebrow, show obvious concern. "What was with you after you took off your Cruxis Crystal?"

Maverick lets a moment pass while Lloyd places his own Cruxis Crystal back on. He then mentions, "That was just simply my natural mental state. My Cruxis Crystal keeps me fully functional though some things do slip through without my notice. Yuan . . . Yuan saved me from a fate worse than death. My mental state is the result of that."

"And . . . why did you cringe when you . . . when you looked at me?" Lloyd further grimaces.

"Don't concern yourself about that. My imagination simply drew some impossible parallels between you and one of my old captors," he explains. "It's nothing to even remark about. All bets are off once the Cruxis Crystal is gone."

Lloyd doesn't respond to that and simply watches as Maverick gets up and walks away back to the other Renegades. He looks down at his Cruxis Crystal and frowns as the day's events return to him.

* * *

You can guess where I got the idea for a broken Balacruf map, if any of you have read freakyanimegal's Crulloyd fic.

But yeah, reeeeaaaallllyyyy clumsily done chapter here. I tried fitting way too much into one chapter.

Review if you want. Oh, and happy Labor Day to those in the US.


	71. Tossed to the Four Winds

Okay, I know this is probably petty of me, but I just need to know.

I reviewed freakyanimegal's latest chapter of her story Ensnared. You can see my review there and realize that I'm very disappointed. You can also see that I'm the only reviewer who reviewed negatively.

It's not like I don't like that story or many of freakyanimegal's stories. It's just I found her latest chapter to be disappointing, especially since I've seen this particular writer do better, and found that (as far as I can tell) I'm the only one who finds the chapter to be of poorer quality than what she typically does.

So . . . I just need to know if . . . if anyone else shares this opinion, if you've read Ensnared. I know she's very popular so there are going to be lots of people who've read it. I just want to know if anyone else shares my opinion. After getting my answer, I'll drop the issue and let it be.

. . . Okay, in other news, this chapter is only interesting towards the end!

Confessions of a Self-Insert: churning out more useless filler than the Bleach anime since 2009!

**Edit: Looking back, that question I had WAS petty of me. There was no "probably" about it, it WAS, IS, and WILL be petty of me. Everyone has their slumps and I should be focusing on the many problems my own fic has (and should only focus on others' writing problems when I'm reviewing). Readers and reviewers, please ignore the above question.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-One: Tossed to the Four Winds

The lights dimming from the afternoon sky prompts Raine to light the lamp on the desk she occupies in the Iselia House of Salvation. Now with proper lightning, she pours herself over the Sylvarant map and scribbles notes and scratches out previously made conclusions. In her frustration, she bites her pencil's end during pauses for thought and digs her teeth into the wood.

Suddenly, shrill little beeps ring out from a small handheld device that rests right next to Raine. Instead of complaining about her concentration being broken, Raine snatches up the round device and presses a button on the side. "Botta! Have you found anything in the locations I directed you to?"

Botta's voice answers through the device. _"No, we found nothing."_

Raine sighs and scratches in a few extra notes. She looks over the map one more time before bringing the communicator device Botta gave her when leaving the Ossa Trail back up to her face. "I have a few more locations that need investigation. There are the Palmacosta human ranch ruins, a small peninsula-esq area west-northwest from the Iselia House of Salvation, and the Hima mountains surrounding the Tower of Salvation."

"_. . . I will take a look at the Palmacosta human ranch ruins while you investigate that area west-northwest of you. The Hima mountains we can leave alone until we have all other pieces."_

"Understood," Raine replies.

"_Also, you should get some rest for tonight. If there are angels guarding the other pieces like the first one then you will need all the strength you can get. Rest up and prepare for the worst."_

"I understand that as well. Good luck." Raine turns off the communicator and sighs at the map as she returns to her rigorous studies.

Lloyd, Genis, and I peek through the cracked door and watch her with concern. I whisper to them, "Do you think she's overworking herself?"

Genis says, "Don't worry about her. I'll make sure she doesn't work through the entire night."

"I've never seen her _this_ stressed before . . ." Lloyd leans a little further in. A worried crease between his eyebrows darkens as he watches.

"I've only seen her this stressed when we were still traveling around before settling down at Iselia," Genis recalls. "It must be really hard to track down all those pieces when the Balacruf map's mana signature acts only like a seeker spell."

I give Genis a blank look. "What's a seeker spell?"

"A seeker spell is a really basic spell made to help people look for things. It's so basic that even humans can use it if they know how to work charms like Mizuho does." Genis crosses his arms. "It works like a game of hot and cold and is only useful when looking for an item in the surrounding area."

I blink. ". . . Even a human can use it? I thought humans couldn't use magic." Then I add, "Well, magic besides the healing methods Regal somehow learned."

"I think with Regal he either has a bit of elvan blood somewhere in his family or he's living proof of some of Boltzman's theories on how a human can use healing magic." Genis then gets back to my question. "Anyway, humans can activate charms but they can't make them or put any power behind it unless the object has some magic in it already. Humans will have to go to someone with elvan blood in order to get a charm made from scratch."

"Tracking the last pieces sounds a lot harder than it first sounded like." Lloyd doesn't divert his eyes away from Raine.

"Yeah, it is a lot harder," Genis replies.

Raine then goes still. We silence ourselves and watch with interest as we wonder what caused the professor to pause in her work. Then, we hear her say, "Genis, Lloyd, Kelsey, I know you three are there."

We tense up.

"If you don't move along then I will give you a pop quiz, that way you can at least prepare for you upcoming history test while you are hovering around me. So I hope you've done your homework."

Before Genis gets a chance to turn away, Lloyd and I dash out of the area and back to the main room of the House of Salvation. Genis looks over to the stairs where the two of us ran off and hurries after us. "Hey! Wait up!"

When Genis catches back up to us, he gives us both a flat look. "Raine's pop quizzes aren't that bad."

I ignore Genis' comment and look up the stairs where Raine's room is. "She hasn't been eating much lately . . ."

"She eats," Genis tells me. "She just eats while she works."

Cold leftovers for Raine's meals, then.

Lloyd frowns and scratches the back of his head. "She only comes out when it's time for class. Even then she gave up teaching math to study where those map pieces are and had Zelos take the math lessons over."

Genis sighs. "I want Raine back as our teacher for math. Zelos can go through math problems like it's as easy as breathing, but he can't teach. At all."

I shrug. "What can you say? Teaching takes a gift."

"Let's go talk to her," Lloyd says. "She can't stay holed up in there for days."

"Don't bother, Lloyd. She'll just turn you down like she did before the last time you tried getting her out of that room and all the other times someone else tried."

I turn to Genis and ask, "So what are we going to do now?"

Genis sighs and let's his head hang a little lower. "I don't know . . . Wait this out? She won't let anyone disturb her."

All three of us sigh.

In the end, we decided to speak to Raine again even if we know it won't work. Genis and I sit around and wait as Lloyd takes his turn. I myself got immediately kicked out of her room so I doubt much else would do it unless Genis talks to her. As Lloyd goes down the stairs after his rejection, Genis looks over from his spot and says, "It's okay, Lloyd. I'll try talking to her now."

Lloyd still shows a downcast expression. "Okay . . ."

As Genis goes up the stairs, Colette comes up to Lloyd with this sheepish expression. "Um, Lloyd?"

"What's up, Colette?" Lloyd perks up a little at her presence.

"Can I talk to you?" she asks. "Alone?"

"Uh, sure." A blank expression takes over Lloyd's face. He follows Colette to a nearby room.

". . . So what's up?"

Oh, Colette, you didn't go far enough out.

"Well . . . How do I say this . . .? Um . . ."

"Take your time."

Genis goes down the stairs with Sheena and Zelos right behind him. Sheena, at the very back, carps, "Hurry up! You walk so slow!"

Genis sarcastically says, "Sorry I'm walking so slowly. Maybe you should be patient."

"These hallways are way too narrow." Sheena looks over Zelos' shoulder with impatience as Genis gets out of the hallway.

"You really are in such a hurry?" Zelos steps to the side and presses his back against the wall. "Go on through."

"Thanks." Sheena squeezes by, and she freezes when she suddenly comes to a realization. Due to the narrow hallway, Sheena moving by with Zelos to the side forces their bodies to rub against each other. A simple glance shows a sly smirk on Zelos' face.

_Smack!_

Zelos lands on the bottom of the stairs with a thud.

"Ouch!" I grimace sympathetically.

When Sheena joins us at the bottom of the stairs, Genis tells her, "Be careful, Sheena! Zelos could have broken his neck! Who are you going to smack around if he's gone?"

"I find your concern so flattering," Zelos bites as he pushes himself back to his feet and casts First Aid on himself.

"I would apologize but you took up my last quota of sympathy." Sheena steps around him and makes towards the door.

Colette's voice echoes out from the other room. "You . . . like girls like Princess Hilda, don't you?"

Zelos perks up and moves closer to the door. "Oooo . . . This is gold."

Sheena stops and turns to glare at him. "Ugh! You're such a busybody."

Zelos smirks and beckons her closer. "You're curious too. Admit it~"

Sheena glances over towards the door. Lloyd's voice goes, "Huh? Where did this come from?" Hearing Lloyd's voice, Sheena bites her lip and finally gives in to temptation. She sneaks around and stands next to Zelos. That was the point I simply shrug and join the two. Hey, I might as well join in since I won't be the only guilty one.

"Just answer the question, please."

Lloyd answers, "Ah, yeah, well, she's pretty . . ."

"I knew it . . ."

"But you know, Colette, you're cuter than she is."

Zelos smirks. "Nice save, bud."

Genis frowns disapprovingly at us. "You're all horrible."

"R-really? Really really?"

"Yeah. Zelos is always saying that beautiful girls keep gathering around me."

At this little tidbit, Genis sighs in defeat. ". . . Looks like I'm just as horrible." He joins the rest of us eavesdroppers as Lloyd continues.

"I'm . . . I'm a little embarrassed to admit this but . . ."

"Yeah?"

Presea comes in from another room and spots us. "What are you doing?"

"Shhh." Sheena beckons Presea to join. Presea comes over and kneels down at Zelos' feet just in front of Genis.

"When I was going to school at the village, I actually wanted to join the Professor Raine fan club."

Genis gasps in horror. "Lloyd . . . ! He . . . ! My own best . . . !"

Zelos comments, "That's gotta be awkward to hear."

Sure enough, Colette's voice reveals an awkward and tense tone that I speculate is as close to speechlessness as Colette can get right now. ". . . O-oh . . . I . . . see . . ."

Lloyd becomes oblivious to social cues as he goes on. "Sheena has her quirks but she's got a feminine side . . ."

Sheena furrows her eyebrows as she digests what he said. "What's . . . that supposed to . . . ?"

"Presea's cute when she smiles . . ."

Presea doesn't respond, but Genis, on the other hand, goes further into shock.

"Then Kelsey can be pretty when she wants."

I frown. ". . . When I want . . . ?"

"So . . . it doesn't matter to you . . ."

Still as oblivious as ever, Lloyd goes, "Huh? What doesn't?"

Colette goes into a huff. "That's all I need to hear! I've learned quite well that you're just like Zelos!"

Zelos goes, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean, Colette?"

Sheena suddenly gets up and herds us out. "Go! She's about to leave! Go go go!"

Just as we take cover in a different room, Colette storms out of the room she was in with her chin held high. Lloyd goes after her, still as confused as ever. "Colette! What did I say?"

Genis makes a mental recoil from the information he received. "Lloyd . . . wanted to join the Professor Raine fan club . . . along with all those creepy guys who stalked my sister . . . Lloyd wanted to join the Professor Raine fan club . . ."

"I . . . really don't know how to take this . . ." I utter.

Zelos places his palm on his face. "Smooth, Lloyd, smooth."

During dinner, later, Colette refuses to speak to a still clueless Lloyd; Genis can't quite look at Lloyd straight in the eye; and the rest of us are just silent.

Regal asks, "What is the matter? You are all so quiet."

"Yeah, what happened?" Lloyd looks over to Genis. "Genis?"

Genis avoids Lloyd's eyes. "N-nothing."

Regal turns to Zelos who has an amused smile on his face. "Zelos? Do you know anything about this?"

Zelos nonchalantly shrugs. "Nope. Not a thing."

"Colette?"

Colette pretends as if Regal didn't speak.

Foot stomps go down the stairs and enter the room with Raine as the newcomer. She takes a plate and plops a few items on it before returning to the stairs. However, she stops when she notes the silence and turns to all of us with a confused expression. "What is the matter?" she asks.

Regal tells her, "I don't know. They won't tell me."

"Hmm." Then she mentions, "Well, everyone should be prepared to leave in the morning. We will investigate a possible location of a part of the Balacruf map. With any luck, we should acquire a new piece of the map."

Genis goes, "Yes, Raine . . ."

* * *

I wake up early the next morning to find only a select few of our group still awake. Lloyd and Presea are busy finishing up the ocarina while Sheena and Regal get back inside from an early morning practice. When I spot them, I walk up to the two and open my mouth to speak. I hesitate for a second while they stare at me and wait for some sort of reply. The air gets stiff and awkward to stay about in.

My difficulties hint what my topic is and Sheena gets the message. "Yes, Kelsey, I told you we know."

Regal glances over to Sheena. "We know what?"

"You know . . ." Sheena nods towards me. "Where she's really from? Not Sylvarant or Tethe'alla?"

"Oh yes." Regal says, "This new information was a little hard to swallow at first, but in retrospect, it explains a lot."

I bite the inside of my bottom lip. "You don't . . . think any differently about me . . . do you? And what about Presea? What about her?"

Regal shakes his head. "No, Presea and I do not think any differently about you. You have nothing to worry about."

I sigh with relief.

"There is one matter that needs to be addressed . . ."

Oh boy . . .

Regal asks me, "Does Lloyd know about this? I imagine that he would be the first you would tell."

I sigh once more. "But I didn't really tell anyone. My 'secret' just came tumbling out. Overhearing a conversation with someone else, piecing things together, being told by someone else . . . Everyone found out by ways other than me directly telling them."

"So Lloyd doesn't know."

I shake my head. "No."

Sheena places her hand on my shoulder and nudges me towards the room where Lloyd and Presea work on the ocarina. "You have to tell him, Kelsey. You can't avoid this any more."

I remain where I am and stare out to the room. The distance between me and the door somehow seems to lengthen the longer I stare at it. One bracing breath later, I take my first few steps to the door.

My feet suddenly stop midway there. I turn back towards Sheena and Regal. Regal nods at me while Sheena waves at me to usher me onward. Well, no escaping this now. I force myself to go on, my stomach plummeting down and my heart racing. My hand reaches for the doorknob—

A blunt force slams into my face and forces me to the side as Lloyd slams the door open and hurries upstairs. "Genis! Genis, we finished the flute!"

Presea walks out and stops when she finds me pushing the door off of me. I groan sharply as I clutch my now-broken nose. Presea asks me, "Are you alright?"

Regal comes up and heals my nose. "She will be fine."

"What did she want?"

Sheena joins us and informs, "She was about to tell Lloyd about her world. The one called Dirt."

Through my mending nose, I correct her, "Eerrth."

"You might as well call it Dirt." Sheena rolls her eyes at the notion. "Whose bright idea was it to name an entire planet after a synonym for dirt?"

I sigh.

Footsteps go down the stairs with loud clomps followed by Raine going through the entire House of Salvation to gather the entire group up. "Everyone, let's go. We need to leave now." The only one following her is a tired and exhausted Colette who blindly walks along Raine's path as she rubs her bloodshot eyes. After much prodding, Raine finally manages to herd all of us together and get us going to the next location of a map piece.

Once we arrive, we search through a grassy area for the remaining piece. Although there aren't any angels around, we do find traces of the map's mana. However, this news only frustrates us as this informs us that the map was recently moved. Raine distances herself from the group in order to get herself to calm down. All of her work, all of it, was in vain.

Shrill beeps interrupt her mood. Raine takes out the communicator and answers it. "Botta! Good timing. I have some unfortunate news. The piece of the Balacruf map that was in the Iselia region has been relocated."

"_That would answer a few things about a report I just received this morning,"_ says Botta through the communicator. _"One of our men stationed in Asgard spotted an angel flying towards the northeastern area of the Asgard region. With your observation in your area, I believe I understand that the angel was moving the piece hidden in the Palmacosta ranch."_

"You found mana residue resembling the Balacruf map's mana?" Raine asks.

"_Yes."_

"We are heading over to Asgard." Raine clicks the communicator off.

"Let's summon Aska, first," Genis says. There is a silent agreement as he pulls out the ocarina that Lloyd gave him that morning and brings it to his lips. Genis then plays a simple song, one he probably knows from childhood. I look out into the sky, figuring that if Aska could hear us in a closed up place like Rodyle's ranch then he can certainly hear us here.

The sun grows brighter. Mana begins to well overhead. Golden mana rains down in a large cluster, just as it had in Rodyle's ranch. As the mana stops before us and shapes itself into Aska's familiar form, the color spectrum breaks around the Summon Spirit's frame. With the Summon Spirit now before us, Aska gazes down at us with bright eyes as whatever light cast upon him occasionally breaks into blurred rainbows. The sight was both glorious and headache-inducing.

Sheena approaches Aska and proclaims, "Aska! We wish to make a pact with you!"

Aska lowers his head towards Sheena for a moment before rising them back up and slowly looks about the area.

"What is he doing?" Presea wonders.

"He looks like he's looking for something," Lloyd notes.

"Oh! Maybe he's looking for Luna!" Colette chimes in. "Luna needed Aska to form a pact so maybe they need to be together to make one!"

"Maybe that's it!" Sheena turns away from the group and addresses Aska once more. "If it is Luna you are looking for then we can meet you at the Tower of Mana where she acts as the Seal of Light. Is that alright?"

Aska turns his two heads back towards Sheena and nods at her.

"Then we will meet you at the Seal of Light," Sheena confirms.

Aska nods once more and rises up into the sky. His form fades away into nothing and everything returns to what it was before the Summon Spirit arrived. We wordlessly stare at awe into the space Aska left behind. After the pause, Genis asks, "Was it smart of us to just let Aska go like that?"

Sheena turns around and says, "Why not? He promised he would meet us with Luna."

Raine states, "This would mean that we would have to fight Luna and Aska at the same time. Perhaps we should save making a pact with them for last."

"We are already working on making a pact with the Summon Spirit of Wind so we might as well," Zelos adds.

"Before we make a pact with Luna and Aska . . ." Genis holds up the ocarina. "Can we give this to Mithos?"

Raine looks over to her brother and smiles at him. "Yes, Genis, we can."

The boy grins from ear to ear. "Thanks, sis."

I ask, "So where in Asgard are we going to? There's the Asgard continent, Asgard the city, the Asgard House of Salvation, Luin, Hima . . ."

"The Asgard House of Salvation," Raine answers.

A several-hour trip from one end of the world to the other that will take all day long . . .

As anyone can guess, flying on the rheiards for that long with little to no breaks left everyone tired, bored, and restless. The setting sun is enough to remind us that we were flying for way too long. As we approach with tired and aching legs, a priest at the House of Salvation spots us and hurries up to greet us.

"Travelers, I am afraid that . . ." The priest peers into our group. "Oh! Chosen One!"

"Hm?" Zelos watches the priest as he goes through us to meet with Colette. Then he goes, "Oh yeah . . ."

Genis chortles to himself.

"Yes?" Colette goes.

The priest informs, "I am afraid all but one small room is available. I can make arrangements so you and your companions can have rooms. It may stir some complaints from the guests but it should not be a bother."

"So you're kicking people out of their rooms to make room for us?" Sheena questions.

The priest states, "Whatever we have to do, we will do."

Lloyd says, "That's okay. Most of us can sleep on the floor, anyway."

Zelos tugs at Lloyd's sleeve. "Lloyd, accept an offer when you get one."

"Colette can still have a room to herself without anyone getting kicked out of their rooms," Lloyd continues.

"No, just let him do what he wants."

Lloyd then adds, "We're pretty used to sleeping on the ground, anyway. The floor won't make a difference."

Zelos gives Lloyd a flat look. ". . . You have never heard of the phrase 'never look a gift horse in the mouth,' have you?"

Colette bows at the priest and then expresses, "Thank you for the offer, but I want the room to go to Professor Sage."

Raine smiles at the Chosen. "Oh, Colette. I couldn't."

"No, Professor." Colette turns to Raine. "You worked so hard for the last few days to keep in contact with Botta and finding the pieces to the Balacruf map. Don't you think it's time to rest?"

Raine closes her eyes and shakes her head, still wearing that pleasant smile. "If you say so . . ."

Genis adds, "Raine, get to bed early. Staying up late working or studying will defeat the purpose of taking that room."

Raine's tone dips back into her neutral tone, as if politely telling him to shut up, when she replies "You don't have to worry about me, Genis."

The priest informs, "I will make the common room ready for you." Then he goes on ahead of us.

Lloyd takes a few steps after the priest. He waves his hand back at us and ushers, "Let's go help him, guys."

We all go in with the priest. Some of us help the priests move the common room furniture around once the effort starts. Though, a couple of us stand back when it becomes apparent that there are more than enough people involved to help out before the move gets a little too crowded. Once the furniture is out of the way, we roll out our bed spreads. When our chores and fighting practice are out of the way, we settle down for the night and start falling asleep one by one.

Genis, Presea, and Regal are the first to go to sleep. The rest of us active teenagers stay up quietly talking or doing whatever activity pleases us. Lloyd and Colette simply chat before the Chosen decides to get some rest, Sheena star gazes, Zelos sits at the table moved to the side doodling on his sketchbook, and I simply update my journal.

. . . I'm starting to lose track of the Earth date. Was it July ninth? Eleventh? The fourteenth? I can't even remember . . .

"You look like you have something on your mind."

I look up from my journal and spot Lloyd taking a seat directly across from Zelos. The Tethe'allan Chosen looks up from his sketchbook at Lloyd before looking back down to continue his doodles. "Not really. I'm just sketching."

"What are you drawing?" Lloyd cranes his neck up to get a peek. Zelos sets his sketchbook down and turns it around for Lloyd to see. When the picture is revealed, Lloyd smiles and says, "Hey, that looks just like Sheena!"

"What?" Sheena gets up and moves over to the table to see the picture. "It'd better not be pornographic."

Lloyd gives Sheena a blank look. "What's 'pornographic'?"

"Weeelll . . ." Zelos begins with a smirk.

Sheena cuts in, "You don't want to know."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Sheena weighs her words heavily with emphasis. "_Trust_ me on this. You don't wanna know." She shoots a glare at the Chosen. "Zelos, don't show him! You shouldn't have even told me that those pictures existed—_but you did!_ And now I'm telling _you—_" The ninja jabs her finger at Lloyd. "You don't wanna know!"

Lloyd just blinks at her. "Uh, okay."

I set my journal aside to let it dry and get up to join them. "You know those old lecherous men with all the wrinkles and the blotches who pinch the asses of the nurses who care for them?" I stop right next to Zelos and point at him. "Zelos' future, right there."

"You bet." Zelos smirks. "Those nurses are hot!"

I take my seat across from Sheena, between Lloyd and Zelos like her, and join the table. Lloyd glances over at me before commenting, "Traveling around Sylvarant keeps reminding me of the journey of world regeneration before . . . well . . . all this happened."

"Do you miss it?" Sheena wonders.

Lloyd nods. "Yeah, a little." Then he smiles at Sheena and Zelos. "Though, I wouldn't give up the friends I have right now just to go back to that time."

I lean my head back. "Back during the time when we thought Cruxis was the good side, when Kratos was traveling with us, when we were ten IQ points lower and lacking common sense, and when you and Colette were trying to befriend Sheena the assassin."

Zelos smirks. "Colette was trying to befriend her own assassin?"

Sheena shifts awkwardly. "Yeah, that was weird . . ."

"And you still ended up befriending them." Zelos chuckles. "Colette either has some weird innate ability to detect potential allies or is just that dumb."

I glance at Lloyd to see if he'll react to Zelos calling Colette dumb. However, Lloyd stares down at the table with this downcast expression.

"It's a good thing I ended up being their friend!" Sheena defends. "Imagine what would have happened if I really killed her!"

"You would have been praised as a hero and I would still be with my sweet hunnies. Instead, you did the right thing and ended up being branded as a traitor, betrayed by one of your childhood friends, and placed your entire village in danger from the Papal Knights." Zelos shakes his head. "Life has a funny way of rewarding people for doing good things. With that track record, if I want something good to happen to me, I might as well betray all of you and join Cruxis."

"Zelos, that's not funny!"

Ignoring the bickering duo, I ask Lloyd, "Are you alright?"

"Hm?" Lloyd returns from his daze. "Ah . . . I was just . . . just . . ." He turns downcast again and sheepishly admits, "I was just thinking about Kratos . . . I was wondering what could have happened if he hadn't betrayed us, if he just stayed with us."

Sheena and Zelos pause in their bickering to pay attention to Lloyd. Zelos frowns and shrugs at Lloyd. "Who really cares about him? It's not like he had a knife at his throat when he betrayed you."

"I think I get it." Sheena says, "Maybe you miss him because he was our friend before he betrayed us at the Tower of Salvation."

Lloyd nods. ". . . Kelsey, back at the Renegades' Triet base, when you lied to me and told me that Colette was fine and that Kratos was still with us, I really wanted that to be true."

"We all did," I reply to him.

Zelos asks, "What would you do if Kratos just came back and told you that he left Cruxis to come back to your side?"

Lloyd frowns as he mulls over that. ". . . I don't know. I guess I would be a little suspicious, but I would want to trust him. I know there's that chance but . . ." He strums his fingers on the table for a second. "Kratos never acted like he was our enemy. He never looked at me with hate and he never fought against us unless we were directly against each other. It's weird . . ."

"It is." Sheena sits her elbow on the table and props her head on her hand. "It's hard to read Kratos."

"He's Sir Stoic, that's why," I remark. I then make my face as neutral as possible with that fixed frown Kratos always has. "His face always like this no matter what. He would be a terrible actor."

"He would be terrible at flirting," Zelos comments. He leans back on his chair and crosses his arms behind his head. "It's safe to say that I have no fear of competition for my hunnies."

"What hunnies?" Sheena snips.

"All of the women in Meltokio are my hunnies." The Chosen smirks at Sheena. "There is no denying that."

I comment, "Now it sounds like you're trying to compensate for something."

"Mind explaining that one to me." Zelos eyes me, daring me to continue.

"Come on, don't think I won't notice." I emphasize each point by counting them with a finger. "You show off in anything you try your hand at, you brag about how many women are attracted to you, you wear the most flamboyant clothes possible, you only use daggers if you have to otherwise you stick with swords, and you always try to sweet talk Sheena into your bed. I'd say that's more than just trying to get as much attention as possible."

Instead of reacting negatively, Zelos just smiles at me and tells me, "If you have any questions about me trying to 'compensate' for something, I'll be glad to answer those questions in a nice out-of-the-way spot."

Completely clueless, Lloyd asks, "What would Zelos have to compensate for?"

Zelos gestures towards Lloyd in a grandiose fashion. "Exactly!"

"Huh?"

Sheena dismisses the issue, "Ignore him, Lloyd."

Genis' voice complains from his bedroll, "Quiet down . . . ! The rest of us are trying to sleep . . ."

A moment passes in silence before we pick the conversation back up, this time in hushed voices. Changing the topic away from Kratos, Lloyd asks, "So what are your plans after we make the last pact? The Renegades might not have something for us to do for a while after that."

Sheena answers immediately, "I'm staying in Sylvarant. With the Renegades' help, I'm moving Mizuho over to this world so we can start fresh."

Zelos scratches his head. "I'm not really too sure of what I want to do yet. I want to clear my name and stay in Tethe'alla, but Tethe'alla might be more peaceful if I'm gone."

Sheena smiles and suggests, "Then you can help Mizuho move over to Sylvarant. I'm sure we can find a place for you here if you decide to stay in Sylvarant."

Their eyes turn towards me and tell me that it's my turn. I cast my eyes downward as I try to figure out what to say. I know exactly what I'm going to do if I'm right about the tree . . .

But if I'm wrong . . .

I tell them, "I'm not to sure myself. I guess I'll stay in Sylvarant since it's a little safer for me to go out in public here. Though where _exactly_ I'll be and what I'll _do_, I haven't decided that yet."

Sheena smiles at me. "Then you can contribute to society by helping Mizuho with the move to Sylvarant!"

I smile back. "Sure."

If I'm wrong, that is . . .

Lloyd finally answers his own question. "I think I'll stay in Sylvarant. I can keep an eye on the Desians over here. Besides, I have some things I need to do . . ."

Sheena beams at us. "Looks like it's Sylvarant for us."

"Hey, I still haven't decided yet."

I get up from the table. "I'm going to sleep. The ink on my journal must be dry by now."

"Okay," Lloyd bids. "Good night."

I look back at him and pause for a second before returning the gesture. "Good night."

* * *

In the early morning, during that time when the sky is grey, Raine marches down the stairs and wakes each one of us up by jabbing us with the bottom end of her staff. "Wake up. Wake up. Wake up," she chants as she prods each one of us. Complaints and moans rise out from the bedrolls in response. When Colette, Presea, and Regal are the only ones up, Raine turns back around and scowls at the rest of u. "Get up! We need to leave while we still have the chance!"

"Professor . . ." Lloyd forces himself up and stares at her with half-opened eyes. "Why do we need to leave now?"

"I will tell you why, Lloyd Irving. Just now, Botta has contacted me to inform us that he obtained the Balacruf map piece near the Tower of Salvation and that another piece has been detected at Lake Umacy," Raine states. "If we leave now then we can retrieve it before our enemies do."

That gets everyone up.

As we all scramble to pack everything up with Colette informing the priests of our early departure, Lloyd asks Raine, "Are Botta and the others alright? They didn't get hurt by the . . . by the guards?"

"No. In fact, there were not any guards at the site." Raine frowns as her mind goes over the detail. "This is a bit unnerving. We need to get to the lake now."

Everyone hurries out and flies off on the rheairds once we were out of eye sight from the House of Salvation. It doesn't take us too long to reach the lake, but it does take us a while to approach it after checking to make sure there weren't any angels around. We finally land next to the lake and explore the immediate area while Raine checks for the Balacruf map's mana signature.

"This is strange . . ." Raine mutters to herself. "It should be here unless . . . unless we are already too late."

Sheena scans the area with her sharp eyes. Suddenly, she catches a glimpse of movement from beyond the immediate area and focuses on it. The ninja sneaks into the surrounding forest and kneels down behind a bush and plays the waiting game on the thing that moved . . .

Finally, after what seems like forever, Sheena spots her target move. White clothes and red hair draw her eyes, allowing her to identify the subject, and then spot the large triangular stone clutched in the person's hands.

Sheena wastes no time. She silently channels the energy granted to her by her pact with Gnome and sends it into the ground using her arms and hands as a conductor. The ground rises up around her target and swiftly traps him inside. She senses the attacks inside the ground cage and continues to channel energy into the trap so it can withstand the powerful resistance.

"Sheena!" Lloyd is the first one out of everyone to make it to her side. "What happened?"

"It's Kratos!" Sheena declares. "He was moving a piece of the Balacruf map from here! I saw it in his hands!"

Lloyd snaps his head to the trap completely enclosing the Seraph inside.

"Lloyd, we need to act now!" Sheena demands. "He stopped fighting back right now, but if anything changes then he'll take advantage of it and escape!"

Lloyd nods and motions towards the trap. "Everyone, surround it and grab the Balacruf map when you get the chance. Sheena, release him when I give the signal."

I spot the others taking a place around the earth structure before us and wonder if this order really applies to me since I, a squishy mage, can't exactly restrain Kratos long enough for someone to take something out of his hands. Even still, I move to a different place to keep people from looking at me funny even if I keep the same amount of distance from Kratos and prepare a spell in case he tries for something other than escaping.

"Ready . . ."

We all tense up.

"Now!"

The earth prison shatters into pieces and a blur of white and blue streaks up into the sky. Colette flies after Kratos going as fast as she can while the rest of us realize that, now, Kratos is too far out of our range. Lloyd watches Colette in concern for a second before shouting, "Someone get out the rheairds!"

"You can't take off with the trees overhead!" Raine says to him.

"Damn! Over to the beach!" Lloyd dashes off, followed by whoever else wishes to join him in the air.

Sheena remains where she is and stands up. She looks up at Colette, who's rapidly gaining on Kratos, and gets an idea. She holds her hands out as she channels mana within her body. "I call upon the envoy from the dark abyss!"

Colette catches Kratos' foot and pulls him down to the ground. The Seraph attempts to shake Colette off.

"Shadow!"

Darkness gathers around and forms Shadow's form. The Summon Spirit looks up into the sky and sends out his dark vines and tentacles towards the two angels in the sky. He snatches them up before either of them can react and yank them out of the sky. Colette and Kratos scream as they are both pulled into Shadow; the Summon Spirit disappears into nothing but a dark pit in the ground and deals with the two there. A pause goes by before the vines reappear once more out of the pit. They gather together to form Colette's shape and leave the Chosen trembling and shaking with the piece of the Balacruf map clutched tightly in her hands.

Colette stumbles away from the pit but only manages to make it a few steps forward. Sheena goes up to the Chosen and wraps her arms around the girl into a comforting hug. "It's okay. Shadow won't hurt you. It's over."

Colette continues to tremble as everyone returns to the two. "Wh-what about Kratos? Is he alright?"

Sheena glances back at the pit. ". . . I think he was the one who broke Shadow into pieces. If I'm right, then he probably deserves whatever Shadow is doing right now."

"Still . . ."

Sheena releases Colette and approaches the pit. Hearing her heart's orders, Shadow releases Kratos from the pit yet remains in Kratos' shadow just in case. Bruised, bleeding, and clearly beaten, Kratos doesn't even fight back. He casts a barrier around himself and turns away to leave without saying another word.

"Wait!" Lloyd approaches Kratos. Even after getting an irritated glare from the injured man, Lloyd asks, "You said it was dangerous to make the pacts. What did you mean by that? And don't give me a vague answer like before!"

Oh FINALLY!

Kratos' glare eases when confronted with this question. The Seraph answers, "It is dangerous to engage in activities you cannot predict the outcome of, especially ones involving factors as large as the mana links. The consequences of meddling with something of this magnitude could result in something you cannot reverse."

"How is that any different than what you said last time you tried telling us this?" Lloyd asks.

"Be patient, Lloyd . . ." Kratos stares the boy down. "Although information is still being gathered, I can say with all certainty that, should the last mana link be severed, the Great Seed will be placed in danger. Stop forming these pacts!"

Raine steps before Kratos and questions, "And how do you know this? What are your sources?"

Kratos just glances at Raine with an irritated glare before taking the opportunity to fly away. We wait for anything else to happen before relaxing. Sheena approaches the pit and tells it, "Thank you, Shadow. You can go, now." With that, the pit finally disappears and Shadow's mana fades away. Raine huffs at the direction Kratos left before turning on the communicator Botta gave her. "Botta! We retrieved the Balacruf map piece from Lake Umacy! We encountered Kratos and, upon confrontation, he provided us an interesting piece of information."

It takes a second before Botta's voice answers through the communicator. _"What did he say?"_

"He said that severing the mana links would place the Great Seed in danger," Raine informs. "I assume that he speaks from some sort of information provided by Cruxis' own experts and any readings directly from the Great Seed."

"_The information is duly noted; however, you forget that Lord Yuan has the same access to the Great Seed as Kratos does."_

Raine frowns. "Is it possible that Yuan overlooked something?"

I stare at the communicator as I pray for a miracle. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes . . .

"_No, it is very unlikely that Lord Yuan missed something vital. Nevertheless, we will inform him of Kratos' words."_

NO!

I huff out a sigh and turn away.

"_There is additional information I need to give you concerning the last piece of the Balacruf map. It is inside a small village on the island northwest from where you are. Would you rather go after it yourself or would you like us to retrieve it?"_

Raine looks around at us before replying, "We will retrieve it ourselves, thank you. Please give me the coordinates."

Botta recites strange numbers and letters to us that make absolutely no sense to me. Raine memorizes them as Botta tells her the coordinates just before adding, _"The last our sources checked, the village in question was suffering from a plague. It is highly unlikely that any survivors remained in the village or buried the last of the dead. Do not enter abandoned homes."_

". . . Duly noted." A grim expression darkens Raine's face.

"_Then I will leave you to your task. Return to the base once the last piece has been collected and we will assemble it there."_

Raine turns off the communicator and faces us. "I will mark on the map where our next destination is. After that, we need to leave."

Zelos raises his eyebrows in concern. "Hey, are you sure it's safe to go someplace where the natives are dying from disease? What's going to happen to us?"

"As long as we take precautionary measures, we will be fine," Raine replies.

"What are we going to do?" I ask. "Wear paper masks over our faces?"

"Something to the extent, yes."

Oh joy.

And oh joy again once we arrive.

The flight over was just as tedious as every other flight from point A to point B. The arrival, however was . . .

Well, anybody who was healthy has already . . .

The buildings are . . .

The only people there . . .

I think this would be easier if I just state things as indifferently as possible, if I can manage even that.

The island in question is the northwest island is the same island that has the Katz Village. The village that we are visiting is on the westernmost shore and was, in no way, inhabited by creatures that would make furries scream in delight. No, the inhabitants were humans (or at least, humans and half-elves). Some of the buildings are falling apart from neglect while most are still up and appear as though their owners are just out for the day. Even when we entered the heart of the village, the area is absolutely silent.

No one remained, not even animals. No one peeked through the windows to spy on the strangers entering the village. No animals barked at the intruders invading their territory. Nothing. Absolutely nothing but abandoned buildings, plants, and graves.

Lloyd takes a few steps ahead of us and calls out, "Hello?"

"Everyone is already gone, Lloyd," Sheena tells him. "The only people here are dead."

"The healthier villagers must have left for the mainland," Regal speculates.

Genis' eyebrows shoot up as an idea comes to him. "Maybe this was more recent than we think! Colette, do you remember when Remiel warned us about 'heathens' who could have swayed you from the journey of world regeneration? This village was what he must have been talking about! The remaining villagers were leaving for the mainland during that time!"

Regal asks, "Why were they called heathens? Did they follow a different religion?"

"The must have." Raine recalls, "Yuan himself mentioned this village briefly. They must have been the last to follow the religion Cruxis based their own religious organization off of."

"And now it's dead." I look around at the buildings. "The majority of this population is dead from disease and the survivors are settling into the mainland. Their beliefs will be absorbed into the majority and their culture will die."

Colette says, "But they are still alive. If they live, so does their culture and their beliefs."

"And their culture and religious beliefs die with them. Those people are scattered across Sylvarant and are probably just individuals settling down in different areas." I shake my head towards the ground. "All that remains of them now is Cruxis."

Raine draws our attention back to the task at hand. "In any case, we need to search for the last piece of the map. Everyone, spread out but don't linger or touch anything."

I follow the mana signature until I come across a small chapel. I enter into it to find that it nearly resembles a Christian church with the seats, the altar, and old banners hanging on the walls. The symbols, however, are different. My eyes scan over every nook and cranny; a small book, the only item on the floor, draws my attention. I turn away and shake my head. "No, Kelsey, you don't want to know. You don't want to know . . ."

And yet . . .

The book finds its way into my hand. I open it up and look for familiar stories. If this religious faith really is so similar to Christianity, then some stories would survive the passage of time in some form . . .

As the pages go by and the sun travels through the sky, I find my question answered for me. If Maverick's studies are to be taken seriously . . .

I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to find Lloyd, looking at me with concern. "Kelsey? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?" I close the book in my hands.

Lloyd watches me. ". . . Everyone else tried getting your attention but you wouldn't respond. You had this look on your face like you were reading something sad."

"Well . . . I'm . . . not really sure what to tell you about that." It's finally time . . .

"What's going on? You always seem like you're about to tell me something but you don't," he tells me.

I turn away for a second as I consider my words. My heart races in my chest. I can barely get my breath. ". . . That's because I do need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

I really don't know how to do this . . . It's like making a speech in front of a large group of people. There's no turning back now. I'll just have to wing it.

After a bracing breath, I state, "I'll start off by saying that I'm a coward. I'm scared when it comes to people, especially those who matter most. That's why when I first arrived to Palmacosta I decided to lie about my background."

". . . What do you mean?" Through his tone, I can hear him preparing himself for some sort of shock.

Just spit it out.

I turn back around to him and look him right in the eye. "I mean that I'm not from Sylvarant nor am I from Tethe'alla."

Lloyd stares in shock.

I point towards his face. "That shock you're feeling? That's why I made up a ridiculous, baseless story. From what I understand now, my world is connected to this world through one of those old portals or connections scattered across Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Altessa mentioned them when he was explaining about the Otherworldly Gate; you even got curious about them before the conversation had to move on. I don't know how one of those old connections got activated, but I ended up from my own home to the outskirts of Palmacosta—specifically, the same place where the Otherworldly Gate dropped us after we escaped from Kuchinawa."

I continue without pause, "I knew no one would believe me about being from another world so I invented a story to explain why my family wasn't around and why I don't exactly have a home town. I'll admit, though, that my story about a 'traveling family caravan' wasn't the brightest story I ever made. I should have said that they were killed by Desians. That would have at least explained why I was so distressed when there was some sort of slim chance that they could find me."

Through his stun, Lloyd manages to utter, "So . . . So that was a . . ."

"A lie, yes." I raise my hands up in a lazy shrug. "Everything else about me is the truth, though. My name, how I feel about all of you, my personality . . . None of that is a lie."

Lloyd grasps his head. "This is a lot to take in . . ." Then he asks, "Does anyone else know?"

Oh boy. "Ehhhh . . . Just everyone."

"_What?_" Lloyd looks back at me and scowls. "Everyone else knows but me?"

I try not to shy away. "It's not like I purposely excluded you. They all just figured out on their own."

Lloyd points to himself. "So I'm just the idiot who couldn't figure it out?"

"No, everyone else either figured it out on their own or got lucky," I tell him. "As much as we may all joke that you're the village idiot and how far your grades drop, you really aren't stupid. You just don't apply yourself. You would have figured it out pretty soon. I just . . . decided to tell you instead of wait any longer."

"Why?" he asks. "Why did you tell me something like this? Do you realize that you're my friend no matter where you're from or what you're born as? Do you realize it really doesn't make any difference to me?"

I gawk at him. "Lloyd . . ."

"You're still you, Kelsey. So no more hiding, no more lying." His stern expression cracks as his hurt feelings from being lied to over something seemingly so trivial reveal. "Please . . ."

"No more . . . I promise." I pause for a second before turning to the altar.

"So why did you decide now to tell me?" he asks.

I approach the altar and examine its immediate surrounding area. ". . . Well, other than the fact that this is a good time to tell you without the others eavesdropping on us, I think my story explains why I'm so . . . so . . . tense over this one chapel, over the one book I was reading." I kneel down to the floor and study it. "The people from my world have been using those old connections between our worlds for a lot longer than perhaps even Cruxis has been around. They brought religious beliefs, cultures, and their own human people. One of the religions they brought was Christianity—the religion Cruxis based their own religion off of. Over time, it turned into what it is now in this world and, now, died out. This religion must have survived because, on the basic cultural factors, the two are so similar. But now . . ."

"Wha-what?" Lloyd clutches his head as a new headache forms. "How does that even . . . ?"

I stand back up and face him. "Okay, I'll see if I can even explain it . . . Basically, I'm not the only one interested in other worlds. Maverick is too and has a large collection of studies over the subject. I picked up some of his articles and read over them. The things I found are . . . confusing to say the least, but I think it makes some sense if I say that the connections between our worlds are not bond by the limits of space or time. In other words, you could go to my world and end up thousands of years into the past or end up in an apocalyptic wasteland in the future. The first immigrants from my world come from my future but ended up in a past long before even Cruxis was around."

"Okaaayyy . . ." Lloyd just stares at me in confusion. "How does that relate to you?"

I smile bitterly at him. "I'm basically a person from the ancient past who just witnessed the end of her own religion. There were a lot of cruel things done in our god's name since a lot of people like to use religion as some sort of excuse to do horrible things to others or push their own agendas. And now . . . the people who branch off from us is Cruxis, whose crimes include many of the horrors my own world never wanted to relive. Our legacy . . . is Cruxis."

I turn back to the altar and push it forward until it hits the back wall. "All of Colette's suffering, everything that the Desians did, the Church of Martel, all of that . . . We had a hand in." I kneel down and lift a piece of a stone tablet out of the nook in the floor, previously hidden by the altar. I walk up to Lloyd and hand it to him. "I just had confirmation of all that by just reading one simple book. Although some of the stories have changed, some of the heart of my faith's religious text is still there. Cruxis took their biggest tool from our own beliefs and organization. Our legacy is Cruxis."

I walk passed a stunned Lloyd and walk out the door. I mutter to myself, "Where is my god now . . . ?"

* * *

Found something disturbing while I was playing Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. It's a minor detail and I doubt Tales Studio meant it this way, but they get smacked by the Unfortunate Implications trope BIG TIME.

Was anyone at least a little ooked out by Marta's tiny feet? I kinda was since they're not big enough to carry her body properly and are out of proportion. However, the bad part comes in when you remember the history behind the horrible practice of foot binding and how the cultural stereotype (even within the cultures in eastern Asia this stereotype prevailed) of women with tiny feet are very attractive and preferable over women with bigger feet. History of foot binding + Marta's unnaturally tiny feet = Unfortunate Implications.

Now, I'm not saying that Marta's feet should be huge, but they should at least be _in proportion with the rest of her body._ Seriously, if her feet ARE in proportion to her body and she's just wearing those tiny boots because she thinks they're cute, then she wouldn't be able to fight without breaking a foot bone. That jump she does at the beginning of the game at Lake Sinoa? Broken feet upon landing.

Tales Studio can have characters who have naturally tiny feet but those characters are going to be very small in comparison to other characters and will have feet that are proportionate to their body (I myself can be an example but you can't see my feet). _Their feet won't be three sizes too small for the rest of their body._

Again, I don't think Tales Studio did this on purpose. I just think they were thoughtless and gave Marta attractive small feet. A little thought, though, would've not only eliminated the Unfortunate Implications but also eliminate how, well, gross her feet are simply because they weren't in proportion to the rest of her body. Simply increasing their size a bit is all they needed to do too . . .

On a brighter note, I'm really into TouHou music, still. The songs "The Maid and the Pocket Watch of Blood" and "Necrofantasia" seems to be my favorites now (and no, don't speculate why it's called Necrofantasia. It's not what you think it is).

Please Review.


	72. Reset

It's official: the two most popular OCs I have on this fic are Ephraim and Maverick. Ephraim fans, I'm afraid you won't see too much of him until I get the mess in Through the Brother's Eyes straightened out (no, I don't have a concrete plot for that one yet). Maverick, however, has a lot better luck than Ephraim does. Expect more from Maverick. A lot more.

Speaking of OCs, here's a link of another pic NatasukiAyaka drew of my OC along with other OCs. Be sure to take out the spaces since this site is weird about URL addresses. Can you identify at least two of them? ht tp : / /natsukiayaka . deviantart . com/art/Band-of-Self-Inserts-260521025

That aside, it's time for a major overhaul in this fic.

Here's hoping that I succeed.

**Edit: Damn it! What is with this site and italics? I had to go back and redo all the italics and make sure they were all more than just one fused word!**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Two: Reset

After I handed the hidden Balacruf map piece to Lloyd, after I had just told him about my origins, after I had finally told him all I can without Tales of Symphonia coming out, I walk passed him to the doorway and stop there to wait on Lloyd. I watch him stand there for a long moment, processing everything I had just told him. His head lowers his head and lets it hang there for some time.

In the corner of my eye, I spot some of the others approaching the chapel. I turn around to see them all coming. They probably all decided to come back here now that they searched everywhere else in the village and hadn't spotted the last piece of the Balacruf map. I decide to ignore them in favor of seeing what Lloyd will do now. The swordsman slowly turns back to the door and walks through it. He stops just outside the chapel and waits for everyone else to gather around.

Genis beams as soon as he spots the map piece in Lloyd's hands. "Lloyd! You found it!" As Raine takes it from Lloyd's hands and places it in her bag, Genis then says, "Let's go to the Triet base now that we have all of them."

Lloyd remains silent.

Genis frowns. ". . . Lloyd?"

Lloyd looks up and glances at each one of us before addressing us all. ". . . You all knew about where Kelsey was really from."

Uh oh. I speak up, "Lloyd, I made them promise not to tell anyone who didn't know about that."

"It's not just you!" he snaps at me. He turns back to everyone else. "Others were keeping secrets from me, too! They kept secrets about things they should have trusted me with! You hid about where you were really from, Colette hid her angel toxicosis which turned out to be something we all needed to know, and Genis and Professor Raine hid the fact that they're half-elves!"

Sheena scowls. "Lloyd, in case you forgot, half-elves are discriminated against in both Tethe'alla and Sylvarant! They're treated like _trash_ in both worlds! You should understand that!"

"But why keep that a secret from _me?_" he demands. "I mean, when my wings appeared, I was scared, but I still told all of you! I _trusted_ all of you enough to share something like _that!_ They should have known by then that I wouldn't think any differently of them! That goes for Kelsey, too! Then, Colette—"

"Stop right there, Lloyd!" Genis shouts, "I understand that you're mad at us about hiding something like that from you, but you don't need to yell at Colette for something that happened a long time ago! In fact—" He stops when Colette's hand places itself on his shoulder. Colette shakes her head at him with tears budding in her eyes.

"No, Genis, he's right," she tells him. "I should have told everyone as soon as something was wrong. Lloyd . . . He has every right to complain."

"I . . . Colette, don't . . ." Lloyd stares at her with this helpless expression. "I just . . . want to know why all of you don't trust me enough to . . ." He grimaces, and then he storms off.

"Lloyd!" Raine calls after him. "Come back!"

Lloyd doesn't listen and continues on until he is out of sight.

A sigh passes through us all.

Regal tells us, "Leave him be for some time. He will come back eventually."

"I'm sorry, everyone." I admit, "I should have said something earlier. It's me who he should've yelled at, not all of you."

Zelos shrugs. "What are you going to do? It's said and done. All we can do is move on from here and just not keep secrets from each other."

Colette keeps her eyes downward and bites her lip. Genis notices her and reassures, "It's okay, Colette. It's going to be okay. Lloyd will be alright."

"If . . . If you say so . . ." Even still, Colette remains downtrodden.

Everyone decides to make camp there. After a few others brought firewood, I made myself useful and lit the wood, making it all blaze brilliantly and strongly. I watch as Regal makes dinner with Genis' help in case his shackled hands restrict him from some task. Even when dinner is being served, Lloyd still doesn't return.

I guess this is what I get.

I know I wasn't the only one keeping secrets from him (and hell, I'm still keeping an even bigger secret from everyone), but I was the trigger, the last straw. In my fear to seem like a Sylvaranti rather than some alien from another world, I had forgotten what the others might feel of my secret keeping. Kratos was certainly unnerved by it. Perhaps he met someone similar to me who turned out to be a threat. As far as he knew, I might have been. To think he's just one example!

I hurt him. I hurt Lloyd and I only have myself to blame. How is he going to trust me now? Sure, maybe with the major important things but with the little details about myself? How will he know that I'm not pretending or faking something? How will the others know?

When Colette refuses to cheer up, Raine pats her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about Lloyd, dear. He only needs to calm down."

Colette says, "But Professor . . . That won't erase the fact that I lied to him . . ."

I grimace as the reality of that hits me over the head.

I really should have been more active during this journey. I should have told everyone sooner and not let my own drama get in the way.

. . . Speaking of drama getting in the way, I should pay more attention to the others and actually contribute right now.

"Once Lloyd gets back," Raine begins, "we will fly to the Renegade base and piece the Balacruf map back together."

Sheena states, "I guess I will decide who I want fighting with me against Sylph since it will probably be four people like usual. Ummm . . ." She looks over all of us. ". . . Raine, I don't want to fight without you like what happened at Shadow's temple. Zelos is a good healer, but he's not the best. Then . . . Presea, I think you can really help out."

"I will do my best."

"Last of all . . ." She glances over at Zelos and says, "Zelos, you're like a jack-of-all-trades. You can fight in close quarters, cast spells, and heal. I think you can really help."

Zelos smiles. "Roger!"

Well, that crosses one thing off my list of things I can do.

I can do what I usually do to help. Sooo . . . what do I do besides fight with them?

. . . I help make camp. And I do my share of chores. And . . . And . . .

. . . What _do_ I do?

Seriously, what do I do? All I recall is simply following everyone along and going through the motions. I don't prepare for other things going on despite knowing everything that's about to happen, I either react with the appropriate shock or just simply react when things happen, and I don't really help the others out when they need help and just convince myself that someone else will help the person out.

I grimace as I realize how parasitic I've been.

Sheena's eyes end up caught by my expression. She asks, "What's wrong, Kelsey?"

Ugh . . . Everyone has to see me while I realize what a b**ch I am?

I consider how I'm going to word my . . . situation. It takes me a few seconds before I come up with, "I need to sort out my priorities . . ."

Genis frowns. "What do you mean? You're with us, right?"

"Why did I join in the first place?" I ask him.

He replies, "You first joined to save Chocolat."

"Yeah, but we know exactly where Chocolat is." I point out, "If I know where she is, shouldn't I go and save her?"

"Ah . . . Well . . ."

Sheena says, "You can't possibly take on an entire ranch on your own."

"No, but there is always another way." I stare at them. ". . . I need to figure out why I'm fighting. It shouldn't just be because the world needs to be saved; it needs to be a much more personal reason."

Raine nods. "You're right; you should have a reason to fight. Since you lost sight of your own reason, you will only slow us down."

"Raine!" Genis protests, "We can't just leave her behind! She's one of us!"

"Fighting without reason is nothing more than senseless violence," Regal states. "Kelsey may end up endangering herself and others if she simply fights without knowing why she is fighting."

Genis scowls at me. "You're just saying this because Lloyd got upset, isn't it?"

"No. That's not the only thing." My mind flashes back to Cruxis' roots in the now-dead Christian religion and my own behavior. ". . . Not at all."

"Why now of all times?"

I stare Genis down. "Because it is now that I realize that I have a lot to think about."

Raine says, "In any case, I will not allow you to fight in this mindset. You need to figure out what you will do while you meditate on this issue."

I lower my head as I think over this. Moments pass before I finally look up and answer, "I can watch the Tower of Mana. That way, if Cruxis does anything, I can warn you right when you go to make the pact with Luna and Aska."

The Professor nods. "That will do."

Colette frowns at this. "But what about supplies? What if she gets hurt?"

"We will leave behind supplies for her."

I add to that, "If I get myself killed because of a fight then I shouldn't have been in that fight in the first place."

My response only distresses Colette further as she gawks at me.

"I hope you will have an answer once we return," Raine says, her implication very clear to me.

"A couple days alone with nothing else to do should do it."

We hear someone approach and look to find Lloyd. He looks over at each one of us before landing his eyes on me. He glances away from me and wordlessly gets his dinner from the cooling leftovers.

"Lloyd! You're back!" Genis sighs in relief. "Don't go off like that again."

With his dinner in hand, Lloyd sits down next to Regal and Presea and eats his dinner. An awkward silence goes over the entire group. Sheena attempts to break the silence by informing, "Kelsey said that she's going to—"

"I heard."

"Oh . . ." Sheena glances downward. ". . . You're still mad, aren't you?"

Lloyd doesn't reply.

That same awkward silence continues even into the night. Any time Lloyd had to say something, he usually said it in a straight-to-the-matter manner without anything else to add. Sometimes he even spoke in single syllables or in sentence fragments. He avoided looking at me unless he had to.

I volunteered to take the first night watch that night. I couldn't exactly look at Lloyd while he slept, or even look at the others while I had the choice to stare at something else. As the quiet night continues on, I realize just how much internal shit I had to sort out.

I just follow along with the group simply because.

Cruxis' roots are directly from my own religion.

I don't even consider preparing for the upcoming future.

When my watch ends, I go up to Lloyd. I kneel down at his side and shake his shoulder. "Lloyd. Your turn."

Lloyd wakes up and rolls over to find me to side. Without a word, he suddenly gets up from his bedroll, grabs his swords, and heads out to do the night watch.

. . . Yeah, it's time for me to stop ignoring all these things and deal with them.

* * *

Everyone decides to get going as soon as we all wake up. Raine figured that, now that we have the remaining Balacruf map pieces, we need to go to the Renegade base before Cruxis does anything. The lack of angel guards must be really unnerving her.

That's okay. I don't mind skipping breakfast. It just means I get to be alone sooner. Don't get me wrong, I like everyone's company, but I really need to be alone right now.

I decided against flying so I wouldn't jeopardize myself and another person by flying on an empty stomach, though. Let someone else fly the rheaird I'm on.

Only Raine lands the rheaird on the ground when we arrive, considering that I decided to fly with her. I unbuckle myself and step off the rheaird. My head tilts back to get a good look at the Tower of Mana. Memories from the Journey of World Regeneration return to me.

"Kelsey."

I turn back around to find Raine handing me a bag of supplies. I take it and smile at her. "Thank you."

Raine steps back onto her rheaird. "I hope you find the answer you want."

"Again, thank you. You have no idea how much I need this time." After a second, I sheepishly tell her, ". . . I hope I can find something that will satisfy all of you."

Raine looks back at me and says, "Don't think about finding an answer that will satisfy us; rather, find an answer that will satisfy you. Even if we don't agree with it, you must find a reason for yourself."

Her reply leaves me speechless. Once Raine takes off into the sky, the rheairds turn towards the south and fly away. I watch them get smaller and smaller before they finally disappear from sight.

With a resigned sigh, I walk towards the Tower of Mana and set my supplies just behind the doorway. Whatever books fell down still remain on the floor. Parts of the chandelier are lower from over time and the one still hanging from the ceiling looks ready to collapse itself. Both passageways are still open. Everything from my last visit remains the same, preserved under a blanket of dust.

After my stomach growls in demand, I kneel down and dig into the bag for some breakfast. I fix myself a meager sandwich and go outside to take a seat on the stairway. My eyes focus on the sky as I eat the sandwich without really bothering to savor the taste.

_Chink!_

I turn around towards the Tower of Mana. "Huh?"

The other chandelier crashes with deafening volume. I stare in stun even after the last stray decorative pieces settled onto the ground. Suddenly, I don't feel like finishing my sandwich . . .

Once my nerves calm down, I abandon my sandwich on the ground for whatever animal happens along and enter the Tower of Mana. I keep both my eyes on every little detail of the tower's interior in case something else falls down. Upon being confronted by the two passageways, I look between the two and dig out a coin and flip it. It clinks against the stone floor and the Almighty Coin proclaims its omniscient decision. I pick it back up and take the passageway to the right.

Going up the stairs, I note a lack of monsters inside the Tower of Mana. I ponder about this for a second before realizing that all the temples in Tethe'alla don't have any monsters themselves while all the seals in Sylvarant did have monsters. Then again, the Temple of Fire didn't exactly have any monsters in it either. Perhaps that was recent, though, like the lack of monsters in the Tower of Mana.

. . . I think I get it. Because the seal is released, monsters gradually die out or move on since it isn't the environment they thought as ideal. That, or Cruxis killed them off once no one was looking and prevented any more from entering.

I arrive at an individual floor, empty and bare of anything but four statues of graceful angels, one for each corner. Their eagle wings reach high and wide, dwarfing their smoothly carved bodies. I cross the room and stop before entering the next stairway to look up towards one of the angels. This angel gazes down towards the ground with arms wide open and welcoming. Knowing the reality behind this angel, however, makes her gesture seem empty.

"You must have seen lots of Chosens go up these stairs, haven't you?" I ignore the fact that this is an inanimate object and not really an angel of Cruxis. "All of them taking another step to their death in order to resurrect somebody's dead sister . . . Somebody who can't seem to handle the fact that death happens and is a part of life, no matter what." My shoulders droop. ". . . Now I'm willing to bet that Martel is just begging to die . . ."

"I . . . I must wonder, though . . ." I take a breath. "Why Christianity? Was it just a convenient religion to base the Church of Martel on? There are other major religions of Earth that could have crossed over to this world! Why that one?" Then I frown as I consider what my words mean. ". . . Then again, it's not exactly fair that I treat this like it's a huge tragedy for Christianity to get ripped off and not if another religion gets defiled like this. No matter what, these are still core beliefs and values being taken in order to justify all these horrors. Not like that's new, though."

I snort at the angel. "Racial prejudice, murder, greed, sexism, homophobia, genocide . . . It's all been 'excused' by religion before. Cruxis just seems to have one neat little package of everything. Every cruel action done under Martel's name has been done under the name of God, Allah, Buddha, Odin, Zeus, Giant Deformed Chicken, you name it. Religion is just too easy to abuse and the perfect tool to control masses without anyone being the wiser. The Catholic Church did it for hundreds of years and was left relatively unchallenged until the Protestant Reformation! Even after that, Protestants tended to be just as bigoted and apt for using their own religion as an excuse for cruelty as the people in control of the Catholic Church. And now Cruxis . . ."

I shake my head with a sarcastic laugh. "Ahahah. Cruxis. Wow. What more can I say? It was created for the sole purpose of creating that utopia Yggdrasill wants sooo badly. Martel at his side and a perfect race of lifeless beings to rule over. That would beee . . . racial purging, genocide, using the power of religion to control the masses, human sacrifice in the most disturbing way, and ten million other ways of murder. Yeah, it's certainly going to be a utopia, alright. Yggdrasill must be up to his neck in blood."

I shake my head again and hang my head low. "How can all this be justified? Even if the end justifies the means, there must be a time when the line must be drawn. None of this is right. None of it. So how can anyone justify such cruelty? No amount of 'God said so' will ever excuse a crime, or someone being cast out for simply not fitting into a social standard, or someone being alienated simply because people were being condescending little shits."

I look back up to the statue. ". . . But . . . how do I react to all this? Cruxis still decided to use a religion descended from Christian beliefs as a base for a religion that they would use to control innocent people. So how do I, a member of the very religion they ripped from, respond to this? I can no longer ignore all of the things other Christians have done and all of the things Cruxis has done. I can't ignore it."

I glare at the statue and demand, "_And__ how__ do __I __fit __into __Yggdrasill__'__s __Age __of __Lifeless__ Beings __in __the __first __place?_ I was born human and yet somehow have the mana of a half-elf! Will I be a half-elf enough to end up being a mindless slave to Yggdrasill or will I die in his death camps he disguised as factories!" My eyes widen as soon as those last six words tumble out of my mouth. ". . . death camps disguised as factories . . . _F**K!_"

I cast Grave on the statue's base and let it fall face first to the ground. The head shatters into pieces and the body crashes into large chunks. The wings break off as soon as the body is destroyed and scrape against the floor. I go up to the fallen angel and kick the remains. Needless to say, the chunks of rock win against my toes. I hop away in pain as my hands momentarily clutch onto my injured toes. I send a glare back at the statue and taunt, "What was that? Divine retribution? You're going to have to do more than bruise my toes."

Ignoring my poor abused toes, I continue up the tower at a brisk enough pace to burn off some of my steam. Eventually, I slow down to my natural walking pace and ignore the cramps in my legs and my gut.

Time goes by and the long walk ends with me making it up to the very top where the last portal sits. I step onto the portal and activate it, allowing myself to go up to the altar. Like the floor, everything on the roof is just as it was from our last visit. I approach the altar and use it as a platform to look around the area. Out into the distance, I see Lake Sinoa where Luin lies in the south, the remains of Kvar's ranch to the east, and vast ocean everywhere else I look.

I must wonder where everyone else is right now. They must be at least halfway to Triet by now. Is everything doing better now that I'm gone? Is Lloyd now talking to everyone since I'm not around to hear him talk? No change?

When the wind feels strong enough to caution me against staying up on the roof too long, I climb back down and go through the portal. As I approach the bridge of light mana, I stop at the exact place where Kratos would stand once the player goes to make the final pact. A thought comes to mind and I take out my spear. "YOU!" I bring it up into the air. "SHALL NOT!" I slam the butt of my spear against the floor. "PAAASS!"

I burst into giggles.

My laughter, however, dies as I imagine Lloyd and the others standing before me; glaring at me as I stand between them and the Summon Spirits of Light. If I was the only one keeping them from nearly destroying the world out of their ignorance, I would probably stand a little longer than usual before being overwhelmed by their fighting power or their pressure against me. Still, I would never last as long as Kratos might if Yuan didn't come along. Hell, Kratos might even kick their asses and send them back down the tower. He did say he was being merciful when you fight him a second time at the Tower of Salvation.

Me . . .

I never even took advantage of my knowledge from the game. What chance do I stand if I won't even use my own advantages?

Then again, I was trying to avoid abusing my knowledge of the characters and try not to give away things I shouldn't know. I don't want to end up being a fortuneteller or, god forbid, end up being accurate enough where the others start depending on me and then suddenly I start being wrong and they get hurt as a result.

But this isn't about me using the game's knowledge to blackmail Kratos or something! This is about preparing for upcoming battles and doing what I can to survive against my opponents! If a character is in trouble, then I can just arrange things to happen as though I were "coincidentally" there or come up with some sort of explanation based on logic that would make sense if I never played the game!

Didn't I ever prepare for a battle?

No. Never. I went in acting even blinder than the very people who never saw anything coming.

With a heavy sigh, I put my spear back on my back and go back down the Tower of Mana's seemingly endless stairs.

* * *

Lloyd lands his rheaird before the entrance to the Renegade base. He waits on the others as they land around him and returns all the rheairds back into the wing pack before entering the base. As the entire group walks along to Yuan's office, Renegade members pass by them without much of a reaction. Every so often a member would watch them, but most went about their own business.

Genis eyes each Renegade that passes by. "It feels weird that they aren't chasing after us. The first three times we entered a Renegade base, they were all out to get us."

"I get what you're saying," Lloyd replies. "Walking around here makes me feel jumpy even though they are our allies."

Sheena raises an eyebrow at him. "You're talking to us now?"

"I'm not mad at all of you," he says. "I'm mostly mad at Kelsey."

"You can't stay mad at her forever," Sheena tells him.

"No . . ." Lloyd's head lowers a notch. ". . . but . . ."

"But what?" goes Sheena.

Lloyd diverts the conversation by stopping next to a Renegade member and asks, "Which way is Yuan's office?" Once the Renegade gives Lloyd the answer, the swordsman nods in gratitude. "Thanks." Lloyd hurries on.

They go down the halls and approach Yuan's office door. Lloyd takes a few steps forward, but he suddenly stops when loud voices go through the walls.

"Lloyd, what is it?" Presea questions.

"Shh! Listen . . ." Lloyd tells everyone.

". . . I am not going to put their mission on hold just because you have drawn a conclusion that you cannot even support!"

Sheena utters, "Is that Yuan?"

"Everything in my report is fully explained in detail! You should understand it quite perfectly!"

"And Maverick . . ." notes Lloyd.

"I have talked to you about your terrible organization skills in writing. You fail to realize that your jumps in logic are not clear to your readers."

"You at least understand my conclusions! Consider what I am saying!"

"I did! I analyzed your concerns and checked with my sources in Derris Kharlan! Everything conflicts with your reasoning and conclusions!"

"What? . . . They conflict? But . . ."

"Face it, Maverick. You are no longer what you used to be."

". . . What I used to be . . . ? _What __I__ used__ to __be? _ _I__ USED__ to__ be __a__ stable __man__ who __didn__'__t__ need__ to __depend__ on __an __exsphere__ to__ function__ normally!__ I__ USED__ to__ have __a__ strong__ body __as__ well__ as__ a __strong __mind,__ but __now __if__ I__'__m __so __much__ as__ poked__ with __a__ stick,__ I__ collapse __like __a __house__ of__ cards!__ Don__'__t __you __DARE__ talk__ to__ me__ about __what __I__ used__ to__ be!_"

"Don't you dare speak as if we are equals in rank!"

"As if you hold any _real_ power over me! I could burn all my research and finally let myself grow old and die! You would have to recover all that research by yourself! You wouldn't have me to do the work for you or—"

The electronic door suddenly opens after Lloyd took a step closer. Yuan and Maverick immediately halt their argument when the eavesdroppers become painfully obvious. Maverick turns away from the group while Yuan sends them a stern look and says, "What do you want?"

The group enters Yuan's office. Lloyd and Raine bring the remaining pieces of the Balacruf map to him and set them on the desk. Yuan glances at the pieces before stating, "You brought the rest. Good. We can finally piece it together." The Renegade leader pulls out a large drawer and lifts the piece Botta retrieved out and places it amongst the rest. "A repair spell should be enough to restore the Balacruf map." He looks up at Maverick and the two exchange a look for a moment. Maverick turns away once more. Yuan returns his attention to the Balacruf map.

The Renegade leader arranges the pieces back into the order they once fit together as and holds his hand over it. Mana collects around Yuan's hand and goes down into the pieces of the map. The mana links the pieces together and restores the collective hole, even reforming any small bits of stone lost.

With the Balacruf map restored, Lloyd picks it up and puts it under his arm. "Thank you."

Yuan doesn't reply.

Raine takes the moment to question, "Yuan, what were the concerns Maverick had?"

"Those concerns are of little importance," he tells her. "I will pass the information along once I find some backing to them."

"I say they are backed well enough," Maverick spats.

"Perhaps I will take your report more seriously if you would at least make it legible."

"Sounds to me like you're keeping information from us," Zelos casually criticizes.

Yuan looks over each of Lloyd's group and sends them away. "I will give you information that you may need for your mission. However, I will not provide you with anything that could possibly distract you from our main objective. You may leave."

Lloyd turns away from Yuan. "Let's go, guys. He's not going to tell us anything else."

The group leaves Yuan's office and exit through the halls. Some towards the back of the group look behind them in concern. Raine makes a troubled expression. "Lloyd, we may have to question Yuan about what Maverick spoke of."

"Why?" Lloyd asks. "It's not like he's keeping secrets from us."

"Refraining from volunteering information is one such way of hiding information," Regal points out, his expression just as troubled.

"But Yuan will tell us if there's something we need to know, right?" says Lloyd. "We're allies now."

Raine shakes her head. "I still find this worrisome."

"I, for one, am going to make the pacts no matter what." Sheena adds a little playful punch to her palm. "I'm ready for the next battle!"

"Even still . . ." Raine persists.

Genis looks up to his sister. "Sis, I know the Renegades were our enemies before and they did some horrible things. I know we couldn't trust them before, but now they are our allies. Let's try trusting them on this. They had years to figure this out."

Regal suggests, "We can ask the Renegades about this when we get the chance."

Lloyd nods and confirms this plan. "Yeah, after we make the pact with the Summon Spirit of Wind!"

Regal frowns. "I actually meant right—"

"What about getting the flute to Mithos?" Genis asks. "I think we should give that to him as soon as possible."

Lloyd frowns in contemplation and puts his fingers around his chin. "Ah, okay. Then after we give the flute to Mithos."

"What about the last pact?" Sheena demands. "We are sooo close to making the last pact! We need to get Sylvarant and Tethe'alla out of Cruxis' control as soon as possible! Besides, if something bad was going to happen because of releasing the mana links, then I'm sure the Renegades would have found out by now!"

"Well, then . . ."

Raine and Regal sigh.

As Lloyd mulls over compromising for a few of the members, the entire group leaves the Renegade base and flies across Sylvarant for the Temple of Wind. The flight takes the rest of the morning and, when they finally land near the entrance, everyone stretches their legs out and comments on the length of the flights. They look up to the mausoleum just before heading towards it.

Once the entrance is in sight, Lloyd pulls out the Balacruf map and makes his way to the pedestal. He inserts the stone map into the pedestal and sees the oracle stone reappear. Without any prompting or question, Colette comes up to the oracle stone and places her hand upon it. The entrance to the Balacruf Mausoleum opens in response.

Sheena hurries inside. "Alright! Let's go!"

As everyone follows Sheena in, Raine comments, "Your attitude concerning the pacts made a dynamic shift as of late."

Sheena looks back at Raine and smiles. "Corrine gave me courage. And I have all of you supporting me in this. How can I lose after all that?"

Genis looks downward. "I miss Corrine . . ."

Raine bows her head. "Ah, Corrine . . . He was a wonderful companion . . ."

Sheena's eyes widen at Raine's words. Her smile softens, showing her touched emotions. "Raine . . ."

"And a fabulous research subject!" The professor sighs. "I must get the research notes from the Imperial Research Institute!"

Sheena gawks at Raine. ". . . What?"

Regal puts himself between Sheena and Raine. He ushers Sheena onward while telling her, "Ignore Raine. We need to focus on the pact up ahead."

Zelos smirks. ". . . Wow. Just . . . There are no words."

To divert Sheena's attention, Regal asks, "Who will you have accompany you into the battle against Sylph?"

"Hmmm . . ." Sheena stares down the magically lit corridors leading them to the altar. ". . . I think I'll have Zelos, Raine, and Presea join me this time, assuming that Sylph will let me pick three people to help me in battle like a few other Summon Spirits had."

"Roger," Zelos responds.

"I will not fail you," Presea assures Sheena.

Sheena grins and gives them both thumbs ups. They continue on up to the top of the mausoleum until they finally reach the altar. Sheena walks up to the altar and stops there as green mana collects just above her.

One vague form of a maiden appears only to split into three fairy-like people. One, standing before the other two like a leader, wears a green suit and carries herself in the air with two sets of eagle wings; another, off to the side, looks over the entire group as they in turn stare at her and her blue suit and butterfly wings; the last one, equally as far back as the blue fairy, smiles down at the group with a friendly air and appears just as warm as her red and orange coloring.

The green one speaks with a gentle yet commanding voice, "You are a summoner, are you not? We the Sylph already share a pact with Mithos."

Sheena simply says, "I am Sheena! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos, and establish a new pact with me!"

The blue one goes, "Ah, so the next pact maker is finally here."

"Okay, then!" the red one chirps. "We'll test out your power!"

"But first . . ." The green one states, "We require that you pick only two companions for this battle. As you can see, there are only Yutis and Fairess with me and we desire a more even force."

"Ah . . . Okay." Sheena turns around and looks over the companions she previously chose. "Hmmmm. Raine, Presea, I want you two with me. Sorry, Zelos."

Zelos just lets it go. "Hey, less work for me."

"Good luck, Sheena," Lloyd bids before he turns around and beckons for the others to follow. "Let's go guys. We need to get out of the way."

As Sheena, Raine, and Presea prepare for the upcoming battle, the others go down to the room below.

As soon as the battle is out of earshot, Genis in front of the group and announces, "Okay, I know this doesn't seem like much, but I have one thing to ask . . . What kind of present do you think Presea might like?"

A silence goes over the group.

Lloyd asks, "Why are you asking that?"

"I want to give Presea something for making Mithos a new flute," Genis explains. "And don't worry, Lloyd, I already have something in mind for you."

Lloyd grins from ear to ear as the others consider this. Regal suggests, "You might want to consider Presea's personality while deciding what to give her. This may make things a little easier."

"I already tried that and I still can't think of anything!" Genis thinks for a moment. The mage starts beaming when he comes up with something. "I have an idea! How about all of you think about what you may like as a gift! That may help me decide!"

"Food!" Lloyd chirps.

"A beautiful woman," Zelos goes.

"World peace," Colette says.

Genis sighs. "I think I'll just stick with Regal's advice."

"And you should. Regal's advice is very sound," Zelos tells the kid. "You can go the traditional route and give her flowers or chocolates, but I recommend giving Presea something that will make her happy. Take my word for it as the guru of love."

Lloyd comments to himself, "Just hearing him say 'guru of love' makes me cringe . . ."

Genis considers this and nods. "Alright. I think I have a few things in mind. Thanks, everyone."

Colette then adds, "You could also ask the Professor and Sheena once they are done making the pact with Sylph."

Genis nods again. "I'll do that later when Presea isn't around to overhear me."

"Speaking of which, I wonder how they're doing," Lloyd goes.

At the altar, each members of the Sylph bring out their respective weapons: Sephie with a giant sword, Yutis with a bow, and Fairess with a large shield. The three spread out around the group, with Sephie confronting Sheena.

Raine immediately casts Field Barrier just as the battle begins. Yutis aims her bow at the healer as Raine charges up another spell and forces Raine to cancel her spell in order to dodge the arrow. Sephie, in the meantime, charges at Sheena. Sheena dodges with a flip and pauses at the ground before dodging Sephie's sword attacks again. Presea focuses on protecting Raine from Yutis' attacks after the first arrow disrupted the healer's spell. However, this strategy leaves Fairess free to attack with her spells.

Fairess casts Air Thrust and forces Presea to cast up Earthly Protection to shield against the spell. Once Fairess' spell ends, Yutis slips an arrow through the few seconds window when Presea's barrier finally goes down. Raine throws Force Field up to block the arrow from hitting her, disrupting another spell.

Sheena races to where Fairess stations herself and flips over the Summon Spirit just as Sephie begins a swift attack. Fairess blocks the incoming friendly fire attack and turns against Sheena. Just when Sephie flies around to the other side of Fairess where Sheena is, the ninja flips around Fairess once more. As the two Summon Spirits switch directions, Sheena continues to go around Fairess over and over again. Finally having enough, Fairess flies up into the sky, forcing Sheena to abandon her meat shield and continue running from Sephie's attacks.

Raine and Presea take advantage of Sephie and Fairess' momentary distraction. Presea sends up Earthly Protection once more and Raine casts Photon on Yutis. The counterattack arrow sent Raine's way crashes into Presea's barrier just as Photon begins and causes some damage to Yutis' bow and a second lapse in Yutis' concentration.

Once Sheena is running again and Fairess is free to cast spells, Raine orders, "Presea, I will be fine. Go take out Fairess."

"Yes." Presea hurries out to Fairess She keeps an eye out for one of Yutis' arrows while waiting for the Summon Spirit to come back down.

Sheena finally has enough with running around the entire battle field and charges at Sephie. The ninja readies her cards for a devastating chain of attacks, but Fairess flies around and blocks Sheena from attacking with her large shield. Sheena flips over Fairess and renews her charge at Sephie. Fairess whirls around and slams Sheena with her shield.

Taking full advantage of Fairess leaving herself wide open, Presea charges at the Summon Spirit with all her might. "Beast!"

Presea's attack knocks Fairess down. Presea rises her ax up into the air for a deadly blow. Abandoning her shield in favor of speed, Fairess dodges Presea's attack and blows the girl away with Air Blade. Fairess quickly retrieves her shield and flies back up into the air, ready to protect her companions whenever a direct attack occurs.

Raine finally manages to cast Ray from pausing her spells over and over to block Yutis' arrows. The spell begins just above Yutis but misses as the Summon Spirit simply flies around the spell. Yutis continues flying by and aims her bow at, instead of Raine, Sheena. She unleashes a series of arrows, forcing Sheena further and further out of her way. Fairess flies around and blocks another escape as Sephie corners Sheena. Presea slips in and casts up a barrier along with Sheena.

Raine casts, "Acuteness!"

All their weapons gain a sharper edge. With this new advantage, Sheena faces against Fairess while Presea attacks Sephie.

"Beast!" Presea knocks Sephie away with her attack. Just as she turns around to Fairess, Sheena finishes casting up a magical circle appearing like a full moon on Fairess' shield. Sheena shouts, "Genma Getsueika!" Presea cleaves the illusionary moon in half and causes the magical circle to burst on Fairess, causing enough force to send the shield soaring off the top of the mausoleum.

"_No!_" cries Fairess. The Summon Spirit dissipates into bits of green mana.

In retaliation, Yutis shoots a flurry of arrows down on Sheena and Presea. The arrows hit and knock them both down, knocking them out unconscious.

"This won't end here!" Raine pulses with light mana. She releases the mana as she casts the spell. "_Fairy__ Circle!_"

Starting from the center of the battle field, four butterfly-winged fairies fly in a spiral, sending light energy to heal Sheena and Presea as well as harm Sephie and Yutis when the mana comes into contact with them. The spell brings Sheena and Presea back to their feet but exhausts Raine as the healer is driven to her limit. The light from the spell fades and leaves Raine on her knees.

Sheena and Presea race to Raine's side. Presea casts up Earthly Protection to bar against Sephie's sword attacks. Sheena gives Raine all her orange and pineapple gels and helps the healer back to her feet. Sheena says to her, "Can we still pull it off?"

Raine stands back up and nods with firm determination. "Yes. Start it now!"

Sheena concentrates on every single spell card she placed all over the battle field while running from Sephie. The spell cards rise up into the air, surrounding Sephie and Yutis. Each spell card explodes with light energy piercing every enemy it comes into contact with, resembling multiple castings of Ray. Sephie and Yutis fall to the ground and dissolve into green mana.

When everything calms down, the Sylph reappear above the altar.

"Wow! You're strong!" Fairess cheers.

"I'm impressed, too," Yutis adds.

Sephie nods. "Yes, you shall have what you seek. Speak your vow."

Sheena tells them, "I vow to create a place where the two worlds no longer have to sacrifice each other in order to survive."

Sephie smiles in approval. "Very well. Our pact is now formed." Then she adds with a slight frown, "But please, keep to your vow. We do not wish to be betrayed again."

Sheena's eyebrows rise in surprise. "'Betrayed'? What do you mean—"

Brown mana bursts before Sylph, interrupting Sheena. Gnome appears and greets, "Well, Sylph! How's it going? It's been—what?—four thousand years? Lookin' good!"

Sephie nods. "Yes, it has been a long time."

Gnome pops his claws in a casual stretch. "There's gonna be an earthquake in about ten minutes. After all, we just basically ripped out a mana link. Hel~loo~!"

Yutis grins. "Yeah, that basically sums it up."

Fairess bids, "Take care, Gnome! See you all later!"

Gnome grins widely. "Okay! Later!"

"Wait!" Sheena shouts. "What about—"

The Summon Spirits disappear. Left behind is a mass of green mana that collects inside Sheena, leaving nothing than a green stone set in a ring in her hand. Sheena sighs in frustration and pockets the ring. Sheena turns back to Raine and Presea and says, "I wonder what Mithos did to break his vow? Speaking of Mithos, we need to get that flute to the Mithos we know before we make the last pact."

* * *

My fingers skim along the thick tomes on the shelves as I pick out which books I want to read. The reality of their existence sinks in as I feel their textures and try not to breathe in the dust I stir. These books contain more than short paragraphs of near-meaningless background information about a game I was playing. Centuries of knowledge and collection line the walls of the lowest floor of the Tower of Mana. Touching them, holding them, reading through the text, these books remind me that I really am a part of this reality, more so than I am of Earth now. I can interact with this world on a larger basis than just holding a sweaty controller and mashing buttons.

Which reminds me: when was the last time I actually hugged someone?

I don't mean out of desperation and emotional duress, but just a friendly hug? I actually used to be a huggy person. What happened to that? Did all that stop long before I got Tales of Symphonia when most of my friends were starting to prevent anyone from coming within a four-foot radius of them? Did it stop during the trauma from when I first arrived at Palmacosta? When was the last time I patted someone on the back, or shook someone's hand, or just made physical contact in general?

I don't remember.

I pull out a fifth thick book from a shelf at eyelevel. This hasty action sends thick clods of dust flying through the air and sends me into a coughing frenzy. After securing the chosen books in my arms through my coughs, I hurry outside the tower to take refuge in the fresh air and soft breeze. I set the books down on the stairs and take my seat, allowing myself to catch my breath before returning to the books.

As much as I skim through the books, I can still see my journal at the corner of my eye. I scowl just before focusing more attention on the book before me. Even still, I couldn't get my mind off my journal. Off my life. Off my past actions.

Damn it.

I set the old book down and go over to my journal where it lies awkwardly on its spine. I pick it up once more and throw it even further than I had before trying to divert myself with the books inside the Tower of Mana.

I was too passive.

I was inactive.

I never once acted for myself.

When Chocolat was kidnapped and I joined forces with Lloyd's group to save her and inevitably failed, it wasn't that Fate was out to get me. I flat out gave up.

I realize that, before the whole affair happened with the Palmacosta Ranch, I was piecing my life back together back then. Despite how broken I was, despite how much I bottled my pain and ignored it for the sake of keeping myself from melting down, I was actually doing something. I was working for the person who took me in; I was participating in life; I was making friends; I was living life.

Now look at me!

I complain, and I complain, and I complain about how hard my life is while pretending that I'm not focusing on myself. Well, when did I ever act to make things easier for myself and for the others? Sure, maybe some of them don't realize this because how I bottled everything up, but how does that change anything or my apathetic attitude? I never got with the program!

This world is my new home.

Because this world is my new home, I need to do something to protect it.

I need to _act!_

I stare out at my fallen journal. A few moments pass as I calm myself. Still, the new perspective on myself stings. When have I been very active even before coming to this world? I took life for granted. I still take my life for granted, despite all the shit I went through. Why did I, though? I went through life-altering events! Maybe it's because I knew most of what would happen. I knew we were all going to be fine in the end. Why act when the future is secure? I wish I had never played . . .

. . . Wishing isn't going to do me any good. I still need to act. So why go for an already secured future when I can use my knowledge of future events to make an even better future even if the changes are small?

I take a few steps forward and retrieve my journal. I open the book to the first few pages and read through them once more. Oh Kelsey, you were such an idiot back then. Now you're an even bigger idiot. Still, I can learn from this. The past may be unsalvageable, but my future can still be shaped. I close my journal and go back to my bag to slip it back into my bag. After looking back over to the books I took from the Tower of Mana, I decide to take them along once it's time to finally leave this place. These books will make a nice gift to Raine once the Tower of Mana is gone.

. . . Wait . . .

I straighten up as a thought comes to me.

The others will inevitably be here. They can't fly up to the top on the rheairds because of some device Cruxis placed earlier. They will have to walk all the way up to the top.

They will end up meeting with me and have me rejoin.

Maybe . . . Maybe I can talk with them. Maybe it's not too late. Maybe I can speak with them.

Palmacosta's destruction is not set in stone because of a video game.

The tragic loss of life is not unavoidable because of a video game.

The predicted future is not certain because of a video game.

Tales of Symphonia doesn't have a tenth playable character named Kelsey, Maverick doesn't even exist, Anna's family isn't ever mentioned, Kratos only joins once in the game unless you choose him in Flanoir, and Botta died when Rodyle died. That video game got those things wrong, and some of those changes happened _because_ of the canon characters' actions. Nothing was ever set in stone because of a game.

I can make change.

But how am I going to convince the others to choose a different way?

I sigh and take my journal back out along with a pen. I flip the journal over to the back where there are blank pages and hold my pen over the page. What can I use to convince the others since psychic powers via playing a video game will only get me admitted to an insane asylum, and since I don't know anything about this world's attitude towards the mentally ill it might end up being like Arkham.

Let's see . . . What are the technicalities with the Giant Tree going insane?

My pen remains still for several long minutes.

. . . I don't remember.

But it was brought over here by Sylvarant's Summon Spirits because of the World Regeneration Journey. That much I know. Sooo . . . anything else useful?

My pen still remains motionless.

. . . The one time I'm actually going to use future knowledge from the game—and for good too—I come up with a blank after not playing the actual game in months.

How f**king convenient.

I toss my journal back into the distance.

After a few seconds, a violent earthquake begins. I fall to my knees and try to wait out the earthquake. Then I hear loud cracking noises above me and I look up. A balcony far above me falls from its old perch. I scream and hurry away, struggling to keep enough balance to get out of the falling balcony's way. The balcony crashes onto the ground, covering the area I was just resting on. The earthquake settles down and disappears, with the results still crashing around and inside the aged Tower of Mana. I wait for everything to settle down before going over to the rubble.

My journal and my supplies are still in there.

I dig around where my supplies should be and find them under a light layer of rubble. Although some items are broken beyond repair, such as an old mug I kept with me, the important things are still intact. I sigh with relief. Food, medical supplies, and my books are still intact. Relief especially floods through me as I find my Lord of the Ring books still intact despite their condition. The books my parents cherished are still legible . . .

My journal, though . . .

After placing my bag in a more secure location, I attempt to dig out my journal where I threw it. Unfortunately, I can only pull away rubble bits rather than the large pieces of stone balcony that lies under it. My journal is ruined.

My journal is destroyed.

Absolutely destroyed.

I force myself to breathe even breaths. "It's okay. I can get another one. The important things are intact. It's . . ."

My eyes shed a few tears despite my efforts. With this one little trigger, everything comes out like an opened floodgate.

I hurt Lloyd with my lies. I'm a passive fool who does nothing to help. The remains of my religion are a purposeful sham created to fulfill organized genocide. The others are going to come and make a pact that will trigger the death of perhaps everyone I knew in Palmacosta. I don't even know how I'm going to stop them. Even if I try to stop them, they may not believe me. If I use Tales of Symphonia as evidence then I _will_ lose their friendship. I may even end up losing their friendship by opposing them in the first place.

I need to act yet I don't even know what to do.

My tears continue to stain my face and redden my eyes. I cry harder and more than I have ever cried before. What do I do? How do I react? There's just too much to do, and so little time to do it.

I might fail because of my passiveness.

I need to act yet I don't even know what to do.

* * *

The group lands before Altessa's house. Genis unbuckles himself out of the rheaird he flies on and hurries into the place without even knocking. "Mithos! Mithos!"

Mithos, who sits at the table eating by Altessa and Tabatha's side, gawks in startled shock as Genis suddenly runs up to him almost out of nowhere. He remains silent as Genis hurries up to him and pulls out an ocarina shaped like a sweet potato. Mithos stares at the ocarina while Genis excitedly explains to him what it is.

"Since your old panpipes were broken because of us, we decided to give this to you!" Genis tells his friend. "I know it isn't the same as your sister's, but this is made by the same type of nut as the panpipes were! Lloyd and Presea carved it themselves! We hope you will like it."

Mithos' eyes widen as he takes in Genis' words. He takes the ocarina from Genis' hands and holds it with quivering fingers. Mithos' eyes brighten with budding tears as he continues to stare at it with a thousand different thoughts going through his mind. Finally, Mithos holds the ocarina close to his heart and, as his tears of joy flow from his eyes, utters, "Thank you . . . !"

* * *

I pace in front of the entrance to the Tower of Mana, often climbing over the remains of the balcony. My brain strains for some sort of reasonable speech that will at least get the others to pause before making the final pact. I know they're coming here soon. After that earthquake, it's pretty reasonable to assume that another mana link has been broken.

Coming up with a beginning to a speech, though, has got to be the hardest thing ever.

I take a quick breath and go, "Everyone, I have something I need to say . . . I don't think we should make the last pact." I consider that line for a moment and shake my head. "No, that won't do . . ."

I walk over to the other side of the entrance and try again. "I'm of the opinion that we should . . . No, that doesn't even sound like me. It just sounds like I'm trying to impress someone."

I climb over another bit of rubble. "After a lot of thinking, I think that breaking the last mana link will be too dangerous. The consequences may hurt a lot of innocent people."

"And we agree. Destroying the last mana link will prove more disastrous than attacking a Desian patrol guard."

I gasp and turn around to find Kratos and Maverick, side by side, coming towards the Tower of Mana. While Kratos remains silent and solemn, Maverick smiles at me as he continues on to say, "Since we have a common goal, do you think you could talk to your friends? If they value you as a friend, they should listen to you."

My stomach drops. What am I going to do now? No, no, stay calm. They won't hurt you. They . . . What is Maverick doing here, anyway? Shouldn't he be on the Renegades' side? Weren't Kratos and Maverick ready to kill each other?

Kratos steps in front of Maverick and tells me, "Calm down. No harm will come to you. As you have felt, destroying the last mana link will cause more damage than you can imagine."

Maverick steps around Kratos. "The mana links serve multiple purposes. They serve to not only isolate the Great Seed from mana, preventing it from germinating and swallowing Martel's soul, and to gravitate the two worlds together in order to prevent Sylvarant and Tethe'alla from drifting apart, but also serve as a protective cocoon from the mana it produces . . ."

As Maverick goes on into a ramble that continues on and gets even more difficult to understand, Kratos talks over Maverick's nonstop chatting, "To make a long story short—"

I couldn't refuse. "Too late."

Kratos lets this pass in favor of explaining. "The mana links serve multiple purposes. They connect the two worlds together, isolate the Great Seed from mana in order to prevent it from germinating, and prevent the two worlds from separating from each other. The job to prevent the two worlds from separating is the most precarious of all the uses the mana links have, for it places the Great Seed in a delicate and strained position as the two worlds pull at each other as they try to separate."

". . . resulting in mana instability," Maverick goes on. "In normal circumstances, this would force the Great Seed to grow into a deformed state and result in . . ."

I look between the two and let a moment pass as I try to take in everything that Kratos just said. I still don't remember the explanation from the game, but this sounds about right. ". . . This is a lot to wrap my mind around."

"And there is more." Kratos continues, "As Maverick was just saying a moment ago, the Great Seed would normally shape itself into a twisted form and be unsuitable to sustain life. However, this was prevented because of the isolation provided by the mana links. Although the Great Seed does produce mana, it is prevented from using the very mana it produces and, thus, does not grow into this twisted state."

I finish the explanation, "So once the last mana link is destroyed, all this will happen."

Kratos nods. "Exactly. Once the Great Seed starts growing under all the stress, there is no telling what it will do. It may result in exactly what Lloyd, you, and all your friends hope it will accomplish; it may result in exactly what I fear may become the end of this world. You need to convince the others not to go on."

I stare at Kratos for a moment. My brain processes all this information until, finally, I come up with an answer (or rather, the obvious one). "I'll see what I can do."

My response doesn't prove encouraging to Kratos. "I hope you will succeed."

Maverick saunters around to Kratos' side. As he releases his wings, he faces me with a smile. "If you don't, we'll stop them. I'll keep myself a little further back than Kratos and stop them in case force is the only answer."

Kratos narrows his eyes at Maverick. "It will not come down to force."

"I'm here in case your silver tongue fails and it does. Good luck~!" Maverick pushes himself off the ground and flies straight up into the air towards the top of the tower.

Kratos stares up at Maverick and enters the Tower of Mana without another word. My stomach twists into tight knots even before the two are well out of sight. A long while passes as I fidget and stress over how I could possibly present this vital information to the others. Having the facts straight does help me, but my problem still remains. Will they believe me? Will they discredit my source? Please let them believe me and find another way to stop Cruxis . . .

The day slowly comes to an end. I manage to get control of my nerves but I end up forcing my words whenever I speak. Once the rheairds come into sight, all my efforts to remain calm end up strained. I feel like I need to puke from the nerves . . .

When the others land, they look around at the rubble at my feet before turning to me. "Kelsey," Genis asks, "what happened here?"

Thankfully, Raine is the one who answers. "This is most likely from the earthquake. The Tower of Mana is in need of a lot of structural repairs."

Sheena shivers. "Like that chandelier that nearly fell on us . . ."

Lloyd looks over at Raine before turning back to me. "Were you hurt during this?"

I simply shake my head.

"That's good." We stare at each other in an awkward silence before he says, "So, uh, did you figure things out for yourself?"

I nod.

"O . . . Okay." That awkward silence returns. Lloyd moves forward towards the entrance. "Then let's go make that final pact!"

"Actually . . ."

Lloyd stops when I finally speak.

I force myself to say, "I don't think we should make this pact."

"What?" Lloyd stares at me in shock.

Genis asks, "But what about Cruxis? This is the only way we can free the Great Seed!"

Well, there goes making everything sound intelligent and using good information to back me up. "I believe there is another way of germinating the Great Seed and taking down Cruxis. We don't know everything about the Great Seed or Cruxis. We don't even know how Yggdrasill was even able to split the worlds apart. If we take a look at Cruxis' history, we could find some answers there."

Lloyd questions, "What's wrong with this way? You never said anything about this before."

Sheena crosses her arms. ". . . Actually, she has. She told me that messing with the mana links feels dangerous. Though she's never done anything about that until now."

"So I'm a coward for not speaking out until now," I say. "Even still, better now than never. Breaking the last mana link will hurt this world and could get a lot of innocent people killed. We need to find another way that's more predictable than this."

Raine narrows her eyes. "Explain."

I sigh, mainly at myself. "I don't really know all the details, but I do know that the mana links prevent the Great Seed from growing because it's cut off from mana."

"We already know this," Raine says. "Yuan informed us of that."

I nod. "Y-yeah, we do. But what will happen to the Great Seed once it's overwhelmed by mana? Exposing it to that much energy can't be a good thing. I . . . I can speak from experience about this . . ." I tell them, "Back when I first came to this world, I was exposed to mana for the very first time. My world didn't survive on mana. It survived on some other life energy." The last part I told them to keep the explanation simple with no interruptions or diversions. "When I was just dropped down into all this mana, I was overwhelmed by it all. I thought I was going to die! Then, back at the Tower of Salvation, some of you might remember that I did collapse and looked like I was in pain. That was from the mana. My body was adjusting to something it was getting used to and was exposed to that something at a high level. What about the Great Seed, though? It hasn't been exposed to mana in all its life. What will happen to it?"

Raine says, "However, the Great Seed is built to survive on mana while your body had to adapt to it. The difference may be significant."

Lloyd, in a complete serious tone, tells me, "You need to trust Yuan on this. He got his information from Derris Kharlan itself. He hasn't told us that there's something we need to worry about so it's pointless to worry over this. Come on, let's go make the final pact."

The others all continue on into the Tower of Mana. I, however, remain where I stand. When Lloyd notices that I haven't followed him in, he turns around and calls out to me. "Kelsey! Let's go!"

I turn around and stay where I am. ". . . No, Lloyd."

Lloyd's eyes widen. ". . . What?"

I shake my head. "No, Lloyd. I'm not helping you with this. I was a fool not to say something earlier, but it's now or never. I'm not going to help you or Sheena with this pact, not when I feel it could hurt countless innocent people."

"But it won't!" Sheena insists. "This will stop Cruxis!"

"Will it?" I reply, "Cruxis will still be around after this. We will still need to put an end to them. If you're right, all this will do is make things more complicated for all of us, for both Cruxis and for us."

"Kelsey!" Lloyd goes.

"I haven't done a lot, but if I can do only one thing then I might as well make a statement." I say, "I won't help you with this, and since I will not help, I will only be a burden. I can't fight you; I can't stop you; all I can do is speak."

"But—!"

I tell them, "Kratos and Maverick are up ahead. Although Kratos is willing to be diplomatic, Maverick is more keen to use force to stop all of you."

Everyone only stares as I turn and walk away from the Tower of Mana.

"Kelsey!"

I turn my head and bid, "Good bye, everyone. Thank you for everything."

I leave the others behind, doing the one thing I should have done from the beginning.

* * *

The thing with Mithos is that I wanted a lot of emphasis on Mithos' reaction since that is what stands out to me the most about when they give him the ocarina (and it really is shaped like an ocarina in the game's key item menu, though it remains as a panpipe in the limited game graphics). It's short, but I hope I emphasized my target to the degree I wanted to.

Also the "I couldn't refuse. 'Too late.'" is more of a Clue (movie) reference. Awesome movie. Go check it out.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed our first Hi-Ouigi! Raine's Hi-Ouigi "Fairy Circle" from the PS2 Japanese released version! She's the most advanced and knowledgeable out of the entire group so don't expect the others until we're well further into the story. The two unison attacks made by Sheena, Presea, and Raine are both from the PS2 version as well.

Please review.


	73. The Great Seed

Everyone, I have an announcement to make concerning Through the Brother's Eyes.

I will not begin rewriting or finish the fic.

I understand that many people are disappointed, but no one is as or more disappointed about this than I am. I could not create a plot for the story (and no one can build a story on just a beginning and end) and any romance I created between the star couple wound up being contrived or just plain creepy. While I do have plans to make up for this, those plans won't happen until after Confessions is finished.

To make up for this for the moment, I'll give you a brief history over the kranna fic in this chapters author notes and then how I created Ephraim as a character in the next chapter.

Through the Brother's Eyes is, by nature and birth, connected to Confessions of a Self Insert.

Ephraim was first created in my original draft of this SI fic when Kelsey was still Kellen and I started this story in Iselia (which could have worked if I hadn't done a time skip from arriving and being taken in by a charitable chicken owner to Colette's 16th birthday when the journey starts and had her bond with members of the village). When the group arrived in Palmacosta, I started referencing Ephraim through paintings he made in the past and had Raine admire them while everyone else just went "meh." I don't really remember what drove me to the next decision, but I decided to characterize Ephraim further by having him co-star in a kranna fic. I wanted to develop the relationship between the OCs and the canon characters before posting the SI. While that was underway, I trashed the old SI fic and restarted from scratch, creating Confessions of a Self Insert as it is now. In Through the Brother's Eyes, Elvira and Elizabeth and their respective families were created.

No one regrets this more than I. However, I do not want to create a story and just leave it unfinished with the promise that I will update it later only to know that I won't ever be able to update it. I felt that was too much of a tease with many fanfic authors like freakyanimegal and Venus Tenshi, so I won't do it to my own readers. Also, I do believe I have a compromise that will prove satisfactory later once Confessions is done.

I apologize, everyone.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Great Seed

Measured breaths heave from my chest. My mind rages while I try to calm myself. The road beyond me stretches from the Tower of Mana to a life away from being a self-insert. I keep off to the side of the road and hide myself in the cover of the trees. My hands shake as I pull out a cloak from my supplies, something I keep in case of rain, and put it on around my shoulders. With that, I draw the hood up. Clear skies above me be damned.

I just turned away from them all. On a chance that the world and countless lives may end as predicted by a video game, I turned away from the very people who probably helped me and tolerated me more than anyone else ever has. I even left without much of a goodbye. All I did was make a statement. The change I hope for might not even happen.

The others will get passed Kratos and make the pact with Luna without a second thought to what I said. Then everything will go crazy and destroy the only home I ever had in this world. The star group will go on to fix the problem, all without me. I will be left here in Sylvarant to help reconstruct Palmacosta. It's fitting, concerning me.

I choke up as I fight my tears.

Although most of the guilt for Palmacosta's possible destruction will be on the others' heads for being the ones who actually triggered it all, my own cowardice claims a good portion of responsibility. If I had spoken up sooner then maybe they would have considered my objections. It's only right that I go back to Palmacosta and help with reconstruction if my fears become reality. It's only right that I help dig up graves. After all, I didn't act when there were so many options available.

Speaking of options, could there have been a better way to go about me confronting Lloyd about the last pact? Maybe I could have gone into the Tower of Mana with Kratos and stopped them in order to convince them to at least listen to what Kratos has to say. Maybe I could have run ahead and blocked all the paths up. They may end up fighting with me, but what are a few broken bones compared to saving the lives of those in Palmacosta?

At least Kratos is there to stop them.

Finally barely able to see anything but blurs through my tears, I lean against a nearby tree and let myself cry a river. When my sobbing diminishes to quick gasps, I continue on my way. The only "cheerful" thing I have now is the hope that Kratos will send Lloyd and the others packing.

Out in the distance comes a blue blur. It comes towards the Tower of Mana at high speeds that make it impossible to discern. I squint my eyes out at it and wonder just what it could be. A few seconds later, the blur zooms passed me and flies inside the entrance to the tower. I stare at the tower for a long moment before realizing just what that blue blur could be. My eyes widen. ". . . Oh god no . . ."

I race back as fast as I can to the Tower of Mana.

* * *

Far up the tower, Lloyd leans against the wall next to him and slumps his shoulders. The rest of the group takes this moment to rest their tired legs and knees. Sheena walks up to Lloyd and rests her hand on his shoulder. "Lloyd? Are you still thinking about what Kelsey said?"

Lloyd sighs heavily. "It just . . . doesn't make any sense. Why now?"

Presea says, "It may be possible that Kratos spoke with her before we arrived. Whatever he has to say may have been enough to push her into abandoning our goal."

Sheena states, "Then all we have to do is prove her wrong. I'm sure Kelsey would be more than happy to see that she is wrong about this."

"This does make me consider more into our actions," Raine expresses. "We simply do not have all the information."

Sheena turns back towards the group. "But Yuan worked so hard to get the information he needs to avoid any disasters! We should trust him on this!"

Regal adds, "It may be likely that Kratos has information that Yuan does not have access to. At the very least, we should hear his piece before forming the final pact."

"I doubt Kratos has any information that Yuan wouldn't have access to. Yuan is on the same rank as Kratos."

Lloyd turns towards the rest of the group and announces, "Either way, we need to keep going. Maybe we can hear Kratos out and ask Yuan about this if what Kratos says is serious enough. Once we make the pact and everything turns out alright, we can tell Kelsey that she can come back."

Zelos gives Lloyd a flat look. "Bud, she flat out betrayed us. She's not coming back."

Lloyd shakes his head. "It's not the same! She didn't try to hurt us when she tried to stop us! She wasn't working with Kratos! They just so happened to have similar goals!"

Zelos sighs with exasperation. "At the end of the day, she abandoned the goal we shared in favor of furthering her own which goes directly against ours. Face it, Lloyd: Kelsey betrayed us."

"She's scared that our goals will hurt other people when that isn't the case," Lloyd insists. "That's all."

Zelos rolls his eyes. "Fine. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Raine interrupts the argument, "What concerns me more is the presence of Kratos and Maverick. From how Kelsey spoke of them, the two are working together."

Sheena snippily says, "Knowing Maverick, it doesn't surprise me. He acts like an independent agent with an alliance to only whatever serves his interests the most at the time. He acted on his own before with no regard to Yuan and he was always likely to do it again."

Colette suggests, "Maybe Maverick wants to help us!"

"Kelsey said that Maverick is willing to use force to stop us," Genis reminds. "Maverick directly betrayed the Renegades."

"But why?" asks Lloyd. He crosses his arms and holds a frustrated expression. "What would he want with stopping us?"

". . . Earlier when we returned to the Renegade base to reassemble the Balacruf map, Yuan and Maverick were arguing over something about the mana links. It seemed to distress Maverick greatly," Presea says. "Perhaps his findings drove him into an alliance with Cruxis."

Regal narrows his eyes into a troubled scowl. ". . . It would be best if we listen to Kratos' piece before we continue."

"You forget," Sheena adds, "Maverick is insane. His logic goes out the window!"

"Insanity is only an explanation for an individual's thought process," Regal tells her. "It is never a reason for why a person acts. The only exception to the rule I can think of is The Clown."

"The who?" Lloyd goes.

"A villain from the Owlman comic book series," Zelos apathetically answers.

"Comic book?"

"Never mind."

"If we talk to Kratos, maybe he can convince Maverick not to fight us," Colette says in a desperate attempt to keep hope up.

"I doubt he can talk Maverick out of fighting even if he tried," Sheena replies. "Not even Yuan could keep him from acting on his own."

"Kratos severely weakened Maverick in battle when he kidnapped Lloyd," Presea reminds. "Even if words fail, Kratos can defeat Maverick with force. The question is: will Kratos fight alongside us if Maverick aims to kill, or will he fight alongside Maverick?"

Presea's question casts a grim shadow over the entire group.

They continue on after their little break. Climbing higher and higher up the Tower of Mana, it only takes some time before the group finally reaches the highest indoor level. As expected, Kratos stands before them and the portal leading to where the altar stands. A tense silence passes through them.

Kratos breaks the silence, "Before you go on, you _must_ hear me out."

Lloyd stares at Kratos and considers over this. Then, once memories of the recent events return to him, Lloyd sighs and says, "Alright. Since you won't let us pass without a fight, let's hear it. Are there any reasons why you're fighting us other than just because you're with Cruxis?"

Sheena gawks at the young swordsman. "Lloyd! What are you doing?"

"Maybe we can solve something by talking things out," Lloyd suggests. "We can avoid unnecessary fighting that way."

Kratos' eyes widen but seem to make no change on his emotional expression. He takes advantage of the situation by saying, "The Derris-Kharlan core-system just finished calculating its answer. If you form the pact with the Summon Spirit of Light, the protection around the Great Seed will be completely lost! Because of how the Great Seed was situated between the two worlds to prevent—"

A loud bolt of lightning crashes at Kratos' and forces him to dodge the strike. Yuan flies up from a lower floor and sends deadly bolts at Kratos over and over, forcing the Seraph out of Lloyd's path. Kratos glares up at Yuan and shouts, "Yuan! Don't you understand? What you wish for will not happen!"

Instead of answering Kratos, Yuan shouts at the group, "Go now! Don't waste this opportunity!"

Lloyd hesitates. Kratos bolts forward, but Yuan blocks him with another strike of lightning. The entire group finally pushes themselves onward and dash through the fight to the portal. Kratos dodges another lightning strike and races out to the group as they collect on the portal. He reaches for Sheena, and he stops to catch a bolt of lightning Yuan cast down on him. The lightning spell sparks in Kratos' hands before the Seraph releases the energy in another direction. As soon as the spell is spent, the entire group has already teleported away.

"_NO!_" Kratos cries out. He races for the portal and is blocked once more by Yuan. Lightning bolts force Kratos to back away from the portal and cause him to become more distressed. "Lloyd . . . !"

The group appears on the rooftop of the Tower of Mana and climbs the stairs leading to the platform where the altar rests with Lloyd and Sheena leading. As soon as the altar comes into sight, all eight of them stare down the lone Renegade who blocks their path. Maverick smiles upon the entire band, as if enjoying some sort of inside joke. Maverick finally decides to break the silence with a greeting, "Hello, Lloyd."

"Maverick! What are you doing here? Did you really betray the Renegades?" questions Lloyd.

"I did what had to be done," Maverick says with a nonchalant shrug. "Destroying the last mana link will cause ultimate destruction and no one besides Kratos and your little redheaded friend would listen to me."

Raine, her eyes critical and sharp, asks the man, "How long have you been cooperating with Kratos?"

"Ever since you found the first piece of the Balacruf map," answers Maverick. "You see, while Kratos was handing me back my ass, we struck a deal. He would gather the information I needed to get a clear picture of the situation and, should the results show what I fear, I would join up with him to protect the last mana link. Oh, and he had to call off those angels guarding the pieces of the Balacruf map. Knowing Botta, he would have had me help with the effort and any distractions from my work are unwelcome."

Sheena glares at Maverick. "Are you going to try to talk us out of making this pact too?"

Maverick laughs harshly at them. "After Kratos' tarnished silver tongue failed and you gleefully ignored your 'friend'? Of course not!"

Lloyd frowns at Maverick's words. He denies, "We didn't ignore Kelsey!"

Maverick snorts at Lloyd. "Yes you did."

"No we didn't!"

"Why are you still here?" Maverick chuckles to himself and begins a long mocking lecture. "You do not really value that girl as a friend or a loyal companion. In fact, you seem to take her presence for granted. Have you ever asked her what her reason was for fighting alongside you? How often have you go out of your way to actually spend some of your time with her? Then again, relationships are two-way. If she really did want to be a friend to you, she would have acted like one."

While Lloyd tries to come up with an answer to this, Maverick continues, "Now that I think about it, you seem to take everyone's alliance with you for granted. Does everyone really agree with you? Why are they fighting against Cruxis alongside you? You seem to think that, since this way you take is the right way, everyone who goes along with you agrees on the same points you do."

"That's not true!" Lloyd shouts.

"Isn't it?" Maverick's smile spreads into a cruel, wide grin. "Then again, I'm just a third-party member who has experiences with how lasting friendships can go oh so horribly wrong. You just seem to mirror some of the first steps to ruining everything."

This time, Genis is the one who shouts, "That's not true! Lloyd is willing to hold out hope and trust for us even if we thought he wouldn't!"

Presea steps in to continue, "Lloyd has supported us when we needed him the most, even if we did not deserve it!"

Sheena snaps, "_You_ go out of your way to hurt and insult others! _Lloyd_ goes out of his way to make sure others are safe and cared for!"

Regal says, "Lloyd shows himself to be a capable young man and bravely helps others shoulder the emotional burdens they carry."

Raine tells Maverick, "Even if Lloyd makes a mistake, he learns from that mistake and continues to grow passed his mishap and improves himself, something that many others his own age and even older do not seem to have."

Zelos adds in, "This guy is stubborn as hell and will accomplish his goal no matter what it takes, which is pretty admirable, I guess."

Colette then says her piece, "Even if others have hurt him, Lloyd forgives us of our mistakes, even if we don't deserve it."

Lloyd looks around at the people behind him in amazement. "Guys . . ."

"Ahahahahahah . . . !"

They return their focus to Maverick, who laughs bitterly.

"Ahahahahahah . . . !" Maverick stops his laughter to say, "And yet that can almost perfectly describe the leader of the little make-shift family I was a part of. You see, even angels can fall—and fall so very far . . ." His laughter continues for a couple seconds before dying out. He pulls out his fire arm and aims towards the group.

The entire group dodges out of the way as soon as he pulls the trigger. Everyone gets into formation with Zelos and Presea staying behind to defend Raine and Genis from the bullets. Sheena immediately charges in with her cards ready to strike. Maverick shoots his second bullet at her and misses. The bullet continues on and hits Genis' barrier, startling the mage and disrupting his spell.

Sheena forces Maverick back a few steps with her attacks. Finally having enough of that, Maverick steps in close to her and bashes her on the head with the butt of the fire arm. While Raine heals Sheena, Lloyd attacks Maverick from another direction, narrowly dodging Maverick's third bullet, and only manages to drive the Renegade back. If the swordsman made any successful hits, they only created ignorable cuts and slices in Maverick's clothes. A counterattack finally comes in the form of a lightning bolt. The spell stuns Lloyd long enough for Maverick to get some space and send another bolt of lightning at Lloyd. The electricity draws itself towards Lloyd's blades and shocks Lloyd once more. Maverick grins as he repeats the attack over and over.

"Well?" Maverick says with a grin. "Are you going to let go of your swords and survive the attack? Are you?"

A massive kick sends the Renegade flying in an arc. When Maverick gets back to his feet, he is forced to dodge at a fast pace for fear of getting hit by the large chain attack from Regal. After studying Regal's patterns, Maverick casually comments, "If you removed those shackles before hand, I wouldn't be able to do . . ."

Maverick slips through a tiny opening to grab hold of the chains on Regal's shackles.

"This."

Using his angelic strength, Maverick yanks Regal from his stance and slams the large man against the altar. Maverick aims his fire arm at Regal's head—

Raine slams her staff against Maverick's head. The fire arm fires anyway but, due to Maverick's fall, misses Regal and hits the altar. Regal rolls away to safety.

Maverick rolls back onto his feet. In a time span of a second, Maverick sets his hand on fire with a spell and jumps at Raine, his burning hand reaching for her face. Raine jumps out of the way, but Maverick still manages to grab hold of a stray lock. Regal rushes in and chases Maverick away from Raine, giving Genis enough time to cast a quick water spell to extinguish the flames on his sister. Taking revenge, Genis casts Spread on Maverick.

The water spell sends Maverick up into the air. Colette takes this chance and throws a chakram at him. The circular weapon misses when the Renegade immediately unleashes his wings and dodges the weapon. Maverick flies away from the platform and aims his fire arm at the group. Lloyd, Sheena, and Presea cast up barriers to protect the others who, in the meantime, continuously cast spells to hit Maverick. The Renegade dodges each spell thrown at him and places a well-aimed bullet whenever one of the barriers goes down. However, Raine, Regal, and Zelos keep up with the wounds Maverick causes and heals any damage.

After the tenth bullet is fired, Maverick pulls his fire arm back and slips a small black box out of the fire arm and tosses the box aside. For a moment, Lloyd sighs with relief and grins mockingly at Maverick. The swordsman is ignored in favor of bringing out another black box and slips that into the fire arm. Maverick aims his weapon at Lloyd, who continues to grin after renewing his barrier. The trigger gets pulled.

The bullet pierces Lloyd's barrier and injures his shoulder. Lloyd yips and clutches onto his shoulder. A tense silence overcomes the area as the entire group looks back at their enemy. Maverick takes this moment to grin back at them.

Everyone immediately scrambles away from Maverick's line of fire. Although the bullets are sparsely shot, the ones used manage to either hit or graze the targets. Soon, it becomes obvious to the entire group that Maverick's favorite target is Sheena, the summoner. One bullet grazed her, one bullet pierced through her leg, and another grazed against her forehead. When Raine tried to heal her, Maverick shot at the healer and turned his attention back to the summoner. Seeing this, Regal dashes to Sheena and pushes her out of the way just when Maverick fires. Fortunately for Regal, the bullet only cut his right arm.

During the chaos, Raine took Genis down to the portal and ducked the boy behind an angle where Maverick wouldn't see. Taking advantage of the time given to him, Genis prepares the most advanced spell he can cast.

"To the light that shines like the heavens, hear my call . . ."

Maverick notices Genis' words.

"To the gates of the underworld, open up and hear thy call . . ."

He glances around for the missing blue mage.

"Come forth, Lightning of God!"

Horror flashes across Mavericks face. He flies around to the portal, the one place out of his sight.

"Indignation!"

Electricity surrounds Maverick, trapping him in a target. Maverick casts up a barrier as soon as he sees what position he's in. A bolt of lightning streaks down from the heavens and crashes down. The electricity causes Maverick's muscles to spaz and the fire arm in his hand flies out, as if thrown, down onto the platform where the altar lies. Although the spell has already ended, sparks continue to jump from point to point on Maverick's body. Even with the impact dulled by his barrier, Maverick still retains enough damage to show significant burns and injuries.

The Renegade falls from the sky.

Before anything else happens, Lloyd stomps on the dropped fire arm with all his strength and completely shatters the weapon.

Genis and Raine step back up to the main rooftop. The boy pants from all the spent energy but bears a large grin on his face. Raine smiles down at her brother and pats him on the shoulder. "Good job, Genis. I am so proud of you."

Genis' grin gets wider.

Sheena turns to the altar. ". . . No . . . No way . . . ! There is just no way!"

The entire group turns to the altar to find Maverick landing on the altar, gulping down the contents of a lemon gel. He tosses it aside, the glass crashing onto the floor, and stares the group down.

"As strong as the Indignation spell is, neither are you powerful enough to place enough damage to remove me as a threat nor are you the best mage I have ever encountered," Maverick says to Genis. "It will take a lot more than just one spell to finish me off."

Lloyd gawks at Maverick. "Who . . . Who are you?"

"Like that's hard to figure out by this point." Maverick goes, "Hmmm. Maverick has a connection to Yuan and Kratos, can only be easily defeated by said persons, and has lived an undefined number of years. Who could Maverick have been in the past?"

Regal says, "Are you a former Chosen? That would explain your Cruxis Crystal and your connections to Kratos."

Colette looks over at Regal and states, "I memorized many of the names of the past Chosens and I don't recall Maverick's name at all."

Zelos comments, "That's more names than I remember. I didn't even bother to memorize the names of the seven Chosens who regenerated Tethe'alla."

"Then one of the Chosens who fell during the World Regeneration Journey. One from the very beginning of Cruxis," Raine supposes. "Kratos was your escort until you turned against Cruxis and the World Regeneration Journey."

Maverick pulls out a series of throwing knives. "Wrong. Getting close, but wrong."

Knives fly out from Maverick's hands and aim towards the group. Barriers go up and block the knives. Raine, Genis, and Zelos start casting spells while Sheena finally starts a summoning chant.

Maverick waves his hands about as if fanning the air about. The mana level immediately evens, completely disrupting all magic. Even Colette's wings disappear. Raine gasps at Maverick's superior control over the mana around them.

Three more knives fly out at them. Raine casts up a barrier using her own mana and takes Genis back to the portal where her brother will be safe from harm and stands at the stairs between the altar and the portal to guard her brother while keeping an eye out for the group. She calls out, "Colette! Come here!"

Colette races around the battle to Raine. "Yes, Professor?"

Raine tells her, "I need you to give gels to whoever needs them. I cannot cast a single healing spell without Maverick interrupting me and making my effort vain. This will be dangerous, but—"

"Sis! I can help too!" Genis insists.

Raine looks over at Genis and looks back at the fight. Maverick holds the group off with thrown knives aimed just as well as his bullets. Whenever someone tries to cast a spell or pull up their barrier, the Renegade neutralizes the mana level around the person and tosses a knife at them. Raine turns back to Genis and nods. "Very well, but only on the condition that you don't take any unnecessary risks."

Meanwhile, the melee fighters coordinate between combined physical attacks and opening up an opportunity to place said combined physical attacks. Three people charge at Maverick while the other two prepare a unison attack and land the blow as soon as Maverick is left open. The first time, Lloyd and Sheena stay back while the others attack Maverick at close range. Once Presea knocks Maverick to his feet, Lloyd and Sheena dash through and use Dark Serpent. The attacks, like this one, either barely make any damage or miss entirely, followed by a knife to someone's gut.

After two failed tries, Lloyd and Zelos step off to the side while Sheena, Regal, and Presea attack Maverick. Maverick punishes the three with slashes and jabs until he finally gets enough room to move around. However, by that time, Lloyd and Zelos already make their move.

"Cross Thrust!"

Maverick steps out of the way but still obtains a new wound to show for his enemies' efforts. The Renegade tosses a knife each at Zelos' foot and Lloyd's back, sending them momentarily down as Colette and Genis race to help them back to their feet. Regal comes to the rescue and attacks Maverick in close quarters. Presea and Sheena take advantage of this and take their places.

Sheena races at Maverick and uses his shoulder as leverage to flip to the other side, placing a sly rune card on his shoulder. The image of a moon shows up around Maverick's chest as Presea runs at him. Maverick evades Presea's attack and sidesteps around to the girl. He grabs her by the shirt collar and holds her up high at arm's length. Presea kicks and struggles against his grasp but Maverick keeps a firm grip on her as he keeps her between him and whatever attack comes his way.

"Presea!" Regal rushes in to save her.

The Renegade throws a knife at Regal and it finds a new sheath in the large man's arm. Zelos goes in this time while Maverick is unarmed. However, Maverick pulls out a hidden knife at the last minute and slashes Zelos' face from his chin to his eyebrow, narrowly missing the Chosen's eye. The Renegade backs away from the melee fighters and continues tossing knives whenever he gets a near-sure opening, keeping Presea as a living shield despite her struggles.

Colette and Sheena hurry to Presea, with Colette getting in first. She reaches for Presea and instead catches a knife wound slicing her hand open then slashing at her chest, hitting just below her collar bone. Sheena steps in just as Colette jumps away to avoid any more knife wounds. Her efforts for the rescue are rewarded with a knife wound in her shoulder.

Lloyd slips in just when Sheena is injured and slams the butt of his sword into Maverick's face. The enemy's hand finally releases Presea and the girl escapes as Maverick, once again, falls to the ground.

Lloyd turns away from Maverick to leave the enemy's range. A barrier blocks Lloyd's path and corners him against the edge of the platform. Maverick forces himself back to his feet. Colette takes out her wings once more, but Maverick levels the mana and dismisses the wings as soon as she brings them out. Lloyd readies himself for a block and shields himself from a wind element half-spell. However, the spell manages to knock Lloyd off his feet and sends him tumbling down to the edge. His swords left on the platform and his friends crying out his name, Lloyd pulls himself back up on his feet.

Maverick stomps on Lloyd's face, forcing the swordsman back down the ledge. Lloyd hangs on the edge of the Tower of Mana at the very mercy of Maverick.

The Renegade smiles down at Lloyd. "Don't worry. I'm sure you will come back in a moment. You can use those wings you have, after all." After seeing Lloyd's resulting horrified expression, Maverick sneers, "Oh, how sad. I suppose it is your own damn fault for not learning how to fly when you could."

Lloyd's eyes widen as far as they can.

Maverick brings a small bolt of lightning into his hands and sends it down on Lloyd. The electric shock causes Lloyd's hands to let go.

Lloyd falls down the immense height of the Tower of Mana.

Everyone in the group cries out his name. Colette tries her wings again only to have her wings dismissed once more. In frustration, Colette charges at Maverick with a battle cry. Maverick steps aside and knocks her unconscious when she misses. Seeing this, Genis runs away to the portal and screams and cries when Raine catches hold of him.

"No! No, Raine! Let me go! Lloyd needs us!" he cries out.

"It's too late!" Raine chokes in her words. "By the time we can get far enough down, he would have already reached the bottom!"

Sheena pulls out her explosive cards. "_Damn__ you__ to__ hell,__ Maverick!_"

Maverick replies, "Only if you join me for the trip down."

* * *

I focus all my energy to running up the stairs of the Tower of Mana. The thought of Yuan allowing the others passed Kratos to Maverick drive me onward despite all the pain I'm in from running up these god damn stairs. I don't even bother counting each of the stain-glass windows that mark each floor height I climb up. My only hope is that I'm not too late.

A glimmer of movement catches my eye off to the side. However, the moment is so fast that I already pass it by before I finally register what that movement is. I stop and run back down the stairs to investigate, wondering if what I saw was real or just my imagination. I look through the stain-glass window where I could have sworn I saw the movement. Seeing nothing, I go back down another level and find the source of the movement.

Lloyd struggles to stay up in the air with his eagle-shaped wings.

I gasp and start casting Air Blade to break the window before I remember a crucial detail. If I break the window with Air Blade, all the glass is going to cut Lloyd and make him lose flight again. I race down two more levels and break the window there. Using the window frame for support, I hold my arms out and shout, "Lloyd! Take my hands!"

Lloyd drops down from the sky and catches my hands just as he goes down. A grunt escapes me as I catch hold of him, almost falling out of the window myself. I pull Lloyd up and only let him go once he is on the stable stairs. I wait a moment for Lloyd to catch his breath, but then Lloyd says to me, ". . . You . . . came back . . ."

I hesitate before saying, "I thought Kratos was going to make sure you didn't get to Maverick. Then I saw Yuan and knew that he would let all of you slip through and end up fighting Maverick. I guess I was too late . . ."

Lloyd continues to pant. "Hauh . . . Hauh . . . He's so strong . . . Much stronger than I thought . . ."

"Lloyd . . ." I tell him, "You and the others need to retreat."

"I know! He's killing everyone up there! We need to get out of here!" Lloyd gets to his feet and starts hurrying up the stairs.

A small part of me feels a little miffed that he didn't thank me for catching him, but in light of everything, I condemn that little negative voice and focus on running back up the stairs. When Lloyd slows down enough for me to catch up, I feel guilty for that negative thought but also thankful that Lloyd isn't leaving me in the dust.

"Kelsey?"

"Hm?"

Lloyd informs, "Once we return to the Renegade base, we'll talk to Yuan about a different way to save the two worlds. We should have asked about other options before, anyway."

I look at him before pulling out a lemon gel from my bag and holding it out to him. "We can also deal with silly drama there, too."

Lloyd looks at the lemon gel and back at me. He finally smiles. ". . . Yeah."

* * *

Sheena falls down from the large fire spell that hit her. She looks up at Maverick as Regal, Presea, and Zelos attack from different directions. Raine races up to Sheena and hands her one of the last remaining gels. Sheena downs the gel before gasping, "It's almost impossible to fight him! He just keeps going!"

"Most of his endurance comes from his Cruxis Crystal," Raine states.

Suddenly, Raine and Sheena pop their eyes out when they take in the fact the healer just stated. Sheena shouts, "His Cruxis Crystal! That's what gives him his power! We need to get his Cruxis Crystal!"

Hearing this, Maverick flies up into the air. Colette, revived by Raine earlier, flies up to face the Renegade and tosses her chakrams at him. She spars with Maverick until Zelos manages to cast Thunder Blade on the man. Maverick goes back down and finds himself cornered by Regal and Zelos. Sheena dashes forward and bounds forward at Maverick's hand.

Maverick grabs hold of Sheena's reaching hand and slams her against the altar. He casts a quick water element half-spell and sends Regal and Zelos tumbling away. Presea, however, takes advantage of the opening to aim her ax at Maverick's hand. The Renegade sidesteps Presea, disarms the girl, and knocks her down with her own ax before tossing the weapon away.

Sheena tries again and uses Maverick's shoulder to flip over him. She reaches for Maverick's Cruxis Crystal only to grab another bolt of lightning sent by the man. The summoner falls to the ground. Maverick drops to his knees and rises his knife for a fatal stab—

Zelos disarms Maverick's last knife and forces him away from Sheena. Regal steps around Sheena and places himself between her and her attacker. Presea blocks Maverick's other side while Colette guards the skies above him. Raine and Genis join in and further seal any escapes Maverick might attempt.

The entire group dives for Maverick and restrains his movements and struggles. Sheena gets back to her feet and moves over to the enemy. Without a word or a glare at Maverick, Sheena peels the Cruxis Crystal off Maverick's hand.

Maverick falls to his knees. He shakes and quivers in tense silence, weak and vulnerable. While some keep a suspicious eye on Maverick, Sheena simply tosses the Cruxis Crystal off to the side and approaches the altar. Despite her exhaust and wounds, the summoner still volunteers to face another battle.

Yellow mana collects above the altar, forming Luna. The Summon Spirit of Light looks down from her moon-shaped perch with a satisfied smile. Above her, brilliant rays of sunlight and rainbows shine off Aska's form as he hovers behind her. Luna says to the summoner, "Thou hast fought with great strength and are weary from battle, yet thou still wish to face a new challenge?"

Sheena nods. "Yes."

Luna smiles. "Very well. We shall form a new pact. Speak thy vow."

Sheena's eyes widen. ". . . No battle?"

"Aska and I feel thou hast proven thyself against this terrible adversary."

Sheena declares, "I vow to germinate the Great Seed in order to realize true world regeneration!"

Luna and Aska nod their heads in unison. "We accept thy vow. Our pact has been made."

The two spirits dissipate into yellow mana and collect into Sheena's body. Kratos and Yuan enter through the portal during the process. While Yuan becomes elated, Kratos gasps in horror. "_No!_" the swordsman cries out.

"You did it!" Yuan exclaims in joy.

The yellow mana disappears inside Sheena. A second or two pass in silence.

Suddenly, an earthquake strikes the land. Structures inside the Tower of Mana start collapsing below them.

"What's happening?" Genis shouts.

"_We __need__ to__ get __off__ the__ tower!_" Regal hollers.

"Aska! Get us out of here!" Sheena calls out.

Aska appears and takes the party of seven, leaving Kratos, Yuan, and Maverick behind. Kratos looks around for Lloyd and flies off to search the area while calling out the boy's name. Yuan watches Maverick retrieve his Cruxis Crystal before flying off in confidence that Maverick will return, and answer for his betrayal later.

Light and intense mana gather around the altar and collect inside the structure where a seal guardian or a Summon Spirit would appear. The mana level continues to soar to extreme levels until it finally releases in a great beam of energy and continues on for what seems like several minutes.

A giant twisted tree lacking any leaves or normal signs of life for trees engulfs the Tower of Salvation. The only sign of life the plant has is a glowing center pulsing with unstable mana. Giant roots burst from the ground and crash into the Tower of Mana. The twisted plant wraps around the entire structure and crushes it as the roots tighten around the tower, swallowing up the entire tower.

* * *

Lloyd and I continue racing up the never ending stairs. Our exhaust finally slows us both down as we force ourselves to climb higher and higher and higher and higher and higher.

I gasp, "Just . . . how . . . tall . . . is this . . . damn tower?"

"I . . . don't know!" Lloyd replies.

A sudden earthquake sends us to our knees. I grab hold of the stair rail separating me from a nasty fall. My eyes draw themselves down to the floor where I could meet a grisly end. I tighten my grip on the stairway. Suddenly, giant tentacle-shaped things burst out of the floor below and twine themselves around the main tower structures. As they swiftly get closer, I recognize them as giant roots.

"_Ahhh!_"

I feel Lloyd snatch me away from my support and dash up on ahead. Just before he stops and lets me go, one of the roots crashes through the wall from the outside where we just were. I snap out of my stupor and run up the stairs with Lloyd. Another root runs itself through the stairs above us and cuts us off from any escape on foot. I whirl around in search of another escape and my eyes catch a glimpse of Lloyd's wings.

I hurry to the nearest window and clear all the glass out. Lloyd goes to my side and questions, "Kelsey! What are you doing?"

I run around behind Lloyd and push him forward.

"Hey, what—"

"_You__ have__ to__ fly__ us__ out!_" I shout over the destruction around us.

"_What?_" Lloyd digs his heels in. "_You __know __I__ can__'__t__—_"

"_You __have __to __if__ we__'__re__ going__ to__ survive!_" I push harder against his back.

More roots crash into the tower and start destroying everything in their path. Large structures start falling around us. I push Lloyd even harder towards the window. When a piece of the stairs above us falls right next to us, Lloyd finally moves towards the window and prepares to jump.

He hesitates.

I look over my shoulder and gasp when I find a root from the other side of the tower about to come right at us. I tackle Lloyd and push him out of the window just before the root completely destroys the area we were just standing. However, Lloyd doesn't spread his wings out and lets himself fall in a panic. He grabs at any roots he comes into contact with and clutches hold of one he finally manages to take hold of. The root climbs higher and higher until it starts growing into the tower, forcing Lloyd to let go. We free fall until Lloyd grabs hold of another, more stable root and holds on to that one.

Tower structures fall mainly on the inside of the tower with only outdoor gargoyles and balconies falling around on the outside. One angel gargoyle forces Lloyd to jump away from his place and free falls again.

"If you can't fly then try to glide!" I cry out at him.

"Glide? How?" he exclaims.

"Here's a start: spread your damn wings out!"

"How will that work?"

"Have you ever seen a bird fly?"

"Of cour—"

"Copy what they do before we die!"

After a second of confused hesitation, Lloyd spreads his wings out wide, however, nothing else about his posture changes. All that I notice is that we seem to go a little slower, but not slow enough for our landing to be anything but fatal. I reach my arms around Lloyd and cast Air Blade out towards the ground in hope that this will slow us down even further, bearing in mind equal and opposite force. The farther we fall, the more I begin to think that perhaps I misunderstood or forgot everything I learned in my old physics class and that my efforts are a waste—except for the fact that if Lloyd and I hit the ground then we go splat.

"Kelsey!" Lloyd shouts, "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you earlier! I'm also sorry I got so mad about you lying to me about where you were from!"

I shout back, "Don't apologize for crap until we survive this!"

"Do you really think we'll make it?"

". . . Lloyd, I'm so sorry for being a selfish jerk! I wish I was a better friend to you and everyone!"

We scream our way down to our death.

Then, in an anticlimactic swoop, Kratos catches us both, one of us under each arm. It takes a moment for Lloyd to realize just what happened. When Lloyd looks up at him, Kratos asks, "Are you alright?"

It takes Lloyd a moment to respond, "Y-yeah. I'm alright. I'm bleeding in a few places but I'll survive."

Lloyd sighs with relief as I take in the fact that we aren't still falling to our swift doom. As the Seraph carries us down to safe ground, Kratos questions, "How did you get here?"

Lloyd answers, "We were fighting against Maverick and he pushed me off!"

Kratos narrows his eyes. ". . . I see."

"What happened to everyone else?" Lloyd asks, "Are they still on the tower?"

"Your friends managed to escape," says Kratos. "They are on the ground looking for you."

"What's happening to the Tower of Mana?"

"Everything will be explained in a mo—"

"_What__'__s__ that__ on__ the__ Tower__ of__ Salvation?__ It__ looks __like__ a__.__.__.__!_"

"Everything will be explained."

"_That __can__'__t__ be__ the __Giant__ Kharlan __Tree,__ can __it?_"

Kratos ignores Lloyd and focuses on flying his two charges safely to the ground.

When Kratos lands and releases Lloyd and me, a bright golden mass of mana flies around from another location to right next to us. The mana disappears in a blaze and reveals everyone in our group, with the exception of Yuan and Maverick. In a giant mass, Colette, Genis, Sheena, and Presea rush over and pull Lloyd into a massive hug with Raine, Zelos, and Regal looking on just behind them. I get a strange look from Zelos but remain completely ignored. Raine turns to Kratos and says, "Thank you for saving my student." To that, Kratos makes no response.

When the massive hug finally ends, Sheena notices me and asks, "What are you doing here? I thought you left for good."

I look at them but my eyes keep switching to the Tower of Salvation. To keep things simple, I just tell them, "Things just changed for me. What about the Great Seed?"

Genis looks out at the Tower of Salvation in distress. "Is _that_ what it's supposed to be? It looks twisted!"

Kratos states, "That is the results of releasing all the protection around the Great Seed without additional care."

"No!"

Yuan lands just some feet from Kratos but refuses from looking away from the Great Seed. He looks out at the twisted tree in horror, all his dreams being engulfed along with the Tower of Salvation. "The mana links were created to isolate the Great Seed to prevent it from growing!"

"That was only half of it," Kratos tells Yuan. "The two world were forced out of phase by Yggdrasill. They should have drifted apart from each other and have been consumed by the void. This was prevented from happening because the Great Seed was placed in the center between the two worlds."

"I don't need a lecture from you to know that!" Yuan spats.

"You should listen to Kratos." Maverick lands nearby and dismisses his wings. "In fact, you should have paid attention to my report. The two worlds pull at the Great Seed as they try to separate from each other. As the Seed is giving away mana and placed under more and more stress from its position, the Great Seed is in a severely weakened state and is prevented from getting stronger through germinating. It's a miracle it's even alive."

Shock goes over Yuan's face when he hears this information.

Kratos says, "The Great Seed would germinate in a twisted form in order to just endure the given circumstances. If things continue as they are now, Sylvarant will be consumed and destroyed by that tree. Tethe'alla, then, will follow as it is linked by the poles such as the Holy Ground of Kharlan and the Otherworldly Gate."

"How could I not . . . ?"

Maverick answers Yuan's half-spoken question, "Simple. Yggdrasill hid information from you. He suspects you."

"Then let's stop this thing before it kills everyone!" Lloyd demands.

Regal quickly asks, "Yuan, how do you plan to rectify this situation?"

Yuan says, "We can cut off the mana flow and stop the seed from receiving any more mana."

Kratos adds, "That wont' subdue the Giant Tree. The process has already begun."

Zelos questions, "Is the Giant Tree going crazy like that in Tethe'alla, too?"

Maverick shakes his head. "No. The Great Seed was drawn over here by the Summon Spirits of Sylvarant. Though, they might be feeling some violent earthquakes. The Tree, however, will move on to Tethe'alla once Sylvarant is destroyed."

Raine looks over to Maverick with a calculating expression. "That makes sense. Because Colette activated the process of world regeneration, the Summon Spirits of Sylvarant are now active. Therefore, the Giant Tree was drawn over here by Sylvarant's Summon Spirits."

Kratos explains, "The Summon Spirits exchange their role of yin and yang each time a Chosen's quest for world regeneration succeeds. Currently, the Summon Spirits of Sylvarant are carrying out the role of yang by providing mana. However, because the Giant Tree has over-absorbed Sylvarant's mana, it has gone out of control."

Lloyd suddenly asks, "If that's the case, couldn't we neutralize it by blasting it with the power of the opposing Summon Spirits?"

Genis gawks at Lloyd. "Whoa, Lloyd! You actually understood what we were talking about?"

"Shut it, Genis!"

I comment, "That actually makes sense! The key nature of yin and yang is the balance between each other. If the Summon Spirits really are acting in the roles of yin and yang, as they seem to be with their opposing element, then we should be able to restore balance to the Great Seed if we put as much of Tethe'alla's mana as it has Sylvarant's!"

Lloyd nods. "Yeah, that. I was thinking about magnets, but that works too!"

Sheena folds her arms and says, "Even if we did decide to try and set the Summon Spirits of Tethe'alla against it, how are we gonna go about doing that? We can't get close to that thing the way it is now! Look at it! It's swallowing the Tower of Salvation!"

"We can use the mana cannon," Yuan states. "We were actually manipulating Rodyle into building that. Before the mana links started to disappear, we planned to have Rodyle destroy the Tower of Salvation."

Kratos scowls. "Humph. An even worse plan than the one you carried out."

When Yuan turns against Kratos, Maverick interrupts Yuan's chance to talk back and says, "So Yuan and Lloyd are suggesting that we feed the mana of Tethe'alla's Summon Spirits into the mana cannon and fire it at the Giant Tree. From everything I can see, this might actually work. However, we need to shut off mana now. If it gets any larger, we all die."

"Then here's the plan." Kratos turns to the entire group. "Yuan, I'm going to pretend I don't know who you have been working with or what you have been doing. In exchange, you're going to order the Renegades to stop firing mana at the tree immediately. Meanwhile, Lloyd's group will head for the mana cannon."

"Alright—"

"Not going to work," Maverick says. "A memo came in from the Iselia area two days ago. Forcystus executed the infiltration team."

Yuan scowls. "Did they succeed in their mission?"

"I'm afraid so."

"What does that mean?" Lloyd asks.

Yuan answers, "It means that the Iselia ranch is still operational. We had people infiltrate the ranch to switch over the mana flow. Forcystus most likely still doesn't know about this."

Zelos says, "In other words, we need to infiltrate that place right now and shut down the reactor."

"Then I shall go," Kratos states.

Regal turns to Kratos with suspicion. "_You?_ Are you suggesting that we send _you_, our enemy, to do this by yourself?"

I scowl at Regal. "What do you mean, 'our enemy'? Since Kratos was the one who was trying to stop us from causing this mess, I'd say we have a common goal with him!"

Zelos gives me a look. "What do you mean by 'us' and 'we'? _You_ left."

"Settle down," Lloyd says. "I have a better idea. Sheena, you and the Renegades can take care of the mana cannon. Kratos and the rest of us will infiltrate the Iselia ranch. Fire the mana cannon when we give the signal. You wouldn't be able to trust it if it came from only Kratos, would you?"

Sheena frowns. "N-not exactly, but . . ."

"Does this have anything to do with Chocolat?" Kratos questions.

Lloyd glances away.

Colette smiles at Lloyd. "That's right! Chocolat is held captive at the Iselia ranch! Lloyd, you remembered your promise!"

"We'll leave it to you, then. Don't let us down."

After Lloyd releases the rheairds, he looks over at me and says, "It's about time we saved her."

I nod. "You're right. It is. Let's go."

As Sheena joins Yuan's side, Yuan points at Maverick. "You. Give Kratos your communicator if you still have it. You're coming with me."

Maverick pulls out his communicator and tosses it to Kratos. "Because I'm needed or you don't trust me."

"Both." Yuan looks away from Maverick and over towards the glowing center of the Giant Tree. After a second of staring, he turns away and sighs. "What have I done . . . ?"

* * *

Oh god this chapter. The easiest part was the fight against Maverick. Now to get everything straightened out with action in the next chapter.

"_Maybe we can solve something by talking things out,"_

It's a really bad thing when most of your conflict can be solved by following that piece of advice and your characters don't even try that. Ugh, I hate Dawn of the New World . . .


	74. Confronting Old Ghosts

NatsukiAyaka drew another line-up of Tales OCs, as can be seen here: ht tp : / / natsukiayaka . deviantart . com/art/Tales-of-Self-Inserts-268550667

Be sure to remove all the spaces in order to follow the URL.

Also, Ephraim info I promised in the previous chapter will not be stated as I believe that his origins were already explained in the previous chapter. He was created during my first draft of Confessions and, for characterization purposes, was featured in a fic starring him and Kratos and Anna. I doubt he'll get much more time unless it's for an alternate ending scene.

Oh god how long has it been since my last update? Anyway, while writing the Forcystus boss battle, I listened to History of the Moon, boss theme of Eirin from touhou. I noticed, though, when I listened to the Sadistic Eirin remix of History of the Moon, the Forcystus fight started having SM subtext I didn't intend, thus I had to rewrite the entire thing.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Four: Confronting Old Ghosts

The flight to the Iselia human ranch is the most agonizing flight I have ever experienced.

During the entire flight from point A to point B, my eyes continuously flicker from the sky in front of me to the Tower of Salvation and the growing Giant Tree. It grows taller and taller and taller as we seem to be going nowhere. A buzzing feeling of panic grows in the back of my mind. The only thing keeping my demeanor calm is my effort to suppress the feeling until a safer time to express such dread.

From the rheairds, we could see the roots burst out in different places, most of them in regions close to the seals, though some patches of destructive roots come out in seemingly random locations. Large clumps of earth fly out of the ground as these roots make it to the surface, destroying everything in their path. The destruction inevitably draws my mind over to Palmacosta's fate, but I fight against all the pain and the guilt by setting the matter aside and disconnect myself from it. I need to focus on stopping the Giant Tree. I can think about Palmacosta once I don't need to focus on my task. The longer we fly, though, the harder it is to keep myself from panicking.

We approach Iselia by the end of the day and with the world in complete chaos from the rampaging roots. Just some out to sea, another patch of roots gets closer and closer to the Iselia ranch. I eye it with concern as we land right at the inside of the ranch, skipping over its gate entirely.

When we finally land, we glance around at the ranch to find the area completely clear. Kratos only takes a few glances at the ranch buildings to recognize what's going on. "The ranch is in complete lockdown, most likely because of the in-coming tree roots. We only need to use an emergency exit to get in."

Lloyd turns to Kratos and motions forward. "Alright, then lead us to the closest emergency exit."

Without another word, Kratos leads us onward to a ground hatch. He opens it up and drops down inside. A second passes before the man announces, "Clear!"

We all duck down inside one at a time. Kratos continues to guide us through the ranch, still no Desian guards like the Seraph predicted, until we come across a large main room with computers lining the walls. Kratos and Raine immediately go over to the computers and start accessing the data.

Kratos brings up a specific screen and reports, "The reactor is north of here. I can open up the way from this computer but only that."

"What about the captives?" Lloyd inquires.

Raine answers, "The captives are down another passage connected to the northern corridor leading to the reactor. We can open up the passage connecting to the way to the reactor by opening up access to the reactor."

"Can we rescue the captives and shut down the reactor at the same time?" Colette asks.

"If we shut down the reactor first, and thereby disengaging the lockdown, _then_ rescue the captives," Kratos says, "perhaps we can."

I look between Kratos and Raine before saying, "We don't have time to rescue captives then shut down the reactor in any individual order! In case you all forgot, we have giant crazy roots coming in from the north about to wipe out everything in their path! If those things get here before we get out of the building, it's not going to matter if lockdown is disengaged since this entire place will come crashing down on us!"

Kratos turns away from the computers to say, "Then this is just like Kvar's ranch. We will have to split up."

Raine turns away from her respective computers and says to the entire group, "One half of our group needs to stay with the captives while the other half goes to the reactor. Be warned: Forcystus is likely to already know about our presence and will intercept us. Everyone, decide which team you prefer to be on. We will decide who will go to the reactor and who will rescue the captives depending on what you choose."

Choose? I thought Lloyd was going to choose for us. Oh well, I'm a big girl now so I can decide for myself. Since Forcystus specializes in wind and wind is one of my favorite elements, I think I would be better off helping the captives. With that in mind, I look around the room to see what everyone else will choose to see who will be in the rescue team with me. Genis bears a grim determination, one that I only see right before a big battle. Most likely, he chooses to face Forcystus for what happened to Marble. I know that's what I'd choose if I were in his place. Genis looks up at Lloyd and states, "If Forcystus is going to be at the reactor, then I'm going with the reactor team. Which team are you going to be?"

Lloyd glances downward and says, "I'm going to the reactor. Chocolat hates me anyway, and that might cause some problems."

Seeing as how the physical distance between and Lloyd is too wide for natural conversation, I just let him think that while I just sigh. At this point, if Chocolat throws another hissy fit over her rescue and refuses to be saved by "grandma's murderer" rather than begrudgingly let her ass get saved, then she's just too dumb to live. Putting the issue aside, I glance around to see what the others decide.

Lloyd looks over at Kratos and Raine and says, "Kratos, I want you on the reactor team. Professor, you should go with the captives. You two can work the computers here so you can open the way for whichever team you're on—and Professor? The captives might need your healing spells in case the Desians attack them during the rescue."

Raine glances over at Kratos with suspicion but otherwise doesn't protest. Kratos just accepts Lloyd's organization.

Lloyd turns to the rest of us and asks, "Do any of you have any preferences? So far it's me, Genis, and Kratos on the reactor team then Professor Raine on the rescue team."

I raise my hand. "Captives. I'm saving Chocolat even if I have to drag her literally kicking and screaming out of here."

Colette announces, "I'm staying with the captives. I can use the Judgment spell in case Desians close in on us."

Zelos immediately chimes in, "Then I'm helping the captives. I want to be where the most hunnies are."

Presea speaks up, "I'm . . . going with Colette."

Regal says, "Then that would place me in the reactor-bound half of our group."

"That actually brings me some relief," Raine expresses with a sigh. "Healing for the reactor team will not be solely dependent on Kratos."

The Seraph in question turns back to the computers and types in a series of codes. "Then I shall open the way." A moment later, all the doors northward open up and leave the way clear for us to go through. We all race through the corridors until we happen upon the passage leading to the captives' holding cells. Rather than everyone going into the holding cells as a whole, we divide right then and there to save time. Raine leads the rescue team and hurries us through until we finally reach the holding cells. She goes over to the main controls and works with them while the rest of us spread out to guard the area.

Once all the cell doors are open, Raine announces, "Everyone! We need to move out! The ranch is in lockdown and the guards are gone! This is your chance to escape!"

As all the captives gather around Raine, the rest of our group goes to her for further instructions. Raine orders, "Presea, I need you with me at the front. Colette, Kelsey, Zelos, you stay at the back of the group and keep an eye out for the Desians. If they come after us, I need Colette to fly to me and warn me about the situation so we can handle things when they come."

I glance at Zelos, remembering that things are a little . . . tense with him, and find that he's giving me an apathetic glance. I focus back on Raine and nod in confirmation.

Colette releases her wings and flies above everyone's heads and begins ushering the captives out with Raine. "Everyone, follow Raine! She will lead you out of the ranch! Stay together!"

The captives gather around Raine and Colette and ignore Zelos, Presea and me as they all pass by. Presea moves with them as she wades her way to the front; Zelos and I stay behind to wait on Colette. As the last of all the captives gather around, I catch a glimpse of one captive staring straight at me. I look over to find a teenage girl with ragged greasy brown hair and a couple scars etched across her cheek. Her eyes are slightly dull, and her prison garb is clearly too small for her as it bulges in certain spots and tears in other places, though some tears look like they came from weapons. It takes me a moment before I finally recognize the girl through all the filth and wounds.

Colette finally makes it to the back of the mass just when the girl finally moves on to join her fellow captives. The blond Chosen follows my line of sight and frowns. ". . . Is that . . . Chocolat?"

"Yeah," I confirm. "She paid a heavy price for refusing to be saved back at Palmacosta."

Colette turns a disapproving frown to me. "It wasn't her fault. She was tricked."

"Strange," I say to Colette, knowing full and well that Chocolat is within hearing range, "I thought Chocolat was smarter than Grand Desian Cardinal Verrrmiiinnn."

I spot Chocolat's responding cringe.

Zelos makes a bitter smirk. "Wow. That was really petty."

I ignore Zelos and Colette in favor of the task ahead. We keep the rear of the mass covered by our watch as the entire group moves as slowly as it could possibly go. For what seems like several long minutes, we just stand in one place while we wait for everyone to move. Every now and then, Colette moves back and forth between us and Raine to continue our communication and report about the Desians, or lack thereof. When we finally make it to the emergency exit, we all stand around as captives are sent out a few at a time.

During all this, I continuously see Chocolat glancing back at me over and over with this anxious expression on her face. After several times of seeing this, Colette nudges at my arm and ushers me toward her. "Aren't you going to say anything to her? She's your friend."

"If I'm going to make the first move, then I won't just yet," I tell Colette. "I'd rather talk once this entire crisis is over."

"She's coming over here, anyway," informs Zelos.

Chocolat approaches us from the group and stops just a little ways from me. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but then she shies from speaking. She glances downward for a moment before looking up at me once more. "Kelsey . . ." she starts to say, but then she chickens out of saying anything again.

After watching her struggle over her words over and over, I tell her, "Talk to me once this is over and we're all safe. Maybe then we can talk to each other without walking on eggshells. At least then we can't get interrupted by Desian guards."

Chocolat sighs in slight frustration and nods before returning to the mass.

Colette just continues frowning at me. "Kelsey."

"I wasn't saying 'we' in a way to condescend to her," I interrupt. "I really do mean 'we,' as in both Chocolat and I really don't have anything to say to each other right now. I'd rather put this off at a better time."

That disapproving frown still remains on Colette's face, but then she whirls around to the corridors behind us. She stares at it before unleashing her wings and flying off right after whispering to Zelos and me, "The guards are coming . . . !"

I glance back at the captives and look forward into the still-silent corridor. With my voice as low as I can afford, I say to Zelos, "We can't afford the captives to panic right now. They'll turn into a mindless mob if they find out about the guards."

"Then keep your mouth shut about it," Zelos tells me.

I eye the corridor for a moment, and then I come up with an idea. "I can at least delay them for a bit. Stay here so no one suspects anything. I'll go up ahead and cast a barrier. It won't last long, but it'll hold them."

"You will get yourself killed . . . !" he says in a hushed voice.

"My own fault, then. Doesn't change the fact that I still need to delay them." I move on ahead and only start running once I'm out of sight. When I start hearing the Desian guards up ahead, their running echoing through the halls, I stop and put up a wall-like barrier connecting from one side of the corridor to the other side, investing mana from within my body and my surroundings to strengthen it. The sounds of the guards' running get louder and louder. Light begins to shine down the corridor. Finally, an entire team of Desians comes upon my shield.

I stare down the guards in silence as they examine me and my barrier.

"An intruder!" one exclaims. "You must have helped orchestrate the escape!"

"No duh, idiot!" a spearman snaps. "Otherwise we wouldn't be delayed by this blood traitor!"

"Blood traitor? You mean this girl's a half-elf? She looks human. I knew humans could cast weak barriers but that's it with magic . . ."

"How can't you tell? . . . Oh yeah, you 'taste' mana."

During the chatter, one Desian with high-rank decorations on his armor paces back and forth along my barrier and gently strikes my barrier with his sword. I place a hand on my barrier and ready myself to invest more mana in case this Desian finds a weak point in my shield. After giving my barrier several different taps, the high-ranking Desian pulls out different guards and situates them in a particular spot. I waste no time in strengthening the areas with more mana.

"Keep putting in as much mana as you want," the high-ranking Desian tells me. "Patch-ups won't preserve your barrier." All the Desians next to the barrier ready themselves for a strike. "Ready?"

I give my barrier another pulse of mana.

"Now!"

The guards strike every weak point in my barrier and leave significant cracks. As they prepare for a second attack, I flee the area. I didn't even get too far when I hear the barrier completely shatter and the Desian guards start running again. Hearing them chase after me pushes me to run faster. Just like Genis, I've been a squishy fighter during the entire journey and absolutely will not test how squishy I am in a fight, let alone an uneven fight.

Once I arrive back to the group, I find things going down a terrible slope. Captives scramble for the emergency exit while the others fight off an enemy on the other side of the crowd, hinted by Colette's position in the air and the absence of anyone on my side. Terror chokes me as I realize what is happening: one, the guards are attacking us on both sides, and, two, I'm alone in an outnumbered fight.

Knowing full and well that the guards aren't likely to take prisoners now unless they're captives, I gather as much mana around me as I can and prepare small amounts of the energy into half-spells. Fire comes to life at my fingers. When the guards come, I fling the fire at whatever Desian catches my eye and start a desperate cycle of turning mana into fire and throwing it blindly at my enemies.

The chaotic attacks keep them at bay for a mere moment. As the Desians start slipping further through my defenses, I continuously back up more and more to keep distance between them and me. However, the closer I get to the panicking captives, the more I realize that I'm fighting a losing battle.

The leader of the Desian guards facing against me easily slips through the last of my desperate fire attacks. Just as soon as the Desian slashes his sword down at me, I bring up my barrier to block his attack. His sword bounces off my barrier but just swings back around and continuously attacks at different angles. With me preoccupied, the other guards pass through my fallen defenses and start rounding the captives up.

In one last attempt to fight, I shape mana into lightning in my hands. The sparks connect together into one long-lasting bolt. I direct the energy towards the Desian guard attacking me—

The Desian guard shatters my barrier, destroying my concentration along with my last defense.

With no structure to stabilize itself, the lightning goes wild and strikes both my target and me. We both scream in pain and fall to the ground. My entire body goes numb from the electricity while my limbs occasionally twitch on their own. I hear a harsh laughter off to the side before I spot the Desian guard I was fighting stepping into my peripheral vision. He shakes his head at me as he says, "This is just what you get for dabbling in half-spells without knowing what you are damn well doing."

He raises his sword above me and points the tip of its blade downward toward my heart. I see his muscles tense with anticipation, and I close my eyes as the sword comes down. The sword clatters against the steel floor just behind my neck.

"Bitch!"

"Agh!"

I look up to find Chocolat falling away from the Desian. She lands next to the sword and scrambles up to face the man with the weapon in hand. I struggle to my feet as the Desian orders, "Stand down! You know the consequences for attacking a Desian!"

Chocolat shouts, "I would love to see how well you do when all the captives are fighting back!"

The Desian guard wrenches the sword out of Chocolat's grasp and moves to slash her open.

Lightning leaps from my outstretched fingers and strikes the guard down. With him out of the way, I whirl around to the other Desian guards to find the captives overwhelming them through sheer numbers and pushing them back with weapons they took right out of the guards' hands. I sigh with relief, and then I turn towards Chocolat, unsure of what to say.

Chocolat stares at me with a cautious expression. "You're a . . . half-elf? You used magic like they can."

I tell her, "Yes, I am a half-elf."

She states, "You're not like the Desians, though."

"Of course not," I confirm. "Not all half-elves are like the Desians just as not all humans are racist against half-elves."

Chocolat glances away with a slight shameful blush. "Y-yeah, that makes sense if you think about it like that . . ."

I refrain from sighing.

Chocolat looks back at me—

An earthquake shakes the ground. Everyone is thrown off balance and scattered across the corridor. Only Colette, still in the air with her wings, is able to maneuver around the area. The Sylvaranti Chosen scans the area and finally spots me. She flies over the captives and Desians and hovers before me. "Kelsey! Are you alright?"

"Fine!" I shout over the earthquake. "What happened?"

"Over a dozen Desians attacked us on the other side!" she says. "We almost lost!"

Tell me about it.

The metal ceiling whines as it bows down from some sort of weight sitting on top of it. Finally, it splits open and pours debris down on our heads, giving us only enough time to put up a barrier in reflex. The broken metal supports and miscellaneous scraps of metal from the upper floors crash around our feet with a deafening roar. Seconds after the earthquake subsides into small tremors, the dust settles and allows everyone to see the damage.

The pressure on my barrier and the effort to keep the barrier up strains all my physical and mental energy. Just keeping my barrier up is a herculean task. I'm left gasping for air from the strain. Colette, just beside me, is left in a similar position. She lands and steps towards me, stepping over debris and fallen bracers, until she stands side-by-side with me. Through our proximity to each other, our barriers merge together and form a stronger and larger barrier. I notice a small amount of pressure decreasing from the merge. My eyes wide at this observation, I glance over at Colette to see if she noticed as well. She stares up at the barrier with an equal amount of shock.

I hear someone cough over to the side of the destroyed corridor and spot the Desian guard I fought moving over towards us. He stops after stepping over a pile of metal and stares at Colette, Chocolat, and me. "That . . ." he huffs, "a good idea . . . Every person capable . . . of casting a . . . barrier . . . fuses their barriers together and . . ." He swallows up another gulp of air before continuing. ". . . everyone moves outside with one fused barrier . . ."

Chocolat protests, "Why should we listen to you? You were about to kill us!"

Through his pants, he states, "My first priority . . . is keeping my soldiers and subordinates safe. If . . . cooperating with you . . . is the only way to do that, then I'll do it."

Chocolat switches between the Desian, Colette and me, and the debris above us pushing against fallen supports and our barrier. The metal above us creeks as it settles even further, prompting Chocolat to look back at the Desian with a defensive scowl. "Fine!" she barks. "But if you go against your word, I'll push you out of the barrier!"

The Desian wastes no time. He slips around the leaning structures, pushing them up over his head with his barrier, and merges his magic shield with ours. With enough pressure off of us, Colette is able to divide her attention enough to speak, "We need to find the others fast!"

I ask the guard, "What if the other guards won't cooperate?"

"They will."

I frown in disbelief at the guard. "How can we be sure they will? And why would they obey you?"

"I'm Lord Forcystus' second-in-command," the Desian states. "Just as they followed my orders to attack you, they will follow my orders to cooperate with you. I value my soldiers' lives above your deaths."

"Great," Chocolat bites. "Now we know the Desians aren't vindictive enough to let themselves die just so they can kill us all."

"If it's going to keep us alive, then I'm all for it," I reply.

Chocolat turns towards me. "How can you be happy about this? How can you be so calm about cooperating with the Desians? They nearly killed you, attacked the Chosen, attacked Palmacosta, and . . . and they . . ." her voice chokes as she forces the last bit out, "they tortured me and the other captives . . . ! How can you . . . ?"

I snap, "One, I never said I was happy about this. All I said was that I'd support this since we would all get out alive. Two, the reason why you got transferred to a different ranch was because you refused to let yourself get saved by a 'traitor' and a 'murderer' back at the Palmacosta ranch. I'm sorry you got tortured, I really am. It's a fate worse than death, and no one deserves that. But your continued captivity was your own damn fault."

Colette scolds, "Kelsey, don't say that! Chocolat has been through a lot of pain! And we need to focus on getting everyone out!"

Chocolat shakes her head. She completely drops the hostility as she says, "No, Chosen One. She's right. I should have let Kelsey, and Lloyd, and you save me. At least then I could have heard what happened to Grandma from someone who was actually there." She sniffs. "It's just that life's a bitch when you realize what a bitch you are. Even though all of you are here to save me—again—I still don't want to face Lloyd because of what happened to Grandma. It's horrible of me . . ."

Colette and I stare at Chocolat as the girl holds in her guilty tears. The Desian second-in-command passes through us unnoticed by us until he offhandedly goes, "One captive acted like an idiot and that's sad. We still have work to do."

As the second-in-command moves the barrier forward, Colette and I glance at each other and take a second to glare at the Desian before focusing on keeping the barrier up around us as we maneuver around the metal. Moving as a whole rather than individuals, we push obstacles out of the way and over our heads, digging our way through. We manage to reach the spot where the captives should be, we notice individual captives casting barriers around themselves with others with no skill in magic under their barriers. A group of three captives spots us and the child captive amongst them shouts, "Chosen One!" Then the child gasps at the sight of the Desian second-in-command. "Look out! A Desian!"

The other captive sheltered under the barrier says, "Don't worry, Chosen One! We're coming!"

Colette calls back, "I know he's there! He's helping us escape!"

A surviving Desian foot soldier on the other side of the corridor hears this and yells, "Sir! Is that true? How could you work with them?"

The second-in-command states, "You realize by now that you can't keep a barrier up by yourself! Our only chance at survival is by cooperating with the captives and the Chosen!"

The captive questions, "Are they going to just let us free once we get out?"

The foot soldier repeats the question. "Yeah, what about that? Are we just going to let them run off?"

The second-in-command asks, "Can we even _hold_ them with the ranch in this state? Who knows how much of the ranch is destroyed?"

The captives at the other side of the corridor stare at the Desian and Colette. "Then . . . Then we're going to be free . . . We really are going to be free . . . !"

Colette tells them, "I promise that you will!"

The foot soldier slumps her soldiers. ". . . Our only choice is to surrender?"

The second-in-command states, "No. We can choose to survive."

With those words from Colette and the second-in-command, both the captives and the foot soldier move towards us and merge their barriers with ours. We move closer to the end of the corridor where the building's main entrance should be, and the further we go, the more captives and Desian guards join us. As our group becomes a larger collective mix, it becomes more apparent to those who have yet to join what kind of situation we are all in and what we are willing to do to make it through.

When I am finally able to afford to look around, I find that the emergency exit is completely buried. The limbs of captives who died under the weight poke out from the piles. On the occasion, I find the body of a Desian among them. The earthquakes continue in cycles of growing and diminishing, though never getting nearly as severe as it was when the building collapsed.

The group reaches the end of where the captives once were and find Zelos and Presea keeping a protective barrier up as Raine divides her attention between healing the few captives they managed to save and contributing to the barrier around her. They immediately notice us and stare at us in shock.

"What are you doing?" Raine cries out.

Colette says, "Professor, it's okay! Everyone is helping!"

"Are you kidding? You have Desians with you!" Zelos shouts. "They will stab you in the back as soon as they get the chance!"

I state, "This is a matter of survival for everyone. We made a temporary truce."

"And how long do you think that will last?" snaps the Tethe'allan Chosen.

Presea frowns in confusion. "But . . . there are captives among them."

"This is just a ploy!"

Presea looks passed a contemplative Raine and to Zelos. "I want to trust Colette and Kelsey on this. We cannot hold this barrier up for long. Soon we will be crushed under the weight unless we do something."

"Did you see what they did to the captives?" Zelos questions. "We were about to join them if they decided to take us captive instead of killing us!"

"If we do nothing then we will die."

"If we trust the Desians, we'll die anyway!"

"Quiet," Raine sternly says, silencing the two. "We will have to compromise. We will cooperate with the Desians until we reach safety."

"What?" Zelos gawks at Raine. "How can you just trust them so easily?"

"I don't." Raine tells Zelos, "I trust the Desians as much as I trust a viper. However, this is a life and death situation and any help we can get is needed. As soon as the situation is over, though, I will not hesitate to attack should they pose as a threat."

The Desian second-in-command replies, "As I expect from my enemies."

Once Raine, Presea, and eventually Zelos join in the effort, I feel the barrier get a little lighter. Raine eyes every Desian, and Zelos keeps glancing over his shoulder. The captives help each mage and non-magical injured captive over the next metallic obstacle as the second-in-command says to Raine, "The main exit is just further down. It should be open due to the emergency back up programming. Once we get through the exit, we split ways."

Raine coldly responds, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

In a silence growing even tenser than before, the entire mass makes its way down the main corridor. The earthquakes continue in waves of growing and decreasing magnitude, occasionally causing my concentration to slip some. Due to everyone's support, any slips are quickly covered. I use the people in front of me as a guide to obstacles up ahead and the barrier itself for what little light I have. Accidents, though, still happen over smaller spikes made from the debris. I managed to scrape my feet up on the occasion, giving me a slight limp. Now that Raine is focusing her energy on the barrier, I can only hope that everyone's cuts are treated before someone gets tetanus.

It takes a little bit before we finally reach the end of the corridor. Instead of seeing a clear exit outside, we just find a solid wall. The Desians gaze up at the door in dismay while some of the captives touch the wall in disbelief. Raine turns at the Desian second-in-command and snarls at him, "I thought you said this was the way out!"

"It is! The lock down is still initiated!" the Desian exclaims. "Something must have malfunctioned with the emergency system . . . We need Lord Forcystus to lift lock down!"

"Isn't there another way to do that?" Chocolat questions.

"Do you see a workable computer around here?" the second-in-command snaps. "I have the overriding code, but it's useless unless I have access to the main system! Right now, only Lord Forcystus has both!"

My stomach drops. If the game is to be trusted, Forcystus is going to die before we can get out. We'll drop the barrier out of exhaust and get crushed under a floor or so of metal!

"I have a communicator at my belt!" the second-in-command says. "Let me . . ." The Desian reaches one hand down, and pulls the communicator out. He presses a series of buttons with his thumb and speaks into the communicator.

"Lord Forcystus! Do you read me? Over!"

Silence . . .

* * *

It doesn't take long before Lloyd, Genis, Regal, and Kratos make it to the mana reactor. Only an electric door, powered by an emergency power line, blocks their way. Kratos steps ahead and enters a pass code. A beep goes off and the door opens. A wave of residue energy wafts through the opened passage.

"Whoa!" Lloyd leans back from the wave and asks, "What was that?"

"That is mana," answers Kratos.

"But I can _feel_ that!" Lloyd says. "I thought humans can't sense or use mana."

"Humans can sense the extremes and, given the right circumstances, even manipulate mana."

Genis rubs his ears with a slight grimace on his face. A second passes before he relaxes and stops massaging his ears, and then says, "That's weird. I always thought humans were oblivious to mana. Then with you, Colette, and Zelos, I figured that since you are angels (and Zelos a Chosen), you could use magic."

Lloyd turns to Genis and wonders, "What about Regal? He can heal."

"Boltzman has some theories about how humans can use healing magic."

"And Maverick?"

"Maverick's mana signature doesn't feel . . . normal." Genis shivers. ". . . It's creepy."

"Normal?"

"Would you stop wasting time?" Kratos interrupts. He stands passed the doorway with Regal next to him. "We need to shut down the reactor now!"

Lloyd and Genis hurry to their side and the four go down the sloped walkway attached to the circular walls of the reactor. The further down they go, the stronger the mana gets. About halfway down, Lloyd peers down into the reactor and spots another figure on the bottom platform where the controls stand. Lloyd gasps and turns at Kratos.

"Kratos!" Lloyd jabs his finger down towards the reactor and shouts, "Why is Forcystus down there? Isn't he supposed to be taking shelter?"

"Forcystus is down there?" Genis exclaims.

Kratos says, "I gave no orders to Forcystus concerning the reactor. He may have guessed where we were headed and left to confront us here."

"That seems to be too large of a coincidence," Regal states.

"I have nothing to do with Forcystus' current actions."

Lloyd calms down and looks back down the reactor. He turns back to Kratos and asks, "Will he listen to you and help us? You _are_ one of the Cruxis Seraphim."

Kratos glances down the reactor for a second. ". . . Perhaps he will."

"You seem unsure of that," Regal notes.

Kratos doesn't reply and continues downward.

When they get into Forcystus' sight, the Desian Cardinal watches them continuously until the reach the platform. He makes no move as Kratos steps ahead of the others and addresses the Desian leader. "Forcystus," Kratos says, "shut down the reactor immediately! The Renegades—"

"I have a question for you, 'my lord,'" Forcystus snaps. "If what you want is so important, why didn't you use a communicator instead of coming all the way down here?"

"Derris Kharlan is completely cut off from this world because of the Great Seed, which is currently consuming the Tower of Salvation," Kratos replies. "Now I must ask you if you are aware that the Renegades infiltrated your facility for the purpose of redirecting the mana to the Great Seed."

"No," Forcystus states, "but I am aware that just an hour ago, I received direct orders from Lord Yggdrasill from a portable communicator that the Great Seed must be left alone. No conditions are to be changed."

"_What?_" Lloyd exclaims. "Can't he tell that leaving the Great Seed alone like this is going to destroy the world?"

Forcystus scoffs, "What use is this tainted world to us? We have Derris Kharlan, a world filled with mana! If things get out of hand, Lord Yggdrasill will evacuate the Desians!"

"What about everyone else?" Genis shouts. "There are more people on this world than just Desians and humans! If Yggdrasill does evacuate the Desians, he'll be abandoning the half-elves who aren't part of the Desians or Renegades!"

Kratos adds, "Forcystus, the Tower of Salvation is the connection between Derris Kharlan and this world. When the Great Seed sprouted into that twisted form, it consumed the Tower of Salvation. Evacuations are no longer possible."

"All I see are humans and traitors!"

"You would cast aside our words like this when we know the full situation?" Regal questions.

"How can I trust any of you to begin with?" Forcystus spats.

Genis charges up at Kratos' side and then points to himself. "I don't like most humans either, yet I somehow manage to! This is an emergency! We're all going to die if we don't do something!"

"In the end, I will still follow Lord Yggdrasill's orders!" Forcystus lifts his cannon arm and shoots several shots of mana.

After diving out of the way, all four immediately get into battle. Genis stays in the back casting spell after spell while Lloyd and Regal charge in after Forcystus and Kratos switches between attacking the Desian Cardinal and casting healing spells. Forcystus proves himself surprisingly nimble as he dodges each attack and counterattacks with either a hard punch or a fierce wind spell.

Regal charges in and kicks at Forcystus, missing several times by just a hair's width. Forcystus backs away and shoots a strong gust of wind from his arm cannon at Regal, knocking the human a good distance away. Lloyd immediately takes advantage of Forcystus' diverted attention and slashes at his blind side. At the last minute, Forcystus whirls around and blocks Lloyd's attack with his cannon. When Lloyd's second blade goes around the canon, Forcystus uses his free arm to block the attack by pushing Lloyd's arm aside. Lloyd leaps away just when the Desian Grand Cardinal kicks at his gut.

With Lloyd out of the way, Genis casts Ground Dasher. The floor beneath Forcystus shakes and sends several bits of earth into his flesh as well as completely ruining his footing. When the spell ends, Forcystus finds Kratos' blade coming to finish him off. The Grand Cardinal rolls out of the way in time to dodge Kratos' attack. Lloyd joins in the fight once more and forces Forcystus back.

Regal rejoins the group and, with Lloyd and Kratos, corners Forcystus. The Desian leader glances about himself before sending out a pulse of chaotic wind mana that knocks all three off their feet. As Forcystus begins casting another wind spell, he bellows, "Kratos! Lord Yggdrasill trusted you, and yet after all those years and after forgiving you for betraying him a first time, you betray him yet again? I thought you were proof that humans and half-elves could get along!"

Genis grits his teeth at this and pulls mana out of the area around him to cast Thunder Blade. However, Forcystus' spell gets sent out first before Genis' spell could start. Wind gathers around Forcystus and forms a towering cyclone. Though Regal and Kratos are able to get out of the way, Lloyd gets caught up in the gusts. The wind picks the young swordsman up and tosses him high into the air. Kratos releases his wings and dives to catch Lloyd before he falls into the reactor.

During that, Forcystus turns towards Genis and Regal. He aims his cannon at the human and shoots individual gusts of wind, nicking at Regal when the spells hit. When the Desian starts casting another spell, Genis casts Stalagmite and stuns Forcystus long enough for Regal to charge in and attack. Back on the defensive, Forcystus goes back to his hit and run strategy, dodging Regal's kicks whenever he can.

Kratos lands and sets Lloyd down. The two exchange a glance before Lloyd turns away and charges at Forcystus. A bolt of lightning leaps from Kratos' fingers and lands on Lloyd's swords, jumping from point to point without harming Lloyd.

Regal spots Lloyd's incoming attack and leaps out of the way. Forcystus throws up a barrier just when Lloyd leaps into the air.

"Lightning Tiger Blade!"

Although Lloyd's physical attack is completely blocked by the force field, the lightning spell strikes down on Forcystus with powerful bolts crashing down all around him. The Desian Cardinal staggers away with stray sparks coming off his body.

Lloyd watches Forcystus as he falls to his knees and struggles for several seconds just to gain a shaky and weak footing. With that, Kratos turns away from the Desian leader with Lloyd watching warily to the side. The Seraph approaches the mana reactor's controls—

Lloyd gasps and jerks on Kratos' cape to get him out of the way of Forcystus' sudden attack. The sudden loss of balance and choking on his own collar causes Kratos to collapse. Forcystus immediately takes advantage of this and shoots at Kratos. Lloyd jumps in the way and blocks the spell. Kratos jumps to his feet and charges at the Desian Grand Cardinal, Lloyd just behind him.

Just when Regal is about to join Lloyd and Kratos, Genis calls out, "Regal, wait!"

Regal stops and looks back. "What?"

Genis glances over at Forcystus, who knocks Lloyd across the entire platform with a wind spell, and back at Regal. The boy says, "I need you to make sure Forcystus doesn't break my concentration. Then, when I give you the word, you grab Lloyd and Kratos and hold on tight to the control panel. Okay?"

Regal nods. "Very well."

Genis takes a deep breath and glances down at the mana reactor from below. The boy touches his exsphere as he gathers mana and gathers it around his body. ". . . Let's do this together, Marble . . ."

Forcystus knocks Lloyd and Kratos back from another unison attack. He catches a scent and looks directly at Genis. His eyes widen as the mana around the young mage begins to glow a vivid green. The Desian leader shoots several bolts of mana at Genis, all of which Regal blocks.

Genis utters, "Gentle winds that travel to eternal times . . ." The mana around him glows brightly and speeds up into fierce gusts.

Kratos recognizes the spell and grabs Lloyd as he makes a dash for the reactor's control panel. "What are you doing?" Lloyd exclaims.

"Hold on!"

". . . gather before me to form violent blades . . ."

Regal blocks another attack from Forcystus. He looks back at Genis and finds the boy nodding at him. With that, Regal dashes madly for the control panel.

"_Cyclone!_"

The air and mana in the room spin into a giant whirlwind, completely engulfing the entire platform. It immediately picks Forcystus up off his feet and sends him flying around the room. Regal barely makes it to the controls, but he too gets picked up by the wind. Before getting lost into the spell, Kratos snatches Regal's shackles and anchors the large man down. The spell continues on and on until the mana finally exhausts itself out. The wind stops and calms into still air. Forcystus drops harshly to the ground near the edge of the platform with a sickening snap and a resulting cry. Completely exhausted, Genis drops to the ground.

"Genis!" Lloyd rushes to his friend's side. He pulls out several orange gels and pours them down Genis' throat.

Genis coughs from the force feed. "Lloyd, stop! I can do it myself!" He snatches the gels away from Lloyd and drinks the gels himself.

Regal stands back up on his feet and comes to his senses about what just happened. He looks over at Lloyd and Genis. When confirmed that the two are fine, Regal turns to Kratos and says, "Thank you."

Kratos pauses for a moment before nodding in reply.

Forcystus gets himself up on his feet, his remaining arm hanging uselessly at his side, and glares at Lloyd and Genis. "You . . . !" Forcystus raises his canon arm and shoots at the two. Lloyd spots the incoming attack and steps in front of it but, before he could raise a barrier, gets knocked away.

As Kratos and Regal hurry to the boys' sides, Genis gawks at Lloyd before forcing himself to his feet. He gives Forcystus his angriest glare and shouts, "_You__ just__ said__ earlier__ that__ Kratos__ was__ a __symbol__ that __humans __and__ half-elves __can__ work__ together!__ You__ were__ angry__ that__ he __betrayed__ Yggdrasill__ because __he__ wants__ to__ stop__ the__ Great__ Seed__ from__ getting__ worse!__ Well__ how__ dare__ YOU__ even__ talk__ about__ humans__ and__ half-elves__ working__ together!__ How__ dare__ YOU__ even__ talk__ about__ how__ horrible__ it__ is__ for__ a __human__ to__ betray__ a__ half-elven__ friend!__ You__ treat__ humans__ like__ cattle __and__ kill__ innocent __humans!__ Lots__ of__ humans__ hate __half-elves__ because__ of__ what__ the __Desians__ do!__ You__ only __make__ things__ worse!_"

"Don't act as if this wasn't unprovoked!" Forcystus snaps. "I should have killed him back in Iselia when he broke the treaty!"

"I was breaking the treaty long before you knew Lloyd even existed!" Genis shouts back. "I was visiting one of your captives for several months! Lloyd came with me on that day because he was worried I might get into trouble with this ranch—and I did! When Marble got pulled to the back to get whipped, I attacked the guards with my fire balls while Lloyd acted as a decoy to make sure I got away! I just had the luck to trip right next to the guards and get their attention!"

"I didn't see you in the recordings!"

"_That__'__s__ because__ I __was __hiding__ in__ the __bushes!__ No__ one__ was__ SUPPOSED__ to__ see__ me!__ Are __you__ stupid__ or__ something?_" Genis points to himself. "_The__ whole__ thing __with __Iselia__ happened __because __of __ME! __Lloyd, __a __HUMAN,__ was __protecting __ME, __a __HALF-ELF,__ all __that __time!__ You? __You__'__re __nothing __but __a __hypocrite!_"

Forcystus shakes as he glares at Genis. A long silent moment passes as Regal and Kratos treat Lloyd and Genis' wounds.

Suddenly, the entire room shakes.

"Earthquake!"

Lloyd, Genis, Kratos, and Regal stay down at their knees while the entire reactor quivers around them and echoes of collapsing rooms sound into the reactor. Off to the side, a part of the circular wall explodes and makes way for the root coming in, and the root climbs low as it reaches for the mana in the reactor. The root turns around and digs into the platform, causing a slight tip. The shaking sends Forcystus stumbling around the platform until he finally slides towards the tilting edge.

Lloyd watches Forcystus head for the reactor for a brief moment. Suddenly, he bolts up to his feet and dashes for the half-elf.

Kratos cries out, "Lloyd, what are you doing?"

Lloyd ignores Kratos and hurries towards the Desian. Lloyd drops down to the floor and allows himself to slide down with little resistance until he makes it to Forcystus. He catches hold of the Desian just as Forcystus falls and grabs onto the ledge.

"Lloyd!" Kratos takes off into the air and flies after the teenager. As he pulls Lloyd onto the platform, the earthquake subsides even as the roots continue to grow around them. Once Lloyd stabilizes himself, he pulls Forcystus onto the platform and lets the Desian go.

Forcystus stares up at Lloyd with wide eyes. "Why?" he asks. "I am your enemy and a half-elf! I went after your life! Why did you spare me?"

Lloyd stares at Forcystus with a confused expression. After a long moment of thinking, Lloyd replies, ". . . I don't know. But I know that I'm not fighting you because you're a half-elf. I couldn't care less what anyone is!"

"You . . . a human . . . don't care what race I am?"

"No!" Lloyd says, "The fact that you're responsible for killing countless innocent people is what makes me so mad! You turned Marble into a monster just to punish me!"

Forcystus continues to stare at Lloyd. In the meantime, Kratos wordlessly goes over to the reactor's controls and starts pressing buttons.

"_Lord Forcystus! Do you read me? Over!"_

Forcystus glances away towards the portable communicator on his belt. He stares at it and goes, "My men . . ."

"_Lord Forcystus! The recent earthquake caused extreme damage to the building and we cannot escape unless you lift lock down! Over!"_

Lloyd frowns at the communicator, recognizing some of the voices in the background. "Wait, those voices . . . The ones next to that Desian . . ."

Lloyd and Forcystus exchange glances before Lloyd takes the communicator and holds it up for Forcystus to use.

Forcystus speaks into the communicator. "What is your status? Over."

"_Lord Forcystus! Thank Martel you can hear me! The main building is almost completely destroyed, most of the captives are dead from the collapse, and some of my best men are down, but basic circuitry is still functional! If you lift lock down, we can escape! Over!"_

Kratos looks over the screen and states, "It's asking for a pass code."

Forcystus twitches at Kratos' pointed demand. Forcystus takes a deep breath, and says, ". . . The overriding pass code is one-one-three-seven-four-zero-nine-three-five. Before you shut down the reactor, free my men."

Lloyd turns his wide eyes towards the Desian. "Forcystus . . ."

"Don't speak to me."

Kratos presses a series of buttons as the communicator continues to sound out desperate calls and requests. A few seconds after Kratos turns away from the controls and the reactor starts powering down, the communicator rings out, _"__Lord__ Forcystus!__ The__ main__ door__ opened!__ It__ only__ opened__ halfway,__ but __we__ can __still__ get __through!__ We__ are __now__ heading__ towards __safety!__ We__ will__ meet__ with__ you__ once__ we__ finish__ evacuating__ the__ rest__ of__ the __men!__ Over__ and__ out!__"_

Kratos and Lloyd leave without another word; Genis and Regal join them as they hurry out of the reactor. Forcystus remains where he is, silently taking in everything that just happened along with his actions.

* * *

Phew! That took a long time to finish!

Anyway, since I doubt I'll get another chapter out soon, Happy Holidays!


	75. Put in Disc Two

End of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World – Good Ending

Marta: *sees Emil* It can't be! *glomps Emil* Emil!

Emil: *hugs Marta back*

Information: Emil obtained the title "Perfect Partner".

Me: Gag! Talk about laying it thick!

As it turns out, most of this was written in one night. Insomnia is a bitch. And yeah, I won't censor myself anymore. If the word is that bad, I just won't use it.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Five: Put in Disc Two

As soon as everyone was free from the destroyed ranch, the captives and the Desians immediately separated. The captives leave the area while some of the Desians hurry back into the ranch to evacuate their own. We ushered the captives away from the ranch and away from the giant roots devastating the surrounding land. However, we still remain a good distance within the ranch's perimeter in hopes that Lloyd, Genis, Regal, and Kratos will make it out of the ranch in time.

I look out at the group of surviving captives we rescued. With the original group, we were leading a mob out of the ranch. Now we can count every single captive with our fingers. Looking back at the nearly completely demolished human ranch and back at the captives to recount them does nothing to drill this fact into my brain.

"Kelsey! Colette!"

I look back at the group towards Raine. The professor points back towards the ranch and orders, "I need you to go check on the others! Meet back here in thirty minutes!"

"Yes, ma'am!" I call back. I move on ahead slowly and only speed up to a normal fast pace once Colette catches up to me via wings. We walk back in silence for a moment before I comment, "I can't get my head around what just happened . . . So many innocent people . . . gone in just a few short seconds."

Colette lowers her head. "I know . . ."

"I know there was nothing more we could really do, but . . . still . . . each time I recount them it always surprises me how few actually made it out . . ."

Colette wipes her eyes.

I glance over at Colette and ask, "Is . . . Is it normal that I can't feel anything about what just happened? Shouldn't I be crying or cussing out life about all those people just dying in front of me?"

"I don't know."

That doesn't help . . .

We climb up a roundabout way to the ranch to avoid the roots' path. Once we make it into sight of the building we entered, we just stop there and wait for the others to come out. The roots now reached the sea to the south. They look as if Cthulhu is starting to rise out of the waters.

"What are you going to do about Chocolat?"

". . . Well, we'll talk things out and come up with something."

"Are you two ever going to be friends again?"

"I . . . really don't know that . . ."

I scan the area and look back at the Tower of Salvation. The very sight of the Giant Kharlan Tree gets me jumpy and irritable. What's going on, you guys? Why haven't you taken care of the reactor yet?

A bright beam of light appears just before the Giant Tree and collides with it. I gasp just as the Tree lights up into nothing more than mana. Colette whirls around and spots the Tree. Everything where the Tree stood dissipates. Nothing but sky remains.

"The Tower of Salvation . . . !" Colette gasps. "It's . . . ! How? Tethe'alla is still flourishing and I'm still alive! How is this possible?"

I look back at Colette, completely unsure of what to say. I know what happened, but how do I explain this? It—

A deafening explosion fills the air followed seconds later by a shrill cry.

Colette hurries towards where the Tower of Salvation once stood and stops just before the cliff. "I don't understand!" she cries out. "I'm still alive! The Tower of Salvation only disappears if a Chosen has—" She then gasps. ". . . I . . ." A second later, Colette whirls around awkwardly—

"_Ahh!_" She suddenly collapses and clutches at her left side. "_Ow. Ow. Ow!_"

I hurry to her side. "Colette!" My brain runs a blank on what to do. "How does it hurt? Did you hurt yourself during battle?" At this idea, I pull out a lemon gel and reach for her clothes.

Colette smacks my hand away.

A second passes for my state of panic to somewhat dim down. ". . . Oh, I'm sorry, Colette! That was thoughtless of me . . ." I tell her, "Let me heal your wound. We need to treat that now before it gets infected."

Colette shakes her head. "N-no . . . Ow . . . It's just . . . just cramps! _Ugh! Ow!_"

I frown at her. "'Just cramps'?"

Colette forces a smile and goes, "Heheh . . . It's that time of the month . . ."

"_Cramps?_" I point to her upper left side where she clutches herself. "_There?_ I've felt leg cramps from that, but period cramps _above_ the abdominal area?"

"Each girl . . . ow . . . feels cramps differently . . . _owowow . . . !_"

"Colette, are you hiding something from me? You've got that fake smile and fake giggle."

Colette shakes her head. "No!"

"Then what's causing you so much pain?" I say, "Pain is the body's way of telling you that something is wrong and needs to be treated. If something is hurting you, you need to tell us!"

"Nothing is wrong!" Colette insists. "Nothing! I promise you! Look, watch me!"

With that, Colette pushes herself to her feet only to stop halfway and go back down to the ground, clutching at that same spot all over again. I wait for her cries to stop before I tell her, "If you're not going to tell me, then at least tell the professor."

"Don't! _Owowowow . . ._"

I clench my teeth together to keep myself from spewing out impatient demands. Once I regain control over myself, I say, "Look, whatever is hurting you needs to be looked at. Who better than Professor Raine?"

"What's going on? What's wrong with Colette?"

I find Lloyd hurrying over to us with Genis, Kratos, and Regal right behind him. Colette's eyes instantly go wide at the sight of Lloyd, and she starts tearing up.

Lloyd goes, "Are you okay, Colette?"

She stares at Lloyd for a moment before turning away to hide her face. ". . . I'm so sorry, Lloyd . . . ! I'm so sorry!"

"What are you apologizing for? And didn't I ban you from ever apologizing again?" Lloyd states, "If you're hurt, we'll just have the professor or maybe Regal or Zelos or even Kratos patch you up."

I tell them, "Colette just suddenly collapsed and couldn't get back up. There's something on her side."

Lloyd looks up at me with clear concern before turning back to Colette. "Here, get on my back. I'll carry you on the way down."

"No, Lloyd. I can do it myself. _Ow . . . !_"

While those two argue over a simple piggyback ride, Genis comes over to me and asks, "What happened to the Tower of Salvation? I can't find it!"

I glance over at the empty skies before replying, "I . . . I think it was the mana cannon. The Tower of Salvation disappeared with the Great Seed."

Lloyd looks up from Colette to question, "How is that possible?"

Kratos looks out and says, "Considering that the Chosen never completed the ritual of regeneration, I suppose that the incident caused the Cruxis core system, which controls the appearance of the tower, to malfunction. It is of little consequence."

"'Little consequence'? What are you _smoking?_" I snap, "The entire world experiences severe earthquakes and a giant tree swallows the Tower of Salvation, and then everyone's symbol of salvation disappears! How do you think this is 'of little consequence'?"

Regal frowns deeply and implies, "We may have to hide Colette from Sylvarant's population. People often feel the need for a scapegoat whenever they are suffering."

"That's not fair!" Genis shouts. "Lots of other Chosens have failed before! How is this Colette's fault?"

I cough. "Actually, if you want to start laying blame somewhere, our entire group and the Renegades, especially Yuan for not getting the information we all need and directing us, are prime for blaming. We _did_ cause this and were just here to clean up the mess we made."

"But they're going to blame Colette for the _wrong reasons_ and blame _only_ Colette!"

Lloyd interrupts, "Guys, we need to get Colette to Professor Sage. She's starting to run a fever. This reminds me of Ozette when she collapsed."

Colette shakes her head. "But . . ."

I sigh with exasperation. "Don't tell us the fever is because of your time, too."

"No . . . Take me to Professor Raine . . ."

After finally surrendering, Colette gets on Lloyd's back and lets herself get carried down. I watch her as she shakes from the pain. We go down the path and return to the captives, who are all gasping at the absence of the Tower of Salvation. When Raine, Presea, and Zelos see us coming, they hurry to our side.

"Colette!" Raine stops at Lloyd's side and checks over her. "I was afraid that . . . What happened to Colette? And what of Forcystus?"

Over Colette's sobs, Kratos informs, "Forcystus surrendered and his subordinates are still rescuing their troops. As for the Tower of Salvation—"

"Stop. Not in front of the captives." Raine directs, "Lloyd, take Colette over there behind the bushes. Kelsey, I need you to hang a large cloth between us and anyone who can see. I need to examine Colette."

"Professor, I'm just a little shorter than Colette. How am I going to reach those branches?"

". . . Zelos?"

"No problem, Raine. Anything for you and my cute little angel."

With the preparations made, Raine and Colette hide behind the cover with everyone else banished to guard duty. Lloyd and Genis watch the ranch as they fidget over Colette's fate.

"Lloyd, do you think Colette is going to be okay?"

". . . I don't know, Genis. I . . . I think she was hiding something again."

"What if it's worse than her angel toxicosis?"

Lloyd doesn't answer.

". . . What if this is what made Cruxis leave her alone?"

"Kratos didn't say anything."

"When does Kratos say _anything?_"

"I . . ."

"I'm scared for her, Lloyd."

Once again, Lloyd doesn't respond.

"Lloyd, look!"

Lloyd looks up the cliff back towards the ranch. Garbed in plain traveler clothes, the remaining Desians make their way out of the area. Each one bears a grim expression, some even crying as they look back at the ranch. Many refuse to even glance towards the captives as they pass on by, even though the captives themselves stare at the Desians with guarded fear; many, though, do take a second to glare at Lloyd and Genis as they pass. One even spits at Lloyd's feet.

One Desian, however, walks along with two people at his side. One arm lies bandaged in a sling while the other completely concealed in a long sleeve, and his hat overhangs the upper half of his face. When he passes by, however, he looks directly into Lloyd's eyes, staring the swordsman down. It takes only a second for Lloyd to recognize the Desian as Forcystus. They let a few seconds pass wordlessly as Forcystus gives him a strange expression, stern and demanding. Finally, the moment ends, and the former Desian Grand Cardinal turns away and leaves.

As Genis watches Forcystus walk away, he goes, "What was _that_ about?"

Lloyd shakes his head and says, "I-I don't know . . ."

"Hey, man . . ." Zelos walks up with an unusual dead serious expression. "You need to get over here. Raine wants a word with all of us."

Lloyd's eyes snap wide. "Colette . . . !"

Lloyd and Genis hurry back to Raine. There they find Colette sobbing her eyes out just some behind Raine with Presea, paler than usual, holding her hand and sitting next to her. Regal keeps his head bowed as he grimaces towards the ground. Kratos leans against a nearby tree with his contemplative look on his face. I, in the meantime, fidget in place as I wait for the coming news. Zelos just takes a spot around our collective half circle around Raine. Genis joins his sister's side and stares up at her impatiently. Lloyd stops as soon as he gets close and looks between Colette and Raine. Our healer looks around at all of us before she speaks.

"Because I would like this to be private, I cannot share the information I just discovered just yet," she states. "What I can tell you right now is that this is not good. At all."

"Then when are you going to tell us?" Lloyd asks.

"In good time, but first we must deal with the captives." Raine reminds, "We cannot just leave them here. They need food, clothes, and shelter. The nearest civilization that can provide all that is Iselia."

Genis takes a step back in shock. "Iselia? But Lloyd and I were banished!"

"Would you have them march to Triet, then?" Raine inquires. "Besides, Iselia is Colette's home. She has a place where she can rest while we figure out our next step."

Lloyd glances down, a contemplative glint appearing in his eyes, before he looks up and asks, "Do you think Genis and I could stay at my dad's?"

"That sounds like halfway bullshit," Zelos comments. "We're basically going to send a bunch of people into a village without their say and leave them there. Since we're not exactly taking the village's comfort into consideration, let's just enter without fussing over who was banished and who wasn't anyway. We won't stay in the village for long since all we are doing is dropping the captives off."

I nod. "Zelos has a point. Besides, Colette really needs as much support as she can get. With the Tower of Salvation gone, she won't get a friendly reception in the village."

Regal adds, "That is a point I insist be considered. The people of Sylvarant are in a state of panic over the disappearance of the Tower of Salvation. Most will blame the Chosen for this and some may even go so far as to harm her just to vent their anguish."

Lloyd grimaces. "Okay, I'll . . . go with you into the village."

Genis hangs his head. "Me, too . . ."

I frown at the two and turn to everyone else. "While we're at it, can we watch over Lloyd and Genis, too? The villagers might do something to them, as well."

"We will have to take the back ways to Colette's house to avoid as much attention as possible once we enter the village," Raine informs. "Genis, Lloyd, I need you two to stay with the group and never wander off. Do you understand?"

Raine gets a unison response of "yes, ma'am" from the two.

* * *

As we get closer to the village, I go over the plan in my head again for memorization.

Raine and Kratos will speak to the villagers about the captives and Colette. In the meantime, Lloyd, Genis, Presea, and I will move Colette to her house with Presea and me watching for any villagers and Lloyd and Genis leading the way. Zelos and Regal will back Raine and Kratos up in case things get nasty. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly and no one will notice Lloyd, Genis, or Colette coming in.

. . . Did I just jinx us in my own thoughts with the "hopefully" part?

Butterflies start tormenting my stomach when the entire herd slows down and a watchtower comes into immediate view. Lloyd and Genis inch their way towards the edge of the group and I take that as my cue to start following them. Lloyd and Genis lead Presea and me towards some convenient nearby bushes and keep low as we wait for an opportunity for the gathering villagers to keep their eyes averted from our general direction. In the meantime, the village watch, wielding the most basic weapons and armor I've ever seen, keeps all the captives just outside the village entrance as other villagers gather around to watch the spectacle. Raine and Kratos keep at the lead as a red-faced, tubby middle aged man confronts Raine and Kratos.

"What is the meaning of this? Kratos, Raine, why did you bring a bunch of filthy captives to our village? You were supposed to be guarding the Chosen! Now look what happened! It's the end of the world!"

Raine informs, "The Chosen is being sent to a safe location until we can get things under control. As for the captives, they need accommodations. Iselia is the closest place they can get that."

"I don't care! Send them back to the ranch! We had a treaty with the Desians!"

Kratos states, "The human ranch is destroyed and Forcystus is no longer in position to lead. There are no more restrictions on this village."

"_Are you questioning my role to protect this village?_"

Genis snips, "_He_ certainly hasn't changed . . ."

I glance around at the villagers' attention. I whisper, "They're not going to see us. Let's go."

We all finally move from the bushes.

"Look! Over there!"

"Damn . . ." I mutter to myself.

The watchmen run over to us and herd us away from our area and towards Raine and Kratos. The very sight of us makes the mayor's face turn into an interesting shade of purple.

"_You wanted to sneak banished people into our village?_" the mayor bellows. "_How much more must the good people of this village suffer?_"

One of the watchmen nervously looks between the mayor and Colette. "Mayor, Colette looks like she's in pain! Maybe we can make an exception . . ."

"EXCEPTION?" The mayor turns against the watchman. "_The Chosen failed atrociously and brought the end of the world upon us! How dare she even THINK of returning to the village!_"

Colette buries her face into Lloyd's jacket.

Then the mayor turns back against Raine. "And _you!_ Take these captives somewhere else! I will not have the Desians destroying this village again!"

"_Destroyed?_" One of the captives steps up to the mayor. "Funny, I don't see this village rebuilding all the buildings! If you want to see anything ruined, you should've seen my home town Luin's history with Kvar around!"

"Forcystus is still a pressing concern!" the mayor repeats.

"No he isn't!" the same captive argues. "I saw him leave in traveler clothes myself! If you want more witnesses, just pick someone from the crowd!"

"Go somewhere else! This village won't take you!"

Raine snaps, "Where else can they go? Triet is too far out for any of them and the nearest House of Salvation is too small to accommodate any of them! Iselia is the only place where they can go!"

One of the civilian asks, "Mayor, what about the Chosen? She might need help."

Another implies, "If all these captives can just walk free like this, maybe the human ranch really is destroyed."

"Mayor, Ms. Sage is right. The captives can't go any further. Maybe we _should_ take them in."

The mayor glances around until finally setting his eyes on Genis. He jabs his finger at the boy and shouts, "I think I know what this is! It's a trap! The Desians want to catch us off guard, and you're leading it! You _and_ your sister! You two are half-elves!"

A watchman says, "But, Mayor, Genis is just a child."

"That doesn't matter! He's a half-elf! He must be! I bet he was even leading the invasion! _And look and them!_" The mayor motions to Zelos, Presea, Regal, and me. "Do you see any _human_ with hair like _that?_ They must be half-elves, too! They certainly don't look like _elves!_"

Zelos glances upward awkwardly as he brushes his hair to the side. "_That's_ ironic . . ."

Another captive pushes through the crowd and, once out into the open and heading towards the mayor, I recognize the captive as Chocolat. She marches right into the mayor's face and snaps, "Does any part of your body work other than your mouth? You're just complaining about everything without taking any consideration to anything else?"

The mayor leans back into Chocolat's face and shouts, "_I AM taking other things into consideration!_ Did you know that Lloyd was raised by a dwarf? He even befriended a bunch of half-elves! He must have cause the Chosen to fail her journey!"

Lloyd shouts back, "That has nothing to do with anything! What does anyone's race have to do with anything? There are good half-elves just as much as there are bad humans!"

"It has to do with everything! It's intolerable how much pain you've caused all the good humans of this village!"

Chocolat throws her arms up into the air. "Now you're just attacking people for their background—things they can't change! How can you call yourself a good human?"

Zelos cheers, "Yeah! You tell him! I've had all I can handle of this chump!"

"_You're not even a member of this village!_" the mayor bellows at Chocolat, who flinches from all the spit flying into her face. "_Don't you dare talk!_"

A tense silence goes over the crowd as the villagers stare at the mayor. Chocolat glances around and takes that moment to wipe the spit off her face. The mayor looks back at the villagers and demands, "Say something!"

A little boy comments, "Genis is the smartest person in the village. He even knows factors that you don't know. When I had trouble with my homework, Genis was always there to help me."

A girl in her early teens adds, "The Professor is scary when she's angry, but when I know the answer, she's happy, too. She always did what she could to help me learn."

Another boy, just hitting puberty, says, "Lloyd isn't any good at school, but he's the strongest in the village. He even saved me when I was attacked by monsters."

A little girl adds, "Colette is always falling down and stuff, but I never saw her cry before. She didn't even cry when it hurts. She's really grown up. Since Colette is crying now, why aren't we helping her?"

Raine stares at the children with wide, watery eyes. Her hand covers the deep frown on her face. I can hear her sniffling.

The mayor barks, "Shut up! You children, go away!"

Chocolat says, "Those children understand the truth much better than you! Who do you think you are just dismissing them like that? And it's not just you! _Everyone_ shoved all the responsibility on the Chosen and her group! What have _you_ done? I don't see you doing anything to help at all!"

"Only the Chosen can save the world! And now she failed!" The mayor repeats. "What can we do anyway? We are completely powerless!"

"No, we are not," another villager says. "Even if we were, we can still aid the Chosen and her companions when they return exhausted to this village just like they did now!"

A watchman bites, "Mayor, your words are so shallow that even a child can see through them!"

Another villager adds, "You say that you are powerless and force everything onto the Chosen, but when push comes to shove, you turn around and blame her? That's just too much!"

"And we can still fight even if we're powerless! Izoold ships former captives from Palmacosta to Triet! Luin had a whole system of rescuing captives! They couldn't fight like Palmacosta, but they still did more than you did!"

The mayor turns from one speaker to the next until he watches the villagers completely baffled. "I made a treaty with the Desians!"

"And the treaty no longer applies to us! The ranch is destroyed and Forcystus is gone! We can do whatever we want!"

"We will take in the Chosen and her companions and the people from the ranch. And, Mayor, we're not going to let you say a word about it!"

Agreements ring and echo from the rest of the villagers.

The mayor backs down from the towering pressure. His chin trembles before he barks, "Fine! Do what you want!" With that, he leaves in a huff and a hurry.

With the incident over, the villagers move out of the captives way and direct the entire group inside the village. Raine just stands there for a moment, silent tears trailing down her cheeks, before she wipes her face and goes over to Lloyd and Genis. She tells us, "I believe it is safe for you just to go straight to Colette's home. I want everyone to head to Phaidra's home. We need to talk."

I nod and motion towards the others to follow. Once they get the message I start walking with the group. However, Colette reaches over and tugs on my shirt. I look at her and she points towards a specific direction. When I look over, I find Chocolat heading towards me. I wait for her to catch up, allowing the others to go on without me. When she and I walk side by side, I finally speak to her.

"Well . . ." I start off with. ". . . what now?"

Chocolat looks down at her feet. "I need to apologize to you. And to Lloyd, too."

"I need to apologize, too." I say to her, "I was really insensitive back at the ranch when I told you that your continued captivity was your own fault. I really shouldn't have said that. You must've really suffered."

Chocolat shakes her head. "I was horrible too. I was the one who betrayed you, not the other way around. We were friends, yet I just instantly believed _Magnius_ of all people. I should've taken a hint when your side looked like it was against a Desian Grand Cardinal."

"Hmm . . . Yeah . . . That was really dumb . . ."

"I heard about what really happened to Grandma once I got to Forcystus' ranch." Chocolat grimaces. "To think, Lloyd was actually trying to _help_ Grandma Marble and things just got . . . got . . ."

She then sighs. "How am I ever going to make up for what happened?" Chocolat looks up at me. ". . . Could we ever be friends again? Can you forgive me?"

I stay silent for a moment. With a slow, steady pace, I answer, "I . . . I think that after some time . . . We could rebuild our friendship. To be honest, I don't want it to ever be what it was like before. I was going through a really tough time back in Palmacosta, and I was . . . really dependent on anything that seemed constant in my life. I don't ever want to be that dependent on anyone ever again. It's not fair to me or to anyone else. So . . ." I start nodding. ". . . one day, yes, I think we can be friends again. It just won't be the same as last time."

"Okay. Do you think Lloyd will forgive me?"

"He'll forgive you. He mainly blames himself for what happened—to both you and Marble."

"I just feel worse now . . ."

"Shit happens."

"That's really crude . . . and I don't think I've ever heard you cuss before."

"You should've heard me cuss Magnius out right after you left the room. It was glorious."

"Are you going to stay with the Chosen after this?"

". . . Yeah, I will. I gotta see things through. Besides, I'm going to live out the rest of my life on this world, and I have loved ones living here too. I want it to last as long as possible, so everyone precious to me and I can keep living." I pause for a second and think over the words I just said. ". . . Wow, that sounded really redundant and stupid."

Chocolat manages to make a small smile.

Then I ask her, "Do . . . Do you . . . have any problem with me? As a half-elf? The people who tortured you were—"

"They were Desians," Chocolat firmly states. "The people who did this to me were Desians. Not all half-elves are Desians. You aren't, and some of the people in your group aren't Desians even if they are half-elves."

I mention, "Actually, only two others are half-elves. The three with the blue hair and the pink hair and the red hair are human."

Chocolat raises her eyebrows. "They're _human?_ Completely? Even with _that kind of hair_?"

"It's a long story."

"Isn't it always a long story?"

"Hey! Kelsey!"

I whirl around to find Genis hurrying to me. When he makes it, he nags, "You're taking too long! Raine needs to talk to all of us about Colette! She's already filling Phaidra in about . . ." He spares a glance towards Chocolat. ". . . about things. You know, _the things._ So hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" I whine at him. Just before I walk away, I turn to Chocolat. "I'll see you in a bit."

Chocolat waves as I leave.

Genis leads me through Iselia until we finally reach a nice two-story cottage. We go through the door as an elderly woman says, ". . . I see. So the angels of Cruxis were really half-elves . . ."

Only a few glances are spared our way as I close the door behind Genis and me. I spot everyone except Raine and Colette in the room. I take a guess that they're in Colette's room, figuring out what's wrong and how to cure it.

Lloyd pleads, "Please, don't tell anyone about this. We don't want to start a panic."

"Indeed. Especially now that the Tower of Salvation is gone, I wouldn't dare tell people the truth."

Genis takes a seat at a table, Presea asks, "How could the Tower of Salvation disappear like this?"

Kratos repeats his statement from last time he answered this question, "I don't know. The Chosen of Sylvarant and, in tern, another Chosen of Tethe'alla never completed the ritual of regeneration. I assume that the Cruxis core system, which controls the appearance of the tower, may have malfunctioned during the incident."

An older gentleman with clear resemblance to Colette says, "This is a tremendous shock to the people of Sylvarant. The very symbol of salvation vanishes after a terrible earthquake. The Chosen will be held responsible just as you saw when you entered the village."

Zelos goes, "Why? Lots of other Chosen have failed up till now, too. This isn't too different."

"The others have paid for their failure with their lives, but Colette is still alive . . ." Phaidra's voice cracks at the end of her sentence.

"That is not fair to Colette," Presea says sternly. "No one could predict what happened or wish for this disaster."

A door on the upper floor loudly opens. We go silent as Raine comes down from the stairs with Colette behind her. Frank looks up at Colette and asks, "Colette, are you alright now?"

Colette tears up a little at the sight of Frank. She sniffs before she replies, "Yes . . . I think . . . I'm so sorry for making everyone worry. I'm so sorry, Father."

Frank's eyes widen at Colette's words and a small smile grows on his lips.

The healer looks around at us all and announces, "This sickness seems to be connected to her Cruxis Crystal. We will need to consult an expert on this if we are to gain any progress."

Phaidra concludes, "In that case, you need to hurry to Dirk. If what you said about exspheres and Cruxis Crystals is true, then Dirk or another dwarf should know how to help Colette." The elderly woman turns to Kratos. "Kratos, I must ask you for your assistance again. Please, escort my granddaughter to Dirk."

Kratos nods. "Very well."

Presea asks, "What about Sheena?"

Kratos simply answers, "I will request a message be sent. She should rejoin you soon."

Lloyd pauses a second before nodding. "Alright. Let's go to my dad. We don't have any time to lose."

As Colette says her goodbyes to her family, we all head outside. We wait patiently outside the home as Colette continues to say goodbye. I look around for a moment and catch sight of Chocolat once again. I tug on Lloyd's jacket and point towards Chocolat. "Did you want to talk to her?"

Lloyd stares at Chocolat for a long moment, clearly indecisive about what to do. Finally, he nods. "Yeah, I did." As he makes his way to her, Lloyd announces, "Everyone, you can go on without me once Colette comes back. I'll catch up to you in a bit."

Genis walks with him. "I'll go with you. I need to talk to her, too."

I watch the three talk with each other from a distance. Since I already talked with Chocolat about my own issues, I figure that they're having their own piece of much-needed conversation. After they trade some dialogue, Chocolat hugs Lloyd and cries in his arms. Lloyd hugs her back in a slightly awkward manner before Chocolat leaves him to hug Genis. They only stop when Colette leaves her home and the group finally heads for the village entrance. As I leave Chocolat behind, I turn and wave at her. It isn't until I see Chocolat wave back that I finally put the issue to full rest and move on.

* * *

As Kratos sends a message to Yuan, Genis asks Colette, "Is . . . your body okay, Colette?"

Colette doesn't even meet his eyes when she says, "Yes. I'm sorry to worry you."

Genis turns downcast at the obvious lie.

"I wonder if . . ."

Genis looks back up at her.

"If this is a punishment? Because I quit the world regeneration . . ."

Genis protests, "That's stupid, Colette! You suffered through all that by yourself! You didn't even quit towards the end! We had to drag you away from the altar just to get you to stop! How could anyone want to punish that?"

Colette turns to Genis with obvious surprise. She gives him a trembling smile. ". . . Thank you, Genis."

Over at the side, Regal speculates, "I wonder how much of the dwarven techniques Dirk inherited."

Raine sighs. "I really don't know. Altessa seems to know more than Dirk, so I suppose Dirk could only inherit the techniques that were not passed down by Cruxis alone in exchange for his freedom."

Regal frowns deeply. "Then Colette's illness may be beyond Dirk's ability to cure."

Raine mirrors Regal's distressed expression. "Altessa may be our only hope, then."

Over at the front, Kratos turns off the communicator. Taking this opportunity, Lloyd goes up to him and comments, "Forcystus was a little different from the other Five Grand Cardinals."

Off to the side, Genis overhears and remarks, "If you mean he wasn't a complete sadistic monster or a stupid barbarian, then I'd say he was a little different."

Ignoring Genis' comment, Kratos tells, "Forcystus was . . . a Desian hero that once killed every member of a group of humans that were leading a massacre of half-elves."

Lloyd looks on ahead as he digests this. ". . . A hero . . ."

"It is said that he was full of knightly virtue, kind to his companions and a fierce god of death to his enemies."

"From a human point of view, he's a horrible villain, but to the half-elves, he must have been a true hero," Lloyd reflects.

"Yes. That's why war is so tragic. To win means to make victims of your opponents and give birth to hatred."

"If Forcystus had been born in a world where we accepted each other, do you think we might have been able to get along?"

". . . Yes, perhaps so."

Genis looks away from Lloyd and Kratos with a troubled look on his face.

With a question in mind, I push my way through the group and get to Kratos' side. I wait until our group changes positions with Kratos mainly isolated once again before I go, "Hey, I have a question . . ."

Kratos' responding silence only encourages me to continue.

"Back when you were still part of the group, you seemed a bit hostile towards me. Now I know that's because I was keeping secrets and keeping secrets is a no-no, but it seemed a little . . . out of proportion. I don't think I could cause that much damage even if the worst case scenario happened."

Kratos states, "While that may be true, I have met many people of similar origins to you that have kept their pasts secret and cause a fair amount of damage on their own. I wanted to make certain you would not be a repeat of such incidents."

My eyes go wide at that. "What's the worst they've done?"

"There are some questions that you do not want the answer to . . ."

"While I'm at it, why do you continuously go back and forth between helping us and harming us?"

"That would be one such question."

Towards the back, Lloyd finally manages to ask Raine, ". . . Is it my fault?"

Raine inquires, "Do you mean Colette?"

"If I hadn't made that key crest, Colette wouldn't have wound up like this . . ."

"And instead, she would still have no heart." Then Raine shakes her head and corrects herself, "No, if you hadn't saved her, Colette would have been killed by Cruxis as a tool for Martel's resurrection."

"Well, that's true, but . . ."

Raine interrupts, "'I don't want there to be any sacrifices. I don't want anyone to suffer.' That way of thinking is not wrong. But you must deal with the frustration of the fact that sometimes you are forced to make a choice. Lloyd, take responsibility for the choices you have made."

Lloyd sighs. ". . . You're too harsh, Professor."

As Lloyd walks away, Raine just shakes her head at him.

When we arrive at Dirk's house, I find myself surprised to find it still intact. Sure, the plants are completely ruined and some parts of the house fell apart, but the actual area is still here. The roots must've gone through another direction.

Dirk himself, relatively unharmed, is looking over the damages when he spots us coming. He grins from ear to ear and goes over to his adopted son. "Lloyd!"

Lloyd hurries to Dirk. "Dad! How've you been? Were you affected by the earthquake?"

"If you call that an earthquake," Dirk says, "then you must not know what an earthquake really is! Everything is fine, though. No need to worry."

Kratos steps up and informs, "Dirk, we are here by the request of Colette's family. They wish for you to help her."

Dirk looks back at Kratos. "I see, then. Please, come inside."

With Dirk, Lloyd, Kratos, Raine, and Colette already inside, the rest of us cram into the doorway and back off to decide who else gets to squeeze into the house. Presea goes in while Regal steps away to stay outside and Genis follows Presea inside. Zelos and I move to go inside but stop when we nearly bump into each other. He gives me this indecipherable look before I step back and let him pass. I can listen at the window, anyway.

Raine explains the situation and the nature of Colette's illness to Dirk. I hear a few gasps go through the room as Raine describes an area of skin just at the upper left side turning into a crystal-like material that resembles Cruxis Crystals. When it is all over, Dirk sadly states, "I'm afraid, even if Cruxis Crystals are an evolved form of exsphere, I still don't know the first thing about them. It'd be a better idea to ask a dwarf over in that Tethe'alla place."

Lloyd goes, "Oh . . . so even you don't know anything about these . . ."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of help. At least stay here for the night to get some rest."

Kratos says, "I must politely decline."

The door opens and I move out of the way to avoid getting hit by it. Kratos goes through it and leaves the area. However, Lloyd quickly catches up to him. "Wait!"

Kratos stops as Lloyd questions, "Are you really going back to Cruxis?"

The Seraph turns to Lloyd. ". . . I am an angel of Cruxis."

"Then why didn't you follow Yggdrasilll's orders to leave the Great Seed alone?"

"I have my reasons. That's all." Then Kratos reminds, "But as a result, Martel was not lost. That goes along with Yggdrasill's wishes."

Lloyd's voice starts to break. "It's true then. You really are our enemy . . ."

"If you consider Cruxis and the Desians your enemies, then I suppose that makes me your enemy."

"I . . . don't wanna think of you as an enemy."

Kratos stares at Lloyd in shock. ". . . Why the sudden change of heart?"

Lloyd shakes his head. "It's not that I've forgiven you or that I like you or anything. But unlike the other Desians, you abandoned neither the Great Seed nor this world. I just thought . . . it's weird to think of you as an enemy."

Kratos observes Lloyd for a short moment. ". . . You've grown up."

"Huh?"

"The Lloyd at the beginning of this journey would have thought all angels as his enemies. The same ways humans and elves hate half-elves and half-elves hate everyone else."

Lloyd scratches his head as he glances away. "You think so? Was I like that . . . ?"

"Everyone has difficulty accepting those who are different. It's easier when you believe in a world where the Desians are pure evil, the Chosen saves the world, and humans are all right and good. In fact, you joined the Chosen's journey believing that."

Lloyd shifts awkwardly. ". . . Yeah . . . that's true." Then he says, "But I can't forgive what the Desians and Cruxis have done. What they're doing is just revenge for what was done to them, right? That's just going to breed more hatred."

"Yes. The fact that you are able to see that now shows that you've grown up. The strength to believe in what you see and not be swayed by the opinions of others; the ability to understand and sympathize for those you despise; the courage to look at things with an open heart; you have all those traits within you."

Lloyd mentions, "Colette is always saying, 'Why can't everyone get along?'"

"Humph." Kratos turns to the side. "That sounds like something a Chosen would say."

"But I don't think everyone has to get along with each other," Lloyd expresses. "It's okay to dislike people. There will always be people who make you mad. But . . . I do think we need to accept each other's rights to be here."

A long moment passes between the two. Lloyd looks down at the ground, refusing to look at Kratos in the eye as he says, ". . . I think it's okay for you to be here, too."

Kratos studies Lloyd until he realizes what Lloyd meant. The Seraph shakes his head and says, "No. I cannot join your journey, for I still have something I must take care of."

Lloyd questions, "What do you have to take care of? Is that why you've been wandering around Tethe'alla this whole time?"

Kratos stares at the boy. ". . . Lloyd. If you wish to save the Chosen, you should research the records from the Ancient Kharlan War. Remember the words of the unicorn at Lake Umacy."

"What? What does that mean?" Then Lloyd asks, "And why are you with Cruxis when you're a human—wait!" Kratos just walks away and leaves Lloyd by himself. Lloyd stares out into the distance where Kratos disappeared into. He sighs in frustration. "What is he trying to do?"

Suddenly, Lloyd finds Zelos leaning on his shoulders from behind. "Who knows who cares? If he's useful, make use of him. He just gave us a nice little lead, after all."

"Zelos! You were listening?"

"We all were, Bud." Zelos gets off Lloyd's back as the young swordsman whirls around to find everyone watching just around the house. "It's kind of hard not to. You and Kratos were right there."

Lloyd blushes and turns his face away.

With that, everyone disperses as if nothing happened. Zelos, however, remains by Lloyd's side. The Tethe'allan Chosen glances over and smirks at Lloyd. "To take your mind off of getting caught like that while you were confessing your love to Kratos—"

Lloyd gives a half-assed punch to Zelos' arm. "I don't love him. That'd be so wrong on so many levels."

"Heh. You have no idea . . ."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you can't take a joke." After a quick glance over the entire area, Zelos comments, "I bet you lived a crappy hard life so far, huh?"

Lloyd huffs. "You sure know how to cheer someone up, don't ya?"

Zelos smirks again. "Heheh. Well, don't worry about it too much." Then he casually asks, "So now what? Even with Kratos' vague hint, you must be at your wit's end right about now."

"Why do you say that?"

"The giant Tree, which we thought was all good, goes nuts; our cute little Colette comes down with a funky cold . . . It's just natural to start getting tired of it all."

Lloyd looks Zelos right in the eye. "I'm _never_ gonna give up. If I quit, I'll never be able to face all the people who've suffered because of what I've done. So I'm gonna fight . . . to the very end. I can't give up!"

Zelos shrugs. "Hot-headed and stubborn as hell. Well . . . I guess that's what I dig about you." With that, he starts walking away.

Lloyd, however, stays at his side. "Yeah, you're here, doing 'hot-headed' things with us."

Zelos stops and sighs. "I know. Everything I'm doing right now goes against my mantra."

"And what's that?"

"Don't work for what you can get for free. Always stick with the winning team. An easy life is the best life . . . et cetera, et cetera."

Lloyd grimaces in disgust. ". . . I shouldn't have asked."

Zelos waves dismissively at the swordsman. "Oh sure, you'd say that. But let me tell ya, you're better off avoiding hardship."

"You say that like it's from personal experience."

Zelos smirks bitterly. "Oh hell yeah. My life buys hardship in bulk. The poor, handsome boy Zelos, envied for his status, looks, and beautiful voice, grew up with his life in constant danger! Heh."

"Uh-huh."

"It's true." Zelos crosses his arms and looks out into the forest. "The Chosen is respected in name only. We're imprisoned in our own homes, always eating meals that are cold from being carefully tested for poison. Even our marriage partners are decided from the moment we're born. Chosens are treated by everyone like some kind of strange, inhuman creatures, separated from our parents as children and attacked by thugs . . . When will our suffering end?"

Lloyd looks up at Zelos with an awkward and sad face. "I . . . I never knew . . . I'm sorry, I . . . I always thought you just lived a life of luxury, living in the big mansion, ordering your servants around, and playing all day long. But Colette was treated differently by everyone in the village so . . . I guess you were the same."

Zelos glances at Lloyd before grinning at him and going, "Just messin' with ya. I'm just saying that if I suffered like that, my personality would be even cooler and I'd get even more hotties than I do now."

Lloyd looks at Zelos as if he just swallowed something disgusting. ". . . Are you saying that all of that was a _lie?_"

Zelos takes a step back. "Hey, hey, whoa, settle down."

Lloyd huffs and Zelos and storms off. "Man, I'm never taking anything you say seriously ever again!"

Zelos grabs Lloyd from behind and gives him a half hug. "Don't get mad, buddy!"

"Don't touch me, you stupid jackass Chosen!"

After watching that from my seat next to the little stream, I snatch a stick up from the ground and play with the water flow. Better distract myself from the stupid over there. From the obvious cover-up and the oblivious falling for the obvious cover-up. Even if I didn't know, it's still easy to tell. Lloyd, you idiot.

In the corner of my eye, I spot Presea wandering around the area, paying close attention to the surrounding forest. I hesitate to say anything until she gets close enough for casual conversation. By then I look up at her and comment, "You seem pretty interested in the scenery."

Presea doesn't look away from the forest. "This area resembles Ozette."

In that it's a large forest like how there's a large forest around Ozette? I reply, "Yeah, it does. Though, I'm more interested in this stream."

Presea sits down next to me and continues staring out into the forest. A moment passes before she asks, "Were you able to settle things with Chocolat?"

I think about it for a second. ". . . For now, yeah. I can help rebuild that friendship once my main goal is done." And help rebuild Palmacosta, if it suffered the fate the game predicted, that is.

"What is your main goal?"

I glance at her as I tell her, "I'm going to help see this through. Now that the main crisis I was worried about is over, I'm going to help finish what we started. This world is my home now, and I need to help keep my home safe. I'll do everything I can to help everyone. Then, I'll return home, to Palmacosta."

"I . . . see . . ."

Presea looks down towards the stream. "It is amazing how you and Lloyd were able to reconcile with Chocolat, and Chocolat with you. Despite how you hurt each other, you were still able to forgive one another."

"Some grudges just aren't worth even bothering over, let alone keeping." I draw a figure eight in the stream with my stick. "I prevented myself from moving on by letting all these feelings in and not . . . well, letting them go. So much negative energy. I really don't know what I'm going to be like now I'm making a real effort to move on."

Presea frowns. ". . . Lloyd, Chocolat, and you . . . are courageous. To forgive and to atone for your mistakes, even if you will not be forgiven . . . They both take tremendous courage and strength. I'm . . . unable to be strong."

I look at her. "You are able. It's just hard, so very hard . . . Out of all of us, though, Lloyd was the most graceful about all this. Chocolat and I held onto our negative feelings while Lloyd made an effort to forgive and atone for the wrongs he feels himself guilty of, even if he won't ever be forgiven in turn. So, Presea, if you think that you're not able to forgive someone for something, understand that it's not because you're not strong enough. It's because forgiving someone, especially yourself, is one of the hardest things to do." I look back down at the stream. ". . . I'm still trying to forgive myself for being such a horrible friend to all of you . . ."

Another long silent moment passes. I hear Zelos harassing Lloyd and Genis again as they react loudly to that. A leaf drifts down the stream and I try to catch it with my thin stick, only to watch it go down the stream despite my efforts.

"I . . . want to forgive them."

I look over at Presea. Tears bud in her eyes, but otherwise, I see no change in her expression. She continues, "I want to forgive Regal and Altessa, and logically, I should forgive them, but my heart refuses to."

"It'll just take some time. You just discovered everything that happened at a level that it's . . . just . . . overwhelming. Give yourself some time. The heart isn't very logical to begin with, anyway."

"Alicia said she wanted me to forgive him. And I really want to . . . with all my heart . . . but I can't . . ."

"As I said, give yourself some time. The fact that you're willing to forgive him tells me that it's possible." I tell her, "You're just not ready to let those feelings go. Just . . . remember something, Presea."

When I have her full attention, I state, "Hatred is just as powerful as love, and just as destructive as love is able to bridge gaps. It's like a cancer that eats you from the inside, and can eventually define you as a person if it gets the chance. Please, for your sake and for those around you who love you, don't let hatred become a part of you. It's okay to dislike Regal or Altessa, but, please, don't hate them. I know it's a lot to ask, but . . ."

"I understand. Thank you for your concern." Presea sighs. "I hate myself for being so . . . childish over this."

I smile at her. "Don't worry. You're in good company."

* * *

I'm going to do it.

I gather all my things together.

I'm finally going to do it.

As silently as I can, I slip my Lord of the Ring books out. I make a mental note to myself to remember to give the books I got from the Tower of Mana to Raine tomorrow.

I'm finally going to start the process, and with an artistic flair.

I get up from my bedroll and carefully make my way outside. After backtracking once to avoid stepping on someone, I finally make it to the door and open it.

The doorknob squeaks.

My entire body freezes. Nothing moves or makes a sound. I turn the doorknob again and find it squeaking again and again. Fuck it. I turn the doorknob completely and gently push the door open. Best to get it over quickly and not drag it out.

Finally outside, I take a good look around. A little burial is out of the question. The stream would be nice, but I don't have anything that would stay afloat long enough to make it to the sea. I guess a fire is my only answer. Damn, I really don't want to do that.

Nevertheless, I set down my books on the outdoor bench and gather some sticks from the forest. I'd rather not use Dirk's own firewood for something as selfish as this. Once I have a nice little pile on the cobbled path leading to Anna's grave, I bring the books I brought with me from home. Kneeling down next to the pile, I take a deep breath and set the sticks on fire. I set the books aside and pick up The Hobbit. I move the book towards the fire.

After a second's pause, I stand back up, still holding the book in my hands, and try to calm myself. I will do this. I will do this. I need to move on from the past and accept the present. If I can help this along by getting rid of all the things from Earth, then I'll do it.

Even if every fiber of my being protests against burning books, especially ones important to modern literature.

I go back to the fire and rip the title page completely off and stuff that into the fire. After seeing that burn, I tear off the introduction pages and stuff those into my burning bundle. Then I go for the first page of the story.

My fingers refuse to even make a tiny tear.

. . . Fuck.

I toss the book aside and throw a silent fit to vent my nervous jitters and frustration against myself. Come on! It's just paper! You've tossed paper into fires before! Sure, those books are a part of your childhood because Mom used to teach The Hobbit to students as an English teacher and Dad always loved the books and likes to study the author's style, but it's time to let it all go! I know I've daydreamed about burning books before!

. . . Even though those books I wanted to burn were actual pieces of shit books that were edited by an editor that should've been fired a long time ago and not books acclaimed to be classical literature for several decades . . .

Okay, new plan.

I return to the fire and pick The Hobbit back up. I close my eyes and blindly toss the book towards the fire. I hear a nice thump and wait a few seconds before I open my eyes again. The book appears on the cobbled path _around_ the fire instead of _in_ the fire.

I sigh.

"What are you doing?"

I jump and whirl around to find Lloyd. My brain works for any excuse I could make for the damning set up I made. Instead of waiting for a response, Lloyd just walks up to the little fire and stares at it.

He comments, "The Professor is going to be furious if she ever finds out about this."

I sigh, "I know. I just . . . I want to move on from the past, and with a nice stylistic beginning to help me dive head first into this process. So, I figured that getting rid of my possessions from Earth would be a start. Book burnings, though, are against many things I believe in, even if there is the exceptional shitty book that's better off being destroyed than continuing to flaunt its existence."

"You don't have to do this." Lloyd picks up the books from around the fire and keeps hold of them. "You don't have to forget in order to move on from the past. Sure, you don't want to keep living in the past, but you don't have to forget." Then he asks, "Besides, don't you have a necklace from Earth, too? What were you going to do with that?"

I lift the cross pendant from around my neck. "I . . . I don't know. It was the last gift my parents ever gave me, so . . ."

Lloyd looks at the necklace. "It's actually very nice, with those emeralds on it."

"It's just plastic and cheap iron. My parents found it at a craft store and thought it looked really nice and remembered that I wanted a bit of jewelry."

"Plastic?"

"Polycarbonate."

"Oh! Like the door to the Seal of Fire!"

Yeah, I thought the door blocking the way looked cheap. Shame the game was right about that.

Then Lloyd emphasizes, "But you don't have to burn these books. They're the last things you have from your home. Don't destroy them. Besides, do you want the Professor to catch you burning books?"

"Burning books?"

My lungs stop working when I hear Raine's indignant voice. I stare at her in guilty horror as she marches up to us. She gives me a venomous glare before snatching the books out of Lloyd's hands. "Shame on you," she hisses at me. "You should know better. Lloyd, thank you for stopping her. You get a one hundred on your next pop quiz, no matter how atrociously you do on it."

Lloyd scratches the back of his head as he tries not to grin. I prepare myself for additional scolding as Raine continues on to say, "These books are the only things we have from your world and are a fabulous insight into the culture you were born and raised in. If you no longer wished to hold on to them, you should have passed them on to me. You should be ashamed of yourself."

With that, Raine marches off, holding the Lord of the Ring books tight against her chest. Her chin remains high in the air as she enters Dirk's home and closes the door behind her. When I spot a few pairs of eyes watching me from the window, I send a glare in that direction. Unfortunately, my glares aren't nearly enough to be taken seriously, let alone enough to scare those pairs of eyes from the scene.

I bet Raine wouldn't have made such a fuss if I brought the Twilight books with me.

* * *

Here's your real Christmas present. :P

Phew! It's finally time for Disc 2. Feels exciting, yet exhausting.

Please review this filler junk.


	76. Asleep Among the Clouds

I saw some character bios for Mell and Dio from Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon. I must wonder if the character designers for Raine and Genis had any inspiration from Mell and Dio considering how they seem somewhat similar in not only design but also in basic characterization.

Anyway, I'm sure everyone can see what's coming up next, considering my new profile pic.

**Edit: So apparently the display on this website cut of a few letters from a snippet of my dialogue in this chapter. I checked it out but the actual part where I could do anything is actually what it's supposed to be despite that. Looks like I'll have to keep this in mind while writing updates. If the ellipses at the end of a sentence keeps getting cut out (since multiple punctuation marks close together without spaces gets cut here) or it reaches multiple chapters, I'll have to send a complaint. Otherwise, please bear this in mind.**

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Six: Asleep Among the Clouds

I wake up early in the morning. A glance around tells me that at least most of the group are still sleeping. At this, I decide that I might as well cook breakfast for everyone. I don't know if it's my turn to cook breakfast yet, but I might as well since I'm up.

Maneuvering around the bedrolls, I notice that two bedrolls are suspiciously empty. Out of every head present, one blond and one redhead are missing. I glance up at the stairs to the balcony and decide to take a look around for Colette and Zelos. Might as well ask them what they want for breakfast.

Unlike what the game says, the upper-floor balcony is connected to a stairway leading down from the main room on the first floor rather than on the second floor where the bedrooms are (or rather, the only two rooms in the upper floor). I go up the stairs and step up to the balcony and spot Zelos peering down at something. I follow his line of sight and spot Colette bathing in the stream below.

I clear my throat. Loudly.

Zelos turns around to lean his back against the balcony guard and smiles innocently at me. "Yes?"

"Ephebophile."

"I'm not that far from that age group."

I glance back at Colette who is now ducking under the stream for coverage. "Yup. Those five-to-six years aren't that large of a gap."

"No, they're not. That age gap won't mean anything in three or five years."

"Want anything specific for breakfast?"

"Nothing too greasy, if you don't mind."

"I don't have that much oil to work with, so I think I can manage that."

"Knowing you, you can manage to get every bit of food covered in grease."

"Alright." I turn away as I add, "To make sure I don't, you can help me make breakfast instead of staring at Colette while she bathes."

"What do you plan on doing now?"

I turn back towards him and let a second pass before answering, "Well, I suppose I'm going to finish what I started. Chocolat is safe and that crisis I initially left because of is over, so this time I'll put in a real effort."

"So you acknowledge that you've been dead weight we just tolerated since you do pick up your own slack."

I cringe at that. plan on changing that trend."

Zelos raises an eyebrow at me. "You _plan_ to."

"I _am_ changing that trend. I'm starting right now." In a vain effort to keep this lighthearted, I give Zelos a stern look and ask, "Do you like blackened toast or blackened eggs? I'll try my damn hardest to make them."

"How about you get in that kitchen and make me a sandwich."

"Make your own damn sandwich. I've got ten people to feed."

"Including me. Sandwich, here and now."

"Alright, if you insist on getting it now, you can make breakfast yourself. Better start now since there's ten of us including Dirk; and remember: I like my bacon half burned."

"Jokes aside, what do you think you can do to help us?"

I glance down at the wooden floor as I consider this. Well, I can take advantage of what I know to subtly direct everyone to the correct path whenever reality gracefully remains consistent with the game, I can do more chores, I can fight more often, and I can interact so I can help out on the little things. So, that's a lot I guess—

"I hope that list is pretty long, because there is a lot you could do." Zelos gives me a mild glare. "I get what you were doing back at the Tower of Mana, but that doesn't change how shitty of a stunt that was. You abandoned us."

I ask him, "What do you expect me to do? Spout excuses and beg for forgiveness? That won't help any of us. I'm working to change all that right now. What else can I do?"

"You can ask us all if it's alright to come back," he states. "I know everyone will tell you to come back, but just asking is better than assuming we are all happy with you. If you are going to make the effort to change, then make it."

I pinch my lips together as I come up with some sort of reply to that. ". . . Okay. I'll ask while everyone's eating."

"Fine." Zelos turns away from me and stares back at the stream.

I bite my tongue to keep myself from raising my voice and waking everyone up. ". . . When I said come help me make breakfast instead of staring at Colette, I wasn't kidding. Give her some privacy!"

He doesn't listen to me.

Finally getting irritated with him, I march up and yank his hair towards me. Zelos loses his balance and stumbles wherever I steer him. With his hair in hand, I head towards the stairs.

"Hey! Stop! Let go! I can walk by myself! Ow!"

After pushing him towards the stairs, I let go of his hair and gently push against him to pressure him to move downstairs. Zelos whirls around and glares at me. "Do you think that's any way to treat the Chosen?"

He then places his hands against both sides of the stairs when I ignore him and try to get around him. "Oh, no. If you're going to be an ass, then I will too!"

"You're an ass most of the time, anyway," I casually remark.

"Think that gives you an excuse to push me around like that?"

"Hmmmm . . ." I make a face to show difficult contemplation. Then I smile as sweetly as I possibly can at him. "Yup~!"

"That's it."

Zelos' arm swings at me and I back away, only to trip on the stairs and fall on my butt. This time, Zelos succeeds in grabbing hold of me and he slings me over a shoulder. Just when I get it in my head to struggle, he binds my legs together with his other arm. My main physical weapons disabled, all I'm left to do is pound against him with my fists in a futile attempt to escape.

"Let me go! I'm not some doll you can sling around! Put me down right now!"

While my protests wake everyone up in the process, Zelos casually goes out of Dirk's house and heads toward the spring. Colette yips at the sight of Zelos and ducks under the water again, but is ignored in favor of my impending doom. Zelos lifts my tiny body up into the air and tosses me into the cold stream. My body goes in with a large splash and surfacing is followed by a stream of every cuss word I dare to call him. Rather than ignored like Colette, my curses elicit a self-satisfied smirk.

Back at the house, Lloyd grimaces as he massages his aching head. "Ugh, not this kind of thing agai Someone wake me up when breakfast is made."

With my regular travel clothes hung up to dry, I changed into the red outfit I wore back when I first got to Meltokio. I shiver in the red skirt and short-sleeved blouse hanging loosely on me. My only source of warmth is the fire I stand over as I help Genis and Regal cook breakfast for all of us. As we pass out plates, Colette comes back inside from her outdoor bath and takes her breakfast.

While Genis munches on some toast, he comments to me, "That dress you have on? It actually looks like something a little kid would wear."

I look at Genis before scowling down at the blouse and red skirt.

Zelos gives me a good look over. ". . . Actually, that outfit could fit into some sort of horror story involving demonic children."

What? Like a half-vampire abomination that chews its way out of its mother's uterus when it's ready to be born? Thank you, Stephenie Meyer for that horrible imagery that will never escape my brain for a good few decades . . .

Before anyone else draws up some sort of conclusion on my new Halloween costume, I announce, "I have a question for everyone. I know Sheena isn't here yet, but I want to ask this now while I have the chanc want to continue travelling with all of you. Now that the crisis with the Great Seed is over, all I can think of is how I can help. I want to finish what I started. So, do any of you have any problem with me coming back?"

Everyone stares at me. It takes everything in me to keep myself from showing how nerve wracking that is. Two agonizing seconds pass before Lloyd speaks up. "Back when you walked away at the Tower of Mana," he replies, "I was hoping you would come back if it turned out you were wrong. I want you to stay, but what does everyone else think?"

"Please stay, Kelsey," Colette says to me.

Zelos sighs. "Well, in that case, Kelsey is staying. Who can say no to Colette?"

"I learned a few new spells that I need to put in your own spell book," Genis tells me. "You're not allowed to leave until I put those spells in there."

Raine states, "There are still some things I want to ask you concerning—"

The door slams open and reveals Sheena. She looks around the room and speaks out, "Finally, I found you! Yuan's directions were vague!"

"Sheena!" Colette tackles the ninja in a hug.

"We did it!" Sheena proclaims. "The Great Seed is back where it belongs! Gods, I missed you guys . . ."

Lloyd goes up to her and pats her on the shoulder. "We missed you, too! You're not gonna believe all the stuff that just happened . . ."

Sheena steps away from Colette as Genis and Presea join the growing cluster of people. "What happened? Did something go wrong?"

"Well . . ."

Raine goes up to Sheena. "Let me explain, Lloyd."

The more Raine tells, the more distressed Sheena becomes. At a point, Colette turns away and refuses to face her friends. Sheena stares at the Chosen. ". . . Why?" she goes. "Why did you hide this from all of us?"

Lloyd turns back to Colette. He comments, "I wanna know, too. Colette, why didn't you tell us that you were sick? We could have done something about it by now!"

Colette bows her head. "I . . ." She then mutters her answer.

Lloyd scowls at her. "Colette, you and I could probably hear that, but the others can't. Why do you keep hiding these things from us?"

Hesitantly, Colette turns back to everyone. Louder this time, she says, Thi This _thing_ on my body! It's so gross, and freaky, and weird! It' It's like a part of a monster! I thought that if any of you saw it, you would be disgusted of me, that you wouldn't want to be around me anymore. I'm still confused why you don't."

Lloyd heavily sighs. He gently grabs her by the shoulders and tells her, "Colette, we would _never_ abandon you like that. What we want is for you to trust us enough to tell us when something isn't right. We want you to trust us with these things because we're here for you. _I'm_ still confused why you _don't_!"

"I _do_ trust you! Really, I do!"

"Then how come you couldn't trust us with this?"

" This thing, it—"

"It doesn't make a difference! You should know us all better by now!"

Colette bows her head to hide her frown. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, everyone!"

Lloyd watches her a moment before sighing and letting her go. He says, "Let's pack up, everyone. We should head for the Renegades and ask if they know anything about this."

"Lloyd, I . . ."

Lloyd walks away. "I'll take care of Noishe."

Raine sighs, and then turns to her bags. "Colette, come help me with the monster manual."

"Yes, Professor . . ."

Genis looks over at Colette with pity before walking to the table where the wing packs sit. "I'll help pack everything up. Regal? Can you help me?"

"Of course."

"Speaking of wing packs . . ." Sheena pulls out another wing pack of her own. "Ta da! Yuan gave me a new wing pack! We can spread some of our stuff out more or even replace the one Noishe chewed up!"

Presea comments, "That was rather generous of him."

Zelos goes, "How did you get that off of him? Yuan's pretty stingy with his equipment." Then his eyes drift down to Sheena's cleavage and his eyes widen knowingly. "Oooohhh. I see. You gave him a little sample of your melons, didn't you?"

I spot Sheena glancing over Zelos to me and nod at me as she makes a hand gesture as if about to backhand someone. Even with Zelos turning halfway around to see what Sheena's looking at, I still manage to smack him upside the head. Zelos' glare is answered with an indifferent stare.

The sound of ripping cloth tears through the room, followed by stuff tumbling onto the floor and Genis groaning. I glance over and head over with a sigh, "My ba !"

Zelos turns back to Sheena and casually suggests, "Considering that Lloyd's pretty bummed out about Colette's funky cold and he prefers your company right now, why don't you go cheer him up?"

Sheena frowns and looks out the window. ". . . Yeah, he needs someone to talk to."

"Of course. I'm sure you would like it just as much as Lloyd would. Despite the dirt and Noishe watching, I'm sure Lloyd would be better than old man Yuan."

Sheena takes the few extra strides to smack Zelos down.

As I pick up my stuff, I glance over at the spectacle and roll my eyes.

Genis looks over my things and says, "What's this?" He kneels down at my collection. "Here's an old blanket, some gels, a caring kit for your spear, your moneybag, and hygiene thing but where are those books from?"

I set the old books aside and call, "Professor Raine?" Raine looks up from her samples and monster manual. I motion towards the books. "I picked these up from the Tower of Mana. I thought that you might like to read through them for a bit when I took them."

Raine moves over to the books and examines them with a smile. "Kelsey! You saved these from the ruins?"

"It was actually before the collapse but . . ."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

Zelos walks over and asks, "So where are we going next?"

Raine sets the book down and states, "We will question Yuan about Colette's condition before moving on to Tethe'alla. If he doesn't provide any information we can use, then we will simply ask Altessa."

"Can Yuan be trusted considering how much information he seems to miss?"

Colette joins us. "It can't hurt to ask him. Besides . . ." she frowns as she says, "we were the ones who started making pacts. What happened would have happened regardless if the Renegades were involved."

Genis goes, "That's not fair, Colette! You're really not giving them enough credit! The Renegades did get involved and helped us with that! They're responsible too!"

I add, "The Renegades had the resources to find out differently and supply us with that information. We didn't get even the background behind all this—not like we asked. We made the pacts, but they were the ones giving us information when they didn't know their stuff. Like Genis said, they're responsible for that mess, too."

Colette repeats, "I still want to ask Yuan."

Regal assures, "Of course, Colette. None of us will do anything short of searching every resource we can to find a cure for this."

The door suddenly closes and Presea walks in. She informs us, "I just informed Lloyd and Sheena of our new plans to visit the Renegades before moving on to Altessa's home."

I stare at her. ". . . Okay. That was fast."

"They weren't far."

Genis looks back down at my scattered stuff. ". . . Well, let's clean this up and get going."

* * *

It didn't take long for us to find Yuan. After following the lead of multiple Renegades, we find Yuan in his office along with other higher ranked Renegades receiving orders. Looking into the chaos inside such a comparatively tiny space gave me a claustrophobic sensation. I wait outside with most of the others while Lloyd, Raine, and Sheena enter the office.

Buried under papers and flooded with frantic reports from subordinates, Yuan flies through reading different reports and replies to different accounts with remarkable coherency. Lloyd, Raine, and Sheena weave through the crowd to his desk. Yuan doesn't even spare a glance to the newcomers.

Lloyd speaks over the crowd, "Yuan! We need to talk to you!"

"It can wait—No, I don't want anyone to go near any of the seals until we have . . ."

"It's about Colette!" Lloyd insists.

"You can deal with it. I'm busy with—Make sure supplies are sent to Palmacosta discreetly, then. We cannot come out into the open."

Raine steps forward. "Let me explain."

"Go find someone in the medical wing if it is out of your—Maverick, give me your report and get back to your studies."

Sheena eyes Maverick as Raine states the affair without bothering with Yuan's dismissal. When Raine finished, Yuan finally focuses his attention on the three. He says, know of the disease you described. However, the cure is—yes, Jack, I want your team to stand down until further orders—the cure is hard to obtain and only a trained dwarf can do the procedure."

Maverick steps up and notes, "Kratos was with you at the time, right? What did he have to say?"

Lloyd says, "He only said to research the records of the Ancient Kharlan War."

There's a slight pause before Maverick replies, "Vague as always. He doesn't even know if those records still exist."

Yuan questions, "Do _you_ have them?"

"I am afraid not."

"You are absolutely useless."

Maverick huffs, "I _can_ give you the vague hint to make a pact with Maxwell, the Lord of the Four Elements and the Summon Spirit of Birth. He can slow Colette's inevitable death with his ability to manipulate the magical elements that compose the body."

Sheena looks between them. "You're hiding something again. If you know about what Colette has, spit it out now!"

Yuan responds, "Just know that if you need help to obtain something near-impossible, come here for assistance." Then he turns back to the numerous Renegades clamoring for his attention. "Catherine, take this to the medical wing. Mark, take this to . . ."

As Lloyd and Raine make their way to the door, Sheena turns against Maverick with a vicious glare. "You. If I ever see you outside the bases by yourself, I'll kick your ass—no, _I'll shoot you with one of your own fire arms!_"

Maverick just stares back with an apathetic expression. "So? It isn't as if I didn't have my own fire arms turned against me in battle. I can survive another bullet or two inside my flesh."

". . . You didn't get surgery for those?"

"No. Surgery for a bullet wound is most often unneeded due to how fire arms work."

Sheena stares at him in shock, and then she dives at him with her hands at his throat.

"YOUSONOFABITCH!"

Sheena wrings Maverick's neck as she chokes him out of blind rage. Lloyd and Raine, along with other Renegades, pull the two apart. Maverick claws blindly for any support as he gasps for breath and manages to grab hold of Lloyd's bag. Sheena sees red at this and charges at him again. She kicks him to the ground with all her might. Maverick's grip on Lloyd causes the bag to rip apart and pull Lloyd to the floor among his scattered things, Maverick, and Sheena's feet.

"YOU NEARLY KILLED US AND YOU ENJOYED IT, YOU MONSTER! YOU GLEEFULLY ATTACKED US NO MATTER WHAT REASON YOU HAD FOR FIGHTING! YOU SICK FUCK, YOU CAN GO DIE IN A FIRE!"

With Sheena's full rage out, the Renegades stop interfering and let the ninja give Maverick the sound beating. The scene draws the rest of us into the office and, like the rest of the Renegades, we don't do a thing for Maverick. Instead, Colette and Regal help Lloyd up while Genis and I pick up his stuff.

"YOU AREN'T LOYAL TO ANYONE BUT YOURSELF! WHEN SOMETHING GOES AGAINST YOU, YOU GO BEHIND EVERYONE'S BACKS JUST TO GET YOUR WAY! WHEN YUAN TOLD YOU YOUR REPORT OVER THE GREAT SEED WASN'T RELIABLE, YOU ALLIED YOURSELF WITH KRATOS WHEN YOU COULD'VE BEEN STRAIGHT WITH YUAN! EVEN WITH KRATOS YOU WERE JUST DOING THINGS FOR SELFISH REASONS!"

I discover a worn ring attached to a long chain loop. I pick it up and hold it at my eye level. Why would Lloyd have some random ring? Lloyd kneels down beside me and slowly takes the ring. "I can't believe I forgot about this . . ."

Lloyd stands up and approaches the desk. "Yuan, you were the assassin at Hima, right? Is this yours?"

Yuan gawks at the ring dangling from Lloyd's fingers. Nothing distracts him from that one ring, not even when Sheena kicks Maverick into his desk and causes all of the papers to fall from their stacks and onto the floor. With that, Sheena finally leaves Maverick there and rejoins us with a self-satisfied relief.

"That ring . . ." Yuan slowly stands from his chair. "How long have you . . ." Then he notices Maverick getting back to his feet next to Lloyd.

"_Get away!_"

Maverick jumps at Yuan's sudden shout. Then, with cold composure, he gets back up and looks Yuan right in the eye before leaving the room. It's only when the man is out of sight does Yuan calm himself. He turns to Lloyd and demands, "Give me that ring!"

Lloyd frowns at Yuan's abrasive tone. Zelos remarks, "Is that any way to talk to someone who's about to give you something clearly important to you?"

Yuan scowls, but then humbly bows his head. ". . . That ring is very important to me. I searched for it whenever I could and thought it was lost forever. Please, return it to me."

Lloyd gently sets the ring next to Yuan's hands. Yuan takes the ring back with tender care and slips the chain around his neck. The Renegade leader looks over us and says, "You can find Maxwell in Exire. Now go. I have work to do."

We all leave wordlessly as the Renegades in the room break the silence and flood the room with reports.

* * *

Our rheairds fly high in the skies of Tethe'alla. I keep my eyes up away from the ground far below as I listen to the conversation around me.

Sheena comments, "That was so weird. Yuan just suddenly lost it right there!"

"I wonder what that ring was . . ." Lloyd says with a frown.

"Either way, we need to find Exire," Raine states. "I have the coordinates marked on the map and memorized."

"I thought the village of Exire was just a legend," Zelos comments. "I never saw it before even during our flights."

Colette asks, "Why do you say that?"

Regal says, "Exire is said to be a village floating on an island of clouds. It represents a safe haven for those who can find it, especially for half-elves."

"I can imagine why it would seem nothing more than a legend." Raine informs, "The village of Exire sits on an island floating in the sky. The 'coordinates' I have are its orbit patterns."

Genis asks, "How is that even possible?"

"Maxwell!" Sheena states, "It has to be Maxwell! He's the Lord of the Four Elements!"

I go, "Four elements? We have eight, so which four out of them?"

Sheena tells me, "Water, earth, fire, and wind. He's the master of the four elements that make up the physical world."

I am utterly speechless. I don't know if I should go with an Avatar: the Last Airbender joke or a periodic table joke. Oh, the miserable problems of my life.

Zelos wonders, "How long will we be flying?"

"As long as it takes to find Exire," Lloyd answers.

Zelos sighs.

As it turns out, it took all day just to find Exire even at the rheairds' max speeds and Raine's map as a guide. The few pit stops we made were the only relief for our cramping legs. After the first short stop, we took turns between flying and riding. Even though we flew at top speeds, this flight had to be the longest flight I ever had, second to only the flight from the ruined Tower of Mana to the Iselia human ranch.

I wasn't flying the rheaird I was on by the time we land. I hear other people muttering about "here" and "we're here" but I ignore that in favor of falling asleep on the ground. Then I fall right to sleep as soon as my face touched the ground. On the cold ground under the stars above, nothing disturbs my deep slumber . . .

So imagine my confusion when I wake up in a stone house.

I sit up from my bedroll, completely disoriented. The stone house around me is decorated with cozy and long-lasting furniture and is structured in a way that conserves land space. At the small wooden table, I spot Presea and Zelos working on their own artistic projects. Zelos glances up from his sketching, and then looks back down at Presea and her carving to continue sketching. "Look who finally woke up."

"How did I end up in here?"

"Lloyd carried you. We couldn't wake you up."

"Where are w ?"

Zelos rolls his eyes. "Exire. You were probably too out of it to remember us commenting on that. A few people spotted us and brought the elder. He offered to take us in for the night."

I pick up my hygiene stuff and move out of sight. "I'll jus take care of morning things . . ."

When I get behind cover, I ask, "So what time is it?"

Zelos answers, "Late. Lloyd got up before you."

"What."

"And Sheena wanted you to help her with Maxwell, but you didn't get up in time."

Presea looks over to Zelos and says, "I didn't know this. I thought Sheena went out for only morning warm-ups with Regal."

Zelos replies, "You were busy with your figurine."

A pause goes by before I say, "Sheen wanted me to hel and I just . . ."

"Yup. It really disappointed her, but Sheena doesn't blame you. After all, you were just _so_ tired last night."

I lean against the wall behind me and slide down to the floor. I can't even manage to utter a single word in response. I let Sheena down. The first time I could become useful since my new resolutions on my life and I completely blow it. Yeah, go me.

The door opens and Sheena's voice cheers, "Yeah, today is going to be a good day! I was just on a roll this morning!"

"Sheena~!"

"Hello, Sheena."

I remain silent and out of sight.

Sheena goes up to the table and smiles at the figurine. "Hey, that's coming along really nicely! What is it going to be?"

"A seal. It's an animal symbol for happiness. I thought this would be an appropriate gift of gratitude to the elder for taking us in."

"Oh! I can see it now!" A pause. ". . . Hey, Kelsey's finally up."

A pit forms in my stomach.

Sheena continues, "Where did she go anyway?"

"Just behind that wall," Zelos nonchalantly informs.

How could you, Zelos? I don't wanna face her yet! Just let me have my space!

Sheena comes around the corner and grins at me. "Good morning! Ready for some warm-ups?"

I glance away. "I guess."

Sheena drops the grin. "What's the matter? You're acting strange."

I try to think of something to talk about other than my inability to keep up with my own promises. Then I say, "Were you able to make a pact with Maxwell? I-I heard you went out to find him."

Sheena frowns in confusion. "Nooo. No, I didn't make a pact with Maxwell yet. In fact, not all of us are even awake right now."

". . . What."

"I was just doing my morning warm-ups. We aren't starting the search until everyone's up."

"But-but I heard . . ." I get myself together and stand up from my Corner of Self-Pity. "Yeah, I'd _love_ to do some morning warm ups. In fact, let's start right now." I lean around the corner and send a thin bolt at Zelos. He yips and the static from the lightning turns his hair into what resembles a red chia pet. He immediately senses something wrong and grabs a mirror as Sheena and I walk out the door. I spot him flipping me off as I walk outside.

Upon stepping outside, my eyes glue onto the scenery. Large islands of land cluster together on a sea of open sky. The wind blows strongly through the village and makes me wonder how people keep from getting blown away. As I step away, however, I find myself firmly grounded to the land despite how strongly the winds could possibly blow. An extra amount of mana radiates from the land and feels more like the power of a Summon Spirit rather than natural mana. With that knowledge in hand, I take confident steps away from the elder's stone house and gaze upon as much of the village as I can.

All the houses as far as I can see are made of aged stone. Other smaller islands contain purely animal farms or small orchards all lined with fences. The occasional tree leans over either the land or the space below, depending on where it took root. Also, something I noted, every single villager I find is a half-elf. Younger ones awe at us while older half-elves eye us suspiciously. Even still, there is a quiet peace to this place.

Regal and Genis practice with each other just outside with a small group of villagers watching them. When they spot Sheena and me, they beckon us over. Sheena joins them while I keep to the side to start my meditation and warm-ups before getting into the fry. As the morning ends, Lloyd, Colette, Raine, and Zelos join us outside. Presea, I'm guessing, is still inside working on that small, wooden seal statue.

As most of us are distracted with the play battle that evolved from our warm-ups, the elder watches Raine with a curious expression. He approaches Raine and asks, "Are you, by any chance, Raine Sage?"

Raine turns to the elder. ". . . Yes. Why?"

The elder pinches his lips together and says, "I know of an elven woman by the name of Virginia. The two of you bear a striking resemblance to each other."

"Virginia? That is my mother's . . ." Raine gives the elder a stern look. "How do you know of us? How do you know of my mother?"

"Virginia lives within this village. Sh speaks of you quite often."

"Where is she?"

The elder states, "She lives towards the southern end of the village. I am not certain that you should meet her. She isn' well."

"How?" Raine demands.

"She is not well in any way that a healer can manage. If you wish to see her, I recommend that you prepare yourself for the worst."

Raine turns away and places her hand over her mouth. "Mother is in this village. After all these year !"

Sheena calls the entire group together and everyone gathers with Raine the last to join us. The ninja announces, "Okay, first we're going to split up and search the village for anything that looks like it could have a powerful spirit attached to it. Most likely, what we're looking for is going to be a ruin or some old archeological thing with a high mana concentration. We meet back here in two hours."

"Sheena." Raine says, "There is something I must personally search for in this village. I ask that everyone understand that this is very important to me, and I must search for this."

Sheena replies, "But what about Maxwell?"

"The rest of you make the pact with Maxwell. I need to do this now or I may miss the chance."

Genis steps closer to his sister and asks, "Raine, what is it? What do you need to find?"

Raine looks down at Genis and sighs. She finally tells him, "Mother could be in this village."

I step out of the group so I can hide whatever expression could be on my face. It's time to meet Virginia. I'll admit to having blurred memories about just how the game plays through this, but I remember Virginia's NPC avatar holding a doll and Raine shouting at her. What about Colette and Maxwell, though? Are we just going to let Raine go by herself? What do I do here?

Genis widens his eyes and turns back to the group. "Lloyd, Colette, Sheena, I want to help Raine find our mother. Do you mind?"

"Genis!"

Lloyd immediately says, "No, of course not! We'll just have to figure out something so you aren't blindly running about the village."

"Perhaps we should divide the group so half of us can go with Sheena while the other half helps Raine and Genis," suggests Regal. "If we organize our respective searches, it should be easier to find Maxwell or the Sages' mother."

Zelos says, "Pick three people to go with you, Sheena. The most the other Summon Spirits allowed to help you was three."

"What about Presea?" asks Sheena.

Colette states, "I'll talk to her about this."

"Okay." Sheena looks over the entire group. "Ahh Colette, I want you to come with me. The sooner we have Maxwell help you, the sooner we can find a cure. Then I want Lloyd and Regal to come with me."

I guess I know what I'm going to do now.

Colette heads back into the elder's home. "Give me a moment to talk to Presea. Genis, Professor, you two go on ahead. Good luck."

Raine smiles. "Thank you, everyone. Thank you."

After going over which directions we'll search for Virginia, we head off deeper into Exire. The other half of our group leaves while Presea stays behind to finish her seal statue. Raine fills the rest of us in on Virginia's name and looks, relying on old memories from late childhood. When we come upon a fork in the path, one that leads up while the other leads straight on, we split up. Genis sticks with Raine, so I get stuck with Zelos.

Really, Zelos is just the _best_ company a girl could ask for right now.

I glance over at Zelos and see him talking to an older woman. I turn away to speak with another group of people—

"Kelsey!"

I turn back to find Zelos beckoning me over while the older woman eyes Zelos with a defensive glare. Knowing this is more of a racial issue, I head over to the older woman and take Zelos' place. I smile at her and say, "Please excuse us. We are searching for an elf named Virginia. A friend of ours supposedly knows her and we just want to see if this Virginia is the Virginia our friend knows."

The older woman eases, though she still sends a suspicious glance or two Zelos' way. "Virginia? She's a bit of a strange one. It's best that you avoid her."

"Strange? How?" Please let me have details so I can warn Raine ahead of time.

"If you find her, you'll see." Then the woman asks, "Why are you with that human? Don't you know humans hate us?"

"Sometimes things bring people together?"

". . . Be careful, dear."

With that, I give thanks to her and go back to Zelos where he just finishes talking to the people I was about to talk to before he called me over. "She didn't give me any specifics. What about you?"

Zelos glances at me and just points in a general direction. "That way." Then he just leaves without another word. I raise my eyebrow at his antics but quickly dismiss them. We go under a walkway and I spot Raine and Genis going over it and wave at them as we pass by. I only look away once I spot Genis waving back and continue onward. Eventually the path leads to a small island with a couple islands. I go up to a couple sitting on a worn-down bench and ask, "Excuse me, do you know where an elf named Virginia is?"

The couple exchange glances and one of them points at a specific house. I thank them and beckon Zelos over to the house they pointed towards. When he nods at me, I approach the house and stop at the door. After taking a breath, I knock.

A pit in my stomach forms as I wait there. Then, the door opens and there stands a woman with clear resemblance to Raine only with a darker color of silver. Her mana, I note, feels so strange to me. Now that I met an elf, I can tell what elves and half-elves have in common mana-wise, but it still feels s alien to me. She shifts the brown green shawl around her before greeting, "Yes?"

I stand there absolutely speechless. Virginia patiently waits for me to force the words out of my mouth. "U I-I'm sorry to disturb you, but my friend and I heard about you an um . . ."

During the pause, Virginia glances behind me. ". . . What friend?"

I whirl around and find absolutely no one behind me. With any hope of backup gone, I turn back and quickly tell her, "He must've left to take care of something. Anyway, I heard you're Raine's mother?"

Virginia's silver-blue eyes widen knowingly and she smiles. "Oh! You must have heard from the other villagers. Are you new to the village?"

"I' something new."

"From what I understand, you came here to see Raine, didn't you?" Virginia steps inside and beckons me to follow. "Well, come in! Come in! She just fell asleep, but as long as you are quiet, you can see her."

That pit in my stomach grows and my throat tightens to the point I'm not sure if I can manage to speak anymore. I step inside and Virginia gently closes the door behind me. She walks over to a tiny crib at the end of the room and kneels over it. With a hushed voice, she ushers, "Come here! Come see her. Don't be shy."

I slowly step forward to the low crib and kneel down over it. Inside, tucked lovingly underneath a blanket, is a large brown doll. Virginia coos, "Look at her, isn't she precious? My beautiful Raine. She has such an intelligent face. I know she is going to be just as intelligent as her father."

I can't even bring myself to speak. I try to act naturally and reach halfway to the crib's edge, but I stop when I find my hands shaking uncontrollably as soon as I relaxed them. I duck my hands around my knotted stomach.

Virginia continues, "I don't know what would have happened if I didn't have Raine. When Kloitz died, I jus felt so lonely. If it weren't for Raine, I don't know if I would still be here."

I finally manage to croak out, "Yo really ar so lucky."

Virginia smiles down at the doll. "I know. I know I am." Then her smile widens as she informs me, "And right now, I am about to be blessed again. I have another child on the way. If it's a girl, her name is Jean; if it's a boy, then Genis. Aren't they lovely names?"

"Co gratulations . . ."

Virginia finally notices my tension and frowns at me. "What is it?" she asks.

Speak. Say something. Say something natural. Do it. Hurry. She's waiting for an answer. Nothing I do could ever break this illusion. So play along. Say something. Now. Say—

"I just . . ." The tension forces tears out of my eyes. miss my parents so much . . ."

Virginia rests a sympathetic hand over my shoulder. "Hush. I'm sure they miss you, too. They must love you so much. I'm sure if they could see you right now, they would be proud of you, just as I am proud of my daughter."

I stand up. "I-I need to go."

Virginia stands back up as I leave and bids, "It was nice having you."

I be sure to close the door behind me. After wiping off the tears that managed to leak off of my cheeks, I walk away from Virginia's home with only one question in mind: how am I going to break this to Raine and Genis? It was one thing to see this through the rose-colored lens of a video game, but in person? Oh god . . .

Then I spot Raine and Genis heading right over here, led by Zelos.

Damn it, Zelos. You should have waited on me!

I hurry over to Raine and everything comes out in a flood, "Raine, stop, she's sick. Mentally. There is no way she's going to—"

"If she is sick, then perhaps I can help her," Raine tells me.

"She can't recognize anyone in her life!"

"I need to see this for myself."

"I saw her myself and—it's terrible. It's absolutely terrible. She thinks a—wait, don't go in yet!"

Raine knocks on the door and Virginia immediately answers. I turn away before I see anything else. That pit in my stomach returns with full vengeance as everything unfolds.

Zelos gasps next to me, "Is tha _doll?_"

"Stop this! _What are you doing?_"

I feel sick . . .

"_I'm_ Raine—not that _doll!_ Did you forget that you abandoned Genis and me thirteen years ago?"

Another moment passes of conversation and Raine dashes away with heavy sobs. Genis races after her. Virginia's door slams behind me.

Zelos sighs. "Aw, fuck. That just wasn't . . ."

I step away and all my tears finally fall from the sudden relief in tension. Zelos sighs again and starts walking away. He tells me, "Let's go. They need to be alone for a bit. They can find their way back here when they are ready to come back."

I sigh and return to the elder's house with him. I imagine that, back in that house, Virginia is singing a sweet lullaby to her little Raine.

* * *

If anyone finds any italic dialogue that got fused together or missing dialogue, please let me know.

Please review.


	77. Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium

Phew . . . I finally got that Pokémon fic updated. It's one that I aim to update regularly so getting it updated after trying to get it finished is a relief. Hopefully I'll get it up and going like this SI did. (Then again, Confessions had help from Protesting's popularity.)

Speaking of Confessions, I'm having to redo a lot of my future plans for it. Although the plotline won't over all change, there are some details that will eventually be changed. What I do know will change, however, is the alternate ending stuff. Originally, I was planning on posting alternate endings of this fic in order to accommodate for the alternate endings in the game. However, with the changes that I'll be doing, it'll not only be a lot of copy and paste (and that's boring for both readers and a writer), but it'll also take up way too much time when, really, I'll be ready to move on to different projects and wrap this specific fic up by the time I get to that point. I know some of you are disappointed, but it's been 2 years since I started that, and plans tend to change during that amount of time.

If you want to know what the end result was with the poll, it was 44 votes for an OC/Lloyd ending, 11 for Kratos, and 9 for Zelos.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium

I sigh as I lean against the tree near the elder's house. Raine met Virginia and saw the doll the elf carried. Both Raine and Genis were missing for a good number of hours. The rest of our group is missing, too. I guess they haven't found Maxwell quite yet.

I wish I had more than just an incomplete high school education. I could have at least a basic grasp on psychology. That chance will never come back, though. Learning about what could possibly have caused Virginia's condition in detail is out of the question. At least, it's out of the question for me. I doubt I could get in to any school in Tethe'alla or even Sylvarant.

. . . Am I allowed, in my worsening mood, to note the irony of someone from a race infamous for racism in the United States is experiencing the opposite end of that?

I spot Genis and the elder walk towards the stone house from a lower island. Genis follows the elder with a somber expression and stops at the door as the elder goes inside. When the elder returns, he carries an aged book and hands it to Genis. "I've been keeping Virginia's diary safe here. You can read it any time, if you ever decide you want to," the elder tells him.

Genis holds the diary in his hands for a moment before asking, "Can I take it with me?"

"Of course. It is your mother's, after all."

". . . Thank you."

Genis leaves with the diary and stands off away from the house. I get up from my spot and approach him. Once I make it to him, I ask him, "How's Raine?"

Genis sighs, "She stopped crying, but she's still upset. I think she blames our mother for what happened to her mind."

"Not to excuse any actions she's done, but that really isn't anyone's fault."

Zelos joins us. "No, but Raine needs someone to blame right now."

Genis comments, "I think this is a good place for her, though. Heimdall might not take her back after what happened with my parents."

Zelos looks around the village and speculates, "This might be a good place to stay for people like Kate."

"You mean half-elves?"

"I mean people who have no place to go because of the half-elf discrimination. More than half-elves are affected by the discrimination."

A silent pause goes through, and then Genis asks, "Do you also mean your sister Seles?"

Zelos crosses his arms. "Don't talk about my sister."

I change the subject, "Let's go find Sheena and see how she's doing."

"I'll stay here with Presea in case Raine comes back," Genis says.

I nod and look over to Zelos. "You coming?"

"I'm staying here."

"Fine. I'll see you two and Presea later." I walk off.

Genis watches me go and asks, "Think she'll get lost?"

"We can always find her with Noishe's help."

* * *

On a lone floating island, a short stone pillar sits by itself with tall grass surrounding it. With Lloyd, Colette, and Regal behind her, Sheena approaches the pillar and stands before it as she tries to read the inscription on the stone. Suddenly, the stone illuminates with different mixes of blue, red, brown, and green. When it stops glowing, an elderly man with a long grey beard and worn down grey-violet robes appears before Sheena.

"So, you are the new summoner," says the man. "Tell me, why have you come all this way to seek a pact with me?"

Sheena straightens her back to appear tall and confident. "I am Sheena!" she says. "I seek a pact with Maxwell, the Summon Spirit of Birth and Master of the Four Elements, in order to extend the life of a friend so we may save that life! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me!"

"I see. Are you aware of what will happen to this village should my previous pact end?"

Sheena hesitates before glancing around. She turns back to Maxwell and says, "You're the one keeping Exire up, right?"

"That's right."

"And Mithos asked you to keep the village floating in the sky."

"Yes."

"So if the previous pact ended, this village will have to go back to the surface."

"Exactly."

Sheena frowns. "But can't you extend that to my pact, if we establish one?"

"If you prove yourself and that is what you desire, then it shall be so."

Sheena sighs with relief.

"_If_ you prove yourself . . ." Maxwell tells her, "You will have no need to unsheathe your weapons; I will not try you in combat. Instead, show me how you can use the elements of water, earth, fire, and wind in noncombat situations to benefit those around you, at least one example per element."

Sheena stares at the Summon Spirit. ". . . That's it?" she asks.

"Do not be so sure of yourself, miss. I will judge you based on what you do with the elements and how you accomplish your tasks. Best do as much as you can! You have until midnight to prove yourself worthy of my power!"

With that, Maxwell disappears.

Sheena stares at the spot Maxwell left before turning to the others. "This time I have to do community services using the four elements he rules? I'm not complaining, but it's just a bit strange."

Regal says, "We should ask the village elder if there is anything we can do."

"That sounds like a plan." Lloyd then says, "This pact will be easy to make!"

They head back to the elder's house and find Genis, Zelos, and Presea inside. Presea adds finishing touches to her statue while Zelos sketches on his own and Genis reads through a weathered book. The elder, in the meantime, gathers up supplies to make dinner.

Sheena immediately goes to the elder. "Let me help you with that."

"Oh, thank you. I just need to set water to a boil. I can do the rest myself."

"Is there anything else we could do?"

"Someone needs to chop wood since the last of the ready firewood is being used for dinner."

Regal says, "I can take care of that."

"Thank you very much."

"It's not a big deal," Sheena replies. "We found Maxwell and I have to use the elements water, earth, fire, and wind to help out the village in order to form a pact with him."

As Regal leaves the house, the elder nods and states, "In that case, once the water is set to a boil, you can refill and purify our main source of water. After that, we need you to use earth mana to fertilize the earth in our orchard."

"Okay!" Sheena shoves firewood into the furnace and lights it with a simple fire spell. She turns to the large pot and waves her hand over it. Water materializes out of thin air and gently fills the pot.

Lloyd glances around and asks, "Where are the professor and Kelsey?"

With Genis preoccupied, Zelos answers in Genis' place, "Kelsey went out to find you. Guess she got lost. As for the professor, she found Virginia. What happened wasn't exactly pretty. Just let Raine have her time."

Sheena says, "I can look for Kelsey once I'm done with this." Then she grins. "I can even use Sylph's power to help me with that!"

The elder takes over cooking dinner and Sheena hurries outside. She folds her hands together and summons a gentle wind. The air swirls around her before flying off. A moment passes before the wind returns. Sheena goes "Yup" and walks off.

During Sheena's absence, Raine returns the elder's home. Her eyes are red and puffy and her face flushed, but any other sign of her distress is gone. She greets everyone with a smile. When she spots Genis, she walks up to him and asks, "What are you reading?"

Genis turns apprehensive but answers nonetheless, "Virginia's diary."

". . . I see." Then Raine turns away towards the village elder. "Thank you for all your help. It means more than you can imagine."

"If there is anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask."

* * *

Oh god how long have I been here?

I sit on a bench in the middle of somewhere in Exire. There really isn't much else I can do besides admire the scenery. Of course, I _would_ ask the villagers for directions, but the villagers must be somewhere else since I haven't seen anyone for a while. Hopefully the others will come find me soon.

"Hey, there!"

I find Sheena coming up to me. I sigh with relief and go meet her. "Thank god you found me. I think I've been lost for a while."

"You were gone for a couple hours."

"Felt like all day."

"I'm sorry I took so long. I need to complete Maxwell's challenge to make a pact."

". . . Could you fill me in?"

Once I get the details, I sigh with relief. "At least you don't have to do another battle. It'd be hell to do it way up here."

Sheena comments, "I don't think Maxwell would allow anyone to fall to their deaths." She glances around and heads for a nearby spring. "Here we are."

We stop at the water's edge. I kneel down and examine the water's clarity and the water level. I ask, "So what are you going to do here?"

Sheena says, "I'm going to refill this spring and purify the water. I just need to find out what the original water level is."

I glance around for familiar tell-tale signs and back up to what the water level used to be. "It's over here, Sheena."

"How did you figure that out so fast?"

"The climate I used to live in experienced droughts pretty often. I just picked up a few things from living in that area." Then I comment, "The nearby lake always looked pretty sad."

Sheena joins my side and kneels down at the ground. Her eyes close in concentration and mana wells inside her body. A tinge of blue colors her aura. Then, with the built-up mana pulsing outward, water gushes from the center of the spring until it fills up completely. Sheena touches the water's surface and the spring glows with a brilliant cerulean for a few seconds before dimming down to reveal the shocking clarity the water now holds.

I gawk at the spring.

Sheena stands up and brushes the dirt and mud off her hands. "Well, that should do it," she says. "That's the last of all my tasks. Let's go back to the elder's—"

"If you are now done, then I shall pass my judgment."

Sheena and I whirl around to find an old man floating in the air. I recognize him as Maxwell, though he doesn't seem to have that weird floatation disk he sat on in the game. Maxwell tells the summoner, "After placing your actions into consideration, I have decided to make a pact with you."

Sheena beams. "Really? Then can you help Colette?"

"Yes." Maxwell closes a hand and holds it out to Sheena. The inside of his hand glows before he opens it and offers the light to Sheena. The summoner takes hold of the light and the energy spreads through her body before fading out. Maxwell says, "Our pact is now officially formed. As you requested, Exire shall remain suspended in the sky and your friend's life shall be extended. However, you still need to hurry if you want to save her. Borrowing my power is only a temporary solution."

"I understand," Sheena replies. "Thank you so much!"

With that, Maxwell fades away with a chuckle. "If I can help . . ."

I stare out into the air. "Well," I finally say, "that was rather quick."

Sheena nods. "Yup. Let's go meet with the others."

"Where are we headed next? Looking for those archives Kratos hinted towards?"

"No, we're going to Altessa next. He might know a few things about this infection Colette has that Yuan and Maverick refused to tell us about," Sheena bitterly states.

I sigh, "I'm just glad that they told us about Maxwell."

"Yeah, but I can tell they know more about what Colette has than they're telling us."

A thought hits me and I frown. "Hey, Sheena?" I ask, "Is it just me, or is Maverick more connected to Yuan and Kratos than we suspect? I mean, Maverick seems to know a lot more about those two than even Botta does."

Sheena sighs in frustration. "It's not just you. It's pretty clear that Maverick has some sort of history with those two. How else could he do a lot of the things he's done, let alone get away with any of it? Anyway, we need to get to Colette now. We'll worry about what Yuan and Maverick are hiding later."

When we finally make it to the elder's home, night has already fallen. Sheena enters and goes up to Colette without a single word to anyone. I watch in curiosity at the door as everyone tries to greet Sheena but is met with silence. Sheena presses her hands together as if to pray and mana wells within her, this time with Maxwell's power. When the mana reaches a certain level of intensity, Sheena gently places her hands on Colette's shoulders and the mana gently flows into the Chosen's body. Colette stares at Sheena in confusion, even after the entire mana transfer was done.

Sheena sighs and asks, "How do you feel?"

"I don't feel any different . . ." she states.

Lloyd asks, "Did . . . Did you do it, Sheena?"

Sheena nods. "I've done it. I made a pact with Maxwell. He agreed to help us."

"This is just a temporary solution, though," Raine says. "We need to find a cure for Colette."

Regal comments, "While I don't recommend wasting any spare time we have, at least we don't have to make a mad rush to find the cure."

"Then let's go to Altessa's first thing!" Genis declares.

* * *

We spent the early morning getting our bearings since Exire doesn't hover over one single place. Once we get going, though, Altessa's was just a short ways away. Raine and Genis were silent during the trip, though Sheena made up for that by chattering away about Maxwell's power and how she can sense it working in Colette's body. Not that I blame her for getting excited; I can sense Maxwell's mana inside her, too. It's like a powerful spell that continuously works. Although it feeds on a limited supply of mana, I can't sense any difference between the mana level inside Colette now than when the mana was fresh from Maxwell. Usually complicated spells take up a lot of energy.

Upon landing, much of the surrounding cliff area has collapsed since the last time we were here. We all exchange grim glances.

"Kratos did say that Tethe'alla would be affected by the Great Seed's rampage," Regal recalls.

Lloyd and Genis exchange worried glances before landing. They hurry inside while the rest of us calmly follow them. When they stop at the main room, Genis calls out, "Mithos? Altessa? Tabatha? Are you okay?"

"You're back!" Altessa comes into the main room as the rest of us gather inside. "Does that mean that the world is . . . ?"

Lloyd turns downcast. "Actually . . ."

As Lloyd explains the situation, I spot Mithos walking in. His right arm is in a sling and his face is completely bruised and scratched up. He walks with a heavy limp, although he puts on a brave face whenever something pains him. Genis gasps and hurries to him. "Mithos! What happened? Raine, help him!"

Altessa says, "Now I understand what caused the massive earthquakes around this world. The other regions were not greatly affected, but there were landslides and falling rocks in this area."

"And Mithos got hurt," Colette says with a disheartened tone.

"I'll be fine," Mithos insists as Raine heals his wounds. "Really, I will. None of them were fatal."

"It is because of Mithos that I am still alive," Tabatha says. "When the earthquake started, I was under the falling boulders. Mithos pushed me out of the way."

Raine looks up at Mithos' face. "I see. I'm glad both of you survived."

"You saved Tabatha even though you could've been killed?" Lloyd beams at the half-elf and says, "That's really impressive the way you protected Tabatha like that! You're a really great guy, Mithos!"

Mithos turns away. "Ahh . . . Not really . . ."

"Yeah you are!" Genis says, "You helped us find Raine when she disappeared, too! You're awesome, Mithos!"

"Ah . . . Thank you."

Altessa interrupts, "Regarding Colette's illness, it's most likely Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium."

Lloyd gawks at Altessa. "Chr-chronic . . . angelus . . . What?"

I mutter, "Sounds like fake Latin someone pulled out of their ass."

"Rejection of the crystal is said to occur in one out of every million people," Altessa informs, "but I've heard that knowledge of the cure was lost long ago. If you could find records from the Ancient War, then perhaps you could find it."

Sheena asks, "Wouldn't you know about it? You were trained by Cruxis!"

"I am afraid I didn't learn the procedure before leaving Cruxis behind."

"So it all comes back to the Ancient War . . ." Then Lloyd asks, "But where do we go to find records of it?"

"There's an archive building in Sybak that is dedicated to the history of Mithos," Regal states.

"Wait wait wait!" I question, "Aren't we going to get caught? I mean, Sybak _is_ the place where we got arrested that first time. I'm sure they're keeping a look out for us."

"An archive building should be safe enough," Lloyd says.

Mithos walks closer to our group, his limp now gone due to Raine's healing, with a determined expression. "I'll help you. I can go into Sybak undetected while the rest of you wait outside the city."

Genis frowns in concern. "Are you sure, Mithos? We're wanted criminals. If you get caught helping us, you'll end up on death sentence like the rest of us! They won't even give you a trial because of your race!"

"If we take precautions then I won't get caught," Mithos insists.

Sheena announces, "I can go in too. I can just disguise myself as a civilian. The rest of you, however, need to stay outside the city, especially Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Raine, Kelsey, and Zelos. You guys will get recognized in an instant."

"What if we don't find anything in Sybak?" Lloyd asks.

Zelos mentions, "Well, the royal family has compiled and stored most of the materials concerning Mithos and the Kharlan War. It's more extensive than the archive building in Sybak."

"The Pope will be breathing down our necks there," Raine complains.

Sheena remarks, "We won't have the luxury of complaining if it goes to that."

"Then let's go and find out what we need to do," Lloyd says. "Maxwell gave us time but it's not forever."

Mithos' eyebrows rise. "Maxwell?"

Sheena nods. "Yeah. I made a pact with him so he could extend Colette's life. It won't last forever, though. We need to get to Sybak now."

With that, we leave in a hurry and fly out to Sybak's outskirts. Mithos just goes into the city as he is but Sheena takes some time to change her clothes and hair style before going in. The rest of the day goes by in a blur, with us simply practicing our respective fighting styles, before they come back. Both Mithos and Sheena scowl in frustration, looking even more disheveled than they did when they entered Sybak. Pits form in our stomachs just by looking at their expressions.

When Sheena and Mithos get within earshot, Zelos guesses, "You didn't find anything, did you?"

"Nothing . . ." Mithos huffs, "Out of the entire collection, they didn't have a single thing about Colette's illness that we could actually do."

Sheena mentions, "We did find something that said that one of Mithos' companions had the illness, but it said a unicorn saved her. We're back on square one."

Raine, "Which means we will have to infiltrate the castle."

Zelos snorts and carps, "I should've known! Nothing we do ever goes according to plan or right!"

Lloyd quickly says, "Hey, we always made it out alright despite things going wrong! We'll figure something out!"

"The castle is fully secure with people who are either in on us being framed or believe the Pope's story that we're trying to destroy the world!" Zelos shouts.

I quietly comment to myself, "Then we nearly destroyed the world."

"_Shut up, Kelsey!_"

"_You_ shut up!" I round up on Zelos. "You can also quit your whining! We know the castle's filled with guards who want to kill us, but we don't exactly have a choice now, do we?"

"What bright ideas do you have, then? Tell us! I'm all ears!" Zelos shouts back.

"Guys!" Lloyd calls out.

I yell, "I don't have any ideas—"

"_Then why did you start talking?_"

I go on, "But let's pool all our resources together! I'm sure we'll figure something out!"

Zelos rolls his eyes. "Here we go!"

I march up to him. "Quit acting like a little bitch!"

Zelos turns back against me. "_I'm_ a little bitch? What about you? You stand around and do nothing! You won't even do anything for this situation!"

"_I'm_ in the same boat as _you_—"

"Ahahahahah! Irony!"

"—except I'm not _whining about it like a useless little girl!_ That's what makes you a little bitch!"

Lloyd shouts again, "Cut it out, you two! We don't have time for this!"

"Give us _one_ idea! One _plausible_ way we could get in!" Zelos nags at me. "Just one, and I'll admit that you're not as _useless_ as you started out to be!"

I snort at him and turn to the side to think for a moment. We could go in under the cover of darkness—

Zelos smirks at me. "I thought so."

I turn against him with my fiercest glare. Zelos just motions at himself. "Come at me! I dare you!"

Darkness . . .

I hold up my fist at him before turning towards Sheena. "Shadow! Shadow can use his power to cover us in the darkness! He can even pull us into some sort of cold storage space if there's any danger of being found! We know he can do this, too! He did this back at the Temple of Darkness when he picked off half of our group one by one and stuck them somewhere and he did it again when he caught Colette and Kratos and let Colette out and proceeded to beat the shit out of Kratos! You're his summoner! You can use that power! Getting in and searching the place then getting out won't be that big of an issue with Shadow on our side!"

Then I turn against Zelos. "How's _that_ for contributing? All your whining ever did was state the obvious!"

"_Stop it! Just stop!_" Lloyd gets between me and Zelos. He sternly says, "We have an idea now! That's all that matters! Zelos, you know the castle the best! You'll be able to find a good way to sneak in, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, then you'll lead the way with Sheena using Shadow's power to hide us. Once we make it to the place where they're storing the documents about the Kharlan War," Lloyd tells us all. "A couple of us can keep watch while the rest of us search the place. If we run out of time, we'll just sneak out and try again the next night. First, though, we'll have to take Mithos back to Altessa's."

"I'm going with you," Mithos firmly states.

"Are you sure?" Lloyd reminds him, "We're not getting into an unguarded archive building; we are about to infiltrate the castle. If you get caught there—"

"I know the risks." Mithos stares down Lloyd. "Please, I want to help Colette recover, and if there's something that I can do to help then I will help."

Genis says, "Mithos, you don't even have a weapon. What are you going to do if you get attacked? As much as I hate to say this, but . . ."

Mithos kneels down and pulls out a thin dagger from his boot. He lets us all take in the knife's existence before putting it back into its hidden sheath. ". . . I'm a half-elf that lived in _Ozette._ What did you expect?"

Zelos comments, "He's just going to fight us if we force him back to Altessa's place. Let's take him with us. Besides, there are _some_ benefits to having a group member who isn't one of Tethe'alla's most wanted."

* * *

"Oh my goddess!" Sheena gags. "I forgot how horrible this sewer smells!"

"I'm just glad that I'm not puking this time," Zelos expresses.

"You didn't," Genis moans, "but I did . . ."

"Shhh!" Colette whispers, "I hear voices!"

We all quiet down and move as stealthily as possible. We keep close to the stairway that connects to our only exit out of this sewer as two male voices echo down to us from the top of the stairway.

"Here's the money."

Silence . . .

"Yup, it's all here. Heheheheh."

Regal hisses under his breath, "Vharley . . ."

I glance around my surroundings. I note that I'm at the very back of the group and the voices are on the actual stairs instead of the path that the stairs lead to.

"How long before the King is dead?"

"Probably another month or so with this poison."

The entire group exchanges alarmed glances.

"It takes a while."

I look up at the height of the wall hiding us. If I could just get a boost . . .

"I've been told to make it look like he died from an illness."

I look towards the front and tap on Regal's shoulder. I point to myself then up and make a blocking motion with my hands. He nods and kneels down.

"It's slow, but he'll die for sure. Tell His Eminence, the Pope, to just wait a little bit longer."

Regal pushes me up with my feet on his hands and I climb up onto the pathway. I pull out my spear and point it towards Vharley and the soldier, who immediately spot me. "You!" Vharley spats, "You're one of the wanted half-elves allied with Bryant and the Chosen! I can't have people knowing about the assassination! Die here!"

The soldier yanks out his sword and comes after me. With one simple motion, I disarm him with my spear. The soldier takes a few steps back—

Presea kills him with one hack with her ax.

Vharley scrambles away before being cornered by Presea and Regal. He cries out, "Damn! I'm not dying here like that damned Alicia!"

Something snaps in Regal. His eyes blur over with rage. With a mighty kick, Vharley goes flying out. I cry out with shock as he soars passed me and lands awkwardly with a sickening snap. Just like that, Vharley moves no more.

Presea growls, "Don't insult Alicia!"

Silence comes over our entire group as we surround Vharley's corpse. I turn away from the body, sickened by the unnatural bend in the spine. I still can't quite get my mind around how sudden all this was. Lloyd, in the meantime, is uncomfortable, but he simply says, "So he was the link between the Pope and Rodyle."

"He's also the link between Kuchinawa and the Pope as well," Sheena adds.

"Through Vharley, the exspheres in Tethe'alla are passed from Vharley to Rodyle, and the experiments related to the Cruxis Crystals were passed from Rodyle to Vharley and ultimately to the Pope," Raine states.

Zelos mentions, "The Pope probably asked them to assassinate the King in exchange for his cooperation."

Lloyd says, "We need to stop the Pope now before he finds another way to kill the King and succeeds."

With that, our destination changes from holing up in Zelos' mansion to a back way into the cathedral. Surprisingly, very few guards surround the church. I suppose it's our "convenient box to hide behind" luck kicking back in. Zelos takes the lead and tells us to follow his lead up to the Pope's office. He wordlessly enters in without even knocking.

The Pope says, "You're late."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Your Eminence!"

"Zelos!"

Zelos motions for us all to come in. He turns back to the Pope and says, "You're poisoning His Majesty, aren't you?"

The Pope sticks out his chin. ". . . I don't know what you're talking about. I assure you that, whatever you want, I am not going to cave in to your violent interrogations."

"You're certainly a stubborn little liar."

Regal questions, "Is there an antidote?"

"I don't know anything!"

Presea steps up to the Pope and shoves her ax close to the Pope's face. "Don't move."

The Pope stares at the ax with wide eyes as his face turns completely white. "Are those . . . bloodstains?" he questions.

"We had an encounter with Vharley in the sewers as he bought the poison you intended for the King," Presea informs. "We were in such a hurry that I didn't have time to properly clean the blade."

The Pope spits out, "A-Alright! It's in the drawer in the desk!"

Raine moves over and searches the drawers. She pulls out a vial and studies the liquid inside. ". . . This is definitely the antidote. I can simply use this to cast a healing spell on the King so he can make a speedy recovery," she says.

Genis then questions, "I have something I've been wanting to ask you, too. Why did you try to have Kate executed? She's your daughter!"

"Shut up! What do you know?"

"Yeah, I don't! I don't know, so that's why I'm asking! Are you stupid or something?" Genis shouts.

Lloyd joins in on the shouting, "You have a half-elven daughter! Why would you take the initiative in creating rules to oppress half-elves!"

The Pope huffs, "When I was young, I also thought the oppression of half-elves was wrong."

Mithos steps around our group and retorts, "Obviously something changed. What was it about us that made you change your mind?"

The Pope scoffs, "Are you capable of understanding the terror of growing older, while your child, who supposedly shares your blood, does not?"

I snap, "We get the opposite end of that! We get to watch our loved ones die away while we stay young! Do you realize how lonely and terrifying that is?"

"Obviously you don't understand," says the Pope.

Genis says, "None of that is Kate's fault! That's the kind of species half-elves are. We can't change any of that!"

"Yes! And that is why they are shunned!" The Pope rages at us as he grabs hold of his desk. "I understand the feelings of those who persecute them, because my daughter is a half-elf. She terrifies me!"

Mithos glares at the Pope and rushes at him. He slaps away the Pope's hand from the desk, and ultimately from an emergency call button, and growls, "I won't let you call your guards!"

The Pope stumbles away and leans against the bookcases. "It won't matter once the Chosen dies. The Church will be mine in both name and reality."

Regal asks, "Will the Church of Martel last without the Chosen?"

I mutter, "Sylvarant has proof that it can . . ."

The Pope huffs at Regal. "We have Seles!"

Zelos glowers at the man. ". . . So you did intend to drag my sister into this, you pathetic old geezer."

"It's your fault! Why is a worthless and irresponsible man like you the Chosen? If it weren't for you, no one would have interfered with my half-elf banishment project!" The Pope then reaches into the bookshelves and pulls at something. An entire bookcase swings open and the Pope flees into the hidden passage.

Zelos carps, "A secret passage hidden behind a bookcase? Come on!"

While Lloyd, Mithos, and Sheena hurry into the passageway, I pause a second to tell Zelos, "The thing about clichés is that they work!"

Even with the others and the Pope getting a head start, I still manage to speed my way in front of them and block the Pope from escaping. Honestly, I don't understand how the others couldn't do it either since the Pope doesn't have any fighting abilities even if he does by some chance have an exsphere.

The Pope tries to move around me, but I keep him at bay with my spear (not that I touched him with it) until the others catch up. When they finally make it, Raine says, "We need to secure the Pope while we cure the King. He needs to answer for his crimes. Who will be willing to stay behind?"

I respond, "I will. He won't be a problem for me."

"I'll stay behind, too," Mithos says. "I'll just be in the way if I infiltrate the castle with you."

"I will stay as well," Presea adds. "You will need physical back up if the guards arrive. Besides, my ax will alarm the Imperial Guard unnecessarily."

Regal informs, "I closed the secret passage behind us. You won't have to worry about the guards."

"That's a relief. Now go save the King and clear our names," I tell him.

Once the others are gone, Mithos, Presea, and I keep watch over the Pope. The older man growls and curses at us, our heritage, our race, our livelihoods, and anything else he can target with insults pulled out of his ass. While I'm pretty much unaffected by the mudslinging, a glance around shows that Presea is starting to get ticked and Mithos is getting more irritated the more the Pope talks.

"If I had my way, none of you would come near civilization! You would never be allowed any refuge! Not even the Gaoracchia Forest would be enough for you!"

I make an estimate at how long it would take for Mithos to snap.

"You're all freaks of nature! Half-elves never should've existed! All you do is burden humans and terrorize us with your magic! The Desians themselves are proof enough!"

I set my bag down and pull out a set of cards from my bag. "Hey, Mithos, Presea, wanna learn a new game while we wait?"

Presea says, "We have to watch the Pope. We cannot allow him to escape."

"We won't. We're all capable of multitasking."

The Pope goes silent as I clumsily shuffle the cards. I can sense your mana, Your Eminence. Every move you make is tracked by me. You're not getting away on my watch.

Mithos sighs and sits down before my cards. "What game is this?" he asks.

I pass out the cards as I tell him, "This is Five Crowns. We use a traditional deck to play, the one with kings, queens, jacks, jokers, and numbers. The rules are . . ." I look up. "Presea, come join us. The Pope isn't going anywhere."

Presea glances over at the Pope before sitting with Mithos and me. I explain the rules of Five Crowns to them as I pass out the beginning hands. When Presea picks up her hand, she notes, "These were hand-drawn."

I say, "Yeah, I drew the cards myself. I wanted to play for a while but I had to construct two decks of cards so that we could all play. It took a while to get them all out."

Mithos comments, "That would explain the cards' quality."

"I'll just ask Zelos to decorate the more complicated cards once we can actually tolerate each other."

I sense the Pope's mana move towards the back where we came from. I cast Grave right in front of the Pope without even looking over and tell the man, "I can sense you move, Your Eminence. Just because I look away doesn't mean I'm not paying attention. You're _not_ getting away."

By the time we get to the ninth round, the others finally make their way to pick us up. I barely notice them through my divided attention between keeping the Pope from escaping and the card game. Mithos takes his turn and sets the cards down. "I'm out."

I carp, "What? That's the fourth time in a row that you went out!"

Presea takes her turn. "Five against me."

I turn back to my hand and make the most of it. ". . . Seventeen against me."

Mithos taunts, "Why are _you_ racking up points when Presea and I are new at this game?"

"Because shut up."

Zelos calls, "What are you doing?"

As the guards accompanying him arrest the Pope, I answer, "Playing a game. I can teach you how to play, if you want."

"Are you stupid? What if he got away?"

"He didn't. We kept an eye on him." I recall, "Mithos once threatened him with his knife and, after the third try, Presea sat down for an entire round and properly cleaned her ax in front of him. He didn't try to run away after that." After a moment, I comment, "I think we're all a little psychotic."

As I gather up all the cards, Mithos questions, "Did you save the King?"

"Yeah, we did." Zelos informs, "He gave us permission to enter the archives. Though, he wants nothing more with the church after this."

I wonder, "Is he going to try to put in a separation of church and state?"

Zelos looks over me with raised eyebrows. He glances away in contemplation. "As much as that sounds like a great idea since it'll take out the church's power in the state as well as eliminate political agendas in worship, I doubt that would ever come up in His Majesty's mind. He said he simply doesn't want anything to do with the church's power struggles."

After securing my cards, I quickly get up to my feet and complain, "That's not something the King can afford to do and he should know that. The church's power struggles nearly killed him, put his daughter at risk, and would've placed a man who would do anything to get what he wants in power."

"I know that," Zelos grimly states. "Now come on. We need to get to the archives."

With Zelos as our guide, we rejoin the group in an archive room that smells strongly of old pages. Professor Raine stays in the center of the room as she translates the older texts while everyone else combs through every single book. My only mercy in this large room is our divided workload. Zelos points to different sections as he directs, "The others already searched that section and they took the ones that they are in now. Presea, you take that section; Mithos, you take that one; Kelsey, that's the one you want. I'm headed over there."

The first thing I do is skim through the titles and make note of books that need either translations from Raine or ones that might actually seem promising. Then I take down the ones that need translating and move them over to Raine, who sighs as the workload increases passed her output. After that, I look over the ones I can read.

As I go over one particular book, I hear Lloyd yelp as he tumbles over and crashes onto the first floor.

Raine gripes, "Lloyd! Use your wings to catch yourself!"

Lloyd moans, "I haven't quite mastered flying yet . . ."

"Start to! Maverick nearly killed you by throwing you off the Tower of Mana! At least be more careful around ledges!"

Mithos looks over at Genis. "Lloyd has wings?"

"I'll explain that . . ." Genis says.

As the hours pass slowly and agonizingly, we eventually established shifts for lunch and dinner before returning to the archives. Some servants enter the archives to join in our search and provide us with narrower areas to search as well as more promising books.

Regal flips through a few pages of the text he's going over and hurries to Raine with a worried look. He shows the professor a short section of the book. "Look at this: an entire section was torn out. This entire book is in elven text; please tell me this isn't what we are searching for."

I look over with a pit in my stomach. Raine goes over the text and her expression turns grim. "This . . . This is what we were looking for. It begins to mention Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium, but then it stops with the torn pages. It doesn't even remain on the same subject with the remaining pages passed it."

"What?" Lloyd hops down and hurries to Raine. "Torn out? Why?"

As the others either look their way or approach the table, Raine says, "We need to keep up our search for any other texts. A translated copy will be our next best bet."

"Then I have some bad news." Mithos approaches with another similar book with the same pages torn out. "This is the translated copy."

That gets us all to the table. We stare in horror at the torn pages. Our hope for finding the cure now starts dying off. I myself am confused. This didn't happen in the game. We should've found it! Why are the pages torn out?

Sheena seethes, "Someone knew we were coming and what we were looking for."

"Yes, but who?" Regal says. "Cruxis does not benefit from Colette's death and the Renegades volunteered to help us should they be necessary."

"We can't give up now!" Lloyd says. "There has to be other books with this information!"

"Anything as reliable as what was torn out?" Zelos says. "Whoever did this knew exactly which books to grab. The others might have torn pages, too."

"We might have to directly interrogate Kratos or Yuan if we can't find them," Raine states.

"That's not going to be easy or reliable," I respond. "They're already reluctant on saying anything. Coercion won't make them less reluctant."

Mithos says, "If Kratos is with Cruxis and Cruxis wants Colette alive, why would he be so reluctant to speak?"

I finally give in to my temper and snap, "Because the amount of useful information he provides is directly inverse to how dramatically mysterious he wants to be!"

Colette slowly doubles over as she chokes back her sobs. "It's . . . okay," she forces out. "It's okay. We'll just . . ."

"We'll just keep searching!" Lloyd says. "We have to find something!"

"Of course we will . . ." Genis leans over the missing sections and says, "But it doesn't look good with the way things are now . . ."

* * *

No, it's not an April Fool's prank. I really am changing my future plans around, the poll is dead, and yes I did just update.

Please review.


	78. Baited

Well, this one came out pretty quick.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Baited

With the sun sinking low into the horizon, Sheena, Raine, Regal, and Mithos head to Zelos' mansion with matching exhausted expressions. After another day of futile searching, any books that could have held the cure to Colette's illness had their pages torn out just like the first books missing those same key pages. Mithos sighs, "I don't understand . . . Those pages should be there!"

"We can't give up, though!" Sheena says. "Colette's life depends on us!"

"There are still sections we haven't searched through yet," Regal reminds. "There is still hope."

"Yes," Raine replies, "but whoever took those pages made a thorough effort to keep this information from us. We will have to find other sources of information."

"Like what?" Sheena asks.

"I'm not sure," Raine admits as her face turns downcast. "Cruxis' database is certain to have that information, but they are beyond are reach. The only source we could probably depend upon is from the elves of Heimdall. However . . ."

Regal finishes, "No one is allowed inside the elf colony without His Majesty's permission."

"That is without mentioning whether or not the elves will allow us into their village with or without the King's permission."

The conversation keeps Sheena's spirits down as they walk on. She glances over at Mithos who also remains silent. Her eyes avert away into the distance for anything positive to make note of whether it be a bird to stare at or simply happy interaction between people. She spots movement in the dark cover of an alley.

Sheena stops and takes a sharper look over the alley.

Nothing.

Hesitantly, Sheena continues on. Every so often, the ninja glances over her shoulder.

* * *

Colette is, strangely, taking her increasing chances of death very well. A little _too_ well. In fact, it might be a different issue than taking it well. What I mean is Colette has been acting very outgoing and trying everything she can ever since we found out about those missing pages. In fact, just today, as I was reading a book, Colette gave me one example.

"Kelsey! Kelsey! Kelsey!" I feel Colette tackle me with a big hug. My book falls out of my hands and plops onto the ground. "Mithos and Presea told me that you taught them a game called Five Crowns! Can you teach me how to play? How about we all play together!"

Dazed from the sudden glomp, I only manage to say, "Okay, okay! Let me save my place and I'll get the cards out!"

Colette cheers and runs off, calling for anyone she can find. I pick up my book and sigh. I lost my place.

By the time I manage to rediscover the spot I was interrupted at and bookmark the page, Colette comes back with utter joy and badgers me into getting those cards out now and coming to the table she prepared. I spot Lloyd, Genis, Presea, and Zelos around the table and I join them. I shuffle the cards and start tossing out their hands. "Since Colette wants us to play, we're playing Five Crowns. There are five sets of cards—spades, diamonds, hearts, clubs, and stars—and each set goes from threes to kings . . ." I proceed to explain the rules further as I hand out three cards per hand for each person for the starting hand. Then, after explaining everything, I ask, "Any questions?"

Zelos says, "Yeah. Are these hand drawn by you?"

"Yeah. So?"

"They're horrible."

"Thank you. Any other pearls of wisdom you might want to share?"

Genis remarks, "Zelos, if you don't like how the cards look, why don't _you_ redraw them?"

"Maybe because I'm a little busy transferring my assets from my grandmother back to me, or maybe because I'm trying to get my own home secure from the Pope. I'm only playing because Colette asked me."

Genis grumbles, "Okay, I agree with you there . . . I can't believe the Pope actually managed to escape!"

Zelos comments, "From what it looks like, Kuchinawa was the one who broke him out. How that prison guard died, the few traces of evidence that only Mizuho ninjas could detect, and the alliance that they shared . . . It really does look like his work."

Colette scowls for a second before replacing that with a happy face. "Everyone!" she joyfully says. "Let's start playing already!"

I state, "Since I served, Lloyd will go first and we'll go clockwise around the table."

Lloyd draws a card and looks over his hand before discarding. "This whole thing with the Pope is starting to worry me. And the King doesn't want to look for him! After everything the Pope did, the King won't pursue the bastard! Genis, your turn."

"I'm worried about it too," Zelos expresses as Genis draws. "Once we finally think he's not going to be a problem, he just suddenly escapes. His Majesty can't ignore him for too long. Rumor has it that they are cousins through the previous king's brother marrying a commoner. If the current king is gone and Princess Hilda is taken out, the Pope can take the throne without anyone being able to do anything about it."

Presea takes her turn as Lloyd responds, "That isn't fair. There should be some sort of way to keep people like that from getting into power."

"A new form of government would do the trick," I inform, "but Tethe'alla doesn't have that kind of incentive yet. It would be too large of a change for it to happen anytime soon."

Zelos says, "I know there are cities in Sylvarant that elect their leaders, but that doesn't seem to be a strong form of government."

"Actually," I comment, "a democratic approach can form a very strong government. My homeland has a democratic government and is a major world power. What got Sylvarant were the Desians and Cruxis. Economic failings would hinder growth, too."

"I wonder if the two worlds would ever be able to overcome the cultural and economic gap between them once we reunite Tethe'alla and Sylvarant," says Presea.

Zelos draws a card. "I don't know. What I _do_ know is that it will be a lot easier with the Pope officially out of power. Your turn, Colette."

"But at least the King is getting better!" Colette insistently reminds. "If we hadn't caught the Pope, His Majesty could have died!"

"True," Zelos responds. "I'm definitely grateful for that."

I finally take my first turn and draw before discarding the card I just got. "I'm grateful that the King at least cleared our names."

Genis speaks as Lloyd takes a turn, "You can say that again. We won't have to go through those sewers ever again."

That one line causes us all to sigh with relief. Genis takes his turn and lays out his cards. "I'm out."

"After only two turns?" Zelos gripes.

"You can see my cards right here."

"You and Mithos both!" I snap.

Presesa takes her last turn and lays out her cards. "Whoever is scorekeeper needs to put twelve against me."

"I've got it," I tell her.

Genis says, "Are you sure? Zelos or I can be scorekeeper. You're not exactly the best at math."

"I can do _basic additions_, Genis."

After recording everyone's scores, I gather up all the cards and hand them to Lloyd. "You shuffle, Lloyd. This time we get four cards each and fours are wild."

Lloyd shuffles and passes out our hands. He sets the deck in the middle of the table and flips the top card into the discard pile. The very sight of the exposed card makes Lloyd groan, "Aw man!"

Genis grins as he takes the card. "I'll take that four, if you don't mind."

"Wow, Genis! You're pretty lucky!" Colette chirps.

"Just wait until your luck runs out, twerp," Zelos remarks.

Glancing around at them, I have to wonder how competitive they would get with a game like Uno.

Then Colette says, "By the way, let's go take a look at the coliseum later! It was always right there so I wanted to take a look at it!"

As Presea ends her turn, Genis goes, "Oh yeah, you didn't get the chance. The only time we could was when we first got to Meltokio after the rheairds crashed."

"I'll take you around there myself," Zelos offers. "You could even sign up to participate, if you want."

"We could really do that?" Lloyd asks.

"Now that our names are clear, we can participate in competitions."

An excited gleam appears in Lloyd's eyes and a goofy grin spreads across his face. Then it dies down. "Wait, isn't it going to be expensive?"

Zelos notes Lloyd's mood and makes a small smirk. "I'll take care of that. But if you're competing, I'll sign up as well. I can't miss the chance to kick your ass in front of the entire city."

"You're on!"

Genis watches Lloyd for a moment before going into contemplation.

Long after the game ends with Genis and Zelos tied and Lloyd in last place, Genis pulls Colette and me aside. He glances around to make sure no one else is around and tells us, "Listen, I've been saving up for a long time to get Lloyd a birthday present. I was thinking at first maybe a new pair of swords, but I think my money is better spent on getting him into the coliseum. The problem is that I don't have enough. Think everyone else will chip in?"

"Of course we will!" Colette says. "I'll see how much the others will contribute!"

I ask, "Didn't Zelos say he'd take care of it?"

"Well, yeah, but not only was that for Colette but I want this to be from everyone."

I smile. "Okay. Be sure to tell Zelos, though. I don't think he'll be happy if we just skip over him. I'll get my purse."

"Thanks, you two!"

* * *

The next day, Raine and Sheena chatter as they shop for medical supplies. Every once in a while, they stop while Raine studies some detail in Meltokio's market. Then they move on, having either left the detail altogether or have bought whatever item intrigued Raine.

"Now that Zelos and Regal's assets are available to them, we can relax about finances," Sheena comments. "It feels liberating!"

Raine smiles. "I am just happy that we won't have to worry about being seen by guards and arrested."

"There's a lot to appreciate." Sheena looks up into the sky with a smile of contentment. "Think Lloyd is going to like his present?"

"Of course he will. Though, I doubt we will have time for a competition. We still need to find those papers."

"Have you contacted the Renegades yet?"

"I did. Yuan said he is going to investigate this immediately."

"He better. I know he's hiding something."

"Without a doubt he . . ." Raine stops when she spots something in a distant alleyway.

Sheena stops next to Raine and follows her gaze. She gasps at the sight of Maverick's shadowy figure staring at them. "Maverick!" She exclaims, "What is he doing here?"

They watch as Maverick pulls out a thin stack of papers and wordlessly shows it to the two. Their gasp at the very sight of the missing pages. Then Maverick retreats into the darkness.

"Let's go!" Sheena cries out.

"It has to be a trap!" Raine says as she runs along with the ninja.

"Do we have a choice? We need those papers!"

They race through the alleys of Meltokio, barely able to keep up with the man. Eventually, Maverick leaves them at a forking path and disappears. Sheena and Raine glance around the paths and split up. Raine races along the alley until she finally finds Maverick standing at a dead end. The man stares her down with the missing pages secured in his hands.

"Give those to me now!" Raine demands.

"Of course," he says, "but you must take them from me. I recommend against using spells, though. These pages are very delicate and old. After seeing how they withstood being gently torn from their respective books, I doubt they would survive becoming collateral damage to any spell."

"What are you up to?"

"Come take these pages and you will definitely find out."

Raine stares Maverick down before calling out, "_Sheena!_"

Maverick chuckles, "Oh yes, bring Sheena here. I can enlighten her about my plans with you."

Suddenly, Kratos appears from behind Maverick. He silently pulls out a dagger, but Maverick senses his presence and jumps away just as Kratos thrusts the knife towards the man's heart. Raine charges in and kicks at Maverick only for him to dodge. Maverick jumps up into the air and lands on a roof top. He turns around to find Sheena charging at him. Maverick sidesteps around her and knocks her off the roof. Kratos leaps up to attack, but Maverick teleports away.

Sheena gets back to her feet and asks, "Raine, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Raine looks at Kratos and demands, "What are you doing here and what was Maverick trying to accomplish?"

Kratos snorts at the area where Maverick just was and hops down from the roof. He looks back at Raine and says, "I don't know. I am just here to apprehend him."

"That's a lie," Sheena snaps. "You know something. Start talking."

"The extent of my knowledge is that Maverick has left the Renegades to fulfill whatever goals he now has. I know nothing of his motives or his goals."

"You can't even guess?" Sheena replies.

"Not at the moment."

"What does Yuan think?" Raine questions.

"You can ask him yourself."

"Fine," Sheena spats, "but once you apprehend him, return those pages to us."

"Very well," Kratos says, "but in exchange, I need all of you to remain in the city until he is caught"

"Not like we can move around until we get those pages back," Sheena says.

With that, Kratos turns away and walks on. A moment goes by before Raine calls out, "Kratos! When you said 'apprehend,' did you mean 'kill'?"

Kratos looks back and stares at Raine with a cold gaze.

". . . Of course," Raine responds with an equally cold tone.

After a long pause, Raine begins to walk away from the alley. "We need to tell the others about this."

"Let's tell them after we celebrate Lloyd's birthday," Sheena says. "I don't want this hanging over their heads during that."

Raine glances over as she replies, "Yes, that is probably best, but we must do this soon, before anyone runs off on their own. Maverick wants a captive and we don't want to find out why through experience." Then she pulls out a portable communicator and turns it on. "Yuan! I have some questions for you and I want them answered now!"

* * *

"Careful, careful . . ." Genis tells me.

"I am, I am," I remark back.

I carry the birthday cake Genis baked to the main room. We all decided that, since the dining room is a little formal for someone like Lloyd, the main room would be best as long as we didn't make a mess. I slide the cake onto the table and take a step back to admire the handiwork. It stands on a large white plate with colorful lines zigzagging across the surface and dotted in opportunistic spots with occasional blueberries. Genis places a smaller plate to the side in case someone gets a slice with berries and doesn't like the fruit and then places a stack of ten plates to the side with utensils.

"I'll admit, as last minute as this was, this cake is going to be good," Genis expresses.

I sigh, "Getting those stripes on without making a mess was a pain . . ."

"You did make a mess, just on yourself," he reminds.

I start chuckling. "Should've seen that kitchen staff's face when she saw all that red food dye on my hands. It really did look like blood."

"You purposely showed your hands to her!" Genis gripes. "You held them out and shook them a little and made it look like you were in pain!"

I chuckle harder. "That poor woman . . ."

"Zelos was pissed."

"He's just mad that he got dragged all the way to the kitchen to take care of my hands. He would've laughed if he wasn't."

Regal looks over from his tea and says, "Really, Kelsey, that prank was not classy."

"Says the guy who tricked Lloyd into thinking that he cooks with his feet."

"There is a difference between harmless pranks and pranks that—"

Colette suddenly pops up and goes, "Oh, it's done? Ah! It looks so good! You two did a good job with it!"

Genis says, "Yep, it's done. Go get Lloyd and Presea and Zelos."

Regal asks, "What about Sheena and Raine? They haven't returned yet."

"We're here."

Colette chirps, "Sheena! Professor! You're here!" Then she makes a confused look after taking in Sheena and Raine's matching grim expressions. ". . . What's wrong?"

Raine shakes her head. "I will tell you later." Then she smiles at her student. "Let's just enjoy this moment."

Mithos walks up to Raine and asks, "What do you recommend until then?"

"Stay inside the mansion. Don't go outside alone."

I frown at Raine's device and wonder what she just found out. However, Colette soon brought the others and everything was forgotten under the cheer. Lloyd's eyes went wide when he spots us and the cake. "Guys," he says, "this is just . . . too much!"

"First, there's something we want to give you!" Colette retrieves a paper form from a nearby desk and offers it to Lloyd. "This is from all of us!"

Lloyd takes the form and looks over it. His large eyes widen even more as he reads over it. "Guys . . . ! This really is too much! I mean, with those missing pages and Colette's sickness and—"

"Lloyd," Raine says, "it seems as though we will have to be here for a while. Even if we find the cure, we may have to remain here to obtain part of it."

"Besides, we should enjoy ourselves whenever we can!" Colette insists. "I would love to see you compete!"

Lloyd stares at her for a second before looking around at the rest of us. "What about the rest of you? I shouldn't be the only one who—"

"Lloyd. Bud." Zelos comes up from behind Lloyd and drapes his arms around Lloyd's shoulders in a loose hug. "We appreciate the sentiment, but we weren't able to celebrate anyone's birthdays properly since we were on the run. Stop worrying and let us celebrate at least one birthday properly. We don't get the chance often, anyway."

Lloyd goes, "But still . . ."

Zelos gets off Lloyd's shoulders and cuts a slice of cake. "Come ooon~! Relax and enjoy yourself! Here, have some cake!" He hands Lloyd the plate with the first cut piece and then turns around to cut himself a slice. "By the way, Genis, this cake looks awesome. You did a great job!"

"Uh, thanks, but I wasn't the one who decorated it."

"Huh? Then who did?" he asks.

I answer, "I did."

Zelos snorts at me, "Quit lying."

"You saw me in the kitchen with Genis."

"Yeah, being Genis' little wemmin helper." He slides a slice of cake onto his plate as he remarks, "No way you could have decorate this cake. You have the artistic abilities of an inbred monkey."

Before he grabs a fork, I march up to Zelos and shove his plate of cake into his face. Holding the plate there for a bit, I let the moment sink in before pulling the plate away from his face. I comment sweetly, "Well, what do you know, Zelos! Cake complements your face so well! You should stick with this new look!"

Genis, Sheena, and Lloyd burst out in laughter. I quickly get my own piece and get away before Zelos snaps to and takes vengeance on me. Time goes by and we all laugh and enjoy ourselves as the cake gets eaten away. When a maid comes by with drinks, we end up being divided between tea, coffee, and potion.

"Ahh, yeah! Coffee!" Lloyd chirps as the maid hands him his cup. "Thank you!"

Regal grimaces and asks, "How do you drink that?"

Lloyd and Colette look over from their coffee cups and Lloyd goes, "Oh yeah, you don't drink coffee. Why not?"

"It tastes like dirt to me." Then Regal says, "Though, I do recognize that coffee isn't for everyone."

Colette notes, "Kelsey doesn't drink coffee either. She likes tea."

I comment, "Too bitter." Then the maid hands me my tea. "Ooo~! Thank you!" I take a sip and sigh in disappointment. "It tastes like water . . ."

"Perhaps it isn't strong enough for you," Regal says as he takes his own tea. He takes a sip and then stares at me in shock. "I don't know why you would think it tastes like water. This tea is very strong!"

"Well, it's better than nothing."

Colette then says, "The professor drinks both tea and coffee."

Raine explains, "I drink coffee to wake me up in the morning and tea in the afternoon."

"I don't know why any of you would drink tea or coffee when there is perfectly fine potion," Zelos says as he sips his potion in a wine glass.

Regal smiles. "Perhaps once I'm done with this tea I will sample what potions you have."

Zelos smiles back and raises his glass at Regal.

Raine glances over at Sheena and they nod at each other. Raine turns back to the others and announces, "I have news concerning the missing pages."

Everyone goes silent.

Raine states, "Maverick has abandoned the Renegades in favor of his own goals. In order to pursue them, he is using the pages as bait to capture one of us."

"What?" Lloyd exclaims.

Regal gawks in horror. "Is that why you were delayed?"

Sheena nods. "Yes. He tried this on us."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Genis demands.

Sheena says, "We didn't want this ruining the moment. If anyone started going outside on their own, however, we would've stopped them and explained the situation."

"What about the Renegades?"

I look over to find Mithos the one who asked. His eyes are narrowed into a cold, calculating stare. It sends chills down my spine.

Raine states, "The Renegades are just in the dark as us. He simply disappeared without another word."

"Anyone else involved?" Lloyd asks.

"Kratos is hunting him down," Sheena informs. "He intends to kill him."

Lloyd sighs, "I'm not comfortable with another death, but we need all the help we can get. Let's see if we can find Kratos and make some sort of coordinated effort to catch him."

"How can you trust Kratos?" Zelos questions. "He betrayed you!"

Lloyd says, "There is a possibility, but we have to take the risk. Kratos wants Colette alive, too."

Zelos stares at Lloyd before saying, ". . . I see. If he's useful, make use of him."

"But we need a plan to catch Maverick!" Genis says. "If Kratos is having trouble, then it's going to be hard for us, too!"

"I have an idea," Mithos says, "but none of you would like it."

"We need as many ideas as we can get," Sheena comments.

"Why don't we use the same strategy as he is," Mithos suggests. "We want those papers; he wants one of us."

"No," Lloyd immediately says. "It's too dangerous."

"How else are we going to be able to get Maverick out?" Mithos questions. "At least with my plan we can get to whoever is out there in time to save them. If we just wait for Maverick to move first, someone is going to get caught."

Raine says, "Mithos is right. We need a controlled environment, something that Maverick has over us already."

Sheena adds, "If Maverick does manage to grab someone, Zelos and I know the streets well enough to chase him down. Lloyd, I know this is high risk, but you have to trust us with this."

Lloyd looks around and finally relinquishes. "Fine, but everyone be careful. Don't let him get you."

"We won't let him do that," Regal assures.

"Okay, so who's willing to be the bait?" Zelos cheerfully asks.

I glance around the room and, ignoring the growing knot in my stomach, volunteer, "I will. I'll be able to sense him coming and, well, unless he's destroying the pages in front of me, I'm not going to get that close that easily."

Lloyd reminds, "This is going to be dangerous. Maverick could seriously take you hostage."

"I know what I'm doing."

Raine says, "We need reinforcements. Sheena, is there anyone of Mizuho in Meltokio that you can contact?"

"I certainly can."

Lloyd says, "We should also get Kratos to help. How do we contact him, though?"

"I can find a way," Mithos volunteers.

Presea looks over at Mithos in surprise. "Are you certain? Kratos can be elusive."

"I can find a way. Besides, all of you need to focus on the more dangerous part of this plan."

As the group decides to leave this to Mithos, Raine studies at the boy with a calculated look.

* * *

This plan has got to be the stupidest plan ever.

While everyone else keeps at a distance or hides somewhere secure with Mizuho ninjas watching from the darkness, I sit on a bench all by my lonesome relatively close to an alleyway. Not close enough for someone to just snatch me up, but still a little too close. I tried reading a book to help my nerves, but it's not working. I've been staring at the same page for over an hour. I don't even have my spear on me just in case. At least people aren't staring at a random girl sitting on a bench.

Oh, by the way, Mithos couldn't contact Kratos and it looks like Kratos isn't coming to investigate what his idiot son and his band of brain-dead followers are doing. We won't have someone more powerful than Maverick coming to keep me from becoming a hostage.

And if Mithos really is Yggdrasill in disguise, then he's not going to give two shits about me considering that I'm not Martel's precious host nor am I worth blowing his cover.

Bitter from fear? _Why yes I am!_

Why did I volunteer to do this again? Oh yes, because I want to be useful and contribute to this group. Not like anyone loses anything if I die. I'm not the summoner or the very person Cruxis needs to jumpstart the apocalypse (again) or even Kratos' missing child. Hell, I'm not even a healer by any stretch. Nothing lost if I'm gone. I might as well contribute.

Speaking of contributing, I lower my book and scan the area for any sign of that scar-faced, black-haired bastard. Nope, hasn't arrived yet. I bring my book back up and finally finish the page I'm on.

After a little bit more time passes, I lower my book again and glance around. Welp, still not here—

I jump at the sight of Maverick standing inside the nearby alleyway. He stares at me without moving, without even blinking. Chills go up my spine. God this fucker is creepy. Creepy as in mass-murderer-plotting-his-next-abduction-while-enjoying-a-pleasant-walk-in-the-park kind of creepy. Rundown-van-with-dirty-shag-carpet creepy could also apply.

Just as Raine and Sheena told me he would do, Maverick holds up the missing pages and motions for me to come get them. I end up making a nervous laugh, "Ha. Hahah. Yeeaahh, go fuck yourself."

As casual as ever, Maverick simply shrugs and slips one page out of the stack. After tucking the stack under his arm, he holds up one page with two of his hands.

. . . He wouldn't dare . . .

Maverick tears the page in two.

I cringe at the sight of the tear. Well . . . we could simply piece it back together.

After waiting a few moments for me to move, Maverick tears the two halves into halves. And again when I refuse to move once more. Finally, when there are only sixtieths of the page, he pushes the pieces into one hand and sets them on fire with mana.

I yelp and could only watch as the page burns into ashes. Maverick brushes his hand off and moves on to the next page.

I quickly get up from my seat and set the book down. "I'm coming . . ." I assure him. "You don't need to burn any more . . ."

As I slowly make my way towards the alley, my entire body quivers. The knot in my stomach makes me want to puke. Guys, get over here!

Maverick gives me an irritated glare and motions for me to come faster.

"Fuck you. I'll go as fast as I want, you son of a bitch," I mutter.

Maverick rolls his eyes and takes out another slip of paper.

"I'm coming! God . . . !" The others better make it over here _NOW._

When I'm finally just a couple feet away from the man, Maverick smiles down at me and says, "There, was that so hard?"

"Damn you . . . !"

"You don't have to be so scared," he tells me. "You aren't the one I want, but I can certainly trade you for my prime target. You will be safe in no time."

"Oh. Hahah. In . . . that case . . ." I take off running.

Before I even make five steps, my entire body collapses onto the ground. No matter what I do, my body won't even respond. I can't move.

. . . I can't move.

I, literally, _can't_ move!

_I can't move!_

Maverick easily scoops me up over his shoulder and takes off. No matter what kind of tricks I try, I can't even manipulate the mana within my own body or around me. I'm rendered nothing more than a sack of meat flinging around on this man's shoulder. The others make it into the alleyways and provoke Maverick into dodging attacks and people trying to rescue me from his grasp. All in vain, though, as Maverick simply goes down more confusing paths. Eventually, I can no longer hear the others calling out for me.

Maverick slows to a stop in a secluded alleyway in what looks like a slum area. He sets me down and kneels down to my level. He tells me, "If your friends value you, they _will_ find me." A simple smile spreads across his face. "I am certain they will so no need to be afraid of me . . . unless there is some sort of strife between you and them, of course."

He gently pats me on the shoulder and moves away to lean against the opposing wall. His eyes glance about the area as time goes by. I test the limits of this paralyzing spell and find that not only can I only breathe but it's also not fading anytime soon. Parts of my body start falling asleep. At one point, Maverick glances over at me and moves over to me. He kneels down and closes my eyes. With that done, I hear him walk away back to the wall.

_. . . Damn . . . !_

". . . I wasn't quite expecting you," Maverick says.

"Shame."

Oh god, _Kratos!_

Kick his ass! Get me out of here before someone else arrives!

"Here to kill me?"

"You have caused enough harm."

"And you and Yggdrasill are somehow different in that?"

"Give me the pages now."

"Only if you leave afterwards."

"I am also here for Kelsey's sake."

"What a hero. If only you could have been there for your loved ones like this."

"Don't push me."

"Of course I wouldn't. After all, it's not like you haven't given me a living hell for half my life."

"What are you doing? Why did you turn away from the Renegades?"

"I have my own goals independent from Yuan and Botta. Though, I suppose you wouldn't understand something as complicated as having personal goals."

"Humph."

". . . Fine, you want to know so badly? I need a meat shield against the angel of judgment. This girl, I'm afraid, isn't quite what I need. I'm hoping to trade her in for something sturdier."

"The . . . angel of judgment? There is no such angel among Cruxis' ranks."

Silence . . .

". . . No . . . You can't be. After all this time?"

"I never gave up. After everything I have done, I cannot afford to fail and make all that suffering I have caused and have felt become vain. I cannot allow Martel's death to be in vain."

"_You hypocrite!_ You were . . . ! And you think . . . !"

"I suppose you would think of me as a hypocrite, but who is the true hypocrite between us? After all, out of the four of us, I was the one who fought for Martel's values the most, second to only Yuan. I. Never. Gave. Up. Unlike you."

No . . . No way . . . ! Maverick! He . . . He's one of them!

"I never gave up!"

"Liar! You gave up all the time, Kratos Aurion! I saw you give up your free will to Yggdrasill! You practically became another Lifeless Being! How you could have missed knowing about the Age of Lifeless Beings, I don't know! I suppose you couldn't see the lack of the basic sentient right you threw away!"

"I never threw away—"

"Then I saw you curl up into fetal position and give up on everything when your fuck buddy died!"

"_. . . What did you just call her?_"

"A. Fuck. Buddy. You certainly didn't love her enough to—"

Two bodies fall to the ground followed by Maverick and Kratos shouting at each other and grunting whenever the other lands a particularly heavy hit.

"Didn't! Love her—ugh! Enough to conti—continue pursuing the goals you shared!"

"You couldn't understand! Kogh! The pain I felt! You would have more in comm—ommon with Kvar! Fuck you, you monster!"

"Her death should have pushed you to keep fighting—not go back crying to Yggdrasill! You helped continue the very system that ended her! You think you deserve _pity?_ _Damn you to hell!_"

"_How dare you!_ You widowed many men and women in your excessively long life!"

"_So did you, Pot!_"

"Yet you can criticize me for when I became widowed? You ignore everyone's pain and make a show of your own!"

"I criticize you for letting her dreams _die_ with her! You stayed true to yourself and gave up! You did _nothing!_ Compared to me, you are nothing but a coward! I do anything I can to further my goals even if every fiber of my being is dead set against it! You do whatever you can bring yourself to do!"

"Some comparison you are!"

"Then why don't I compare you to Yuan? He fought against Yggdrasill since the very beginning! He didn't become a twisted shadow of himself like the rest of us did! He actually cooperates with me despite everything! When Martel died, he picked himself back up and fought for the world she wanted! I simply fight for the second chance to make Maretl's wish come true! _It's more than you ever did for the supposed love of your life!_ So there. _Fuck. Buddy._"

Kratos grunts and falls to the ground with a loud thud. He growls, "I hope Norn kills you as soon as she sees you!"

"So you recognize that I now have power over you. You know what, I think I now understand why you and Yggdrasill tortured me for as long as you did. To have that kind of absolute power over someone you despise . . . it's intoxicating."

"Get your foot off me!"

"No. You'll have to do it yourself. If you can, that is." After a pause, Maverick mentions, "I hate you, Kratos. I hate you so much. You represent everything I despise about people. No matter what I imagine, no matter what kind of grievous death I want to put you through, even if it violates every moral I hold no matter what, it will never be enough to give me closure."

Then Maverick sternly says, "I. Never. Gave up. Not even during the War when our company of at least nine started dying off until there were five of us remaining with one elf leaving for Heimdall and the rest dead; not even when I failed to kill off Ratatosk and revive the Kharlan Tree; not even while I was tortured for _countless_ years under Yggdrasill. Everything I did was to further my goals and revive the Great Seed. You? You just recently picked up your old plans after kicking Lloyd around like a cat playing with its food."

After Kratos snarls incoherently, Maverick sneers, "Yes, I know about your plans. Think I wouldn't notice some specific research notes of mine going missing? Repairing the synthesizer at Sybak, obtaining sacred wood, checking Derris Kharlan's sources for aonis? Yes, I heard about that last one too. It slipped out of Yuan while he was wondering about that. I pieced it together. Personally, I hope you succeed, but only if you can't be killed off so an actual half-elf can take that damn sword for themselves."

"Then kill me. Right here."

". . . No. Your humiliation is enough for now, and I took too long. I can hear Lloyd's company coming to save their precious friend. I suppose telling someone why you hate them can really consume you. I won't make that mistake again." Then Maverick says, "So here: a little compensation prize. After all, not only did you fail to kill me due to your rage over your sweet love being so gracelessly called a fuck buddy, but you also blinded yourself with rage to the point where I could overpower you. Really, I must be special. You didn't even do that against Kvar. Ahahahah!"

Maverick walks away and the entire place falls into silence. My mind is numb from all the information I just got. I can barely even sort through any of it. Only the silence is any mercy to me. So much information. So much fear. I literally can't process any of it.

What's more? I can't even curl up into a ball and weep for any sort of relief.

"Kelsey!"

Sweet merciful god . . . Lloyd . . . !

"Kratos! What happened . . . _KELSEY!_"

I suddenly feel myself picked up and shook at the shoulders. "Kelsey! Wake up! _Professor!_"

"It's an immobilization spell," Kratos informs. "She is alive and well."

Not . . . mentally well . . . Oh god I just want to be left alone back in my bed . . .

"Damn, you look horrible," Zelos grimly notes.

I hear other people gather around. Raine pushes them out of the way and kneels down before me. She casts, "Dispel."

The paralyzing spell and its mana dissipate from my body. I shudder and push myself up to my knees as my eyes fill with tears. Just one look at Lloyd and I wrap my arms around him in a tight hug. I clutch onto his jacket and refuse to move away as I cry harder than I have in a while.

Lloyd hugs me back and tells me, "It's okay. It won't happen again. I promise."

Raine looks over me for a moment before turning to Kratos. "What happened to Maverick?"

Kratos wipes blood from his chin before answering, "He fled. However, I could find out some of his plans."

"And?"

"Guard Sheena with your lives. Even if he manages to capture one of you, the effort is in vain without Sheena."

"He wanted _me?_" Sheena exclaims.

"He couldn't use Sheena as a hostage?" Raine coldly questions.

"No. What he requires her to do would have her go outside his immediate reach. He needs a hostage to control her."

"What does he want me to do?" Sheena demands.

"Pray you never find out." Then Kratos takes out the pages Maverick took and hands them to Raine.

Raine gasps as she gently takes hold of them. "The missing pages! Kratos . . . !"

Then Kratos turns away and leaves.

"Where are you going?" Raine demands.

Kratos states, "If Cruxis is to respond to Maverick quickly, I must get to Derris Kharlan now." With that, he finally leaves.

Lloyd stands back up, forced to carry me since I won't let go, and stares at Kratos as the Seraph leaves. He turns back to the group and says, "We need to get back to Zelos' mansion. Sheena, stay close."

* * *

Please review.


	79. Sister Issues

After reading the Pokémon Adventures manga, I was confused on if I supported a Blue/Silver pairing (Blue's game counterpart being Leaf, the female alternate of FireRed and LeafGreen's male protagonist) on a basis of romantic love or sibling love. After learning about the Westermarck effect, I'm going to have to go with sibling love, considering Blue and Silver's backgrounds (in the manga). And if any of you are wondering, the Westermarck effect is reverse sexual imprinting. It's built during the first six years of your life and is there to prevent inbreeding.

The more you know . . . *insert rainbow star*

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Sister Issues

Walking into the mansion courtyard, I find Lloyd and Zelos diligently practicing their swordsmanship. Genis, Colette, Presea, Regal, Sheena, and Mithos all watch them with fascination. I approach the group and sit down on a step leading down into the court, right next to Presea. Presea looks over at me and asks, "How are you today?"

"I'm . . . doing better."

Lloyd knocks Zelos away and spares a glance towards my direction. Zelos rushes in and knocks Lloyd down. "Don't let yourself get distracted!" he taunts.

Colette gets up from her seat and moves over to my side. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" she asks as she works with a cloth and needle.

"Actually, I _really_ don't want to talk about what happened back there . . ."

Colette frowns and looks back down at her needlework. I look over her shoulder and realize that she's practicing embroidery. I ask, simply for conversation's sake, "Is that embroidery?"

Colette looks up and smiles. "Yup! I never did this before so I wanted to try it!"

"My mother used to do embroidery all the time. She practiced on tea towels."

"Really?"

I nod and then remember something. I lean close to Colette and whisper in her ear, "If you wanna do something really nice for Regal, give him a tea towel with a paw print design. Something for Presea with paw prints would be cool, too."

Zelos glances over my way and examines my expression. Lloyd quickly disarms Zelos and says, "What was that about letting yourself get distracted?"

Genis says to me, "We were all worried about you. You just shut yourself up yesterday."

I refrain from sighing. "I'll be fine. I've been through . . . yeah, I'll be fine."

Mithos moves over from his seat next to Genis and sits next to Presea since she and Colette took up any available seats close to me. He wraps his arms around his knees and tells me, "I really am sorry for what happened with Maverick. It was my idea and it got out of hand. For that, I apologize."

I glance over at him and find his face perfectly sincere. I look away back to Lloyd and Zelos' practice fight and comment, "Maverick had the trump card and knew what kind of game we were playing. It's not like that could be helped. I'm . . . I'm okay. I wasn't hurt."

Then, to change the topic, I note Lloyd and Zelos' movements and ask, "Why are they going so slow? Their hits are a weaker than usual, too."

Regal answers, "The Coliseum competition rules banned exspheres from usage. They are simply allowing themselves to adjust to fighting without one."

"That's gonna be tough," I comment. "Hopefully no one will cheat and bring one in anyway."

"The Coliseum security and regulations will make certain no one cheats," Regal says.

Then Genis puts in, "Hey, Kelsey! Since Lloyd and Zelos are in the same competition, that means they will have to fight each other sometime! Who are you betting on?"

Regal frowns. "Really, Genis. That sort of pastime is too risky to simply throw money away towards."

I ramble, "Ehh, I don't think I'll place any bets on who would win. It's a bit of a waste."

Regal nods. "Thank you."

"The only time I'd place any bet is if I had a for sure win, like in the beginning rounds, and place bets on both Lloyd and Zelos."

Regal sighs.

"Quit that, Regal. Gambling is illegal where I come from. I want to make that experience at least once. Besides, what would you call making an investment? That's basically gambling money away."

"Don't give legitimate business actions such crude labels. Investments are a . . ."

We all tune Regal out as he goes on a long lecture over economics. In the meantime, Genis excitedly asks me, "So that means you'll go to the Coliseum with us?"

I answer with an affirmative—

Maverick is still out there.

I pause right when I was about to answer.

Maverick is still out there, watching us, tailing us, waiting for the chance to strike.

I close my mouth and shake my head. ". . . I'm sorry."

"What? Why?" Genis demands.

"I . . . I'm just sorry. I promise I'll watch the later battles. The first few battles with these two in the competition is going to be boring. It'd be one thing if it was _me_ competing, but there's no risk for them until they get to the tougher opponents."

Genis asks, "Wouldn't you want to support them by being there?"

"I am, and I will. I just have the confidence in them that they'll make it through the first couple rounds."

"No! I don't like that! If you—"

"Genis," Regal goes, "that is enough. We cannot force her to come with us. She will be with us when the competition gets harder for our friends."

I make a small sigh of relief.

Lloyd and Zelos end their practice session and rejoin us. Lloyd comes over to me first and asks, "Hey, are you feeling better? You seem calmer."

"Yeah, I'm better."

"So I'll see all of you in the crowds?" Lloyd says with an excited smile.

"Not Kelsey," Genis bitterly comments.

Lloyd's smile disappears and he asks me, "You're not going to be there?"

"Phhht." I casually state, "Come on! We all know you two are going to dominate in the first two rounds! I'll be there when there's an actual challenge."

Lloyd frowns. "I don't know . . . I can't have my exsphere equipped."

Zelos pats on Lloyd's shoulder and reminds him, "So will everyone else. We have been through a kind of hell that those other competitors couldn't even imagine. We'll be fine." Then he winks. "I, for one, am looking forward to our one-on-one match."

A competitive smirk appears on Lloyd's face.

With practice done, everyone except Raine gathers around the front door and chatter right before taking off for the Coliseum. I watch them leave in a huge group and wish I could make myself go with them. The darkness inside any alleyways in sight, however, cows me back into the mansion.

I pass time through practice and study. Though, each time I check the time, it feels as though each minute stretches itself into an hour. After several long minute, I finally just decide to suck up my fear and go catch up with the others. After all, it's not as though Maverick wants _me_.

As I step out the front door, I can't help but glance around for any sign of the rogue. Finally, I step away from the mansion and start walking down the street. Well . . . this isn't so bad. Just keep walking. Just keep walking.

. . . Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming . . .

Now that Finding Nemo line is stuck in my head.

I chuckle to myself. Well, it's better than—

Maverick was one of the Kharlan War heroes.

. . . Damn it, I need Dory's "just keep swimming" song stuck in my head again.

I sigh and rub my temples. "Just get over it already . . . It's over . . ." I tell myself. So much information to process at once . . . I don't even know where to begin, and it's been a bit since I wrote anything down in a journal. Even if I bought a new one, I don't think I'd be able to know what to start writing down.

Perhaps it'd be better to just pretend as if I were unconscious during the entire thing.

But I can't just ignore all this.

First of all, what did Maverick do? What did he do to make himself such a big enemy to Cruxis if he was another member of Mithos' group? Why won't Maverick just share his goals with Yuan if they're so important to him?

Just . . . what? What's with all this?

As I approach the Coliseum, still haven't caught up with the others yet, a girl in front of me collapses. I hurry to her side and ask, "Are you alright? Let me help you up . . ."

The girl clutches onto me and pulls herself up. Now that I have a clear view of her, this girl reminds me a lot of my sister. Red hair, relatively the same age, and the same height. Though, those thoughts quickly vanish when the girl looks up at me with this determined expression and demands, "Take . . . Take me to the Coliseum. Now."

I frown in confusion and comment with a sardonic tone, "I think you need to sit down and rest a minute before going to the Coliseum."

"I'm fine! It's just my knees!"

I look between her and the Coliseum. Then I look back at her and reply, "There is no way I could carry you all the way to the Coliseum without some sort of complication. What will be faster—and better for anyone, really—is for you to rest in case this is bad and—"

"I know what this is! It's nothing serious! Just get me to the Coliseum now!"

I raise an eyebrow at her. She's going to take that kind of tone with me when I'm just trying to help and being concerned for her wellbeing? Well, fine then.

I walk forward with the girl supported at my side. She doesn't even thank me as I carry her along, but she quickly starts complaining as soon as I move her close to a bench and place her there to be alone with her weak legs. As soon as I start walking away, she shouts, "You can't just leave me here! Come back!"

I sneer at her, "Oh, look! I think I'm just leaving you there! Watch me put one foot in front of the other while you helplessly sit on that bench!"

"You bitch!"

"Bye~!"

Then she calls out, "Fine! I'm sorry for being such a demanding ingrate! Thank you for being concerned and getting me up from the street! Just don't leave me by myself!"

I turn back to sit down next to her on the bench. She finally relaxes and her posture just sort of dips into a slump.

I ask, "So are you alright?"

"Yes. I am just fine."

"I know that I've asked several times and it's getting on your nerves, but people don't collapse in front of me every day."

"I realize," she says.

"My lady!"

A man in a suit rushes over and stands in front of the girl. He pants heavily before saying, "My lady, you really shouldn't be here right now."

"I _have_ to get to the Coliseum! I have to see him!" she insists.

"Let's do this after more thorough planning. I promise we will arrive at the next match," the man assures.

"So I . . . missed the match?"

"I am afraid so."

The girl huffs disdainfully. "I suppose . . . it can't be helped." Then she turns around at me. "You! Your name, if you please."

Her attitude pisses me off, but I can at least give her something. Not like we'll meet again. "Nicole."

"Well, Nicole, I will be sure to remember you," she says, and then she just leaves without introducing herself.

And she called _me_ a bitch?

* * *

As it turns out, I missed both matches.

After asking the receptionist if Lloyd and Zelos already fought, I went back to the mansion and remained inside for the rest of the day. The others return relatively late with Lloyd and Zelos pretty bruised up but laughing and smiling nonetheless. Sebastian meets with Zelos as soon as he enters and presents him with a letter.

"Sir," says Sebastian, "a letter from your grandmother."

Zelos simply takes the letter and reads through it. His smile fades into an apathetic frown and he crumples the letter up before dropping it into the trash.

Lloyd stares in confusion. "Zelos? Is something—"

"It's none of your business. And no, it has nothing to do with my grandmother personally." Zelos shakes his head. "She just won't accept some things."

Genis glances at Zelos in curiosity before asking Sebastian, "Did my sister ever leave the study?"

"No, she has not, sir."

"Has she eaten anything since we left."

"Not that I know of."

Genis frowns and heads towards the study. Mithos follows Genis and asks, "Can I help?"

Genis stops and looks back and smiles apologetically. "At this point, Raine is only going to listen to me."

Mithos stops and nods. "I understand."

"Kelsey!" Colette tackles me into another hug. "Kelsey, let's play Five Crowns again! I love that game! The rest of you play with us too! Lloyd! Sheena! Mithos! Presea, Regal, Zelos! All of you play with us!"

Lloyd sighs and grimaces with regret. "I'm sorry, Colette. I'm just really tired after today, and I have another battle in the competition coming up tomorrow, too."

Zelos smiles again and says, "Well, I can't say no to a lady."

Sheena remarks, "Despite your hostility towards Kelsey and me."

"When were you two ever ladies?" he questions.

"Take that back, you jackass!"

"Calm down, Sheena." I remark, "Zelos is just intimidated by our domineering presence. Clearly he has some self-image issues and is trying to make up for what he lacks."

"Say that to my face," he snaps.

I shrug. "I'm just saying that sometimes you need to look in a mirror, my lady."

"I say that you're intimidated by something I have that you clearly lack."

I playfully scoff at him. "And what's that?"

Before I can react, Zelos scoops me up over his shoulder and says, "Upper body strength."

Sheena goes, "Three, two—"

"_Damn it, Zelos! Put me down or I'll give you a concussion!_"

Sheena sighs, "I was off a count . . ."

Colette asks, "Can we just play Five Crowns already?"

When we finally get everything set up, Mithos volunteers to shuffle first. He passes out the hands and we get the game started with Regal keeping score. Colette looks at her hand and pulls out one of her cards and chirps, "Hey, the Joker card looks different! Did someone redraw it?"

I sigh, "Of course Colette gets a wild."

Sheena says, "Colette, you're not supposed to announce what your cards are."

Zelos states, "I was the one who redrew them. I was having a little trouble getting to sleep and I decided to redo their design."

"Oh, thanks, Zelo—" Then I choke on my words. "W-wait a minute! Those cards were in _my room!_ You went into my room without—"

"Hey! I woke you up by knocking on your door and you got up and answered! I didn't just barge in! How do you not remember that?" Zelos snaps.

I bite my lip and try to remember last night. God, just what happened . . . ? I wave my hand dismissively at Zelos. "Never mind that . . . If I don't remember then this wouldn't be the first time I forgot something overnight. Let's play anyway."

He asks, "You don't remember last night at all?"

"Nope."

Zelos sighs heavily in disappointment, "That's . . . really disheartening. It was pretty kinky, too."

I feel the blood in my head just drain out. ". . . What."

"Don't worry; we used birth control."

". . . _What!_"

Regal goes, "Zelos, really."

Zelos snickers to himself.

I snap, "Don't fu—mess with me like that! It's not funny!"

Mithos glances between Zelos and me and changes the subject, "Kelsey, I heard that you have a sister. Are you the younger sister or older?"

I quickly answer, "I'm the older sister."

"Do you miss her?"

Thank god for innocent subject matters. I can feel the awkwardness just slipping away.

. . . "Slipping" was not the best word to use . . .

I reply, "Well, yeah, of course. Not like I have much of a choice to go back to my family now. The entire situation is . . . really complicated."

Mithos smiles with a slight bitterness. ". . . Yeah, I think I can understand the 'complicated' part . . ."

Zelos remarks, "The whole family bit is just complicated for all of us."

Sheena draws a card as she asks, "Where are you going with that?"

"Not to trend on anyone's toes but . . ." Zelos states, "Goddess, we're all a little messed up."

I grimace. "Let's not start digging up things we'd rather keep buried in this setting."

"Yeah, but all of you get what I'm saying, right?" he continues.

Presea asks, "Zelos, is there something bothering you?"

"I'm fine. I just . . ." Zelos sighs and sticks his hand into the deck. "I'm just tired. I'll see all of you in the morning."

We all watch Zelos leave the table before I, too, put my cards into the deck and excuse myself from the table. I hurry and catch up to Zelos in a hallway. I go, "Hey . . ."

Zelos turns to look at me.

I walk up to him and place my hand on his arm. "It's okay. Whatever's bothering you, you don't have to tell us. Just . . . understand that we're here for ya."

Zelos sighs at me and scruffs the hair on the top of my head. I snap, "I _don't_ appreciate _that._"

He smirks at me. "And what can _you_ do about it?"

"How about 'walk off and ignore you'?"

"Not if I do this." Zelos lifts me up and slings me over his shoulders again.

"Put me down! God! I give you an inch and you take a mile!"

To my relief, he actually listens to me and puts me down. However, I still huff at him. "I'm tired of the manhandling!"

"If I actually tried, you would want to be manhandled by me."

I sigh and walk away. "Know what? Good night. I'm tired of this and I just want to go to bed."

Zelos smirks as I walk away.

* * *

I really couldn't sleep last night . . .

Early morning couldn't come soon enough. I got up at around four in the morning and did twice the amount of morning practice than I usually do. Then I go to the study to, well, study. There I find Raine diligently taking notes. A small plate sits at her side with occasional crumbs and her glasses perch securely on her nose. The only light she has comes from a lamp hanging over the desk. I move over to her side and watch her work for a moment.

". . . How are the translations?" I ask.

"I am making progress," Raine answers. "I know what items we need to construct the cure."

"'Construct'?"

"What Colette needs is a bigger restraint on her Cruxis Crystal. The restraint itself is a type of key crest called a rune crest. For one of the necessary items, we will have to go to Heimdall. I will ask Zelos to send a request to the King for his seal in order to enter the elven village." Then Raine adds, "Not that His Majesty's seal will mean that the village will allow us entry, but we must try nonetheless."

"Wait," I ask, "if the village can bar us from entering, what will the King's seal do? Does it even matter in this case?"

"The seal will simply increase our chances of gaining entry, but it is the village that decides whether or not we enter. Think of it as the village holding veto power over this issue."

"Oh."

"Are you going to the competition?"

"I . . . I don't think I will today."

"The final round is tomorrow."

"I'll go to that. I'm staying here for today."

Raine glances up at me and raises an eyebrow. I refuse to even add to my statement.

". . . Very well," she says as she returns to the old pages. Raine then holds up a folded paper to me. "Would you do me a favor and give this to Zelos whenever you see him?"

I take the paper and reply, "Sure. Take care of yourself, Professor."

"I will."

I look down at the paper and then look around at the study. Well, I could do this now and get some studying done later. I have all day, after all.

With that, I leave for the main hallway where I know I'll meet up with just about everyone as they get up for some early morning practice or just waking up. Lloyd is the first to come out and we greet each other when he sees me.

"Hey," Lloyd says with a groggy look on his face.

"Hey, sleepy." I ask, "Is Zelos just behind ya? I have something for him from Raine."

Lloyd wakes up a little bit at the mere mention of the professor and asks, "What is it? How's the professor?"

I shrug. "I don't know what she wanted me to give him, but it most likely has something to do with the cure since she mentioned it before giving me this note. She did find out a few things about the cure, though. Something about a 'rune crest.' Professor Raine will tell us the details when everything's confirmed."

Lloyd nods as he takes in this information. ". . . Zelos should be here soon."

"If by soon, you mean now." Zelos approaches from behind Lloyd and walks around to me. "You have something for me, right?"

I hand him Raine's note. Zelos opens it up and reads through it. Then, he walks away, patting Lloyd's shoulder just as he passes by. "Sorry, bud," he says, "but I need to write a request to the King. It looks like we're going to the elven village for something called a mana leaf herb." Then Zelos glances at me. "Could you be a dear and practice with Lloyd?"

"Sure," I respond. "I'm not taking off my exsphere, though."

Zelos stares at me for a moment before chortling to himself. "You're sadistic . . . Good luck, Lloyd."

Lloyd turns to me with wide eyes. "What is he talking about?"

I rub additional eye crust off my face before I reply, "It's Zelos. How am I supposed to know?"

As we get out to the sparring area, I ask, "What do you want to practice? I can't exactly help you with sword techniques so that's out of the question."

Lloyd thinks for a moment before saying, "How about speed and evasion? You're pretty fast and I need help getting around a mage's defenses. I had some difficulty with a witch yesterday so I need to be prepared today."

I nod and move over to one end of the sparring area. "Fine. Just understand that I still have my exsphere equipped. This might help me with speed casting, anyway."

After doing basic warm-ups, Lloyd pulls out some wooden swords rather than lethal metallic weapons. He stands at the other end of the sparring area and calls out, "Okay! I'm ready!"

I send out a couple fire balls. Lloyd easily dodges them and charges at me with slower speeds than I expected. I use Stone Blast to redirect Lloyd away from me before sending out Icicle, which misses spectacularly.

"Come on!" Lloyd says, "You can do better than that! I'm barely warmed up!"

Oh, so he wants a challenge?

I start picking up my pace and send out basic level spells in rapid succession. Lloyd speeds up a little more as I put up a wall of bombarding spells that block his progression towards me. Each time I send out a spell this time, I narrowly hit him. At one point, I leave an opening and let Lloyd get a little closer before I cast Grave, catching him completely off guard and pushing him back. The surprise on his face tickles my sense of humor.

This time Lloyd puts in some extra effort. I see him calculating my every move. As soon as I start baiting him more with purposeful openings in my guard, Lloyd stops taking my bait and looks for less suspicious openings. Eventually, he does find accidental holes in my defense and slips around my spells. I cast Freeze Lancer at him. Lloyd rolls away from the spell and comes at me again. This time, Aqua Laser pushes him back to the other side of the sparring area.

I begin casting another spell, but then I feel myself about to yawn. Staying up all night is now finally taxing me. I cancel the spell and put up a strong force field around me as Lloyd rushes in while all my attacks have ceased. Then, as soon as he gets to my side, he glares at me in frustration as I yawn.

"Damn it, Kelsey!" he shouts. "You're not even taking me seriously, are you?"

After I finish yawning, I tell him, "I couldn't get any sleep last night. I really am trying to focus . . . Hold on . . ." I gather a small amount of raw mana and channel it through my body. My blood flows a little faster and I start to feel a rush similar to the rush from just stretching my limbs out. I sigh out a breath as I feel myself waking up a little more. "There we go . . . Just like caffeine."

I immediately cast Air Blade to knock Lloyd away from me. A little more awake and focused now, I easily keep the Cruxis Crystal-less Lloyd at bay with random spells as he narrowly dodges each one.

"Come on, Lloyd! Run faster!" I casually call out. "I almost hit you there!"

"Now I know why Zelos called you sadistic!"

"I didn't plan on doing this from the start," I tell him with absolute honesty. "He probably figured it out by picking up on my sense of humor."

"_How?_"

"Probably because he and I have similar senses of humor."

Eventually, Zelos rejoins us and approaches to stand by my side. He watches as I cast spell after spell with Lloyd narrowly dodging each and every attack. Finally, he comments, "Looks like I was right: you _are_ a sadistic bitch."

"I'm just teasing him," I reply. "I haven't aimed at anything vital."

"Yet."

"Oh come on. I'm not going to be _that_ cruel. A damn tease, yes; needlessly cruel, no. He's perfectly safe."

"Well, you can stop now. I'm ready for some practice."

I smile up at him. "It looks like Lloyd needs a break. Want me as your practice buddy~?"

"No thank you."

I stop my barrage of spells and head inside. After glancing over to find Lloyd kneeling down and gasping for air, I call out to him, "Good luck in the competition, Lloyd!"

I head into the lounge and sit down on the sofa. After staring off into space for a bit, I eventually fall back asleep. With this nap doing almost nothing to help restore much-needed energy, I wake up pretty quickly.

The redheaded girl from yesterday who collapsed on the street scowls down at me.

I stare back up at her, too tired to feel anything other than apathy or irritation. ". . . Yes?"

"Who are you?" she demands.

"Perhaps I should ask _you_ that," I remark, "considering that I am a guest here while I know nothing about you."

"You are not one of those harlots who seduce my brother, are you?" the girl questions with increasing pressure.

It takes a few second before it all clicks together. "Oh . . ." I ask, "You're Seles, aren't you?"

"_Lady_ Seles! And I asked you a question! Are you or are you not one of those temptresses who try to steal my brother's attention away?"

Zelos? An innocent young man being tainted by seductive temptresses out for only his power and money? Temptresses out for only his power and money, I'll believe, but innocent? I start chuckling.

"_What is so funny?_"

I just tell her, "No, nothing." Poor little innocent doesn't need to know anything about Zelos' love life. "I'm one of the people he traveled with while my group was framed by the Pope until our names were recently cleared."

Seles' frown twitches. "Oh, I see," she says. "You are the red-haired half-elf. Your name isn't Nicole, after all. You lied to me."

Of course she recognizes me. I inform her, "Actually, Nicole is my _middle_ name. I didn't think I'd meet you again but I didn't want to be rude and just refuse to give you a name, so I gave you my middle name."

"It was still deceptive of you."

"True. I'll give you that." Then I add, "If you're looking for Zelos—"

"He's at the Coliseum. I know." Seles says, "I decided that it would be best to wait here. All I want is to see my brother again. If I cannot meet him at the Coliseum then I shall meet him here."

"Does he know you're coming?"

"I did send a letter through our shared grandmother. He doesn't usually answer my letters . . ." After realizing that she said that last line out loud, Seles quickly states, "He is always busy. The title of Chosen holds many responsibilities that take priority over most issues."

So that letter Zelos got yesterday . . . I motion towards the sofa and offer, "Take a seat; you'll be waiting for a while if you want to see Zelos."

"You should refer to him as the Chosen, Chosen One, or Master Wilder." Nevertheless, Seles takes a seat next to me.

I face away so she wouldn't see me roll my eyes. "I think we have shared enough experiences to be on first name basis."

Seles immediately stiffens. ". . . What sort of 'experiences'?" she questions.

Oh good god. I reply, "The near-death experience kinds."

She only stiffens her posture more. ". . . And to his condition?"

"He's fine. He wouldn't be competing in the Coliseum if he wasn't."

Her posture relaxes, and it even slumps around her shoulders and neck. She must finally be letting herself relax. A long pause goes by as we simply sit next to each other without another word to one another. After a couple glances towards her, memories of my little sister come back to me. They replay in my mind as I recall my relationship with her along with my regrets and wishes. Finally, I comment softly, "You actually remind me of my sister. You might not believe me but she's the younger one by five years; she should be twelve by now."

Seles looks back at me with disbelief. ". . . That would make you seventeen."

"Yup."

"You don't look seventeen. In fact, I thought you were at least thirteen."

"I know. I got that a lot." Then a second passes by before I ask with a horrified tone, "Wait a minute! Then what's with you asking if I was a prostitute seducing Zelos—a twenty-two-year-old man—earlier when you thought I was thirteen?"

Seles' face turns beet-red as she goes, "I-I don't know! Don't ask me that! Change the subject back to your sister, now!"

I turn away for a moment to gather my wits. "Uh . . . Long story short, I was separated from my sister permanently and you have me going all nostalgic about her."

An awkward pause goes by . . .

I start chuckling, "You thought I was a thirteen-year-old prostitute . . ."

"Shut up! It's not funny! _It's not funny!_" Seles insists.

With a childlike voice, I go, "Mr. Wilder? Would you like to see my body? I just finished puberty!"

Seles turns away with her face completely red. I keep laughing before I stop myself. "Okay! Okay!" I tell her, "I'm stopping. Really, though, sometimes you gotta laugh or you'll just cry."

". . . You barbarian . . ."

"Laugh or you'll cry," I repeat.

"I didn't come here to be harassed by _you_."

Go figure. I ask, "Would you like something? I could ask Sebastian to—"

"No. Don't tell Sebastian I'm here." She turns back to me with a determined scowl. "I cannot afford anyone but the Chosen One and my grandmother to know I am here. I will _not_ allow this opportunity to pass by!"

I watch her with a softening expression. I stare at her for a long moment before she shifts awkwardly and asks, "Wh-what kind of relationship did you have with your sister? You sound like you love her very much."

I look away as I say, "Well, we were complete opposites. I wasn't much for socializing with other people (though, ironically, I could speak with strangers easily) while she was the social butterfly. She was definitely a high-energy person while I was quite mellow and low maintenance. We often had conflicting views and annoyed each other senselessly. Though . . ." My chin dips down. "Though . . . we really did get along when it mattered. I remember laughing together with her, and we usually annoyed each other just to get attention and have fun teasing the other. We did fight every now and then, but the fights never lasted more than a day."

Seles' posture droops down even further. ". . . I . . ." She admits, "I don't have the best relationship with Zelos. I said some things that I really regret. Now that the Pope is gone and I'm free to go about as I please beyond the Abby and my grandmother's estate, I wanted to take this opportunity to make things right with him. I know he doesn't like me, but . . . but I hope that . . ."

I place my hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay," I tell her. "You're doing what you can to reach out to him. I'm sure he'll appreciate that."

"Does he forgive easily? He is my brother and I don't even know that! Please, tell me that he easily forgives. So many people like him . . ."

". . . He'll forgive you."

". . . You hesitated."

"He's mad at me over something serious, but we haven't made any good effort to get on each other's good side. _You're_ making an effort," I remind her. "That will help a lot more than you think. This nervousness you're feeling? It's perfectly natural. It's _okay_ to be nervous, but remember that you're working to make things better. Please, keep at it. I'm absolutely certain he'll respond to that."

Seles slowly nods before she slides down along the couch and stops moving. After a confused moment of staring, I shake her shoulder and get up to check on her. She's out cold in a deep sleep.

"What is this?" I go. "A sleep disorder?" Well, I can at least get comfy and watch her. I leave to grab some simple snacks from a kitchen raid and grab a couple literary studies books from the study. When I return, Seles is still sound asleep.

Time passes by as I slowly finish the snacks and the books. Once done with them, I pick up my mess and go return the books after leaving my plate in the kitchen. I hear the others returning and wandering about the mansion with giddy excitement. Figuring that I could check on Seles before informing Zelos about her presence, I go back to the lounge for just a quick glance.

However, Zelos beat me to the lounge.

The Tethe'allan Chosen leaves the lounge and passes by without even a glance towards me. I watch him for a moment before hurrying to the lounge. Inside, Seles still sleeps, but this time I spot a comfy blanket tucked around her with care. I can't help a small smile at this.

I hurry back to Zelos' side and say, "Zelos, aren't you going to meet with her?"

"No," he responds.

I frown in confusion. ". . . 'No'?"

"No."

I glance back towards the lounge before saying, "But she came all this way to meet with you."

"I am well aware of that."

"And you're not going to even speak with her?"

"No." Zelos informs, "I will alert her servant of her location and she will quickly leave as soon as she is able."

"But . . . She . . ." I tell him, "She really wants to meet with you! She came all this way and you're just going to ignore her?"

Zelos stops and turns back to me with a cold stare. He says, "Look, you know nothing about my relationship with my sister. You can't even begin to understand considering that you have a _perfect_, loving relationship with your own sister. Lay off and leave the issue alone."

He turns away as I stare at him in disbelief.

Did he . . . ?

He just . . .

Before he gets too far, I snatch Zelos' jacket and yank him back to face me.

I slap him across the face.

The force of the hit causes Zelos to double over. As he slowly rises back up, he touches his cheek and stares at me in stun.

". . . How dare you," I tell him. "How dare you use my relationship with my family as a negative against me. You didn't need to do that to get me to leave you alone, and you know that."

I march forward and leave him behind.

* * *

The crowd roars as the sun shines down upon the Coliseum. The battles are down to four competitors including Lloyd and Zelos. Excuse me, _were_ down to four competitors. Lloyd and Zelos are making easy work of whoever they're up against. It certainly looks like the two will have their one-on-one match.

With the others sitting at the stands with me, I glance up at the sky before checking my arms. I sigh, "I can just _feel_ my pale skin frying . . ."

Sheena leans over from the seat behind me and asks, "Why didn't you put on sun block?"

"I did! It's not enough."

"You're going to be like Genis soon."

I glance over at the poor kid and spot his already red skin. I cringe and respond, "At least I'm used to sunburn pain by now . . ."

Genis glances over at us with a bitter look before commenting, "I don't understand how Colette and Mithos aren't burned already."

Mithos smiles apologetically and shrugs. "I suppose I'm just lucky."

Colette chirps, "I can't wait until Lloyd and Zelos' battle! They practiced so hard for this!"

"Yyyeeeaaahhh . . ." I utter. "Lloyd had better win."

Genis looks up towards me with puzzlement. "Wouldn't you be on Zelos' side?"

"She's not," Sheena says. "Something happened last night between them."

Presea asks, "What happened?"

"Nothing," I reply. "It's just that I've got some guld on Lloyd's victory. If he wins, I get twenty-five hundred."

Mithos looks over at me and goes, "Weren't you the one who told us to bet on Lloyd and Zelos unless they were directly fighting each other?"

"Since when has anyone taken me seriously?"

"I did!" Genis complains. "I made a lot of guld because of that, and I didn't even make a bet on Lloyd and Zelos' fight!"

"Oh, well, I decided to make a bet anyway."

Genis turns back to the Coliseum to sulk.

The crowd cheers as the announcer makes some vague announcement that I can't even hear through all the noise. I stand up and crane my neck over the standing crowd to see who's battling this time. I spot Lloyd and Zelos in different corners of the arena, smirking at each other in silent dares. I sit back down and mutter, "Kick his ass, Lloyd."

The two approach each other and stare each other down as they circle around, waiting for someone to make the first strike. They keep this up for what feels like forever before, finally, Lloyd dashes at Zelos with the first strike. The crowd goes wild as Zelos parries the blow and slips around to Lloyd's back. Lloyd rolls down to dodge Zelos' attack and puts sword-length distance between them. They circle around for a second longer and Lloyd dives at Zelos once again. Zelos sidesteps the attack but not far enough, forcing him to pull up his shield.

I shout, "Come on, Lloyd! Beat that redheaded bastard!"

"Go, Lloyd!" Genis goes.

"Lloooyyyd!" Colette cries out.

Sheena roars, "_Zelos! Show him what you're made of!_" The ninja then whips around at Regal. "Regal! Who do you support?"

Regal stares at Sheena in bafflement. "I believe you mean 'whom,' and I don't really support any—"

"_Who do you support?_"

"No one. I just—"

"_Pick someone!_"

"Uh, Zelos?"

Sheena turns to the lower stands. "Presea! Mithos!" When the hapless souls turn around, Sheena bellows, "_Who do you support?_"

Presea frowns in confusion as Mithos goes, "Both of them, really. I'm just glad to see them—"

"_Pick someone! Now!_"

"I-I don't—"

"_Pick someone!_"

Genis turns around and gripes, "Sheena! They can stay neutral if they want!"

Sheena ignores Genis and just roars at the arena, "_Get that idiot Chosen, Lloyd!_"

Presea asks, "Didn't she just give her support to Zelos?"

Zelos blocks another strike from Lloyd and slams his shield into Lloyd, creating an opening he's been waiting for. Zelos thrusts his sword at Lloyd, but Lloyd blocks in time and locks blades with the Chosen. Another strike rains down from Lloyd's other sword. Zelos raises his shield just in time.

Using his shield as leverage again, Zelos throws Lloyd off balance and goes in for the final hit. Lloyd jumps away and, with his footing back, charges right back at Zelos. With one swift movement, Zelos sweeps Lloyd from under his feet and sends his sword down at the fallen competitor. Lloyd rolls away just as the sword nearly hits and gets back up to his feet.

Genis' eyes stay glued to the battle as he says, "I wish Raine could've been here to see this . . ."

Presea replies, "She is almost done translating those pages, isn't she?"

"Yeah, and that comes first, but this is really intense."

Mithos grins and comments, "They practiced really hard for this."

I remark, "I just care about my winnings. Any other circumstance and I'd be fine no matter who won."

Mithos turns to me with a scowl. "_What_ happened?"

"Drama, drama, drama, drama, drama . . ."

"As I gather."

"Can't I have my turn to be pissed off at him? He's been pissy with me ever since the Great Seed went nuts."

Lloyd and Zelos circle each other closely again. Suddenly, they both charge at each other. In a whirlwind of blades, they block and stab at one another without managing to land any decisive blows. Every now and then, they pause with locked blades, and then they get themselves loose and continue with the onslaught. Finally, they lock blades again and Lloyd disarms Zelos and, before the Chosen has a chance to dive for his sword, holds his blade at Zelos' neck. Zelos stares at Lloyd with wide eyes before giving him a conceding smile.

The crowd roars.

Genis, Colette, Sheena, and I cheer for Lloyd's victory. While Colette continues to cheer and Sheena just cries out indistinctly from the huge crowd energy, Presea asks Regal, "Who will Lloyd go up against now?"

"The Coliseum champion, if I recall correctly," Regal states. "Though, it does not matter at this point if one is concerned with the winnings."

"Speaking of winnings . . ." I get up from my seat and move away. "I have some guld to collect."

After waiting in a long line to grab my winnings, I stop just before returning. You know what, I could give Lloyd some encouragement. I missed out on all the other battles so the least I can do is go say hi. Not to mention . . .

I hold up my winnings and smirk at them, not caring in the least if anyone looks at me as though I'm deranged.

. . . I could always rub my twenty-five hundred guld in Zelos' face. Sure, the money is nothing to him, but I'm positive that he'd appreciate the sentiment.

A quick glance around, though, tells me that I'm too late for that second part. Zelos walks through the area, completely oblivious to me through the crowd, heading towards the stands.

Well, there's always Lloyd.

I walk around to the competitors' waiting rooms and check the first waiting room I find. I peer in and find that this is the champion's room. Quickly excusing myself—

Wait.

I look back in to find Seles, disguised as a Coliseum employee, staying a little closer to the champion than an employee probably should at this point. She raises her hand up at the competitor and zaps him with electricity, thoroughly knocking him out cold.

"_Seles!_" I cry out. "What are you doing?"

"Don't stop me!" she snaps, her eyes red and puffy but dry. "If the Chosen won't even give me a chance, then I will force him to acknowledge me by defeating the person who defeated him!"

"Don't do that! This isn't what—"

"Freeze Lancer!"

A small number of large, spear-like icicles charge at me rather than the usual armada of dart-like icicles. One icicle catches my left arm and pins me to the wall, completely going through my flesh. I cry out in pain as the Coliseum door opens for the champion's side. Seles cringes at the sight of my wound and goes, "I'm so sorry! I meant to miss . . . Stay right there! Don't remove the icicle! It plugs up the wound! The nurses should be here! Where are . . . Ah . . ." She switches between the open gates and me but goes through the gates wordlessly.

Damn it! That bitch! She shot my arm! This won't accomplish anything! And isn't she sick? I saw her collapse out of exhaustion one day and saw her fall asleep without much prompting the next! What the fuck!

I brace myself for more pain and yank the icicle out of my arm. I cry out again. My left hand can barely respond to anything. Damn it, first my left leg goes out because of Kvar, and if I lose my left hand over this . . .

I dismiss the thoughts as I rip off a strip of cloth from my shirt and cut off blood supply to the wound. Then I hurry for the stands where Regal and Zelos should be. While Raine is preferable, Regal and Zelos would be much better at healing than any Coliseum employee. I race for the stands and ignore all the gasps from anyone who spots the blood from my arm.

Someone suddenly grabs onto me and pulls me into a stop. When I come to a complete stop, I find Zelos immediately healing the gaping hole in my arm. He grumbles, "You're scaring everyone here. Hold still before you lose your hand. Now who did this to you?"

I huff out a frustrated sigh and tell him, "You're not gonna believe it, so just go out to the Coliseum asap. You need to see it."

Zelos glances up from my arm to give me a look.

"Let's just say your actions have consequences!" I snap.

Zelos finishes healing my arm and hurries out to the arena. "What do you mean my actions have consequences? Are you talking about last night—"

"It's not about me!"

We finally get outside, and Zelos gasps in horror at the sight of Seles casting major spell after spell at Lloyd, who remains on the defensive rather than attacking back. Zelos jumps down from the stands and races to his sister, stopping only to block an attack.

Seles shouts, "What are you doing here? You want to fight me too? Fine! I'll defeat you and the person who beat you!"

"Seles, you idiot! You're not fit for combat!"

"I can take it!"

"That's not the—"

Seles' knees give out and she falls to the ground. Zelos immediately rushes over and carefully scoops his sister up and moves her out of the arena. All the while, both siblings are arguing passionately.

Lloyd sighs with relief as he's escorted out of the arena.

The others rush from the stands and only Regal stops to address me. "Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yes, no, I don't know. All I know is that both Wilder siblings are bitches."

Regal escorts me to wherever the others are meeting with Lloyd and the Wilders. "In a foul mood, I see."

"Fuck yes I'm in a foul mood. I nearly lost my left arm in a noncombat situation. Come to think of it, why is it my left side that always nearly loses a limb? Isn't it about time my right side was placed in similar danger?"

Regal ignores my ramblings as we catch up with the others. Once there, Lloyd and Seles are recovering on cots with nurses tending to their wounds. Zelos stands before Seles as the two participate in a heated argument.

"What you did was stupid and rash, Seles! You didn't need to do any of the things you did!"

"Obviously I did since you won't even talk to me!"

"You put your health at risk and you nearly permanently disabled someone's limb!"

"I try communicating to you but somehow you never have time for even a letter! I went to your home yesterday and you shove me out!"

"None of that excuses what you did today!"

"I don't care! I'm going to prove myself to you and make sure that people like the Pope don't place you in danger like that!"

"_What?_"

"I don't care that you hate me! I'll protect you because you're my brother!"

"Damn it . . . ! It's not me that needs protecting, Seles!"

"Obviously you need it considering how much trouble you get into every day!"

"No, you're staying where it's safe!"

"I am not—"

"_Don't you get it? You're important to me!_"

Seles goes silent in stun.

Zelos sighs in frustration and continues, "I know I treated you like scum. I'm not proud of it and . . . just . . . damn it, yesterday, I couldn't face you. I couldn't face you after I kept shoving you out of my life. Then suddenly you come out of nowhere? I wasn't ready! Nothing I could think of could make anything I have done right, but I guess nothing I do will ever make the horrible things I've done right."

Seles starts tearing up and forces herself up to hug her brother, only to end up hanging off of him with Zelos' strength her only support. "Big brother . . ." she goes. "I'm so sorry! I have done and said horrible things to you too! I came here to try to make it right! I guess I went overboard . . ."

"You guess? You nearly took out Kelsey's arm."

"Kelsey is her real name? She told me it was Nicole."

A couple scowls are sent at me.

"It's my middle name," I gripe. "And isn't anyone going to apologize for nearly taking out my left arm?"

Seles turns to me and says, "I was actually aiming around you. My spells may be powerful, but I still need to work on my aim. I never meant to hurt you. Instead, I meant to scare you from chasing after me."

I watch her before turning away. "Apology accepted. I'll be going back to the mansion to have Raine fix my arm."

Seles steps forward only to be stopped by Zelos. "Don't," he says. "We both wronged her so she's pretty angry. She needs time to calm down."

I remark, "I'll forget about this by the time Maverick takes my left kidney—and knowing my luck, Maverick will need a kidney transplant pretty soon."

Sheena goes, "So you really are just leaving us here?"

"I'm grateful that Zelos patched up my arm, but I need a professional to finish the job." I leave through the door. "I'll see all of you later."

God, the drama these people bring.

* * *

Please review.

. . . god i ended up staying up all night out of nervousness. i thought i was gonna be late for class due to sleeping in after easter weekend. my mind is just broken.


	80. Sidetracked at Altamira

Chapter Eighty: Sidetracked at Altamira

"Kelsey! Get the cards! I want to play Five Crowns!"

"_Again?_"

"I want to play with everyone this time!"

I sigh as I put down my book in favor of getting out the cards. "Colette! I'm in the middle of a really intense scene in my book! I'll get the cards and sit at the table, but I am _not_ playing!"

Colette stops and gives wide, hurt eyes.

"I'm not going to be guilt tripped into playing cards."

She keeps giving me that same sad look.

"I'm not playing and that's that!"

Next thing I know, I'm sitting at the table shuffling cards that I'll soon pass out to anyone who joins Colette's game. Her puppy dog eyes are worse than Lloyd's.

Once Regal gets here, Colette pulls out a square of cloth and offers it to him. "Regal, I know you like tea, so I thought that you would like this!"

Regal smiles at the tea towel and happily takes it. "Thank you very much, Colette!"

Okay, I can't help but smile at that.

"Everyone!"

Raine comes up with fresh papers and announces, "I have the entire procedure for applying the cure translated in detail as well as what we need in order to carry it out. I need everyone here so I can announce the details. Where is Zelos?"

Genis, sitting next to me, answers, "He's in the lounge with Seles."

"As much as I regret bringing him from there, I need him to come here."

Genis asks, "What if he wants to stay here? I mean, he was only with us because he was a wanted criminal like us."

"Then I suppose we will find out if he wants to remain here or continue helping us."

Lloyd gets up from the table as he says, "I'll go get him. He'll want to hear about this."

Just as Lloyd said, Zelos hurries over to join us with Seles and Lloyd at his side. The Tethe'allan Chosen looks over at Raine and says, "I'm here. Go ahead and tell us what you found out."

Raine watches Zelos for a moment before turning to all of us. She announces, "This infection Colette has is called Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium, just as Altessa said. It is an illness that causes the body to become a Cruxis Crystal."

How . . . Never mind. Questioning the physics of this world is counterproductive.

Raine continues, "In order to cure it, we need a mana fragment and zircon fused together using Boltzman's technique in order to create something called a rune crest. The fibers from a mana leaf herb, when placed inside the rune crest, protect against the crystallization. The mana leaf herb we can obtain with the help of the elves, and I already asked Zelos to send a request to the King for permission to enter Heimdall. Also, while I can use Boltzman's technique, I will need a dwarf's help to execute the procedure. Altessa will be our best bet."

"But where do we get the other two things?" asks Lloyd.

Regal states, "Lezerano Company handles zircon. I can request to see the company records in order to obtain some."

"And the mana fragment?"

Colette recalls, "In the scriptures of the Church of Martel, there is a passage that says, 'The colossal mana of the great motherland, Derris Kharlan, rained down upon the earth in fragments, giving birth to all living things.'"

"So it's in Derris Kharlan?" Lloyd goes.

Zelos waves his hands in denial. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you serious? Isn't there another way?"

After a second, I comment, "A mana fragment is basically raw, pure mana in physical form, right? Since mana is all around us, won't we be able to make one ourselves?"

Raine gives me a questioning look. "Are you certain you want to try that?"

"It's safer than trying to steal from angels."

Seles asks, "If a Chosen needs a mana fragment, won't they just give one to us?"

I reply, "The problem is that we don't fully understand their moral values. They might help us then again they might not. We don't know if we're fighting against their will or not so stealing from them is basically tempting Fate."

Behind Seles' back, Zelos mouths "nice save" to me. I dismiss him in favor of collecting pure mana around us. It shouldn't take too much mana to condense into physical form even if it's just a tiny shard. Genis fidgets as he senses my half-spell before coming to my side to help gather the mana. Seeing Genis, Raine comes to our side and helps out. The mana in our control gathers at the center of our work area and we press the mana together in one spot. Pressure intensifies and takes all of our concentration. The world simply no longer exists as we tune everything out in favor of our spell.

Seles watches us for a moment before joining in. As she joins our efforts, Zelos warns, "Be careful, Seles." She ignores him in favor of helping. Even after that, it still takes all of our concentration and strength to press the mana together.

Finally, Mithos joins in as well. He reaches his hand between Raine and Genis and applies pressure to the mana along with us. Time passes as we slowly press the mana into a crystalized physical form. My entire body aches for relief as the last of the mana under our control eventually turns into a tiny shard, smaller than my pinky finger's nail.

Our work done, Seles completely collapses while Genis, Raine, and I are left panting. Zelos catches his sister just as Mithos catches the mana fragment. Everyone gathers around Mithos' hand to look down upon the mana fragment we created.

Sheena joyfully exclaims, "You did it!"

Lloyd smiles and says, "Now all we have to do is get the—"

"No," Mithos says with a frustrated and disappointed frown, "we still need to get a mana fragment from Derris Kharlan. This one is too unstable . . . Ah!"

Just as he says that, the tiny fragment disintegrates into pure energy and disappears. At the very sight of this, I let myself collapse to the floor on my knees, my hand pressed against my forehead as I shake my head in denial. Seles, in the meantime, shudders from a sob and passes out from both exhaust and the stress. Genis shakes his head and groans, "After all that work . . ."

Presea says, "Let's go to Altamira first. We haven't received a pass to Heimdall from His Majesty as of yet."

"Let me take care of Seles first," Zelos says. "I want to make sure she knows where I'm going before we take off."

* * *

Altamira's employees smile at us welcomingly as we head for the hotel to check in first. I gawk at the hotel's décor as we check in and head for our rooms. Because of Regal and Zelos, we get the best rooms available. Not only that, but none of us have to share, AND we have our own little wing where we can mingle without standing around in the halls! It's all so grand! I couldn't help but admire the balcony in the common room as I took a second to look out over Altamira before being pulled away.

With regret, I follow the group out of the hotel and into the lobby. There, one woman stumbles upon Lloyd with her eyes are red and puffy and strands of hair stick out of her bun. "Please, have you seen my daughters?" she asks. The woman holds up a picture. "This is what they look like!"

Lloyd says, "I'm sorry, I haven't seen them."

Regal asks, "Have you asked the front desk about them?"

"Yes!" the woman cries. "They haven't seen them either! I searched everywhere in the hotel for them! All I did was take a nap and the next thing I know all four of them are gone! I _told_ them to stay in the room until I woke up!"

We all exchange glances, and then Colette steps up and volunteers, "I'll help look for them. Two people can do more than one."

At Colette's example, Genis joins her side and says, "If Colette wants to help then I'll help too."

Mithos smiles and joins the two. "I'll help too."

Zelos looks over the small group and smiles. ". . . Well, I guess I'll pitch in too. You hit a soft spot of mine."

The woman sheds a couple tears of relief and goes, "Thank you . . . ! Thank you, all of you . . . !"

Mithos turns back to the rest of us and shoos us away. "We will meet you here in the lobby. Go on to the company headquarters."

We hesitate a second before moving on. As we go on to the headquarters, we pass by the casino where two bunny girl employees stop a woman in similar sizes to them. When they spot our group, they rush over to us and stop us with their pleas.

"Please help us!" the blond bunny girl says. "My mother is sick and could be dying! All I need is for someone to cover my shift! It's only two hours long during the day! I'll be back by the night shift!"

The brunette bunny girl looks over Raine, Sheena, and me before pointing at Raine. "You're about her size! Please, help us! I'll teach you everything you need to know for the shift!"

"We'll even pay you for your trouble!" the blond bunny girl adds.

Raine looks between the bunny girls and our group. Regal informs her, "Don't worry; I can take care of this."

Raine sighs and turns back to the employees. "Very well. I will help."

"Thank you so much!" the blond bunny girl goes. The two employees usher Raine to the casino, oblivious to how roughly they handle her due to their overwhelming joy. After one last glance at us, Raine disappears inside the casino.

I scratch my head as yet another member of our group is taken away for some sort of work. That leaves us with just five, including me. What's next? A meeting for Regal?

As it turns out . . .

When we enter Regal's old office, George meets Regal with a happy grin. "Master Regal! It is a delight to see you again!"

Regal smiles back. "It is good to see you too, George. Is everything running smoothly?"

"Yes, the business is, though there are certain matters that need addressing. However, the sealed exsphere mine was raided by someone. We believe it was the work of Vharley, but fortunately it appears that access to the core area was prevented."

"So it would seem." Then Regal says, "However, it is safe to assume that there will be no more trouble of that nature. Vharley is dead."

Shock appears in George's face. "Are you certain of this?"

"Yes."

"I see . . ." George smiles again. "This is good news. Are you here just to report this information?"

"No. I have other business. I want to take a look at the records concerning past mining operations. Please unlock the door to the archives."

"Documents related to past mining operations should be in the left room of the second floor archive."

"I see. Thank you."

An employee rushes into the office, shouting, "George! We have an emergency!"

Regal and George turn to the employee as George takes the notification. Both Regal and George look over the paper before chatting among themselves. Then Regal announces, "I will cover for him, if at all possible."

"You will attend the meeting?" George goes.

"Yes." Then Regal asks us, "Could you wait for me? The meeting shouldn't be more than an hour."

George states, "I can escort them to the archives. You do not have to worry."

"Thank you, George. Now what of the other matters?"

George informs, "Well, today is the day we are introducing Altamira's new mascot, but the EC with the costume isn't here yet and it's past its scheduled arrival."

"What kind of costume is it?"

"It is called Klonoa and is about the height of a child. It has big, long, droopy ears and looks somewhat like a cat and . . ." George spots Presea. "Yes, much like Presea."

Regal and George exchange looks.

George asks, "Presea, could you do us a favor?"

Presea says, "What do you need?"

Regal explains, "George wants to make modifications to your outfit so as to resemble Altamira's new mascot. It will only be for the day and you can take the modified costume off as soon as the introduction is done."

". . . Very well. What do I do?"

"First, there is a manner of speaking that you must follow," George informs. "You can only say variations of 'wahoo' and 'loople-do,' and it all must be with spirit and energy. Try it."

Presea contemplates over the matter, and then, with a monotonous voice, goes "Wahoo."

Silence . . .

I go up to her. "Presea, let's practice together before you go out in public. I can help you." Then, with high energy as if I ate too much sugar, I cheer, "_Wahoo!_ Wahoo-hoo-_hoo!_ Hoo-wahoo! Loople-_do!_"

Sheena goes, "Wow! That was really good! How can you do that?"

As a child, I became fluent in the language of Pokémon Speak.

Then Regal says, "I need to change for the meeting. George, could you escort Lloyd and Sheena to the archives? Presea, keep practicing. I know you can do it."

As everyone else leaves, I tell Presea, "Okay, let's practice with just 'wahoo.' Say it."

"Wahoo."

"Go an octave higher."

"Wahoo."

"That's still monotone. How about you pretend that you're Lloyd after eating too much sugar."

"What?"

"Just act hyperactive."

George takes Lloyd and Sheena down the elevator and allows them into the archives. He leads them to a specific room and pulls out some records. George flips through them until he finds a specific one—

A red blur snatches the record right out of George's hands and darts away.

"_What?_" exclaims George.

Sheena and Lloyd whirl around to find Kuchinawa standing before them with the record in his hands. Sheena shouts, "Kuchinawa! Give that back!"

"Well, well, so this is important to you?" Kuchinawa goes.

George gasps, "You were the one who killed my coworkers!"

Lloyd growls, "The Pope is gone and Vharley is dead. Why are you still following us?"

Sheena makes a stern frown and says, "It's about me."

Kuchinawa snaps, "Of course it is! Because of you, my parents and countless members of our village died! The Chief has not awoken from his coma for ten years!"

Sheena's fists quiver. She goes, "I-I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do about their deaths—"

"You think apologizing will cut it? I will never forgive you!"

Then she continues, "But if I'm the one you hate—"

Lloyd shouts, "Sheena, if you even dare suggest sacrificing yourself, _I'll_ never forgive you!"

"No! If I'm the one you hate, let's have a one-on-one duel, as dictated by village custom!"

Kuchinawa huffs at her. ". . . Do you really think you can defeat me alone?"

Sheena raises her chin a little higher. "Well? Do you accept my challenge?"

". . . Very well. Do you want to do it here and now?"

"We'll follow the village custom and fight on the Isle of Decision." Then she sends a slight glare at Lloyd. "Is that alright with you, Lloyd?"

Lloyd scowls. ". . . I guess it wouldn't be much use to try and stop you."

Sheena sighs with relief. "Thanks."

"I'll be waiting for you on the Isle of Decision," Kuchinawa says as he starts walking away.

"Wait. Give us back that document!" Sheena snaps.

"This is proof of your promise to fight."

Sheena yanks out Corrine's collar and hands it over to him. "Colette may die if we don't have that! If you need proof, take this."

Kuchinawa scowls at the collar. "And that is . . . ?"

"Corrine's collar. His memento."

Kuchinawa studies Sheena for a long moment before exchanging the record for the belled collar. "Very well. If you do not come, I will grind this bell to dust."

Kuchinawa throws down a smoke bomb and disappears. Once the smoke clears, Lloyd says, "Sheena . . . You didn't have to do that."

Sheena replies, "It's okay. I just have to defeat him. I'm . . . I'm not going to run away from my problems any more. The Isle of Decision is reached from Mizuho, so can we stop by there after we get the zircon? Colette's health is more important."

With that, Sheena hands over the record to George. George stares at Sheena with a baleful expression before opening the record back up and looking through it. George informs, "The last shipment was sent to the Imperial Research Academy in Sybak." Then, after putting the record back up, George turns back to Sheena. ". . . Will you fight for my coworkers as well? On the day Vharley charged in here, that man Kuchinawa killed many good people who stood in Vharley's way."

Sheena's lips tremble and she nods. "Y-yes. I'll fight for them too." Sheena turns to Lloyd and says, "Let's pick Kelsey up. I'm pretty sure Regal and Presea's deals aren't over yet."

Lloyd and Sheena return to Regal's office where Presea and I practice Klonoa Speak.

"_Wahoo!_"

"Wahoo!"

"_Loo_-ple-_dooo!_"

"Loople-do!"

"You got it, Presea!"

Presea notices the elevator opening and points Lloyd and Sheena out to me. I smile at them before noting their grim expressions. We go up to the two and I ask, "What happened? You found it, right? Did . . . Maverick strike again?"

Sheena shakes her head. "No. Kuchinawa found us. He still wants revenge."

"Still? I thought he'd be with the Pope."

Sheena says, "No. Since I'm the one he's after, I challenged him to a duel."

". . . Why?"

Sheena sighs. "I'm the one responsible for the death of Kuchinawa's parents. This way, Kuchinawa can have his chance for revenge and innocent people won't get hurt."

I scowl at her. ". . . How? How is that your fault?"

"Kelsey, as a summoner, I should have controlled Volt and prevented him from killing all those people . . ."

"But you didn't have a pact with Volt," I remind her, trying to keep my tone even. "You couldn't control Volt no matter what _because_ you _didn't_ have a pact. _Volt_ chose to kill all those people. Volt. Chose. To kill all those people. _Volt_, a being with _free will_ . . . chose to—"

"_I get it!_"

"_No, you clearly don't!_" I snap. "Because you blame yourself for deaths that are on _someone else's head!_ How long ago was this? Ten years? _You were nine!_ How was a _nine-year-old child_ supposed to control a _raging Summon Spirit?_ The logic is messed up, and that's not the worst part!"

Sheena sighs in frustration as Lloyd goes, "Kelsey!"

I continue, "Why is it that _you_ have to take responsibility for all these things and _Kuchinawa_ is the one who gets what he wants?"

"_What happens to Kuchinawa is not the point anymore!_" Sheena shouts. "I'm also doing this for myself! _I'm not running away from my problems anymore!_"

"That's great! _Except what happens to Kuchinawa still matters!_ You've taken responsibility for your actions, but is Kuchinawa taking responsibility for all the horrible things he's done? For betraying his village, for leaking Mizuho's secrets, for allying himself with a man who'd raze the entire village of Mizuho if he found out the location of the village, for several counts of _second degree murder of civilians?_"

"For the deaths of the civilians here, I will fight him!"

"That still doesn't address Kuchinawa's hypocrisy! He wants to kill you for the supposed murder of his parents, yet he won't take responsibility for the people _he killed?_ For the fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, daughters, sons, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends he's killed? Why isn't _he_ taking responsibility and _you're_ the one picking it up? Why does he get what he wants after all the horrible things he's done?" I finally shout, "It's! Not! Fair! Not fair to _you_, to _Mizuho_, or the people that died from what happened with Volt to the people here! Not fair at all!"

We stare each other down, panting from our screaming. After several long moments of gradually calming down, I glance away and comment, ". . . It's probably a culture clash."

Sheena sighs in frustration. "Kelsey . . ."

"This entire issue will be resolved at Mizuho." I walk away and call up the elevator. "I'll see you guys at the hotel."

Sheena covers her face as she grimaces in both frustration and pain. Just as I turn away, I saw a tear go down her cheek. I force myself not to cry until after the elevator takes me down and the others can no longer see or hear me finally break down. Even then, I try to keep myself together. More people glance at me as I fight the anguish and fear over the mess with Kuchinawa.

Just _why?_ Why does _he_ get a free pass? Why does Kuchinawa get away with what he's done and Sheena gets to be the scapegoat for every single wrong thing that happens? It's not right! It's not right at all . . . !

It wasn't until after I got back to my hotel room when I really let myself cry. All the pent up emotions, the pent up fear and anger, it just washes away into an emotionally spent numbness. After that, I decide that going to bed early is the best thing I could do. A hot bath helps my muscles relax, but I still feel numb inside. Even though I stayed in that tub long enough for the water to cool, I still didn't feel any different.

When I exit, I find Sheena just entering the common room. We glance at each other and glance away with matching downcast expressions. Sheena sits down on a chair and retreats into a book. I go outside to the balcony and stare down at Altamira. The silence grows awkward and tense. Guilt bubbles up inside me. How can I face her after how I shouted at her? I took out my anger over Kuchinawa at her. She already has a lot to worry about so she doesn't need any drama from me.

I dare a glance back at her to find her buried in that book still. She turns a page and continues reading. I look back over the balcony.

The door slams open and Lloyd and Zelos barge in. When I look over, my entire face turns hot.

Oh god.

They're wearing swimsuits.

Sheena closes her book and starts griping, "Knock it off, you two! I'm read—oh my goddess . . . !"

Both of them, even Lloyd, are beefcakes. Their training sessions gave them firm abs and strong arms. Lloyd retains a boyish charm that shows his innocence as well as his youth, a definite favorite for my age group. As for Zelos, there is no denying that he looks like a man. I don't mean a man, I mean a _man_ (as vague as that is). Looking between the two, I can't remember if I like older men or guys my age.

Lloyd, though, is easier to look at, not because he's the better looking of the two. Rather, it's because looking at Zelos . . . well, he's wearing a speedo and . . .

It's hard not to notice a few things or keep things friendly and casual when a guy in front of you wears a speedo.

Zelos leans over Sheena's chair with a smile. "Feeling a little wet?"

"Sh-shut up, Zelos!" A bright red blush covers her entire face.

"I can't blame you. All these solid muscles right in front of you . . . Keep staring all you want~!"

"Y-you just barged in and . . . !"

Zelos pulls out a photo and shows it to her. "By the way, I saw Raine working at the casino earlier. She is a gorgeous beauty! I think I'll keep this photo~!"

"She looks like she's about to hit you."

"She did when I groped her. Did you know that those uniforms have fluffy bunny tails right at the small of their backs?"

Lloyd calls me over, "Kelsey! Come here! For helping that mother find her daughters, we all got swimsuits! You and Sheena need to get one! We're all going to the beach!"

Sheena's blush just turns a deeper shade of red.

Zelos spots me and goes up to me with his arms spread wide, displaying every detail of his chest. "Why so shy, Kelsey? Come on!" He slings an arm around my shoulders and ushers me closer to the group. After he gets no verbal response from me, Zelos smirks at me and runs the back of his hand gently down my cheek. "What you're feeling right now is called _arousal_, and not only is it perfectly natural but it is perfectly natural to _indulge_ in it~."

In my embarrassment, all I can do is swat his hand away. Though, I wonder to myself if embarrassment is really the only reason why I won't do anything else.

God, Zelos! Lloyd! _Whhhyyy?_

Lloyd puts his arms behind his head, stretching out his torso, as he says, "Knock it off, Zelos. Let's leave them alone."

"If you say so, Bud." Then Zelos adds, "Unless the ladies want our company for a little longer~."

Sheena shouts, "_Get out! Both of you!_"

Zelos sighs with obvious disappointment and walks away. "Okay, if you insist. Let's go, Lloyd. There are other chicks to hit up at the beach."

Lloyd follows Zelos out but pauses at the door. He asks, "Are you going to be at the beach with us later?"

"_OUT!_"

"Okay! Okay!" Lloyd hurries out the door.

We stare at the door for a long time.

I ask, ". . . What just happened?"

Sheena growls, "They teamed up against us, the jerks! They _had_ to do that on purpose!"

"Lloyd too?"

"Yeah!"

"Since when has _Lloyd_ hit puberty?"

"Since he met Zelos, apparently! I swear that stupid Chosen is rubbing off on him!"

I cover my face with both hands. "Oh god that was embarrassing . . . !"

Sheena scowls at the door for a little bit longer, but then she starts chuckling. "Heheh. When Zelos had you in his arms, you looked like prison bait."

I can't help but chuckle too. "Really? I know I don't look my age . . ."

Sheena keeps chuckling as she finally faces me. "Yeah! I know you're of age, at least by Tethe'alla's standards, but you look younger than _Seles!_ I could probably get Zelos arrested just by how he acts around you!"

"Your face was sooo reeed!"

"Your face was red, too!"

"Lloyd and Zelos, the ultimate combo!"

Sheena's face turns red again and she groans, "Which means they know that we're attracted to them! Lloyd knows I'm . . . !" Then she gasps and points at me. "You didn't hear that!"

"Does it really matter at this point? It was kind of obvious right now . . ." Then I add, "Besides, I don't think Lloyd really knows. Zelos was clearly the mastermind behind this stunt."

Sheena sighs, "Yeah, you're right. Lloyd's not that bright."

"No he isn't. I think it has something to do with him being behind on the frontal lobe development."

"I always figured that he was dropped on his head."

"Nah. I was dropped on my head as a baby and it didn't affect me."

Sheena glances at me with a look. "Actually, that would explain a lot."

"Heyyy!"

"Well it would."

"Heeeyyy!"

"I'm just saying."

A pause goes by . . .

I say, "Sheena . . . About Kuchinawa, I'm more mad at him and scared for you. I'm . . . I'm scared that he will seriously hurt you. I don't want to lose another person precious to me."

Sheena watches me for a second before getting up from her seat. She walks over to me and embraces me.

"I'm going to confront Kuchinawa," she tells me, "and I'm going to win. Before the duel, I'll tell him that, if I win, he has to answer for all the lives he's taken away. If Mizuho decides to act, though, that is for them to decide. I won't put up a fuss if they stop the duel and take matters into their own hands. He's wronged the village more than he's wronged me."

Sheena steps away from me and smiles before walking away. "Let's go to the beach and split some watermelons!"

I start beaming at her. "You mean we're going to split some watermelons? I've never done that before!"

"Are you serious? Well you'll get the chance now!"

"And we'll make a fire and roast marshmallows!" Then I ask, "Do marshmallows exist in this world?"

"Yeah, but they're probably really different than the ones you're used to."

"Cool! I get to make smores!"

"What are—"

"I don't know which is the best part about making smores: eating the thing or burning the marshmallows!"

"You don't actually burn them, do you?"

"Of course I do! It's so much fun to just set it all on fire!"

"You pyromaniac."

* * *

After packing everything, I go out into the common room and look out towards the balcony. The early morning sky casts a cool gray color with slight shades of red and blue on opposite ends of each other. The morning stars twinkle in the dim sky. I look away and towards the glass coffee table to find Mithos just sitting there, resting.

I walk up to the table and take a seat. "You're up early."

Mithos slowly opens his eyes and nods. ". . . You are, too."

"I went to bed earlier than the others. I got more than enough sleep."

Mithos turns towards the sunrise and stares out at the distance. ". . . I love moments like this," he says. "These quiet moments when I almost forget about everything, even if it's just for a little bit."

I smile at the slow sunrise. ". . . Yeah. It's those little moments that make life wonderful, in my opinion."

"How could life be wonderful even after all the horrible things?"

I pause for a moment. "Well . . . I really don't know how to answer that. I haven't really lived long enough to form an answer. All I know is that these moments just, somehow, make everything better."

He nods again. "Oh, that's what you meant." Then he says, "But these moments are better . . . with the people most important to you . . . It never feels the same without them."

I remain silent as those words sink in.

Mithos asks me, "Who is . . . most important to you? Who is the one person you would do anything for, even if you don't want to?"

I make another pause. ". . . I don't know. I don't know if there's just one person or many people. I just . . . haven't lived long enough to answer that."

"What about your family? What about your sister?"

I frown. ". . . I do love them. I do miss them. If I could go back, I would, but I don't think I can. If I could go back and just as much time passed there as it has here, then . . ." My eyes widen in shock as I had just revealed the more complex part of my origins.

Mithos holds his hand up at me. "It's okay. I heard from Genis. It just slipped out for him."

I relax in my seat. ". . . Well, as I was saying, if as much time passed there as it has here, it'll be hard to explain all the things I went through as well as get back into the system. I'm pretty sure I'd qualify for counseling over Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"And if you could go back to that one moment when you lost everything?"

"I'm pretty sure it'd be the same deal, except my stress would seem out of nowhere." I then say, "The only way I could go back is by forgetting that all of this happened, but I don't regret the memories I made. I grew a lot because of my experiences here. I'd be losing a piece of myself, no matter how horrible everything I experienced could be. I don't want to forget all the wonderful people I met because I came here. It's . . ." My heart starts feeling a little warmer, a little lighter. ". . . like I lost a life, only to gain a new one."

I can still rebuild.

Mithos makes a small smile. ". . . I envy that a little. If I could go back to the moment I lost everything precious to me and make sure things didn't go to where I lost what I value most, I would want to forget everything that happened. All the pain, and the loneliness . . ." He trails off as he continues to stare off into the sunrise. Several moments pass in silence before Mithos sighs and lets himself close his eyes again. I watch him for a moment before letting myself rest a little longer.

Time goes on and the sun rises a little more. I hear a door open and I crack my eyes open. Zelos stands just a little ways away from the coffee table as he glances between Mithos and me and around our surroundings. He goes back into his room and comes back with his sketchbook and a pencil. He pulls up a chair and settles himself in it as he sketches the scene.

I can't help but smirk.

"Stop smirking."

"Heheheh . . ."

"Stop it."

I start chuckling just as Zelos gets up and smacks me over the head with his sketchbook. "Give an artist a break," he scolds before going back to his seat.

I get myself under control and stare off into space. Then, however, I notice that Mithos looks a little too still. I can't tell if his shallow breathing is real or just a trick of my mind. I go, "Mithos?"

Mithos opens his eyes.

I shake my head (ignoring Zelos' resulting complaining). "Never mind. Sorry."

He closes his eyes again.

As the morning goes on, Regal comes into the common room and sits down at the coffee table with a teacup and teapot, the tea towel that Colette made him draped over the tea towel. Zelos frowns at the new arrangement but then takes in the scene and makes some adjustments to his drawing. Then Raine comes in with a book. Sheena comes in after that and joins Regal's side.

Regal passes a cup to the ninja. "Tea?"

"Oh, yes please."

Regal leans over towards me. "Kelsey? Would you like some tea?"

I mumble, "In a moment . . ."

Presea comes next as she pulls up a stool and watches Regal and Sheena interact. Then Lloyd and Genis come in with a pot of coffee and several empty mugs that they pass around to anyone who wants one. Lastly, Colette comes in and sits next to Lloyd.

"Iced coffee, or hot?" Lloyd asks.

Colette smiles. "I think I want some iced coffee."

Each time someone comes in, Zelos takes in the new arrangement and makes adjustments with his drawing. Every now and then, he makes his presence known and bullies everyone into staying in their spot until he's done sketching.

Finally, when I start waking up and accept Regal's offer for tea, Zelos finishes his drawing and shows it off to us. "Ta-da! I'm done! You can move around now."

Genis immediately gets up and stretches his legs. "Ugh! Finally!"

Colette chirps, "That's a wonderful drawing, Zelos!"

Raine closes her book and goes to put it away.

Regal starts putting away his tea set. "It really is nice, Zelos."

Lloyd takes a look at it as he stretches his legs out and comments, "It's great, but it's missing _you._"

Zelos gawks at Lloyd before grinning with slight embarrassment.

Genis asks, "So what's the plan?"

Lloyd says, "I think we're splitting up. Sheena needs to go to Mizuho to confront Kuchinawa while we need the zircon from Sybak. Some of us can go support Sheena while the rest of us go to Sybak and then we can meet up again at Zelos' place."

Sheena stares at Lloyd with wide eyes. "Lloyd . . ." she says. "You don't have to do that. Colette's health comes first. We can do this after she's better."

"We will end up cutting our time by splitting up," Lloyd states. "Besides, if you don't hurry, Kuchinawa will destroy Corrine's memento."

Colette immediately says, "I'm going with Sheena. I want to support her during this time."

Genis says, "I want to go with Sheena, too."

Raine pauses before stating, "That means we will be separated. I am going to retrieve the zircon."

Genis looks over at his sister with wide eyes. "Raine . . ."

Mithos pushes himself up and assures Genis, "Then I'll go with Raine. I'll make sure nothing happens to her."

Genis smiles at his friend and mouths "thank you" at him.

I announce, "I'm going with the group going for the zircon. If I even spot Kuchinawa, I may go berserk."

Sheena teases, "Yeah, I don't need you beating the crap out of him before I get the chance."

Presea says, "I believe I will go with Sheena."

Then Lloyd adds, "I think I'll go with Sheena, too."

Regal comments, "In that case, I will have to go to Sybak."

"I'm definitely going to Sybak," Zelos states with a smirk. "I want the chance to see those assholes in Sybak quake at the sight of me after they almost got me executed, especially since that Spiritua's return rumor should've gotten to them by now."

Colette glances away in embarrassment.

Presea goes, "So this is . . . goodbye for now?"

"It's not gonna be too long," I remind. "If anything, we'll be separated for however long it takes for Kuchinawa to get to Mizuho."

Then Colette suggests, "How about we get souvenirs to commemorate this day?"

I smirk. "Like the bunch of stupid tourists that we are."

Zelos shrugs. "I'm fine with what I have."

Genis looks over. "The _flamboyant rich guy_ said that?"

"Shut up, twerp."

Regal smiles and says, "I can show you the better souvenir shops Altamira has."

"This city is a complete tourist trap." Then I add, "I might as well look around, anyway. Won't hurt to sightsee."

Genis goes, "I'll certainly go!"

Raine thinks over the offer and says, "I might find something noteworthy."

Sheena responds, "Meh. I'm good."

Lloyd says, "I'll go even if I don't buy something."

Presea glances around the group. "I . . . don't really need anything."

Genis looks over at Mithos and asks, "Are you coming, Mithos?"

Mithos cracks his eyes open before saying, "I think I will stay here. I'm still a little tired."

"Okay."

With the exception of Sheena, Presea, Zelos, and Mithos, we all go out and explore Altamira a little more. Although certainly not as crowded at noon, several people take advantage of the cool morning temperatures to go to the beach and run about the place. Regal guides us to different souvenir shops with bargains within our respective budgets. Even though most of the time we didn't get anything, I still enjoyed looking at the different products they had for sale. After looking at enough things, Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and I made an informal contest on showing off either the neatest thing we found or the most obnoxious souvenir. Some of the things we found look as though they belong in a Spenser's shop with all those weird gag toys like the old singing bass wall ornament Spenser's sold.

If we bought anything, we mainly bought drinks. Lloyd and Raine stuck with water while Colette got a fruit drink and Genis and I got sodas, his in a cup with ice and mine in a glass bottle. I watch Lloyd chat with Colette as Colette shows him some pretty flowers she found at a stand. I glance back at Genis and hold out my hand to him. "Hey. Hey. Gimme an ice cube."

Genis raises an eyebrow at me. ". . . Why?"

"Just gimme an ice cube."

Genis fishes out an ice cube and hands it over. I walk up to Lloyd and slip the ice cube down the back of his jacket.

Lloyd jumps and claws into his jacket. When he pulls the ice cube out, he gives me a flat look. I simply chuckle at him. Then Lloyd suddenly drops the ice cube down my shirt.

I squeal from the cold as it runs down my shirt and fish it out. "Hey that's not fair! Guys aren't supposed to do that to girls!"

The issue is quickly dismissed as soon as the ice cube is gone. We go through more shops and, eventually, some of us find something we like. Colette got an embroidery pattern (the range of items that Altamira sells is amazing if you look hard enough), Raine got a new book, and Genis found a cookbook with new recipes he wanted to try out. Lloyd and Regal didn't get anything for themselves.

I, however, didn't find anything until the last shop.

As Lloyd and Genis leave, I take another moment to look around the shop. The row of dolls at the back catch my eye and I examine each one of them. However, I find one that just holds my attention. A little cat doll with round ears, a pale tan coat, and a white belly gives me a sense of nostalgia as it reminds me of a lion cub. I doubt that lions exist in this world, so the resemblance between this doll and a lion cub must be purely accidental.

Still, I can't help but choke up a little before heading right to the register. While priced cheaply, the doll itself reminds me of precious memories from home. Before walking out of the shop, I tuck the doll into my bag and glance around to make sure no one I know saw what I just purchased. As I go rejoin the group, I quietly hum the opening theme to The Lion King.

* * *

Please review.


	81. Various Things that Just Waste Our Time

Welp, an experimental chapter. You know what that means~ This chapter will either be successful or complete crap!

* * *

Chapter Eighty-One: Various Things that Just Waste Our Time

"I gave your rheairds full charge so they should last for a while," Sheena informs us. "But since I won't be in your group, you can run out of fuel. Keep flying at a minimum."

We all stand on opposite ends of each other, one half of the group facing the other. In one half, there are Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Presea, and Sheena leaving for Mizuho to finish the issues concerning Kuchinawa. With the other group, there are Raine, Regal, Zelos, Mithos and I, leaving for Sybak in order to obtain zircon. None of us are really happy with the arrangement, but this saves us precious time that would've been wasted if we stayed as a group.

Raine assures Sheena, "We will be careful. Meet us at Meltokio when you finish your business in Mizuho."

"We will be back soon, Sis," Genis replies.

"Sheena," Zelos adds, his expression serious for once, "don't let him get the upper hand." Then, as quickly as he got serious, he smiles at the ninja. "I'd hate to see you lose to a prick like him just because you got soft."

While Sheena hits Zelos, I tell the other group, "Watch out for Maverick. He's after Sheena and a hostage, remember?"

"I'll remember," Sheena says. Then she turns to Zelos whom she has bent over under her iron grip. "Do I _look_ soft to you?"

Zelos peers up from under Sheena's arm and smirks at her breasts. "You certainly look _plush._"

A harsh smack sends Zelos to the ground.

We all say our goodbyes with Colette taking extra time to hug each of us. The group separates with Sheena's group heading north and my group heads east. Glancing over my shoulder and watching the other half of our group makes a knot in my stomach. It feels wrong to watch them leave. This isn't the first time we split up like this, but this still feels wrong. Sheena's going off to a duel that will be an important moment in her life and the half I'm with is going to go find another part of the cure to keep Colette alive.

We should all be there for Sheena.

We should all collect the items for Colette's cure together.

Then again, time constraints, and psycho mass murdering ninjas who don't give a rat's ass about anyone but themselves.

Some time later, we land outside Sybak and enter the city. I can't help but glance at every guard and at first I feel silly about this. Then I spot Raine eyeing nearby guards warily. Good to know that I'm not the only one feeling jumpy in this area.

Zelos tells us, "We'll just go in, grab some leftover zircon, and leave. This won't take long."

"You just jinxed it," I remark.

"The most time-consuming thing should be flying back and forth and waiting on the King to give his seal for entering Heimdall—_if_ he does give his seal."

"Like I said, you just jinxed it."

Upon entering the university, the receptionist in the lobby immediately gets flustered at the very sight of us and rushes over to meet with Zelos. He (the receptionist, that is) says, "Ch-Chosen One! Is there anything we can do for you? I assure you that we are all faithful followers of the will of Martel and the Chosen!"

Zelos smiles at the man. "I'm sure you are. I came here in hopes that you may help me."

"Of course! Anything for you, Chosen One!"

"I'm in need of zircon and I'm pressed for time, otherwise I would just order some myself. I was led to believe that this establishment received a shipment of zircon recently. If it is true, is it possible that I may have a small amount? I will gladly pay for it."

"You don't need to pay for it! In fact, I can lead you to the team that's using it! I'm sure they have some to spare!" The receptionist leads Zelos and the rest of us to the second floor. Zelos looks back at us and winks. I just roll my eyes.

The receptionist stops at a specific door and lets us in. "Dana! The Chosen One has requested your assistance."

As soon as Zelos steps into the room, his smile is wiped off his face. ". . . Dana?"

"You!" snaps a woman's voice from the room. "I told you not to show your face to me ever again!"

As the rest of us move to see around Zelos, the Chosen says, "Now, now, I have an important reason to show up again—"

"Five seconds to tell me! One!"

"I have a friend—"

"Two!"

"—who will die—"

"Three!"

"—without the zircon."

I finally get a view of the person yelling at Zelos, I spot a tall, blonde woman with angular facial features with small glasses perched on a straight nose. With her arms crossed, she glares fiercely at Zelos with a look that would make me want to hide under a rock. A glance around the room she's in shows three other teammates staring at the spectacle in bafflement. Obviously no one's going to stop the two.

Dana raises an eyebrow in a sarcastic arch. "Oh, really?" she goes. "Your 'friend' will just die without my team's zircon?"

"Yes."

She sighs with an exaggerated saddened tone, "Oh such drama in your life! I don't know how you manage to live through each and every day!"

"I'm being serious, Dana."

"I'm sure you are."

Raine pushes Zelos aside and approaches Dana. "Excuse him, if you please. I—" She falters for a moment when she senses the presence of one of the team members, but she quickly dismisses the man in favor of the issue at hand. "My name is Raine Sage—"

Dana gives her a flat stare. "Are you his new squeeze?"

"Absolutely not. Please, let me explain the situation . . ."

As Raine goes on, I look over to the man whom Raine glanced at and realize that this man is an elf. His angular and delicate features, along with his dark violet hair and his pointed ears, all give him away. His expression grows more sympathetic as Raine goes on, but he is the only one who shares such sentiments among his colleagues.

"There's one problem with your story," Dana says. "For one, I have never heard of this Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium! It sounds like one of those made-up diseases used in frauds!"

"Actually," the elf mentions, "Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium is a real disease, albeit very rare."

"How rare?"

"I have only heard of one person becoming infected."

"How long ago?"

"Its age does not negate its existence."

"In other words, very old." Dana turns back to Raine as the elf heaves a frustrated sigh. "Second, Zelos only does something for someone else if it benefits him."

Zelos snaps, "That's not true and you know it!"

"Then why did you start a relationship with me? Easy access to all my notes during our education at the university here! I had to rework several projects because you ripped all my ideas off! My stolen notes are the reason you passed chemistry!"

The elf walks up and taps on Dana's shoulder. Before she snaps at him too, the elf says, "These people are in need of zircon and it is possible that we can provide what we can spare. The university paid for the zircon and providing spare zircon will not hurt our efforts. We can at least see if we have any to offer."

Dana scowls at the elf before snorting at empty space and turning to the zircon on the table. "Yeah, I can at least do that. Let's see . . ." She holds up a gray crystal in one hand and a vial of this pale brown powder stuff in the other hand, glancing between them with exaggerated consideration. "I need this in order to see if my experiment will work if it needs zircon in a crystal structure, and I need this in order to see if my experiment will work if it needs zircon in grains. I'm so sorry, Chosen One; it looks like I have none to spare. You may go now."

Raine starts marching towards her. "Wait just one moment—"

Zelos grabs Raine's shoulder as he says, "Stop. Nothing else we can say will change her mind at this point. All we can do now is just leave."

After that, we all leave in disappointment. We reach the main area of the square before we stop to talk among ourselves. Each of us bears an expression showing various levels of stress.

"That was certainly helpful," Mithos bites. "Shame your philandering came back to haunt us all, Zelos."

"Hey, don't get on my case," Zelos snaps back but doesn't meet Mithos' eyes. "She was the one being a heartless bitch, not me."

"Now we have two options," Raine says. "We can order zircon ourselves and check to see if the King has approved of our entry into Heimdall, or Zelos can apologize for his previous behavior and persuade Dana to give us some of the zircon."

"Why should _I_ apologize?" Zelos demands. "What's going on here has _nothing_ to do with my failed relationship with Dana!"

I comment, "No, but kissing up a little might help. It's just your pride, after all. We've all had that moment where we feel like the lowest scum on the planet."

"You might not have to do that."

We all turn to find the elf from Dana's team joining our side. He tells us, "The zircon is just as much mine to give as it is Dana's. Our experiment will not harm or change its properties and will be perfectly usable after a mana wipe. After our experiment is done, you can be free to use the zircon in any way you want."

Zelos states, "Dana won't be happy with that."

"If going behind her back to give you the zircon will preserve a life then so be it."

Mithos scowls at the elf. "You want to save a human life and yet you work for a facility that enslaves half-elves. I suppose you don't care about them? Their lives aren't important?"

The elf crosses his arms. "I wasn't aware that I needed to report my actions concerning the slavery in Sybak to a complete stranger."

"In any case," Raine interrupts, "we will be more than happy to take the zircon. Thank you."

"My name is Aegir," says the elf, "and once the experiment is done, I will meet you at a café across from the main archives. The experiment is scheduled to start at around two."

With that, Aegir leaves. We glance at each other before Regal notes, "This certainly turned out for the better."

I glance up at the nearby clock tower. ". . . It's an hour till two. We should head over there and wait."

As Aegir said, there certainly is a little café across the street from the main archives building. We gather around at a table as a waitress hands us a couple menus for us to look over. I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow at the fudge cake slice in the deserts' section. The price, though . . .

Zelos notes my slight scowl and tells me, "I can cover whatever you want—and this extends to both you and Raine."

Oh in that case . . . "Then I want the fudge chocolate cake. I'll get my own tea, but you can cover the cake."

Mithos raises his eyebrow. "What about Regal and me?"

"Regal has the money to get his own food," Zelos comments.

Raine dryly informs, "I can pay for my own meal."

"Screw that mentality," I comment, "I'm getting free cake!"

"Who said anything about _free_?" Zelos replies. "I only said that I was paying for it."

Regal assures me, "Don't worry, Kelsey. I will pay for the cake without any charge on you."

I smile at the older man. "I love you, Regal. You're just so awesome."

Zelos sighs, "I'm just not having any luck today."

"Escuse me . . ." We look off to the side to find a filthy little boy dressed in raggedy cloths. He sheepishly asks, "Have you seen my mom?"

Zelos gags and carps, "Goddess, you smell horrible! When was the last time you had a bath?"

Raine reaches over and smacks Zelos. She turns to the boy. "I'm not sure. What does she look like?"

"She's tall and gots brown hair and wears a brown dress," the boy tells us. "She's looki'g fohr a job but she's been gone fohr a long time."

Regal asks, "Is there anyone else to look after you? Your father or another relative perhaps?"

"Dad's gone. Mom sed he went tuh see Martel. He's hasn't come home since."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Zelos says. "Good luck finding your mom."

I raise my eyebrow at Zelos. ". . . You serious? The kid has no one to look after him and make sure he's safe."

Zelos gives me a look of disbelief. ". . . Oh no. No no no no. No. It's not our job to watch over some random kid."

Raine stands up and walks around the table. She kneels down at the boy's eye level and tells him, "Why don't we look for your mother. I'm sure we can find her if we ask around together."

The boy gawks at her. "You'd do tha' fohr me? Thankah, lady!"

Regal gets up from the table as he says, "We can find her sooner if you have more people to help you. Kelsey? Mithos?"

I get up from the table. "It won't hurt to ask around."

Mithos just smiles and says, "Someone should make sure the food gets here. Besides . . ." He turns his smile towards Zelos. "I think Zelos would be lonely by himself. Right?"

The edge of Zelos' mouth twitches. ". . . Yeah, sure. Right." Zelos waves at us in a jerky manner. "The rest of you go on. We'll be here."

I glance between Zelos and Mithos before dismissing Zelos' confusing manners and turning away. The rest of us move away from the table and, at first, we stay as a group as we ask around for the kid's mother. With everyone's backs turned from me, I tuck the collar of my shirt over my nose so I smell my own scent instead of the kid's. As terrible as my behavior is, Zelos wasn't exaggerating when he said that the kid smelled.

The first person we ask is a university student who cringes away as soon as the boy's hideous smell hits him. "That kid's from the Meltokio slums? Keep him away; I don't want him getting my uniform dirty."

"I don' wanna touch you!" the kid snaps.

Raine says, "We are just looking for his mother."

"I haven't seen anyone like her," the student informs.

Regal comments, "We haven't even given you a description."

"It doesn't matter what her hair color or her height are. Lower class people stand out in Sybak. Now get him away from me! He smells!"

I drop my shirt collar as soon as I see the others turn away from the student in a huff. We go to a few others and got the same reaction to the boy, the same answer to our question, and the same banishment. After talking to five others, we gather at the front of the archives. By this point, I had gotten used to the kid's smell.

Raine sighs and says, "We should split up. I shall take him with me and you two will go in other directions. Meet me here in an hour or when you find her."

"Yes, Professor."

"Of course, Raine."

While Raine pulls the kid off into another direction, Regal and I head off closer to the university. Then we split up with Regal heading right for the university while I go off to the student bazaar. I stop by a merchant selling basic student supplies and ask him if he's seen the little boy's mother.

The merchant grimaces as he says, "A poor woman? From the Meltokio slums, I'm guessing. I haven't seen the likes of her. If I have, I'd have reported her in case she grabbed something."

"Thanks, anyway," I blandly reply and move on. Bastard. Not like this isn't a public area, anyway.

The next person I stop is a professor deep inside the bazaar. I tap on her shoulder and say, "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm looking for a woman with brown hair, about your height, and has rather, uh, meager means. She lost her son and I need to find her."

The professor crumples her nose. "A poor woman? Does she have permission to be here?"

"I don't know the details. I'm just looking for her."

The woman sniffs at me. "You may want a bath. The child's smell stuck on you."

I resist the urge to smell my shirt until the professor is out of sight. Then I press my nose against my shoulder and sniff. It's not the kid's smell—just some dirt from traveling a bit.

. . . Still, I should probably scrub myself down tonight now that I'm feeling self-conscious . . .

The rest of my search goes on with me keeping a relative distance between people and feeling rather hesitant to talk to others. When I'm not asking about the boy's mother (no luck finding her yet), I'm picking apart my appearance. My hair needs a good trim, I should get a new set of clothes, my hair feels greasy, I need to get my boots cleaned, and, yes, I do smell. An hour goes by and all I've ever gotten were snippy remarks about the mother's social status.

After glancing at the clock, I sigh, "Return empty-handed, I must." Yoda, I am.

I return to the café where Zelos and Mithos wait for us. Raine and Regal haven't returned from their search and the food has arrived. I sit down at the table and sip at my tea.

I ask, "Know where my cake is? It should be here by now."

Mithos goes, "Ask Zelos."

I look down at the fudge cake Zelos is eating. I flatly say, ". . . Is that what I think it could be?"

Zelos cuts off another piece with his fork and holds the piece up towards me. He winks at me. "It could be, if you want to share, that is."

I grab the plate and pull it towards me.

Zelos eats the piece and pulls the plate back. "Hey, I paid for this, remember? You were gone for an hour, anyway."

Fine, whatever. I wordlessly pull out my moneybag and count out my coins. "Fine. How much are they?"

Noting my tone, Zelos asks, "Something bugging you? I don't imagine that people around here were polite about the kid."

I drop a number of coins as I huff, "They were all pretty rude about it. I mean, yeah, the kid smells horrible. So what? We were walking around in a public area!"

"That doesn't matter to them," Mithos says. "This is a fine institution and people they don't deem worthy shouldn't enter Sybak at all."

"That's pretty much it," Zelos replies.

I pull my hair back as I glance around for Raine or Regal. "We ended up splitting up to cover more ground. Hopefully they'll find her soon."

"Are you okay?" Zelos asks. "You're fidgeting with your hair like a neat freak."

I push all my hair behind my back and mutter, "I'm fine . . ."

"I'm guessing you're not used to this sort of discrimination."

"And you are?"

"Lower classes have quite a bit of scorn for aristocrats."

I snort. ". . . No, I'm not used to classism. I wasn't born in some integration between different classes and there wasn't much wealth to accumulate in Sylvarant; the Desians kept taking it all."

Zelos smiles at me and says, "You poor country bumpkin."

"I swear I'll smack you like Sheena does if you go further with that description."

Mithos looks away from the two of us, bored out of his mind if I'm judging his expression correctly, and suddenly stands up from the table. "Look over there."

I look over to find Raine and Regal being literally pushed around by a couple guards and the boy being dragged along with him. Zelos and I immediately get up from our seats and the three of us hurry over. Mithos gets in front of the group to Raine and Regal and asks, "What happened?"

"Get out of the way, brat," one of the three guards snaps. "These people are guilty of disturbing the peace."

Mithos' face turns flat as he goes, "How? Did they enter areas barred from the public?"

"Fortunately for them, none of the such so they just get escorted out of Sybak," another guard answers. "They were, however, dragging around a slum child and disturbing the students and faculty with his smell and rude manners!"

"So kids are rude," I remark. "Is it suddenly a crime?"

Zelos starts scowling and crosses his arms as he listens.

The first guard then says, "Slum kids aren't supposed to be here! We'll find his mother, alright, and arrest her for accosting the staff!"

"You don't even know what she's doing or where she is and you are already making such accusations!" Mithos snaps.

Raine wearily says, "We have already been through this. They won't listen."

Then the last guard, the one with the boy trapped in his grasp, adds, "Besides, there was a shop just down there that had food stolen from them. We're pretty sure this brat is responsible!"

The boy cries out, "I didn't do it! I was here bufohre they started helpi'g me look fohr my mom!"

The guard smacks the kid across the face. "Shut up, brat!"

Zelos shouts, "Augh! Don't make Tethe'alla's legal system look worse than it already does! Let them all go!"

One of the guards snaps, "How dare you talk to us like that! You may be a noble but we will arrest you too if you cause trouble!"

Zelos yanks out a smooth gem from a secure pocket and flashes it at the guards. "Shut up! Don't you recognize this?"

"Th-the Jewel of the Chosen!"

"Just who the hell do you think I am?" Zelos snaps. "I am Zelos Wilder, Chosen of Mana of the noble Mana Lineage! Get back!"

The first guard releases Raine in order to bow. "Ah . . . I . . . Our most humblest apologies for not recognizing you and for our indiscretions."

Zelos turns to the boy. "Kid. You haven't done anything, right?"

The boy gawks at Zelos before shaking his head. "I've done nothing!"

Zelos turns to the guards. "You heard him. This child is lost. Release my companions and find his mother, now!"

The guards immediately release Raine and Regal and hurry away. Raine rubs her wrists before saying, "Thank you, Zelos. I must say that I didn't expect that from you."

Zelos shrugs. "I don't like flashing the Jewel of the Chosen around often, but I decided to bring it with me from home in case it became useful."

". . . You're the Chosen?" the boy goes.

Zelos looks down at the boy and replies, "Yup."

The boy scowls at the ground. ". . . It's because you aren' doi'g your job that the Church won' help poor people."

Zelos regards the kid for a moment before nonchalantly saying, "You're right."

The kid gains the courage to look at the Chosen right in the eye and snap, "If you think so, then do something!"

Then Zelos says, "Don't just rely on other people to do stuff for you. If you don't like being poor, then work."

I take in a slow gasp. _He did not just say that._

Raine's voice turns cool as she says, "How could you say something like that?"

Zelos goes, "Then what? I should tell the Church to give enough charity so the poor won't have trouble living? That's not fair to the people who work hard."

I take a step forward, ready to outright slap him, but Mithos grabs hold of me. "Don't ruin his image in front of the kid," Mithos whispers to me. "Wait until later."

The child falters in determination as he's confronted by questions he's yet to answer. "We . . . can' even find a place to wurk," the boy says. "Tha's why Mom has to keep goi'g from place to place . . ."

"Then, what can you do?"

The boy gawks at him. "Wha? I-I'm a kid, so . . ."

"Don't use that as an excuse," Zelos says. "There are jobs that children can do. Don't talk like you know everything until you've done what you can do."

Mithos glances up at me and notes my emotional state. He motions towards Raine and Regal and explains what he's about to do before pulling me away from the group. My rage continues simmering under the surface, adding more fuel to the fire as I go over everything wrong with what Zelos said, and it lasts even when we're outside of Sybak and out of range of sight.

Mithos lets go of me before raising a pillar of earth Zelos' height. He motions towards it as he says, "Here's a target. Start killing it."

I pull out my spear and start beating the pillar with all my strength.

"_AUGH!_ GOD _DAMN_ IT, ZELOS WILDER! YOU IDIOT! _CHECK! YOUR! PRIVILEGE!_ HOW _DARE_ YOU LECTURE ABOUT FINDING A JOB AND MAKING ENDS MEET WHEN YOU'VE BEEN LIVING IN LUXURY EVER SINCE YOU WERE BORN! THEN YOU SPOUT SOME OF THE MOST CLASSIST SHIT I'VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING WHAT YOU'RE SAYING! FINE! SURE! ADVERTISE THE BOOTSTRAPS APPROACH! SURE DOES A _LOT_ OF GOOD IN TETHE'ALLA'S RIGID CASTE SYSTEM! AND WHAT CAN YOU OR THE CHURCH DO ABOUT THE POVERTY SITUATION? WHY NOT PUT IN RUNNING WATER SO THEY CAN AT LEAST TAKE BATHS OR BOIL THEIR WATER? THAT MIGHT HELP!"

With my breath finally gone out, I walk away from the thoroughly destroyed dirt pillar and stop at Mithos' side. Mithos asks, "Feel better?"

I nod.

"Zelos didn't really know what it's like to financially struggle, and, judging from here, he hasn't learned what it's like during his time as a wanted criminal." Mithos smiles sympathetically. "To be honest, I wanted to pound him to the ground myself."

"Hope he looked pretty good to that kid and inspired him to become a happy, hardworking member of society," I comment with a weak voice, "cause he sure hasn't earned any karma points from me . . ."

Mithos pats me on the shoulder and heads back to Sybak's city entrance. "Let's return to the others."

When we return, Raine waits for us right where the scene with the boy was. Zelos and Regal, however, are nowhere to be seen. Raine smiles when she sees us and approaches us. "Have you properly vented your anger?" she asks.

I comment, "If I do that again, I may lose my voice . . ."

"They found the mother, and you may be pleased to hear that Zelos hired her as a maid."

"Nice to know that he said all that stuff completely oblivious to the implications he's making."

"It may also please you to know that Aegir returned to tell us that the experiment will soon commence and to meet him in the lobby for further details. Regal and Zelos went on ahead."

"Yeah let's focus on getting the zircon," I then say just before we head over.

We rejoin Regal and Zelos at the lobby of the main university building and take our seats. I sit down furthest from the group in order to stare out at the neat decorations around the spacious room. The others converse among each other to pass the time.

"I wonder how the others are right now," Mithos comments.

"They should have reached Mizuho by now," Regal states.

"Undoubtedly." Raine says, "Sheena is most likely preparing for her duel with Kuchinawa."

"I can't be the only one uncomfortable with the thought of Sheena stuck in a duel with someone who wants to kill her," Zelos goes.

Raine sighs, "No, you're not the only one. Most of us aren't comfortable with this at all."

"It seems like suicide to me," Mithos says. "Considering all he has done, I wouldn't be surprised if Kuchinawa rigged the duel in his favor."

Regal shakes his head. "I doubt that Kuchinawa's pride would allow him to do such a thing."

Zelos goes, "Uh, hello? The Otherworldly Gate? Altamira? Releasing the Pope from prison?"

"As long as Mizuho supervises the duel, I see no reason to be concerned for Sheena's life," Raine states.

"_Thief! The zircon! Catch him!_"

A young man with light brown hair races down the stairs. We all bolt from our seats and race around to block his path. Regal blocks the front door while Zelos and Raine stand at the foot of the stairs while Mithos and I keep off to the sides in case he gets through. The man bolts through Zelos and Raine but doesn't manage to get far before the two tackle him to the ground. Raine bends the man's arm around his back and pins him to the ground.

Dana and Aegir come down the stairs and cover any sides that Regal, Mithos, and I don't block upon our approach. Dana looks down at Raine in surprise before saying, "This guy stole the powder zircon. The vial should be somewhere on his person."

Zelos searches the thief while Raine keeps him pinned. The Chosen finds the vial and hands it back to Dana. "Here," he says. "This should be it."

Dana watches Zelos for a moment before saying, ". . . Thank you."

Aegir kneels down at the thief's side and says, "Ryne, what did you hope to accomplish with that?"

"Ryne?" Dana turns back to the thief. "Bernard Ryne!"

"Who?" Zelos goes.

"Bernard and Gunnar Ryne are brothers working on a different experiment," Dana explains. "I don't know what that experiment is but I do know that they didn't get approval from the university so their experiment will be entirely out of their own pocket."

"Why steal zircon?" I ask.

"Zircon is an expensive magical catalyst," Aegir answers. "It's heavily regulated due to its magical properties."

I glance between Zelos and Regal as I take in that information. Heavily regulated, huh? Explains why we're mooching off of other people instead of ordering some ourselves (even though these two have enough power to get as much as they want).

. . . Hey, wait . . .

I look up and go, "Zelos? Regal? I have a question."

"Dana! Aegir!" A university student in a lab coat rushes down the stairs as he shouts, "The rest of the zircon was stolen! That guy was a distraction!"

"What?" Dana turns back to Bernard. "You were a distraction while Gunnar got the zircon you needed, right? You guys are predictable!"

Bernard snaps, "Not predictable enough for you to see us coming!"

Zelos steps away from the group as he says, "I'll call security."

Bernard jumps up to his feet and throws himself at Zelos. The Chosen simply steps aside and trips the man. Security finally arrives on scene to check out the commotion and restrains Bernard upon witnessing the feeble attack. As Bernard is carried away, the thief spats, "What makes _your_ experiment so important? How did you get approval for testing out some _elf spell?_"

Zelos raises an eyebrow and turns to Dana. "What is he talking about?" Zelos asks.

Dana states, "My team is part of a larger group investigating on if normal humans—emphasis on 'normal'—can use magic and, if so, what subdivisions of magic are humans capable of performing. Our current project is a future sight spell from elven lore. That's why Aegir is here."

"My biggest contribution is simply research and tracking mana levels," Aegir sheepishly adds. "No one from Heimdall really performed this specific spell due to the out-of-the-way resources it requires . . ."

"Don't be so modest," Dana tells him. "Without you, we wouldn't have gotten so far." Then Dana returns to the subject matter. "Anyway, we need to find Gunnar before he spends the zircon. It turns out that he took the one piece of zircon that I need for the spell to work. Chosen One, I thank you and your companions for stopping Bernard, so you may leave the rest to us."

Zelos snorts at this and crosses his arms. "Now that I'm involved, I won't let some thug ruin your project. Count me in the search."

"You . . . really don't have to bother, Chosen One," Dana says with a frown.

"Nonsense! Pretty girls like you deserve success in their lives!" Zelos waves at the rest of our group. "You guys can wait at the inn while I take care of this."

Dana dryly asks, "If the pretty girls deserve success, then what about others?"

"They deserve success in their lives, too," Zelos casually adds.

Regal says, "I will help as well. The sooner Gunnar Ryne is found, the sooner Dana and Aegir's team can complete their research."

"Aegir," Raine goes, "I have some questions for you concerning Heimdall. Mind if I search alongside you?"

Aegir looks over at Raine and nods. "I don't mind at all. I will answer whatever I can."

Mithos and I exchange glances before Mithos goes, "Let's help out, too. If we go now, the other brother won't get too far."

I sigh, "I just have to wonder . . . why don't we just order some zircon ourselves? It's not like we aren't taking up an unnecessary amount of time, anyway."

* * *

Things could not get any worse for Orochi on a personal level.

To begin with, he now has a new apprentice in the form of the teenage Ozette survivor who clung to Orochi and Sheena every time the two appeared. While the teenage boy has fully embraced with becoming a new member of Mizuho and works hard to catch up in terms of training, the boy, now named Torao under Mizuho tradition, shows certain anxiety-related problems.

Torao generally avoids the others from Ozette and refuses to go anywhere close to Ozette, his sleep patterns are erratic to sometimes nonexistent, and his emotions tended to swing from passionate to subdued. The teen's case isn't the first Mizuho had, but this is the first that Orochi has to deal with on such a large basis. As much as Orochi tries to help, he felt swamped at times, especially in moments such as when one of the Ozette children cried for Torao's presence due to separation anxiety or when Torao's sleep was disturbed by nightmares.

Then there were the accounts of the leaked Mizuho secret techniques. The Papal Knights as well as the Pope proved that they learned them in some manner by using those same techniques to disappear from the King. While Mizuho could track the Pope to the Gaoracchia Forest, they have yet to identify his specific location due to the techniques the Pope learned. Now the village ninjas have to search for every possible person who knows the secrets and prevent any more leaks and the current leaks from spreading—not an easy task in the least. Most of Orochi's missions nowadays consist of stopping the leaks from spreading, and the reminders of Mizuho's vulnerability due to the single source of the leaks is absolutely distressing to Orochi.

Lastly, there is Kuchinawa.

What else could be said? Cold-blooded murder, conspiracy against the village, and freeing a prisoner guilty of attempted regicide could place a noose on Kuchinawa if Tethe'alla got ahold of him. So many feelings swirled in Orochi's heart. Confusion, anger, fear, and grief, just to name a few. One question, though, remained prominent within the chaos: Why?

It didn't matter what followed the word "why;" the question still needed to be answered. Why? Why did Kuchinawa kill those innocent civilians at Altamira? Why did Kuchinawa ally himself with the Pope? Why didn't Kuchinawa voice his concerns with the village upon Sheena's return? Why did Kuchinawa put the village at risk by allowing certain secrets to leak? Why, why, why?

Added to that, Sheena reports in with the most maddening piece of information since learning about the deaths at Kuchinawa's hands.

When Sheena returned to the village with only a select few members of her group, she went directly to Vice-Chief Tiga. Shortly after, Tiga summoned Orochi and sat him down next to him. Then Tiga requested Sheena to repeat the report.

Sheena's face was stoic as she states, "Kuchinawa-kun has challenged me to a duel on the Isle of Decisions."

Orochi frowns in confusion. "Why? Why has he challenged you?"

". . . He wishes for the chance to avenge the death of his parents."

Orochi stares at Sheena as he takes this in. ". . . What."

Tiga says, "And you have accepted this?"

"I believe that Kuchinawa-kun is correct. I am responsible for the deaths of Kuchinawa-kun and Orochi-san's parents."

Orochi immediately responds, "Sheena-ue, that is absolutely absurd! What happened was an accident! It was wrong to hold that grudge!"

Sheena's façade cracks as she fights a deep frown. "Just because it was an accident does not mean that I should not take responsibility for what happened."

Tiga says, "Sheena, you were nine years old. How could you restrain Volt's power during his rage?"

"I can restrain him now—"

"Now that you have a pact with him," Orochi interrupts. "Now that you are stronger and older than what you were as a _child_. Holding you responsible for what happened is a disgrace to my parents' sacrifice to keep you and the other survivors alive! If we follow this logic, every survivor will have to be challenged for vengeance!"

Sheena flinches at Orochi's words.

Tiga says, "If Chief Igaguri were awake, he would not allow this duel."

"I made a promise to Kuchinawa-kun that I would duel him."

"That is not your choice to make nor is it Kuchinawa's place to even request such a thing," Tiga coolly informs. "Kuchinawa has committed atrocious crimes against Tethe'alla and Mizuho. We can only punish him for the crimes he committed against Mizuho, but this is a responsibility we must take."

"And my word doesn't matter?" Sheena questions.

"Not in this case. The duel will not happen."

Sheena looks to Orochi and pleads, "Orochi-san . . ."

Orochi turns away. "I also do not support this duel."

"Orochi-san . . . He's your brother."

Orochi makes a slight cringe. ". . . That only makes the pain much worse . . ."

Tiga says, "Go back to your companions, Sheena. Your time here is wasted."

Sheena's façade completely breaks away as her face turns dejected and she leaves the tiny house. It isn't until Sheena is outside when Orochi breaks down and rubs his eyes with a grimace. Tiga turns to him and says, "Kuchinawa is likely to be exiled rather than executed. He will continue to live."

"If Tethe'alla catches hold of him, he won't . . . and there is nothing I can do about that . . ."

Outside, the rest of Sheena's companions wait for her and hurry to the ninja's side when they see her dejected expression. Lloyd asks her, "What happened? Did they . . . ?"

"They refuse to allow the duel to happen," Sheena says. "The village will take judgment into their own hands."

Genis' eyes pop wide. "Does that mean they're going to punish _you?_"

Sheena shakes her head. "No. They're going to punish Kuchinawa."

Genis sighs with relief. "Good."

"Genis!" Sheena bites.

"Really, at this point, I'm not very sympathetic with Kuchinawa," Genis says. "I mean, it's horrible what happened to his parents and that he's an orphan now, but that doesn't give him an excuse to do all the things he did."

"But will you be able to get Corrine's bell back?" Presea questions.

"Probably," Sheena replies. "Once the village watch catches him, they'll take away his equipment . . ."

"Will this solve anything, though?" Colette asks. "Neither Sheena nor Kuchinawa will get any peace if this isn't settled . . ."

"I don't have a say in what happens to Kuchinawa now," Sheena informs as she looks down to the ground. "It's for the village to decide."

"What about Tethe'alla?" Lloyd mentions. "Just because Kuchinawa gets punished here doesn't mean that Tethe'alla will just let go the murder of those innocent people in Altamira."

"I'm scared of that too!" Sheena grimaces. "I-if he gets arrested in Tethe'alla, he'll end up getting hanged! Mizuho doesn't have any power in Tethe'alla's court system! We can't protect him without adding more tension between our village and the Royal Family!"

Lloyd says, "If you feel that way then we can talk to Zelos and Regal about this. I don't know if they'll protect Kuchinawa from punishment, but I think they will keep Kuchinawa away from the noose, at least for your sake."

Sheena sighs. "Thank you, guys . . ."

Presea looks away from the group and looks around until she finds a familiar teenage boy headed for them. The teen approaches them but hesitates at the sight of Presea. He looks away from her and keeps his eyes on Sheena as he approaches. "Fujibayashi-ue! Long time no see!"

Sheena turns to the guy and goes, "Aren't you that guy who keeps hanging on Orochi-san?"

"Hahah! You remember me!" The young teen says, "Orochi-sensei took me in as his apprentice! I've been working hard to contribute to the village! It's tough, but I can do it!"

Sheena asks, "Did you get a public name?"

"Torao!"

"And your true name?"

Torao's smile falters. ". . . But I can't tell you that unless I marry you, Fujibayashi-ue."

Sheena manages a small smile as she says, "Good kid."

Presea says, "It's good to see you well, Torao. How was your training?"

Torao doesn't respond to Presea as he says, "Orochi-sensei's been under a lot of stress lately. I've been hearing bad things about his brother . . . Is . . . Is it true that he . . . he killed innocent people at Altamira? A-and that he . . . he purposely leaked Mizuho's secrets?"

Lloyd and Sheena glance between Torao and Presea. Sheena answers, ". . . Yes. It's . . . It's true."

Torao stares in shock. ". . . I . . . I don't understand . . . How could he betray his own village like that?"

Sheena gives Torao a stern look. "He wants justice for the death of his parents, Torao-kun."

"My parents died, too, and I'm not killing people because of it!" Torao suddenly snaps. He then hushes up and glances away. After turning back to Sheena, he bows low. "Forgive me for my outburst, Fujibayashi-ue. It's not my place to judge other members of the village."

Presea steps next to the boy and places her hand on his arm. "It's okay to be angry."

Without a glance towards Presea, Torao says, "I need to get back to training. I'm way behind other apprentices my age and, if I want to amount to anything, I need to keep working."

Sheena informs him, "You don't have to become a ninja. All you need is basic self-defense training."

"It's what I want, though." Torao bows again and dismisses himself.

Presea frowns as she watches Torao leave. Sheena notes this and says, "I could bring him back here if you want to speak to him."

Presea shakes her head. ". . . No. I have nothing to say."

The door to Tiga's home opens and Orochi comes out. He glances at each member of the group before telling all of them, "Chief Igaguri's home is open to you, if you wish to stay there."

"Thank you," Sheena says. "By the way, you may want to speak to your new apprentice. I think there are some underlying issues that need to be addressed."

Orochi raises an eyebrow. "Has he said or done something to offend you?"

"Not to me, no. I just think he needs someone to talk to." Sheena points in the direction Torao left. "He went that way."

"Thank you, Sheena-ue."

With that, Orochi hurries after his apprentice. After going a ways, he stops to look back for a moment and finds Sheena, Lloyd, and the others heading for Chief Igaguri's home. He turns away with a sigh. Torao's tracks lead Orochi to an out-of-the-way spot towards the back of Mizuho where Torao vigorously goes through each technique taught to him. Orochi approaches and, once making it to the apprentice, says, "Widen your stance and bend your knees."

Torao glances over before heeding Orochi's instructions.

After a few moments pass with Torao continuing his practice session, Orochi says, "Fujibayashi-ue told me that I may need to speak with you. What do I need to speak to you about?"

Torao pauses before turning to his master. He forces his gaze to meet Orochi's eyes. "I . . . I shouted at her, sensei."

Orochi keeps a leveled stare. "And what did you shout at our Chief's granddaughter about?"

This causes Torao to glance away.

"Look at me in the eye and tell me."

"I . . . I shouted at her a-about . . . about your brother. Fujibayashi-ue told me that Kuchinawa-san wants justice for the death of your and his parents."

"What did you say?"

"I . . . said that . . ."

"Spit it out."

"I-I said something wrong either way! I ought to be punished for my behavior—"

"Say it."

Torao grimaces before confessing, "I said . . . that my parents died too but I'm not killing people over it . . ."

Orochi sighs. This boy . . .

Torao bows low. "I'm sorry, sensei! What do I need to do to make up for this?"

Orochi lets a second by before he says, "First, fifty push-ups. Then report to Huyu-san and tell him that you are being punished for poor manners. He will put you to work."

". . . That's it?"

"Do you want more?"

"No, sir."

Orochi says, ". . . I know that my brother has caused a lot of pain. What Kuchinawa has done is apprehensible and inexcusable. In comparison to others such as you, Kuchinawa's strength of heart _is_ inferior. However, I ask you not to speak openly in such terms concerning my brother. The shame that my family name has now in the eyes of the village is enough. I need you to help me through this pain."

Torao stares at his master in confusion. ". . . I don't understand that either, sensei. Shame on your family name? As in the other villagers are shaming you for what your brother has done?"

"Yes, Torao. Kuchinawa and I are family; therefor, his actions reflect upon me."

"But you didn't do anything wrong. You're still a good person even if your brother has done something wrong."

Orochi glances away before turning back to his apprentice. ". . . Thank you." Then he adds, "However, even if your heart is in the right place, you are still being punished for speaking crudely to and of your superiors. Fifty push-ups right now and then report to Huyu-san."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

I turn down a new hallway and search through different rooms, looking into little door windows to see if there's a class going on before barging in. While I search a classroom towards the middle of the hallway, footsteps come rushing down the hall and stop before me as I'm just stepping out of the room. Regal stands before me, catching his breath for a second, and says, "We found him! You need to see this now!"

Uh-oh . . .

I run alongside Regal, ignoring complaints from any students who almost step into our path. Regal leads me to a classroom in the back of the university. Upon arriving, I find university staff members crowded around the entrance. Regal and I worm our way through and make it to the entrance. A young man with dark brown hair lies down on the floor, being treated by a healer as Raine and Aegir manipulate the mana inside. When I get closer, my senses start telling me that something about the mana is very wrong. I take a few steps away from the room.

Inside, through the haze of abnormal mana, is an indiscernible monster. More twisted than Rodyle or Clara's forms after mutating from mana imbalance, its blackish skin sags at such a degree that it looks like sludge. Pus leaks from various holes and orifices and its cry reminds me of something drowning.

"What happened?" I exclaim.

Mithos steps next to me and says, "The preservation experiment was just a cover-up for what the Ryne brothers were really doing. They wanted to bring someone back from the dead." Then Mithos shakes his head. "Unfortunately for them, this method was a complete failure. If the person they wanted to bring back really is in there then they are suffering unimaginable pain."

The creature moans pitifully.

I look back at the creature. "Well, this is . . . uhhh . . . Random, I guess? I mean, what are the chances of finding something like this?"

Regal joins my side and tells me, "There are more people than Yggdrasill who wish to defeat death. I believe your faith is based on the defeat of death, if I recall correctly?"

I grimace as I take in a hiss. "Ix nay, Regal. Ix nay."

As soon as Raine and Aegir get the mana balance at bearable levels, an emergency team rushes in to take care of the rest of the mess. The unspent ingredients of the spell get confiscated and, with a decisive chop, the creature is killed. As soon as we all hear its grunt, Gunnar Ryne cries out from his stretcher, "No! No! Iris! You killed my fiancée! I was about to bring her back! No!"

When Raine, Aegir, and the emergency team come back out, one of the members of the emergency team hands the whole zircon piece back to Dana, who sighs with relief. Aegir smiles at Dana and the zircon before turning to Raine. "Your control over mana is impressive."

". . . Thank you," Raine says.

"I left Heimdall a couple centuries back for the sake of my studies," Aegir mentions. "Perhaps once your journey is over, we can rendezvous and exchange notes. I'm sure what information you have collected is quite enlightening."

"Perhaps." Then Raine asks, "What do you know of healing?"

"I don't know as much as I would like, but I have a fair amount of knowledge."

"Then, if all goes well in my journey, there is a half-elf in a faraway location you may wish to share your knowledge with."

"I would be delighted," Aegir replies with a genuine smile.

"The zircon . . . !" Dana gawks at it with a wide grin before turning to Zelos with a more serious expression. "Chosen One. You . . . have done more for me than I expected of you."

Zelos flatly replies, "I'm just glad to help."

"That wasn't sarcasm. I am truly grateful for your help." Then Dana says, "Zelos, I'll give you the zircon. Just because there's water under the bridge doesn't mean I should let our history get in the way of helping someone in need. In addition, would you like to see my team preform a spell without the aid of an object such as the Jewel of the Chosen?"

"Don't you have Aegir's help with casting?" Zelos asks.

"Aegir will not be preforming any magic during the experiment itself. This spell will be cast by humans and humans alone."

Zelos thinks over it for a moment before saying, "It can't hurt to watch. I'd love to see it." Then he calls for the rest of us. "Raine, Regal, Kelsey, Mithos, let's follow Dana and watch her experiment."

A spark appears in Raine's eyes. "To witness perhaps a human preform magic without an aid! I must watch!"

Mithos utters, "I doubt it will succeed."

I glance at Mithos before following the others. Dana's team leads us to the second-floor lab and welcomes us all in. Upon arriving, Raine immediately pulls out some paper and a pen and scribbles notes down as Aegir explains the experiment to her. At the center of the room is a circle of some kind of white paste with various salty minerals carefully placed to form specific runes around the inside of the circle. In the center of the circle is a short copper stand designed to hold stones up. Dana walks to it and places the zircon crystal on the stand and steps out of the circle, all the while careful not to disturb anything.

Once that's done, Dana grabs a spell book and opens it up to a specific page. As she flips through the pages, the rest of her teammates keep at a distance with notepaper in their hands, ready to start writing when the experiment starts. Dana looks over at us and says, "Once the spell is cast, anyone who walks up to it will have his or her future told. Originally, we were going to have Aegir do it, but would one of you like to instead?"

Awkward glances are exchanged between us.

Raine says, "I will be taking notes over the experiment."

Regal says, "I can keep my life in check with a little planning."

Zelos smiles bitterly and comments, "I'm not really comfortable with having my fortune told. There are just some things I'd rather keep to myself and, well, I'm in front of mixed company."

Mithos states, "I have similar reasons against my involvement as Regal and Zelos. I would rather keep my future to myself, and I can keep my future in check with some planning."

"I pass," I respond.

Zelos nudges me forward. "Aw, come on. With this, you can find out if you will ever see your family again! Besides, there are some more general questions we could ask."

"Why not have that kind of reasoning for yourself?" I snip.

Mithos places a hand on my shoulder. When I turn to him, he nods at me with an encouraging smile. "It's okay. You're scared, we can tell, but don't you want to see if you see your family ever again?"

I look back at the circle. Nausea fills my stomach as my body quivers. After a moment, I nod and step forward. Dana starts chanting unrecognizable words that my brain fails to process apart from nonsensical gibberish. I feel the mana at the center of the circle swell. Although there are no visible changes, I can sense the spell trying to start.

However, once Dana's chanting ends, the mana dies down, denied the spark it needed to jumpstart. Dana watches the circle with anticipation before sighing, "Well, that was a bust."

Raine mentions, "I felt something happen, but it needed something more."

"It needed a spell caster's mana," Aegir states. "A certain spark of life produced by spell casters whenever the cast something."

"I used techniques used by humans who can cast healing spells," Dana says.

"Healing is a different subdivision of magic than this," Aegir reminds. "I am afraid it needed a different technique."

Zelos remarks, "Why didn't you say that to her earlier?"

"Misplaced hope?"

Dana hands the book over to the elf. "Here, you try it. See if the spell works anyway. It means our resources are used up but we might succeed with conventional means anyway."

Aegir nods and starts chanting. This time, the mana gushes, twists, and turns to fulfill the spell's needs. When Aegir finishes chanting, the spell circle illuminates with a faint pastel green. I stand frozen before the circle before Zelos pushes me closer. I whirl around to shoot a glare at him before slowly turning back to the circle.

A ghostly visage of a woman, about Regal's age supposedly, stares back at me. Her features all mirror my own with the exception of her more modernized clothes and a set of thin glasses perched on her nose. I then can't help but note the scar around her left eye. She watches me as I recognize her as my future self.

Zelos smirks as he comments, "Hot damn! You get a decent rack in the future!"

My future self remarks with a voice a notch deeper than mine, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in kids."

Mithos snorts in laughter while Raine vigorously takes down notes. "Fascinating! The subject can respond to other stimuli!"

Zelos bristles at the remark and nudges at me. "Hey, ask something!"

I can't even get my throat to work.

Dana says, "Well, I have a question. What are you?"

The visage responds, "I am simply an imprint of the results of certain possibilities. If my true self's choices do not change from what I formed from then she shall become what I am a replication of."

"Self-aware, too . . ." mutters Aegir.

Mithos taps on my arm. "Well? It's your future."

A shaky hand reaches up towards my eyes. My future self raises an eyebrow before going "Oh" and takes off the glasses. "Reading glasses. Mom needed them too, if you recall. At the exact moment of time that I represent, you will be sitting in a recliner chair reading a good book. With how the plot is developing, you will suspect that you'll need the tissue box just across the living room."

Then my hand traces the side of my left eye.

"Accident."

I whine, "_Eeeeeee . . . !_"

"Oh shut up!" she snaps. "You already know that you will survive whatever you'll go through as long as you don't do something _stupid_ and get yourself _killed!_"

"So you are not an absolute?" Regal goes.

"No," the visage answers. "I'm simply an imprint of a possibility."

"I have a question." Zelos asks, "What about Sheena's duel against Kuchinawa?"

My future self bristles and makes a general scowl. "Kuchinawa . . ." she goes. ". . . There wasn't a duel."

Regal raises an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Mizuho will banish him from the village for his crimes. The Vice-Chief refused to let the duel happen. However," she adds, "Kuchinawa needs to be removed as a threat. _Now._ If you don't, he'll be free to cause more pain and suffering. You don't need a glimpse into the future to see that!"

Zelos says, "We'll talk about it with Sheena and Mizuho."

The visage scowls deeply before sighing. "It's not as if I ever had control over what happens to Kuchinawa. What other questions do you have?"

"Make it quick! The duration is reaching its limit!" Aegir informs.

Raine asks, "What are Maverick's plans? We know he wants to do something concerning Sheena! Do you remember what he wants to do?"

The ghostly woman frowns and looks down as she thinks this through. Finally, she says, "I . . . honestly don't remember. The memories themselves are fuzzy from trauma."

"_Eeee—_"

"Quit whining."

"Then what do you remember?" Raine questions.

". . . A tree," she says. "The one thing that stands out in my mind is a large tree."

"And what about before? What is the last thing you recall?"

"I recall being in S—"

The mana finally spends itself dry and the visage and her voice dissipate into nothing. The pastel green light from the spell circle fades out, and the spell ends.

Dana clicks her pen off. "Well, that was informative." She walks over to the desk and grabs the unused sand-like zircon. Then, Dana walks over to Zelos. "Here. It sounds like you're going to get into a lot of trouble. If this helps you and that friend of yours, then take this. Besides," she adds, "I already got what I need."

"Thank you, Dana. Really, I mean it this time," Zelos tells her.

"Hey, it's not just for you."

"A tree . . ." Raine then suddenly says, "We need to get to Mizuho as soon as possible and warn the others."

"Hm?" Mithos looks over at Raine then goes, "Oh, right, yes. We need to get to Sheena right now."

A knight suddenly barges in and, upon seeing Zelos, sighs with relief. "Master Zelos! His Majesty has summoned you! I hoped there might be a chance that you would be here and, after hearing about what happened with the slum child, I was so relieved to hear that you are!"

"What kind of summons?" Zelos asks.

"Mandatory."

"Right. Send a message to His Majesty that I'm coming."

"Yes, sir!"

Zelos turns to the rest of us and asks, "Well, are you going to Mizuho? Sheena needs you."

Regal states, "Sheena has the protection of the village and already knows that Maverick is after her; you, in the meantime, have been summoned by His Majesty for unknown reasons. You may need our help."

Zelos smiles. "Thanks." Then he turns to me and snaps his fingers in front of my face. After I shudder, he goes, "Let's go, little girl. We need to leave."

When I remain frozen to that spot, Zelos tugs at my hair and pulls me backwards.

"_Owww! Quit manhandling me!_"

* * *

81 chapters and I'm this close to the ending! I really can't wait to be done with this fic (which is probably noticeable)!

Please review.


	82. She Better Be in THIS Castle!

Does anyone get the title reference?

Btw, this is what I do during study breaks.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Two: She Better Be in THIS Castle!

Sheena slowly wakes up in the middle of the night. It takes a few seconds for her eyes to fully adjust to the darkness inside her home. She glances at her friends as they sleep soundly on the floor. After that, Sheena gets up and moves through the one short hallway. One room out of the three connected to the tiny passageway draws Sheena in. She opens the sliding door and looks in at the bed shielded with a bug net inside. She steps in and sits down just outside the netting and watches the elderly man with a morose silence. His face is nearly as pale as his white hair and all age lines are etched deeply into his face. Any muscles his body built up over his long life are now gone, giving way to a thin, bony shape.

"V . . ."

Sheena glances around in search of the sound.

"Volt is . . ."

Her eyes widen as she finds the source of the sound.

"Vo . . ."

"Ojiisan . . . ?" Sheena shakes her head and goes, "Wake up, Sheena . . ."

"One . . . Two . . ."

"Wake up . . . You're dreaming . . . !"

"Three . . ."

Tears build up in her eyes as she stares disbelievingly at her grandfather.

". . . There are some missing . . ."

"Ojiisan?" Sheena jumps to her feet and goes through the netting and kneels right next to her grandfather. "What's missing? Ojiisan!"

The elderly man remains silent.

Sheena stares even longer at Chief Igaguri before leaving the netting. She takes a glance back before muttering, "Volt . . ."

* * *

As soon as we get to the castle, an emissary of the King escorts Zelos and the rest of us into a secure private study. The King awaits us at a large table as he sits down at one end. The minister stands at His Majesty's side as we gather around at one end of the table. The King, who definitely looks more than stressed, sighs, "Chosen . . . ! It is good to see you again."

Zelos replies, "Ah, well, as you had expressed a deep desire to avoid gazing upon my visage again, I had thought it would only be a burden for you to see me."

The minister snaps, "Chosen! What rudeness!"

Mithos snorts, "Rude? His Majesty hadn't even thanked anyone for saving his life. By the way, was our group granted permission to enter Heimdall yet?"

The minister turns at Mithos with a silencing glare. "And you, one of the Chosen's attendants, dare speak in such a manner?"

Mithos remains completely unaffected. "_None_ of us are attendants."

The King clears his throat and grabs our attention. "I cannot deny my impudence. Even still, I have an urgent request for all of you."

The minister grimly states, "Princess Hilda has been kidnapped."

Regal's face shows immediate shock. "By who?"

The King frowns in confusion before his eyes widen in realization. "Duke Bryant! I hardly recognized you as you are! . . . Yes, Hilda . . . My daughter, she was taken away by the Papal Knights. They want to exchange Princess Hilda for you, Chosen One."

Raine says, "Given the Pope's record concerning the Royal Family, I doubt this is anything but a trick. It is likely that the Pope will exchange a decoy in order to eliminate both Zelos and the current heir to the throne."

"The decoy is likely to be a hostage," Mithos adds.

"This is why I want you to pretend to go along with the exchange and round them all up for good," the King explains.

Raine utters, "I wonder if it will really go as smoothly as that."

"Of course not," I comment. "It never does with our luck and the Pope's involvement."

Raine pats me on the head on the exact spot where she usually smacks Genis.

I whisper, "Duly noted . . ."

Zelos says, "It's alright with me."

The minister beckons at all of us. "Then, all of you, please come this way. We will prepare for the exchange."

* * *

"Are you sure?" Lloyd asks as they all head for Tiga's home.

"Absolutely," Sheena says with a firm nod. "Grandpa was definitely talking. I want to know why I haven't been told of this for ten years."

"Does this mean we could find out how to help him?" Colette wonders.

"I . . . I don't know," admits the ninja.

They enter Tiga's home and find the Vice-Chief going over reports. One particular recent one captivates his interest as he goes over it with a deep frown. He looks up from it when Sheena and the others enter and asks, "Sheena! Good timing. I just looked over a report that would interest you and your friends."

"I have something that might interest you as well." Sheena asks, "Did you know that Chief Igaguri is talking despite being in a coma?"

Tiga sighs and lowers the report in his hands. ". . . Yes, I did know of this."

"Why haven't you told me?"

"Because I doubt that anything could be done about it," Tiga states. "It would have only caused you more pain."

"Well now Sheena knows," Lloyd says, "and she has a right to know about it."

Presea asks, "Sheena said that Chief Igaguri mentioned Volt and then about something being missing. Do you know what that is about?"

Tiga shakes his head. "I am afraid I know as much as you."

Sheena recalls, "Well, he was with me when I went to the Temple of Lightning to make a pact, and . . . and he's been asleep ever since."

Genis says, "Maybe if we go to the Temple of Lightning we can find some clues. We didn't exactly go there to search last time so maybe we can find some things this time."

Sheena turns downcast. ". . . I hope so . . ."

"In the meantime, there is something I must mention," Tiga says. He holds up the report he was reading. "I just received a report from our contacts in Meltokio and another report from our scouts in the Forest. It appears that the Pope kidnapped Princess Hilda and is demanding Tethe'alla's Chosen in exchange for Princess Hilda."

"_What?_" Lloyd exclaims.

"Furthermore, the Pope has no intention of surrendering the Princess; he is using a half-elf named Kate who as of recently resided in Ozette's ruins as a decoy in order to capture the Chosen during the exchange."

"No, Kate!" Genis gasps.

Presea firmly states, "We need to help them."

"But what about Sheena?" Colette goes.

Sheena says, "You guys go help save Princess Hilda! I can go to the Temple of Lightning by myself and then come back to help you, if you still need help by the time I come back."

The door opens and a ninja comes rushing in. "Vice-Chief! We received a report from Tokunaga-san!"

Sheena pauses for a split second before whirling around at the ninja. "Wait, did you say _Tokunaga-san?_ I thought he disconnected himself from the village!"

"Who?" Lloyd goes.

Sheena explains, "Tokunaga-san is the son of one of our contacts stationed in Meltokio. His mother married a man who served the nobility and Tokunaga-san decided to follow in his father's footsteps instead of his mother's. Anyway, why is Tokunaga-san contacting us?"

"It concerns his mistress," the ninja states. "She has gone missing!"

* * *

At the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, we all stare the other side down in a grim silence as the Imperial Guard and the Papal Knights bring Zelos and Princess Hilda closer to the metaphorical no-man's land. Two Papal Knights on either side of the blonde and fair princess hold her up roughly as she shakes where she stands. I note that her face seems paler than should be healthy and that her finery is torn and ill fitting in a few places.

Looks like the Pope really did use a decoy.

Aside from the two keeping hold of the imposter, there are five other Papal Knights ready to fight in case Zelos, the four in our half of the group including me and besides Zelos, and the four Imperial Guards try something. One Papal Knight announces, "The Chosen and Princess Hilda will walk forward at the same time! When the exchange is over, we'll raise the drawbridge!"

Raine huffs a sigh. "This is it. Zelos, is that the real princess?"

Zelos replies only loud enough for our group to hear, "No. The Princess actually fits in those clothes and has larger curves; this girl is a skeleton. Besides, that hair is clearly a wig."

The Imperial Guards and we tense up from this information.

Zelos and the Papal Knights with the shivering captive step forward at the same time. After a few more steps, the two Papal Knights push the imposter ahead and the young woman stumbles onward. Ultimately, however, her efforts are in vain as she collapses before reaching passed the mark. Zelos rushes forward to catch her and the wig and the royal crown on her head completely fall off her head.

When her identity is revealed, Zelos shouts, "_Kate?_"

"We've been found out! Capture the Chosen and kill the rest!"

As soon as the other Papal Knights charge forward, I cast Spark Wave on the entire group, delaying the five further back while two that held on to Kate make it to Zelos. The Tethe'allan Chosen casts Thunder Blade and staggers the two just long enough for him to get Kate out of the way as everyone else charges in. Mithos and Regal dive into the fray with the four Imperial Guards while Raine and I stay at the back, casting spell after spell. Regal takes down two with a chain of kicks while Mithos slides around a Papal Knight and climbs up on the enemy's back before jabbing his short sword downward into the man's throat. When Mithos' short sword proves stuck inside the armor, another Papal Knight knocks down and Imperial Guard and turns to attack Mithos.

"Earth Bite!"

A small sphere of electricity surrounds the Papal Knight followed by an earth-like dome that entombs the man. All that remains afterwards is a body with other close-by Papal Knights severely damaged. Mithos looks over to me and goes, "Overkill, much?"

I grimace at the word "kill" used in this situation. "Just . . . watch your back."

The sight of my powerful spell causes the remaining three Papal Knights to flee before the Imperial Guards overtake and arrest them. In the meantime, Zelos calls out, "Raine, she's been poisoned!" Then he pats her cheek roughly. "Hey, hey! Kate! Stay awake! Are you alright?"

As Mithos finally yanks his short sword free, he sneers, "You've been poisoned! Are you all right? Durrr!" Then he gets serious. "Raine! Can you heal her now?"

Raine gets to Kate's side and starts treating her. "Recover! Yes, but she needs to rest with proper treatment in Meltokio!"

The Imperial Guards return and the one with free hands approaches Zelos to ask, "Master Zelos, what shall we do with the imposter?"

"She's a hostage in this as well," Zelos tells him. "We need to take her back to Meltokio for immediate care."

Kate looks up at Zelos and forces herself to say, "M-my father . . . Gaoracchia Forest . . . close to Ozette . . ."

"Don't talk," he tells her. "Save your energy for recovering."

"Go rescue the Princess, Chosen One, and leave the half-elf to us," the Imperial Guard says. "She shall be detained after her recovery."

An angry spark appears in Zelos' eyes. "No! She is to be treated with no criminal charges placed upon her! She is just as much of a victim of the Pope as Princess Hilda is! Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

We hurry across the bridge until the Imperial Guards and Kate are out of sight before getting on the rheiards. As we fly towards the Gaoracchia Forest, Raine shouts, "Let's go to Mizuho! They are our best bet for finding the Pope!"

With the general consensus in full agreement, we fly straight for Mizuho and land as close to the village as possible. Right on time, the scouts immediately intercept us and lead us to the village. When we enter the village, Lloyd, Genis, Colette, and Presea meet us. They all rush to rejoin us with happy grins.

"Guys!" Lloyd smiles at each and every one of us. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Sis!" Genis tackles Raine in a hug.

Zelos glances around before asking, ". . . Where is Sheena? Did they actually go through with that duel?"

Presea shakes her head. "No. Vice-Chief Tiga refused to allow it to happen. Once Kuchinawa returns to the village, he shall be arrested and tried for his crimes."

Raine frowns. "Where is she, then?"

Lloyd informs, "She left for the Temple of Lightning. The rest of us decided to stay and help you rescue the Princess. Mizuho just found out about all of it."

Raine steps out of her hug and looks over all of them with a cold stare. ". . . You mean to tell me that you let Sheena go off on her own with Maverick still at large?"

I can't help but cover my eyes with my hand. That has got to be the stupidest thing they've done yet . . .

Raine looks down at Genis. "Genis, why did you let this happen?"

Genis pales. "Uh . . . Because Sheena can take care of herself and she's using a rheaird?"

"Despite this being _Maverick_ and that he could have easily stolen a rheaird before defecting from the Renegades?"

"Uh . . ."

Raine kneels down and points at her knee. "Bend over."

Genis remains where he stands.

"If you want to do this the hard way then fine." Raine snatches Genis and puts him over her knee.

"I!" _SMACK! _"EXPECTED!" _SMACK!_ "BETTER!" _SMACK!_ "OF!" _SMACK!_ "YOU!" _SMACK!_

Once Genis is scrambling away to nurse his poor butt, Raine turns to Lloyd. "It's your turn, Lloyd. Are you ready?"

Lloyd starts backing away. "_No, wait, please!_"

Raine gives him a vicious kick that sends him to the ground.

Mithos mutters, "So that future sight spell really was a success . . ."

I glance down at the ground. With the kind of clothes that my future self was wearing . . . I mean, those kinds of clothes aren't in any kind of style from Tethe'alla or Sylvarant so . . .

I really will go home in the end.

I'll be getting my family back.

But I'll lose all my friends in this world and my family will be confused on the changes I went through here . . . I might not even be able to adjust back in that society . . .

I know my fate now, and I don't even know how to regard this.

Regal reminds, "We still need to save the Princess. Can Mizuho's information network and scouts help us?"

A Mizuho scout informs, "We already located the Pope now. We can lead you to him."

While Lloyd groans as he gets back on his feet, Raine goes, "Yes, please, take us to him."

"First, we need to apprehend someone else in the Forest," the Mizuho scout states. "An old contact from Meltokio informed us of this issue and we need to keep any potential risks from interfering with this delicate situation."

"Very well," Regal says. "Let's take care of this."

Mizuho's ninjas lead us through their various shortcuts in the Gaoracchia Forest. They prove just as hard to follow as ever, giving me flashbacks to our race to Ozette. Eventually, we stop at a certain location where we wait as two of the ninjas scout out the area. Long moments pass just before they return.

"We have two Papal Knights coming in this direction with a captive," one reports. "If we wait for them here, we can ambush them and prevent any more damage to their captive as necessary."

The other adds, "We also need to tell you the identity of this captive. The person they caught is Lady Seles Wilder."

Zelos pales. ". . . What. How did she . . . ?"

"Tokunaga-san found one of our informants in Meltokio and told us of the situation," the first ninja states. "Apparently, Lady Seles heard of the Pope's demand and left to confront him as soon as possible."

"Tokunaga!" Zelos growls, "_Why didn't he stop her?_"

"He tried, Chosen One. You ought to know your sister well enough to know that she's stubborn like that," the other ninja scout remarks.

Lloyd asks, "Zelos, how do you know Tokunaga?"

"Explanation later! We need to save Seles now!"

"Patience, Wilder," the first ninja scout says. "Charging in when they have the upper hand will just endanger your sister."

"Hang on," Genis says as he pulls out his spell book, "I just remembered something . . ." He flips through the pages before stopping at one particular spell. "Here it is! I thought I saw something like this! Hey, Kelsey? Wanna learn a paralysis spell?"

I stare at him in disbelief. ". . . _That_ might've been nice to learn a few months ago! In fact, is there a counter spell next to that?"

". . . Er, yes."

"That _also_ would've been nice to learn before a few days ago!"

"It's more of a preemptive protective spell than anything else . . ."

"Either way," Lloyd interrupts, "if you two can disable them without killing them or hurting Seles then do it. We'll come up with a backup plan in case this doesn't work."

When our plan is set in motion with all of us hidden away, Genis and I wait for the two Papal Knights to show up with Seles. Our wait doesn't last long as we soon hear the Papal Knights coming, Seles being the loudest of the three.

"Just you wait until I get free! I will make you all pay!"

"Shut it, half-elf spawn! You're lucky the Pope needs you!"

"I won't cooperate with him, not even if my life depends on it!"

"Oh you'll rethink that when you see what happens to the Chosen!"

"That will just push me to give you a world of pain!"

Lloyd gives us the signal and Genis and I cast the spell. The two Papal Knights collapse and Seles simply worms her way out of their grasp. Zelos races to her side and heals even trivial bruises. "Are you okay? How much did they hurt you?"

Seles pushes Zelos' hand away from a large bruise on her arm. "I should be asking you that! I worried that you might actually fall for this obvious ploy!"

"I'm not stupid, Seles. I knew it was a trap as soon as I found out about it."

"Sometimes I have to wonder . . ."

"And I'm firing Tokunaga as soon as we get back."

"You will do no such thing! Tokunaga is under _my_ employment!"

"He's under my authority as well!"

"Grandmother will just hire him and give his contract back to me with no strings attached!"

"She wouldn't dare . . . !"

"She saved your assets from being confiscated by the Church! I say she most certainly _would_ dare!"

One of the Mizuho ninjas walks up and says, "I would hate to interrupt this touching reunion, but we need to do something about the missing watch."

Zelos waves the ninja off. "Just slip into their armor and go meet with the Pope. We'll surround him and his other Papal Knights while they're all distracted."

"We need an explanation for the delay in the patrol. Lady Seles provided us with a perfect—"

"_No._"

Seles snaps, "Zelos! You can't keep sheltering me like this! I can protect myself!"

"Like you did here?" Zelos crosses his arms. "Seles, your spells are powerful, but your illness cripples that—"

"_Don't_ say _crippled!_"

Zelos holds his hand up in surrender. ". . . My apologies. Still, sending you in the middle of that places you in too much danger."

"Then I have a solution," Raine states. "Seles can join us in surrounding the Papal Knights while we send in someone else in Seles' place."

"Who?" Seles questions. "They will get suspicious if we send in a Mizuho scout or one of you!"

"No, but we can send an imposter of you with our own 'Papal Knights.'"

"Again, who?" Seles goes.

Raine looks over at me.

I sigh, "Okay, I get it. Seles, those bushes look like they could cover us well enough so we can trade clothes there. And, unless someone is better, Colette, I need you to trim my hair. Shouldn't take much longer than two guys trying to fit inside other people's armor."

Zelos snorts, "Oh come on! That's not going to work!"

"Like the Pope is going to care enough to memorize every detail of Seles' body," I shoot back. "Besides, it's a little dark for anyone to see that my new hair cut isn't exactly going to be professional."

A few minutes later, I'm brushing clipped hairs off Seles' white blouse. Seles, who is now wearing my travel clothes, hands me her hat. As I place it on my head, I ask, "Well? How do you feel?"

"I'm just not exactly comfortable with these clothes," Seles expresses. "Your shirt is really tight around my upper body while these leggings are a bit too loose at the waist. I may even need a belt."

I raise my hand to smack her across the head only for Zelos to catch my hand and stop me. "Don't do it," he warns me.

"She asked for it!"

"Pay attention to what we need to do."

"It'll only take a second!"

"_Don't . . . !_"

When I sigh in defeat, Zelos releases my hand and pushes me forward. Right when I take a step passed Seles, I whip around and swat her upside the head. Zelos removes Seles' hat from my head and smacks me.

Everyone gets into position as the Mizuho ninjas in Papal Knight armor grab hold of either of my arms and hold me aloft. We go through the dark forest until we finally come across a moderately large campsite with many Papal Knights with the Pope and Princess Hilda, dressed in nothing but royal "undergarments," in the middle of the entire camp. When the Papal Knights keeping hold of me approach, the Pope turns and leers at me.

"Lady Seles," the Pope says, "how did you know where to find me?"

I remain silent as I glare at him.

"It was Kate, wasn't it? That backstabbing bitch!"

"I found you on my own!" I reply, doing my best to imitate Seles' voice without sounding unnatural.

"Oh really?"

"Obviously you don't know me."

"Either way, you came here to see the Princess and your brother die," the Pope tells me with a creepy smirk. "You will obtain the power of the Chosen soon enough!"

Princess Hilda starts sobbing.

The Pope reaches over and silences her with a backhand slap. "Start weeping again and I will strike you with my ring hand!" Then he turns back to me and steps closer and closer. "We will both get what we want soon enough so be patient."

"I didn't come here to watch them die! I came to save them!" Come on, guys, get a move on before something happens . . .

"Why?" the Pope asks me. "Zelos Wilder never did anything for you! He never cared for you! He let you rot away in that abbey! Why care about someone who so clearly despises you?"

I hesitate a second as I think over my response. "It . . . does not matter . . . what he thinks of me. He's my big brother. That's all that matters to me."

"How touching." He then grabs hold of my face and sneers down at me. "No matter what your relationship with your 'big brother' is, you will have no choice but to cooperate with me!"

Looks like I'll have to scrub my face until my skin bleeds tonight . . .

"Perhaps I can still use that waste of space you call your brother," the Pope suggests. "If you are going to be uncooperative, then your love for him will prove useful as leverage."

Rather than speak through his fingers pinching my cheeks, I spit in his face.

The Pope's face turns a surprisingly deep shade of red. He yanks out a handkerchief and wipes off the spit on his face. The handkerchief is then tossed aside.

He backhands me with his ring hand.

The Pope huffs at his ring as he gets out another handkerchief. "You filthy little spawn of fouled blood! You got blood on my ring!"

I remark, "Forgive me for inconveniencing you, Your Eminence."

"You're surrounded, Pope!"

Everyone finally comes out of the darkness and reveals themselves. The two Mizuho ninjas at my side release me just in time for the Pope to dive at me, his closest possible meat shield. I send him to the ground with Lightning cast from my hand. When he gets back up and scrambles for the Princess, I zap him again.

If I ever go to a Star Wars convention, I should dress up as Emperor Palpatine.

I approach the Princess and stand at her side as the two Mizuho ninjas that came with me keep guard. Princess Hilda stares up at me with a mixture of fear and confusion. "L-Lady Seles . . . ?"

"I'm not Lady Seles," I tell her. "I'm simply a distraction for the Pope until everyone else could get in position."

"You're outnumbered twenty to thirteen!" Lloyd shouts to the entire group. "Surrender peacefully and no one will hurt you!"

"I don't pay you imbeciles to stand around!" bellows the Pope. "_Kill them!_"

The remaining thirteen Papal Knights charge at the others, quickly disabled by Raine and Genis' new paralysis spell, Mizuho ninja's techniques, or Regal's knockdowns. Lloyd and Colette protect any mages from disruptions as they cast their spells. However, the Papal Knights quickly surrender.

Zelos quickly comes over to Princess Hilda's side and frees her tied wrists. "Everything is going to be alright, Your Highness. You are perfectly safe now."

Raine rushes over with a large blanket and drapes it over the Princess's shoulders. The Princess continues to sob as she wraps the blanket around her entire body. Zelos stands back up and moves over to me and heals the cut on my cheek. He stares at me for a second before saying, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I walk away towards the Pope. "You don't have any more handkerchiefs, do you?" I ask.

When he just makes incoherent growls and tries to get back on his feet, I kick him in the side and search his pockets when he's back down. I pull out a handkerchief and wipe the blood off my cheek before returning to Zelos. I point at my face and ask, "Any blood I missed?"

Zelos pulls out his mirror and, vanity jokes aside, I spit in the handkerchief and wipe off any blood I missed. I ask, "Are there any laws against forcing any bodily fluids on other people?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"There probably should be," I casually mention as I walk back to the Pope's side. "There are a lot of nasty things that people can get from just coming into contact with bodily fluids." I drop the handkerchief on the Pope and walk away.

Zelos just shakes his head. "Gotta love the blatant hypocrisy in that."

The rest of our group gathers around and Lloyd announces, "Okay, now we need to—"

Raine sharply says, "We need to send someone along to the Temple of Lightning and make certain that Sheena is safe. Lloyd, go."

Regal reminds, "Lloyd cannot go alone. Maverick wants a hostage as well."

"A specific kind of hostage," Raine mentions. "Even still, you are right. If Lloyd goes then he cannot go alone."

"I'll go with him," Mithos says.

"What are you saying?" Genis exclaims in shock. "Going to the Temple of Lightning even if you had an exsphere and Maverick couldn't possibly be there!"

"He's right, Mithos," Raine says, "but we do appreciate the sentiment."

"Fine." Mithos says, "I'll just steal a rheaird and follow them, then."

Genis sighs, "Don't tell me that Lloyd is rubbing off on you."

"Caring for your friends is a bad thing?" Mithos comments.

"No! It's just way too dangerous!" Genis insists.

Lloyd says, "Well, if Mithos is going to do something like that then we might as well take him along. Let's go, you two. We need to catch up to Sheena."

Zelos says, "See you back at my place."

"Wait, Genis," Raine says as she digs around in her bag. She pulls out a book and hands it to her brother. "Use this in case something happens. This is my spell book for healing spells."

Genis smiles in gratitude. "Raine . . ."

Then she pulls out the unicorn horn and sets that on top of the book. "And this, because a novice like you will need it more than an expert."

Genis sighs, "Sis . . . You really didn't have to put it like that."

* * *

Sheena enters the main room of the Temple of Lightning. She steadily scans the area before sighing.

"_One . . . two . . . three . . ."_

Sheena gasps and looks up towards the balcony where Volt's altar rests. "That was . . . ! Orochi-san! Come quick!"

When Orochi catches up, Sheena asks, "Did you hear that?"

Orochi nods. "I did! My memory is a little fuzzy, but that was definitely Igaguri-dono's voice!"

The two hurry up the stairs to Volt's altar. When the reach the top, they halt at the sight of a ghostly, younger-looking Igaguri Fujibayashi.

Sheena gasps, "O-Ojiisan!"

Despite Sheena and Orochi racing to his side, Igaguri doesn't even notice them. He counts off six seals in his hands before saying, "There are still three missing . . ."

"Ojiisan! Three missing what?" What's missing?"

Igaguri sighs, "With just these, I cannot defeat Volt . . . Where are they . . . ?"

"Ojiisan! It's me, Sheena! I made a pact with Volt! Ojiisan!"

Orochi suggests, "Summon Volt! Maybe he will notice us then!"

Sheena nods. "Okay. I'll try it. I call upon the hammer of godly lightning! I summon thee! Come, Volt!"

A fierce bolt of lightning strikes the altar and Volt appears before Igaguri, Orochi, and Sheena. Igaguri jumps at the sight of Volt and whirls around before finally noticing Sheena and Orochi. "What's going on? Who are you people?"

Sheena sighs with relief. "Ojiisan . . . ! Thanks, Volt. You can go back now."

Igaguri turns back to Volt to find the Summon Spirit disappearing. The Chief then turns back to Sheena and, in clear distress, goes, "You made a pact with Volt? Sheena is going to be sad . . ."

"Ojiisan! It's me!" Sheena cries out, "_I'm_ Sheena!"

"What are you talking about?" Igaguri frowns at Sheena. "Sheena is only nine."

"Ojiisan! It's been ten years since the Volt accident! I'm Sheena! Sheena Fujibayashi, the child you found in Gaoracchia Forest!"

Igaguri examines Sheena before saying, ". . . It really is you! You have grown up so much! . . . But if this is so, then what have I become?"

"I-I don't know . . ." Sheena goes.

Orochi asks, "You have a healer in your group, right? Perhaps she knows something."

"I don't know . . ." Sheena says. "But it can't hurt to ask her. Let's take him back to the village. We can call Raine from there."

Igaguri simply laughs. "Don't treat me like a baby! I've already come to understand this body." A mischievous glint appears in his eyes. "Let's see . . ."

Igaguri's spirit drifts around before soaring about the balcony. Then, in one swoop, he flies through Sheena and Orochi, causing the two to shudder, before stopping above their heads. A broad smile stretches across his face as the Chief comments, "Hmmm. This is pretty convenient. It seems a waste to return to my original body."

"Ojiisan!" Sheena shouts. "This isn't the time to play around! We need to find out how you got like this and how we can return you to your body!"

"I may have the answer."

Sheena gasps as she recognizes the voice. To her horror, Igaguri flies over to the person entering the main room on the lower floor. He hovers before Maverick and asks, "What is your answer?"

Sheena and Orochi jump off the balcony and land on the lower floor before racing across the room with their weapons drawn.

Maverick states, "If you use an exsphere, it is likely that you became an astral body. There is a chance for a person to become separated from his or her body upon the brink of death and exspheres make that more likely to occur. If you—"

"Dark Thrust!"

Orochi rushes his blade through Sheena's Serpent Seal. Maverick leaps away and continues to dodge their attacks. Igaguri shouts "Stand down!"

Sheena and Orochi stop attacking. Orochi throws down a smoke bomb, allowing the two to escape while Maverick shields himself from the smoke. After a second, an unnatural gust of wind blows away all the smoke, leaving only Maverick and the three Mizuho ninjas. Igaguri regards Maverick with calculated regard. "I see," says the Chief. "Sheena, Orochi, do not engage. And you . . . what do you know about my condition."

". . . I am afraid I forgot what I was about to say when I was so rudely interrupted."

"_Bastard!_" Sheena spats.

In a clinical tone, Igaguri says, "I apologize on their behalf. Please, tell me how I can return to my body."

"Should you still be alive, somewhere in your consciousness is a link to your body. If you focus on it, it should pull you back to your body. Granted, it takes a great deal of self-awareness," Maverick informs.

Igaguri closes his eyes and smiles when he begins to fade away. ". . . You are right. Sheena, I shall meet you at the village . . ."

"O . . . Ojiisan . . . !" Sheena gawks as she watches her grandfather disappear. When no trace of him is left, she turns back to Maverick with her weapons ready. Her scowl turns to bafflement when she sees a small genuine smile on Maverick's face.

"Your grandfather loves you very much," he notes.

Orochi states, "You want something."

Sheena goes back to scowling. "Of course. First, how did you know about that astral body stuff?"

Maverick's smile turns tight and bitter. "I gained many opportunities for practice, thanks to Yggdrasill."

"Okay, now what do you want?"

"Shouldn't that be obvious to you by now?" Maverick asks.

"Right. Me. What do you want _from_ me?" Sheena bites.

"Ahahahah!" Maverick comments, "Your boyfriend is making it very difficult for me to refrain from giving bullshit answers like 'your virginity.'" After the two blush, Maverick gives a serious answer. "I want your cooperation."

Sheena snorts. "Like that will ever happen. You don't have anything to force me to work with you! You don't even have a bargaining chip!"

"All I have to offer now is information."

"On what?"

"Everything."

Sheena raises an eyebrow. ". . . Everything?"

Maverick holds his hand out as he says, "The establishment of Cruxis, Yggdrasill's ultimate plans, how Yggdrasill split the world in two and how you can take advantage of that, the true identities of Yggdrasill, Kratos, Yuan, and the Goddess Martel, why your research keeps going back to the Kharlan War and how that ties in to the present, Kratos' current plans, why Kratos continuously switches from helping Cruxis to helping you, why Lloyd is so special to the Renegades, and why and how I know all of this. _Everything._"

Sheena's eyes widen. Orochi says, "It's obviously a trap!"

Sheena goes, "Then tell us everything, right here, right now."

"I don't have all day. Should you cooperate, I can tell you on the way to our next destination. We will have enough time during then."

"Then no deal."

"Then why don't I tell you my plans and why you are so vital right now and the rest for later?"

Sheena considers this for a moment. ". . . Alright, what are your plans?"

Maverick takes a second to stare flatly at Sheena before stating, "Do you know of the Kharlan Tree? There is a Tree much like it on Derris Kharlan."

Sheena and Orochi stare in shock. ". . . What?"

"Derris Kharlan may be nothing more than a mass of mana, but that mana must have a source, else the civilization on that world would suck the mana dry just as magitechnology did for this world. I wish to transplant this World Tree to here and the only one who can do this is you, Sheena, with the power of the Summon Spirits combined."

Sheena shakes her head. "Then what's with that hostage stuff? And why start talking now instead of earlier?"

"I needed a hostage because I needed to not only make certain that you transplanted Derris Kharlan's World Tree but also to protect myself from the Tree's Spirit: Norn. She acts like a self-proclaimed angel of judgment and would not hesitate to kill me if I went by myself. However, with your cooperation, that will not be necessary."

"How is it not necessary anymore?"

Maverick begins to answer, but then shock and horror silences him. He unleashes his sepia wings and draws a dagger. ". . . I ran out of time . . . !"

Lloyd, Genis, and Mithos race through the door. They draw their weapons when they see Maverick with his wings and a dagger out. Maverick snarls, "_You're blocking my escape . . . ! Get out of my way!_"

Lloyd and Genis step between Mithos and Maverick as Lloyd says, "Get out of here, Mithos! Now, while you still have the chance!"

Genis goes, "We can hold him off long enough for you to grab a rheaird and leave!"

Maverick gawks at Lloyd and Genis' antics before laughing, strangely, in relief. "Hahah . . . ! Hahahahah! Hah . . . What a handicap." He traces over the flat of his blade, the mana around it turning twisted, and then sends a sadistic smirk in Lloyd, Genis, and Mithos' direction.

He teleports away.

Just when they all whirl around, Maverick appears right behind Lloyd, Genis, and Mithos and thrusts his dagger at Mithos. Miraculously, Mithos moves just enough to barely dodge the blade before Lloyd pulls him out of the way. Before anyone gets a chance to counterattack, Maverick teleports away again.

They all glance around the area.

"Infinite power, grant me thy strength."

They spot him up on the balcony.

"_Meteor Storm!_"

Balls of fiery mana materialize far above their heads and rain down upon them. They gather together as a group and form a collective barrier against the vicious spell. Maverick teleports back down and slashes at Mithos once again. Lloyd parries the blade before the former Renegade teleports out of sight again. With Lloyd's concentration divided, the last wave of Meteor Storm shatters their barrier and causes their guard to falter.

Maverick appears once again to take another stab. He misses and Mithos counterattacks with a slash across Maverick's arm, causing the enemy to hiss in pain before teleporting away once more.

The angel appears in the center of the room and kneels down and presses his hands against the floor. Violet light speeds from that spot through different circuits that web across the room. Orochi flings shruikans at Maverick just when the angel pulls up the lightning mana straight from the wiring.

The electricity shocks them for a brief second, long enough to stun them, before Maverick teleports from that spot to among the group again. He slashes horizontally at both Genis and Mithos, only managing to nick Genis on the forehead before Orochi stabs at him. Maverick teleports away again and appears on the far side of the room. He picks out the shruikans Orochi threw at him out of his flesh and throws it back at the group before disappearing again.

Lloyd shouts, "Damn it, Maverick! Stop running away and fight us, you coward!"

Right on cue, Maverick appears behind him and swings the hilt of his dagger at Lloyd's head. Lloyd ducks under and slashes at the foe's stomach. Although Maverick dodges in time to avoid serious injury, Lloyd still manages to get in a good slice. After getting to safety, Maverick remarks, "Do you just _act_ dumb? Maybe your father didn't drop you on your head after all."

"How do you know my dad?" Lloyd questions.

Maverick shakes his head. "Then again, I wonder if I will even be alive by the time you figure it out."

"Hey!"

Maverick disappears again.

Sheena immediately starts casting. "I call upon the envoy from the dark abyss!"

Orochi looks up and finds Maverick dropping down from above. He casts Guardian around Sheena just when he lands and casts his spell.

"Come, Shadow!"

Lloyd, Genis, and Mithos barely put up their own barriers in time before the spell hits them. Only a few pillars of light rise up from the white spell circle at first . . .

"_Shining Bind!_"

An onslaught of light beams shoot up from the spell circle and scorch each and every one of them. All five of them stagger away with singes on their clothes and skin.

However, the shadows below them rise up as tentacles and snatch Maverick right where he stands. Shadow pulls the angel into the darkness so fast that Maverick barely had any time to cry out. The room remains still . . .

"Let's get out of here now!" Lloyd shouts.

The entire group races to the exit—

"_Ahhh!_" Maverick is flung outside the darkness as Shadow finishes his attack.

"Not now!" Lloyd cries out as Sheena, Orochi, and he charge right back at Maverick. They only give Maverick a chance to block as they bombard him with several combos of attacks. Genis takes this chance to start casting another complex spell.

Mithos looks over and places his hand on Genis' shoulder. "Here," Mithos says, "let me help." Genis doesn't even notice Mithos through his rigid focus. Mithos turns back to Maverick and utters, "I have a dream to pursue. I won't let you stand in my way . . . !"

"I got it . . . !" Genis gasps from the raw power inside him. "I'll show you your powerlessness!"

Together, Genis and Mithos shout, "INDIGNATION JUDGMENT!"

With a mana shockwave, Maverick knocks Lloyd, Sheena, and Orochi across the room. A large spell circle appears below him and only gives him a split second to notice it before a giant bolt of lightning crashes down on him. Maverick screams in pain from the electrocution until a blade of light and lightning mana combined stabs into the center of the spell circle, right through Maverick's body. The man goes completely limp despite the spell still holding him aloft. When it finally fades away, Maverick falls to the ground and no longer moves.

Genis slumps from all the spent energy. Mithos catches the boy and helps him back to the group. They all gather around Maverick but not close enough for any counterattack to hit them. Orochi notes, "He's still alive!"

"How?" Lloyd goes, "That had to be the most powerful spell I've ever seen!"

Genis pushes himself off Mithos and back on his own two feet. He utters, "It's still just me . . . This guy's been around for a very long time so he's probably seen a lot more spells than me . . ."

"We need to leave now while we have the chance," Orochi insists.

Mithos walks around the edge of the metaphorical perimeter towards Maverick's head as he says, "Yes, but let's make sure he won't wake up while our backs are turned."

"Be careful, Mithos . . . !" Lloyd warns.

Mithos walks towards Maverick's head and pauses there for a moment. He lightly kicks at the fallen man's head. When no response comes, Mithos walks away.

Maverick suddenly rolls up on his feet and stabs Mithos in the gut before teleporting away. Mithos doubles over and screams from excruciating pain. Blood spills from the knife wound and dribbles a little out of the young teen's mouth. Sheena and Orochi immediately apply first aid care as Lloyd whirls around and spots Maverick slumped at the exit.

"_Maverick!_" Lloyd roars. He charges at the man, but Maverick harshly knocks him away before going down the next few steps. Maverick slumps down again and gasps for air, and then he takes in a bracing breath and races away out of sight.

Genis scrambles for the healing spell book and the unicorn horn inside his bag. He flips the book open to a specific page and holds the unicorn horn out with a shaky hand . . .

"I-I can't do this!" Genis cries out. "This is a totally different magic subdivision! There's more than one reason why Raine doesn't use elemental magic and why Kelsey and I can't do healing! I mean, Zelos can use elemental and healing but he can't get far into both without committing to one! I-I—"

"Genis, you have to or Mithos will die!" Sheena shouts. "We can't move him somewhere suitable without healing him and if we don't heal him he will bleed out!"

"Th-that's not all! The mana around his blade was unbalanced!" Genis goes. "Even if I could use healing magic, whatever I do might not work!"

"_Stop making excuses and try!_" Sheena snaps. "_If you don't try then you will live the rest of your life with regret over this!_"

Genis looks down at Mithos' unusually pale face as his friend struggles against the intense pain. Genis takes in a breath and chants, "Unicorn horn, lend me your power . . . Root of all creation, grant us the breath of life . . . !"

"Revitalize!"

The unicorn horn illuminates with a snow-white aura. Mana collects around it before it fades out and appears around Mithos' wound. As the wound mends, Mithos' cries of pain minimize into merely the occasional grunt. His grimaces smooth over into a more neutral expression, although his pale complexion remains. Mithos sighs and says, "I . . . I'll make it. I just . . . need some rest. Thank you, all of you."

Lloyd turns away and hurries out as he says, "I'll go get the Professor. You guys barricade yourselves in incase Maverick comes back."

"Hurry back!" Sheena calls out.

* * *

Our second Hi-Ougi, and yes, Norn is totally canon.

God, Maverick, get your shit together and decide how you're going to do stuff!

Please review.


	83. A Little Stalling Doesn't Hurt

Sorry, guys, but updates are gonna be slower than usual. I've got a project of finishing a novel this summer since I can't take classes at the moment. 2 pages minimum a day. 60 days total and then another 30 to edit and self-publish it. Wish me luck.

By the way, I'm sure that you've noticed that quite a few of my stories have been deleted, all of these being my Amateur Observation articles. I'll admit that, when I posted them, I knew they were technically against the rules but I thought they would be okay since they related to fanfiction and writing. However, since a partiCulaR group Is now acTIng in plaCe of the SUpport team of and reporting any fics that don't adhere to the rules in absolute (in which case, this group needs to start aiming at obvious trollfics and poorly written trash like Fifty Shades of Grey (yes, it was originally a Twilight fanfic so don't get on my case about it being a book)), I have now deleted the articles. If you wish to read the articles, I can send them to you via DocX. Just give me a PM request.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Three: A Little Stalling Doesn't Hurt

Mithos grimaces as Orochi finishes changing the bandages and Genis remains to the side with his sister's spell book and the unicorn horn in case the wounds reopen. He settles back down against the wall as the ninja gives him back his space. Out in the middle of the room, Sheena works off excess energy through vigorous practicing. Out of all of them, Mithos is the only one who remains perfectly calm.

Genis growls, "Come on, Lloyd! Where are you?"

Orochi says, "Patience, Genis. Getting frustrated over this won't get Lloyd and Raine to arrive any sooner."

"He should!" Genis snaps. "Mithos needs help!"

"I'm not dying," Mithos flatly reminds, "just incapacitated. How many times do I need to say this?"

Sheena pauses to say, "We won't know for sure until Raine gets here. Until then, we still need to keep an eye on you."

Mithos shakes his head at them.

Moments later, Lloyd finally returns with Raine right behind him. Without even greeting her brother, Raine dashes right to Mithos' side. Her expression turns grimmer after examining the wound and she immediately treats him with the unicorn horn.

"Professor, is he going to be okay?" Lloyd asks.

"Mithos will be fine, but he needs time to rest," Raine states. "We will drop him off at Altessa's as soon as we leave. I won't argue about this."

Mithos sighs, "I suppose that's best. I'm not comfortable just leaving all of you by yourselves, but there's nothing I can do to change that."

"This wound has me especially worried . . ." Raine states, "From what I can discern from what Lloyd told me on the way here, this wound is the result of the mana around a weapon being twisted into a state of imbalance. I have honestly never heard of anything like this, though I suppose I could have imagined the theory behind this at a previous time. To see someone capable of this is . . . troubling."

Genis steps to Raine's side with a troubled look. "I don't understand . . . Why did Maverick attack Mithos? He was aiming right at him every time!"

Sheena adds, "He was even negotiable right before that!"

Orochi says, "Maverick was afraid of something. He had an expression of clear fear when Lloyd, Genis, and Mithos entered the room."

"So Maverick was afraid of Mithos?" Lloyd goes. "How?"

"It could be association," Raine answers. She looks up but stops when she notes Mithos. Her eyes narrow at the boy.

Mithos shifts uncomfortably. ". . . Raine?"

". . . Now that I think about it," Raine says, "you bear a resemblance to Yggdrasill."

"I-I what?"

Sheena frowns at Mithos before turning to Raine to say, "I guess so, but in that case, Colette looks a bit like Yggdrasill, as well. That's too general."

"That does remind me of something that happened before the Great Seed," Lloyd adds. "Back at the Ossa Trail, Maverick couldn't look at me at one time because I looked like someone who hurt him."

"That would make more sense, I suppose," Raine replies. "Maverick's sanity may be slipping."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case," Mithos comments.

"If this is the case, this means we cannot afford to split up any more until the situation is resolved," Raine states. "Mithos, with how Maverick is acting, your life will always be on the line if you remain with us. I should have done this before, but I absolutely forbid you from coming with us."

Genis sighs as Mithos nods in disappointment. Raine helps Mithos to his feet and the group leaves the Temple of Lightning.

* * *

Colette walks into the lounge and glances about the room before spotting me lying facedown on the sofa. "There you are! The seamstresses are looking everywhere for you! It's your turn to be sized for your dress!"

I wave my hands up but refuse to get up. "Yeah, I'll be there."

"What's wrong? Are you worried about Mithos?" Colette walks up to put her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry. With the Professor going there, I'm sure Mithos will be fine."

"You're not worried?"

"Well . . . yes, yes I am." Colette admits with a downcast voice, "I'm trying my best to believe that everything will be alright. Since Genis was able to heal Mithos' wound so he can hang on until Professor Sage gets there, there's still a lot of hope that he will make it. I can't let myself think otherwise."

I only nod.

Colette watches me for a second. ". . . Is that really all that you're thinking about? Is something else on your mind?"

"No. I'm just not feeling good," I tell her as I push myself off the couch.

"Oh, are you sick? You need to get some rest, then!"

"It's just a headache."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

I leave right then and head for the room where the seamstresses are sizing everyone. Once there, I apologize for my late arrival and move a limb whenever they need to do detailed measurements. During this, my mind wanders back to the thoughts I had before Colette found me. Even once the seamstresses are done with me, I still continue to mull over those thoughts rather than find something else to do.

"Are you alright?"

Regal comes up to me and points out, "You seem rather dejected."

"I-I do?"

"Yes." Regal says, "Colette expressed concern for you earlier."

"I'm fine, though. I told her that."

"Saying so does not always mean that it is so."

"True . . ."

"What is bothering you?"

I glance downward before looking up at him to answer, "My future. That's what's bothering me."

"The precognition spell? Which part distresses you?"

"All of it." I tell him, "There's the obvious one with Maverick. He's obviously going to act, and it's not going to be pretty. My future self forgot what happened through _trauma!_ An-and . . ." I rub the left side of my face. ". . . Then there's Kuchinawa. It sounds like he's going to be trouble. Is there anything we can do about that?"

"I assure you that I shall speak with Sheena concerning Kuchinawa. However, I believe that Mizuho should handle giving justice in this situation."

"Yeah . . . Okay . . ." Then I sigh. ". . . I'm going to sound like such a hypocrite . . . Th-the other part that bothers me is, well, that I'm going home."

The shock on Regal's face didn't come as a surprise.

"Why is that?" he asked. "You have grieved over your situation for a very long time."

"I know, and I'm still not happy about this," I reply. "But that doesn't mean that everything will be okay once I _do_ go back home. Things changed. I don't know if my personality changed, but things about me have changed. I-I _killed_ . . . people. I killed people. It was in self-defense, but that still happened. Then there's a lot of issues that I'm saving for later, when I don't have to worry about Cruxis or traveling around anymore. Things like my religion and what I'm going to do after this and stuff." I pause to take in a breath. ". . . I don't know why I'm not going through post-traumatic stress disorder right now, but if I'm not now then I will be later. I'll have to deal with that and everything else once this is all over and once I go home everyone's going to be so confused and they're not going to believe me because magic and elves and dwarves and Summon Spirits are just fantasy over there and I'll be alone with these issues and—"

"Kelsey." Regal places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You need to remember something about that spell: it was a projection of a possible future. That visage was nothing more than a series of what ifs—and that visage had admitted in being nothing more than that. You still have the power to control your own future. Don't ever forget that."

"I-I know that, but I'm . . ." I confess, "I'm scared. I'm scared they won't believe me, because they just can't. Elves, dwarves, magic, monsters, none of that exists back at home. How can they help me through these issues I have to deal with later when they can't even believe me?"

Regal looks down at me with a sad expression. He tells me, "I am afraid that I don't have the answer to your questions. I can only tell you that we will all be here for you during any time of need. Please, let us _all_ help."

With that last sentence, I realize that he's also talking about Colette and how I avoided her earlier when she expressed concern for me. I nod at him, although I doubt that the look on my face is any comfort. "Okay. Thank you." Then I make a half-assed smile. "I can't make a habit of this. Wouldn't want my life defined by unnecessary drama."

Regal remains unamused.

I glance away. "Yeah, that was bad . . ."

Regal watches me for a moment before ushering me to a chair. "If you want an amusing distraction," he says with a smile, "I do have a few stories about the nobility I heard."

A real smile tugs at my lips. ". . . This is going to be gold."

* * *

With Mithos healed and resting at Altessa's home, Sheena, Lloyd, Raine, Genis, and Orochi return to Mizuho, with the non-natives of Mizuho being blindfolded while led to the village. Upon arriving, they find a large crowd at the center of the village. Sheena races ahead in glee and worms her way through the crowd. When she gets to the center, however, her face drops.

Although Chief Igaguri is awake and standing, he stands before Kuchinawa with a stern expression. Behind the chief are Vice-Chief Tiga and the village elders with similar looks of anger and disappointment. Kuchinawa, dressed in average traveler's gear, was stripped away from anything of Mizuho. As Sheena looks on in shock, Igaguri announces, "Azumi Kuchinawa! For your crimes of treason, murder, assault, and conspiracy against a peer, I hereby exile you from the village of Mizuho!"

"_No!_" Sheena shouts, "Orochi-san! Come quick!"

The crowd parts for Orochi. He hurries through and stops before Kuchinawa and the chief. "I was . . . too late?" Orochi shakes his head and says, "No, don't exile him yet! I need to speak with him!"

"I have nothing to say to you!" Kuchinawa spats. "You betrayed our parents by siding with their murderer!"

Tiga snaps, "That is enough! Chief Igaguri and the other survivors have already explained the situation concerning Volt and other matters you brought yet you still harbor this delusion? Do not antagonize your brother when you yourself are not pure!"

"She put Mizuho at risk of exposure!"

"You did the same by siding with the Pope and leaking vital secrets of the village."

"Her actions caused the deaths of several innocent people!"

"You directly brought death to several innocent people—fourteen civilians, in fact."

"This is clear favoritism!"

Tiga gives Kuchinawa a hard glare. "Sheena's circumstances with everything you accuse her of have little to nothing in common with yours. Furthermore, the actions of one person do not justify your crimes."

Kuchinawa snaps towards Sheena. "This . . . This was a trap! You never intended to duel me!"

"I did!" Sheena turns to Igaguri and pleads, "Ojiisan, please! Let us duel and bring some closure to this!"

Igaguri's expression turns from a stern look to one of grief. "Sheena, this duel would bring no closure to the matter and only serve to place you and Kuchinawa in unnecessary danger. If we were to follow this logic, everyone affected by Volt would have to duel you as well, including myself. The survivors of the incident do not hold you accountable, and you should not be accountable for Volt's choice to solve a problem with undue violence when he had other options. I will not permit this duel."

"No . . ."

Orochi takes a step closer to the group. "Please, everyone! I-I need—"

Kuchinawa takes a step back. "You are not my brother!"

Orochi flinches.

Seeing Orochi's reaction, Sheena turns back to Kuchinawa and snaps, "Kuchinawa! That's not fair of you! He's been trying and trying to speak to you ever since you disappeared! Now you're about to be exiled and you won't even speak to him in what could be the last time you two talk to each other! Don't say the elders won't permit that because they will!"

"I have nothing more to say to anyone in this village," Kuchinawa replies. "There is nothing to talk about."

Sheena pushes her lips together in frustration before asking, ". . . What happened to Corrine's bell?"

Igaguri raises an eyebrow at Sheena's words and slips a hand into his kimono before pulling out Corrine's collar. "Do you mean this? We found it among his possessions."

Sheena's eyes grow wide at the sight of the collar before she sighs in relief. "Ojiisan . . . ! Thank you!"

"We need to focus on the matter at hand," Igaguri announces. "Azumi Kuchinawa is to be exiled! Our guests are to move to a place where they will be out of sight while the banishment begins. Sheena, I want you at my side; Orochi, as the remainder of Kuchinawa's immediate family, you know where you should be."

The crowd shifts as they form a path to the village exit and remain in wordless silence. Torao escorts Lloyd, Genis, and Raine to a nearby house and stays with them during the banishment. As Torao blocks a window, Lloyd asks, "Why are you doing that?"

Torao answers, "You're not a villager of Mizuho, so you don't need to see this."

Raine states, "They are going to pressure Kuchinawa with silence."

"Silence?" Genis questions, "What will being quiet do?"

Raine turns to Genis with a stern expectant look. Genis shifts awkwardly before he goes, "Okay . . . I get it now . . . Please stop, sis . . ."

Raine averts her gaze, allowing Genis to relax, and says, "Are you here to keep an eye on us?"

"Yeah, and I don't think my staring will do anything," Torao replies. "I wasn't born in this village so Kuchinawa doesn't even know my name. Why should he care what I think?"

Lloyd then asks, "Is this really going to solve anything?"

"I doubt it," Raine says. "Tethe'alla will still label Kuchinawa as a wanted criminal for the people he killed in Altamira and for his involvement with the Pope. There is also his anger towards Sheena, which has undoubtedly been exacerbated by this. This will not be the last time we see of Kuchinawa."

Torao looks over at the window he blocked and mutters, "Sheena-ue . . ."

After a couple hours pass, Igaguri and Sheena both enter the house where they wait in. Torao immediately gets up to his feet and salutes the chief. "Chief Igaguri! Fujibayashi-ue!"

"At ease." Igaguri smiles at Lloyd and the Sage siblings. "I thank you for supporting Sheena during her trials. I understand there are more of you?"

Lloyd says, "Yes. We split up so we could handle more things. We're a bit pressed for time."

"Then it would be best if you left to reunite with the rest of your company," Igaguri suggests. "I still need to borrow Sheena for a little bit."

"Why?"

Sheena shrugs. "I don't even know. It's just something only I can do. Guess you'll find out once I come back."

"I see no problem with this as long as Sheena remains in the village," Raine states. "As long as she isn't alone, she should be safe."

"I will do everything I can to protect my granddaughter," Igaguri says. "_No one_ will harm her under my watch."

"Ojiisan . . . !"

Lloyd smiles. "Then we'll see you soon, Sheena. Good luck."

"Thanks." Sheena pauses. ". . . Hey, guys?" She steps forward to hug the three one at a time. As she first hugs Lloyd, she says, "Thanks for your help with Maverick. I really mean it; it's not sarcasm."

Lloyd hugs her back before the two part. "You're welcome."

As Sheena hugs Genis, Genis says, "We'll do anything we can to help you, Sheena."

"Just be safe, understand?" Raine adds just before Sheena moves on to hug the half-elf.

"I promise," Sheena replies as she hugs Raine. She steps back and gives all three a smile. "See you guys in Meltokio."

* * *

When Lloyd, Genis, and Raine returned with news on Mithos and Sheena, we all felt a collective relief. Added to that, our outfits came in after just a couple days—_all_ of the outfits, too. Apparently Zelos knew what the sizes of the missing group are, which made things all the more awkward and creepier when I saw _Sheena's_ outfit. Oh god she's going to be pissed when she sees that skimpy thing . . .

Anyway, the party hosted in honor of Princess Hilda's rescue is apparently a big enough occasion where the nobility are putting appointments and occasions on a later date. Rather last minute, but I'm not complaining. At least we can do this now when we can all enjoy this instead of after the journey ends when someone could be dead, as morbid as that sounds. Everyone important in Meltokio's governing system is going to be there, making it much more likely for me to steal away and find a quiet spot to enjoy the night with a few treats to snack on at the side. I know my mannerisms are going to make me stand out like an overused, clichéd description of standing out, so finding proper hiding spots as soon as possible is going to be a priority. I wish I could just blend in with the masses and stick with my own little circle like I could if I were just going to prom.

Though, despite the nerves a lot of us have before the party, showing off our various outfits became a highlight of one day.

Colette walks in the middle of our circle and twirls her dress. "It even covers up the crystals!" she chirps.

"You look absolutely lovely, Colette," Raine tells her.

"You too, Professor!" Then Colette pulls Raine to the center. "Come here so everyone can see!"

Raine blushes as her outfit is placed under examination. "Oh, Colette! You don't have to!"

Genis, in his own formal outfit, asks, "Then why are you wearing it?"

"I just put it on to see if I'm comfortable walking around in it!" Raine's blush turns redder. "I-I didn't know that Zelos—" She sends a glare towards the Tethe'allan Chosen. "—was going to give my measures to the seamstresses accurately!"

Lloyd grimaces and says, "Yeah, that's kinda creepy, Zelos."

"Hey, you got the outfits in time so why are you complaining?"

"Zelos!" Seles angrily shouts from the top of the stairs in a formal yellow dress. "Why aren't you in your outfit? You said that you would dress up if I did!"

"I lied, Seles! I'm saving that for the occasion!" Then he says, "Besides, I shouldn't have to bribe you into wearing nice things!"

Honestly, I don't remember what Zelos' outfit was. It wasn't exactly a life-or-death detail. Even still, I'll see it eventually.

But boy, when I first saw it . . .

On the day of the party, a number of servants pulled each of us away to help us get dressed. Lloyd put up a fuss, saying that he could dress himself, but we all knew better. These outfits are way too complicated to put on by ourselves. Most of the time was spent fixing our hair—and I swear that Tethe'alla's version of hairspray got me a little choked. Feeling my lungs strain from the hairspray brought back memories of my asthmatic mother gasping for air after some perfume or cologne triggered an attack. The fact that she developed that trigger sent me into a slight panic. I was so close to shouting when the servants refused to let me get some fresh air (well, fresher than hairspray). Overreacting? Maybe a little, but I know that asthma has some roots in genetics and I don't want to take the risk.

Thankfully, the ordeal was done rather quickly. Rather than down, my hair was pulled up into something resembling a French twist. I took out most of the frilly accessories that were put into my hair (there was even a gaudy bundle of feathers that stuck out like an exaggerated plume) and kept my appearance as smooth and simple as I could. The dress, fortunately, looked better with a more simplistic appearance. It was a dark blue dress that draped down my body to accent my slim form (obviously to make up for what few curves I have) with a matching shawl that I probably shouldn't be pulling against my arms like a thin blanket. I didn't let anyone pierce my ears but I did pick a silver chain necklace with a simple design with a tiny diamond pendant shaped like a raindrop.

Overall, I'm feeling very graceful and very vain about my looks.

When I finally get free to walk the halls, a distant door slams open and I find Sheena racing down the hallway towards the changing room. In her rush, all I notice is that she's wearing a red Mizuho outfit in place of her usual violet kimono. As she goes by, I quickly say, "Hi, Sheena, wanna catch up?"

"In a hurry! Later!" The ninja dashes by and hurries into the changing room.

I . . . I suppose I could ask her what happened in Mizuho once she comes out?

"Oh, there's someone!" Zelos comes up behind me and squirts a small amount of cologne on his bare wrist before handing it over to me. He pauses when I turn away after taking a good look at him. ". . . What?"

Oh wow . . . His formal outfit is like some mix between Elizabethan formal outfits and a modern tux. It's so _frilly!_ He's like a peacock! I can't help but chuckle.

". . . Kelsey, are you _laughing_ at me?"

I cover my stifled chuckles with subtle coughs. "N-no. Just . . . what's that smell?" Now that I think about it, what's that smell in the air?

Zelos raises an eyebrow at me but dismisses it in favor of saying, "Anyway, could you smell this? I'm not quite sure about it . . . Seles says it smells horrible but I want to hear a second opinion."

"What . . . What is it?" One of Mom's triggers was cologne . . .

"Eau de Seduction," he informs. "It's a prototype from Lezerano."

"Sounds like something from a whore house."

"Just smell it."

I hesitate before getting closer to the scent. Well, having a likelihood to develop asthma isn't the same as actually having it. I should be safe. I take one whiff of the cologne and immediately start gagging. Oh _god!_ This stuff could kill a buzzard!

I carp, "My god, Zelos! Ditch that and get something that actually _smells nice!_ Listen to Seles next time!"

He grimaces. ". . . Duly noted . . ."

The changing room door slams open. Sheena marches out with a tiny bundle of ribbons hanging off a hanger. She spots Zelos and goes right up to him before flashing the formal outfit in her hands. "You! What the fuck is this? Who designed it and approved of this?"

Zelos takes a step back and goes, "I did. I designed it. It should fit—"

"I don't care if it fits!" Sheena snaps, "It looks like something out of a _bondage fantasy!_"

"I thought it would accent your best features!"

"I want something that will at least cover more skin than it doesn't! These are just a bunch of ribbons!" she shouts. "Damn it, I could make a noose out of this thing!"

Zelos goes from being slightly cowed to outright indignant. "Maybe you should learn how to be more appreciative of this! I worked hard to design that!"

"As much as I'd appreciate your efforts to make me a nice dress, I _don't_ appreciate being overly sexualized! I don't want to become someone's masturbating fantasy! I get enough of that as it is!"

"And that's somehow my fault?"

"With this dress, _yes!_" Sheena then huffs. "Zelos, I really do appreciate the sentiments that aren't grounded in your wild sex drive, but next time you try something like this for me, don't ever go for the overtly sexual designs! I want someone to at least take me seriously rather than stare at my bare skin! Damn it, it comes with boots that probably belong more in a BDSM setting!"

"What _are_ you going to wear, then?"

Sheena sighs, "I suppose what I have on now. I'll present myself to His Majesty and Her Highness, chat with a few people, and then leave. Not exactly a fan of most of the people going, anyway."

Zelos looks over Sheena's new red outfit. ". . . It _is_ a lot nicer than your usual outfit. What's the occasion?"

Sheena perks up a little as she reports, "I have become the new successor of Chief Igaguri Fujibayashi!"

My eyes widen at the news. "Oh wow! Congratulations! Tell everyone else as soon as they come out!"

"So that's why you stayed behind," Zelos comments.

"Yes." Sheena says, "If I could restore the Guardians of Mizuho, I would be acknowledged as the next chief. I managed to restore all eight!"

"The Guardians?" I go.

"The bird things I used back when I was still Colette's assassin."

I smile sweetly at her. "Oh, you mean the things you used to give me a hairline crack in my skull and four broken ribs?"

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Not as long as I can squeeze some amusement out of it."

Zelos says, "Well, congratulations. I hope you enjoy tonight despite this slight hiccup."

The Chosen walks away from us. Sheena watches him go before pushing the hanger into my hands. I hold it up to examine it (yeah, it really does look like something out of a bondage fantasy) as Sheena goes after Zelos. She tugs at the back of his coat and stops him. "Look," she says, "I really do appreciate the sentiment. You take pride in your drawings and must have worked hard to make sure that outfit looked just right. I . . . I actually love the color and the material feels nice. It's just shows too much skin for me to be comfortable. That's really the only problem. It's a big problem, but the only complaint I have against it."

Zelos turns around with a casual smile and tells her, "What are you talking about? I didn't put into any real effort in that! I just wanted an excuse to see as much of you without spying on you in the shower!"

"Ugh! You're impossible!" Sheena shoos him away with a wave of her hand. "Just finish up getting ready."

"Whatever you say, Miss Delectable Breasts."

Sheena shakes her head at Zelos as he walks away. When he's out of earshot, she mutters, "Stupid Chosen. I'm not going to fall for tricks like that."

* * *

The formal celebration of Princess Hilda's return is . . . a bit stifling, to be honest. It might be how intimidating it is to be in a crowd that expects manners you were never taught, it might be how formal the entire occasion is and yet never feeling up to standard, it might be the food that's just a bit too rich, it might be the stares gained from those around you, or it might even be a combination of all of the above. No matter the answer, it's all still very awkward.

The King let all the nobles mingle together for a bit of time, getting to know each of Princess Hilda's "heroes" (being labeled as such makes me feel twitchy) individually. While Lloyd, Zelos, and Regal are popular for nobles to talk to, most tend to keep their distance from Genis, Raine, and me. This time I really don't mind the prejudice. At least I get my space when I need it, unlike poor Lloyd who's definitely not comfortable with the excessive amount of attention even if he his getting showered with praise.

Genis comes up to me and just stands nearby. I wait for him to speak to me for a couple seconds before going, "Yeeesss?"

"Nothing. You just seem to find the quietest spot in the room," Genis tells me. "I just needed a moment without a lot of people around."

"I haven't even found that spot yet," I say to him. "I will say, though, that ever since Kratos left our group, I've been able to claim the nice quiet spots before anyone else now."

"Now we know why he did that."

"Yeah, though I don't think we were ever in any places _this_ bad," I comment as I motion towards the room.

"Makes me feel better about coming here in something decent," Sheena remarks as she comes over here in the same red outfit she wore when she came back. She glances over at us and smiles. "I know I said it back when we were coming here but I'll say it again: you two look very nice. Genis, you look like you're dressed for Easter Sunday!"

Genis blushes. "Wh-what's Easter Sunday?"

I answer, "It's a holiday. How you celebrate it depends on—wait a minute . . ." I turn to Sheena in shock. "I never mentioned _Easter_ before. How do you know about it?"

"I was about to ask you the same," Sheena replies. "Easter is strictly a Mizuho holiday."

"It's actually from Christian worship. It's the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our 'Chosen' figure (though I do suspect that the specific date and some traditions came from pagan holidays)."

"How is that possible? Easter for Mizuho is where we—"

The King interrupts our conversation by announcing the circumstances behind the party and all the glorified details of Princess Hilda's rescue (minus any mention of three specific members of our group). A lot of emphasis goes to Zelos and Regal for their brave actions and for leading their "attendants" (cue me clenching my teeth together with a mental correction) into battle to rescue the distressed princess. The speech goes on and on to the point where I'm doing my best not to doze off. I'm already going to hell for falling asleep a few times during church sermons; I don't need to make a bad impression to the Royal Family.

When the King finally finishes his speech, he thanks Mizuho's ninjas and each of us for rescuing Princess Hilda and arresting the Pope. A round of applause sounds off through the entire room. I can't help but shy away from the attention. Like before, people gather around Zelos, Regal, and Lloyd but branch off to Colette, Presea, and some to Raine this time. They would have gone to Sheena but our ninja takes this moment to excuse herself and present her new status and further updates on Mizuho to the King.

"Why isn't anyone going to _you?_" Genis asks me. "You look human enough."

"Wanted posters must've tipped them off," I comment.

"Then why are they going to Raine?"

"Note that most of the people gathered around Raine are intellectuals or older men."

"I guess I see, but I'm not comfortable with those older men hanging around her."

"Look how old half the nobles are. It's inevitable that older men will gather around."

"I still don't like it."

I start to reply but get distracted by Colette breaking free of the crowd around her. The Sylvaranti Chosen walks towards the exit and steps out. Sheena, after speaking with the King, leaves in the same direction as Colette. Noting that, I had to wonder if Colette wanted to speak with Sheena before she left. Though, once Lloyd breaks free of the group around him, I start having other theories.

After a few moments, Lloyd comes back inside the room. He glances about and spots Genis and me and comes our way with a smile. "Hey, you two," he greets. "You look great!"

"Really?" Genis says. "Sheena said that I look like I'm dressed up for Easter Sunday?"

"What's Easter Sunday?"

"Some kind of Mizuho holiday, from what she told me."

I sigh. "I just said to you and Sheena that Easter is a Christian holiday! That's where it originally came from!"

Then Lloyd turned to me. "That dress really suits you, Kelsey!"

"You're not even listening to me, are you?"

"About what?"

I sigh again. "Nothing. Thanks for the compliment . . ."

Genis asks, "Lloyd, did you catch up to Colette or Sheena? They both went out the door."

"I could only catch up to Sheena," Lloyd says. "Colette must have walked in a different direction."

"You'll see her in a moment," I tell him.

"Yeah, I hope so—uh-oh . . ." Lloyd starts walking away as a couple nobles head towards his direction. "I'll see you two later, okay?"

I couldn't help but stare. ". . . Wow."

A second passes before Genis sighs in relief. ". . . I'm starting to wonder what to do once this entire journey is over. What will you do?"

"Go back to Palmacosta, most likely." I glance over at him. "Do you know if they were affected by the Great Seed?"

"I don't know. I certainly hope not."

"I try not to think about that," I state, "but not thinking about those kinds of things is what got me to be so passive."

"Well, I don't think there's anything you can do about it right now," Genis says. "Back before the Great Seed, there were things you can do, but with Palmacosta right now, you can't help them unless you leave us for good this time."

"And I don't exactly want to leave right now since I can do more good with ya'll than at Palmacosta right now."

"But afterwards, you're going to Palmacosta, right?"

"Yes. If it was affected by the Great Seed, I want to at least help a little bit in their recovery effort."

Genis looks away towards Lloyd, who moved on from Raine to talk to Presea. "I actually have an idea that I've been thinking over since I started reading my mother's diary. I don't want to say anything about that idea until I talk to Raine about it, though."

"I understand. Tell me about it once you have it all planned out."

". . . Kelsey?"

"Yeah?"

"It's . . . It's getting really hard to read my mother's diary," Genis tells me. "I-I can tell that she loved us both a lot. She didn't abandon us because we were burdens; she abandoned us because she loved us."

I frown. ". . . That . . . sounds . . ."

"Messed up, I know. But think about it: discrimination against half-elves is really bad here in Tethe'alla. Mother and Raine and Kloitz couldn't stay in one place without the Imperial Research Academy finding them."

"Wait, the Imperial Research Academy?" I go with wide eyes. "The same people that Sheena's with?"

"I think it's different people, but they're definitely the ones that forced the half-elves there to work there." Genis' face turns grim as he watches his sister. ". . . To think, Raine almost ended up there . . ."

"She's not there, though," I remind him. "She's here."

"Yeah, but only because our mother left us." Genis continues speaking without seemingly noticing the tears budding in his eyes. "Virginia sent us to Sylvarant because she loved us, and it's because of that that I was able to even meet all of the friends I have. She loved us so much yet . . . yet I-I can't help but ask why she and Father didn't come with us. If it was so horrible here and things were supposed to be so much better in Sylvarant and they loved us so much, why didn't they come with us? Why didn't we all go to Sylvarant together? So many things would've been so much better if they went with us. Maybe Father wouldn't have died or Mother wouldn't have ended up as she did. Maybe—"

I hug Genis. As he starts to get the sniffles, I tell him, "If you didn't finish her diary, maybe she had a reason for staying behind. Maybe you found a flaw in her logic. Either way, them going with you and Raine would not have prevented your mother from ending up as she did or your father from dying. There are a lot of factors that you didn't find out about and stuff that we can't even find out about with how the world is. Those things might have happened or they might not have. In the end, you just have no control over those."

"I-I know . . . I just . . . can't help but wonder . . ."

"I know. We all have those moments."

"Awww, a little half-elf love~!"

Genis and I separate and send harsh glares to Zelos. "A little racially insensitive, much?" I snip.

Zelos holds up this fancy envelop with a confident smile. "Before you start ripping me to shreds, take a look at what His Majesty just handed to me: a pass to Heimdall!"

"We can get into the elf village now!" Genis goes.

"That's right! We're leaving first thing in the morning." Then Zelos points to the balcony above us. "In other news, take a look at who's getting laid tonight~!"

We look up to find Lloyd and Colette up on the balcony, having a pleasant conversation with each other. Subtle hints from their body language such as their proximity to each other indicate that there's a little bit more than friendship.

Genis remarks, "I wonder when those two will realize how they feel about each other. I mean, it's a little obvious."

"I doubt they're getting laid, though," I comment. "Lloyd will have to go through puberty and Colette will have to actually start thinking about being a little more assertive before they even reach first base."

"First base?" Genis goes.

"I can explain the baseball metaphor later once we're not as likely to get an audience."

"Baseball?"

Zelos asks, "By the way, do you know where Sheena went off to?"

"Most likely back at the mansion since she doesn't have anything appropriate to wear for this occasion," I inform him. "While I'm at it, it's a little creepy that—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Then he huffs. "The way she did her hair makes up for any lack of formality in her outfit. I don't know why she left if her outfit is an issue. I suppose I will have to straighten her out."

As he walks off, I tell the Chosen, "Remember, Zelos: confidence-boosting diction! Don't tell her that her hair makes up for dressing up in a rag!"

"Kelsey!" Genis protests.

"You know he'll word it like that!" I shoot back.

"I swear you two are so similar sometimes!"

I raise my hands up. "Hey, now! I'm still a virgin, so don't even tell me that I sleep around like he does."

"Ugh."

* * *

Like Zelos said, we left as early as possible. After packing our things, we flew straight to the Ymir Forest and landed right before the start of a system of boardwalks. The forest itself is actually more like a swamp, with waters running deep enough for large koi-like fish to swim about. I take a good look at the fish and guess their size to be about Regal's height. These fish put baby-swallowing catfish to shame.

Raine stares off into the distance. "This place . . . I remember it for sure."

"Enough to lead us through this place?" Lloyd asks.

"No, not enough to guide everyone through, but I do remember these boardwalks."

"It shouldn't be too hard to find our way through," Sheena says. "Just don't even touch the water. Those fish look like they could swallow our arms whole."

I shudder at the size of the fish. "It's like a koi version of Jaws."

Everyone glances at me in slight confusion. "Koi version of . . . what?" Sheena went.

"Giant, man-eating shark, only a koi."

"Your brain goes weird places . . ." Sheena replies.

"Hey, it's part of the pop culture I was raised in. I'd have to be Amish to not know what Jaws is."

"Amish?"

"Are you up for a long explanation?"

"No."

"Then save that for when you are."

Raine's eyes gleamed, and then she says, "I am willing to listen to your explanation. Please, explain who the 'Ah-mish' are."

Lloyd and Sheena groan as I start telling the professor as much as I know about the Amish.

Long after most conversations wore thin, we come upon the end to the boardwalks. Up further ahead is a little child with long, pointed ears searching up every tree he can reach. When he notices us, the kid takes a few steps back before sticking out his chest in challenge.

"You can't go any further!" he shouts at us.

We stop. Colette goes up to the boy and asks, "Why not?"

The boy keeps his defiant stance.

"Is there something you want to tell us?" Colette keeps asking.

His lips start trembling.

Zelos irritably goes, "You don't wanna make us angry, kid."

Sheena turns to Zelos with the most threatening glare she can make. Zelos slowly backs away from the ninja.

Lloyd tells the boy, "Ignore him. He's a moron. If something is bothering you, we can help, but only if you tell us what's wrong."

The boy sniffs as his face scrunches up in obvious distress. "Mom's sick. I was told that the Ymir fruit can help her get better. But the fruit is way too high for me to reach and if I fall the fish will eat me!"

"What if we got it for you?" Colette suggests. "We can reach the tops of the trees without falling!"

"You . . . You would do that?" The boy's face just lights up with hope.

"Dwarvan Vow Number Eleven: Lying is the first step to the path of thievery." Lloyd tells the boy, "So I don't lie, 'cause that's my mortal."

"It's 'motto,' idiot," Zelos responds.

"Actually, it's 'moral,'" I correct.

Lloyd just gives us a look before assuring the child, "Anyway, we'll get it for you so you just stay right here. Where in this forest is it?"

"I, uh, don't know, but it should be somewhere nearby," the boy says.

"What?" Zelos carps, "How are we supposed to find it now?"

"My-my mommy said that if you follow the butterflies then you'll find what you're looking for," the boy then says.

"Follow the butterflies?" Zelos rolls his eyes. "That has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard."

I reply, "Hey, we could be following the spiders."

"That sounds just as stupid."

I give him an exaggerated shrug. "Are magical butterflies really outside the realm of possibility?"

"Yes."

"Then you're not as genre-savvy as you should be."

"Genre—This isn't a fantasy book!"

Might as well be.

Raine sternly announces, "If magical butterflies are what will help us get into Heimdall, then we will follow those magical butterflies! Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Colette smiles at the little boy before she tells him, "We'll be right back with the Ymir fruit! We promise!"

We turn back to the direction we came and start searching every potential fruit-bearing tree. It doesn't take long to check, especially with Colette flying around, but it does take us a long while just to find something that has fruit. As soon as we find one, we're all smiles and joy.

The Ymir fruit is a yellow pear-shaped fruit with the tenderness of a tomato. The tree itself is tall with rather large leaves the size of Regal's hands. The bark is milk-white and smooth, reminding me of white birch trees. Colette picks one down and hands it to the professor, saying, "Professor, is this one okay to give to that boy?"

Raine inspects the fruit before she smiles at the Sylvaranti Chosen and nods. "Yes, this one is perfect."

Lloyd walks up to Raine and takes the fruit to look over it in amazement. "So this is the Ymir fruit? I bet it tastes good!"

Colette quickly snatches the fruit out of Lloyd's hands. "No, Lloyd! You can't eat that! It's for the child's mother!"

Presea scolds, "Lloyd, how could you think such a thing?"

"I am disappointed in you," Regal says with a deep frown.

Genis shakes his head. "Lloyd, that's just wrong."

Lloyd holds up his hands in surrender, his face completely baffled. "O-okay, okay! It was just a thought . . ."

"Lloyd," Zelos says with a smile, "it looks like they're treating you the way they treat me." Zelos walks up to Lloyd and hugs him from behind. "I think we can be good friends!"

"Aaahhh! Don't drag me into your world!"

"What a bunch of melodrama," Sheena remarks.

We return to the little boy while half of our group sulks and huffs at Lloyd (with Zelos sulking and huffing at Lloyd's rejection). His eyes light up at the very sight of the fruit in Colette's hands and quickly takes it when she offers it to him. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the boy cries. "Mom can get better now! They say that humans aren't nice, but you guys are different! I don't know how I can thank you . . ." Then he smiles in sudden delight. "I know! I'll take you to the village! Come with me!"

With that, the little boy leads us down a dirt path to the entrance of a quiet village where two elvan guards stand, ready for anyone or anything. One raises his hand and shouts, "Stop! Who are you?"

"It's me! Aaron!" the boy says. "These humans gave me the Ymir fruit to save Mommy! Look, look!" He hurries to the two guards and holds the Ymir fruit high for the two to see. The guard that remained silent ushers Aaron inside and then turns to our group with a cautious stare.

The other guard says, "So you gave Aaron the Ymir fruit. Very considerate. Now speak your business."

Zelos steps closer to the guard and flashes the sealed envelope the King gave us. "We have business with your elder," the Tethe'allan Chosen says. "Mind if we come in?"

The guard takes the envelope and, after studying the seal, tells him, "Fine, you may enter. However, no half-elves are to enter the village."

"Why?" Colette asks in shock.

"This is a protective measure against those who brought catastrophe to our village. If you humans cannot accept that, then you may not enter either."

Before anyone else has time to respond, Raine says, "We'll wait here. The rest of you go on and speak with the elder."

Then the guard adds, "Talk celebrating Mithos of the Kharlan War as a hero is also strictly forbidden in our village."

"Why is that?" Lloyd asks.

"We have no need to explain. Just do as we say."

The human majority of our group looks back at Raine, Genis, and me as they go on. They hesitate before stepping completely inside the village. The Sage siblings and I watch them leave before we settle down on a nice patch of grass just some distance away from the village entrance.

Genis huffs towards the guards. "Hmph! They punish _all_ half-elves just to keep a couple jackasses from causing more trouble? That isn't fair!"

"Life often isn't fair," Raine reminds.

"That doesn't mean we can't complain about it," I comment.

"Perhaps, but it is a meaningless endeavor," Raine absentmindedly replies as she looks out towards the village.

Genis gets up and walks further away from the village. "I'm just going to practice my spells. Kelsey, you want to come?"

I get up from my spot. "Sure."

Just before we get too far, Raine asks, "Genis, would . . . would you mind if I read Mother's diary?"

Genis stops and turns to his sister in surprise. He nods as he says, "Sure, Raine. It's in my bag."

"Thank you." Raine immediately digs around in Genis' bag and pulls out Virginia's old diary. With a slight agitated frown, Raine opens the book and slowly reads through the pages. Genis turns away from his sister. He rubs his right eye and sniffs, and then I spot a small smile on his face.

* * *

Now that all the side quests are out of the way, it's time to get serious again.

And yes, the game references Easter as some Mizuho holiday with Genis' formal outfit. It makes absolutely no sense since Easter is a Christian holiday and the closest thing to Christianity this game has is the Church of Martel. Easter Sunday should not be a holiday for Mizuho when the commercialism of Easter and the significance of Easter is just not in that culture.

I know it jumps around a bit, but it's time to wrap up all the side quests I could fit in this.

Anyway, please review.


	84. All in Vain

. . . I've been busy with college. That's all that I can really say.

Also, I know that I've told more than one person about this and dropped a few hints, but this will be it once I finish Confessions. There will be no sequel. I've worked on this fic for three years so it'll be time to say goodbye to it once I'm done.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Four: All in Vain

The elf elder Brambert stares down Lloyd and company as they explain their request. Like the other villagers, the elder is standoffish towards the group and only granted them his time due to the King's seal. Even then, Brambert finds their request off-putting.

". . . The mana leaf herb, you say?" the elf responds dryly.

Lloyd nods. "Yes, we need it to help our friend."

"That plant is an important part of our magical practices," the elder states. "We cannot simply give away samples of it."

Regal asks, "Is there anything that can be done? Our friend will die without it."

"Is that so? Please, explain," Brambert says with a wave of his hand.

"Our friend has . . . uh . . ." Lloyd frowns as he tries to say the words correctly. "Angel . . . Effect . . ."

Elder Brambert's face turns from critical to outright unsympathetic.

Zelos goes, "No, no, it was Chronic . . . Chronic Angelus . . . In . . ."

"Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium," Presea finishes.

Shock appears on the elf's face. He leans back in his chair as he puts his hand around his chin and gazes downward in thought. Brambert sighs before he gets up and moves to the other side of the room. He picks up a staff leaning against the wall and returns to the group. As he hands the staff to them, the elder says, "The mana leaf herb grows in a region southeast of here called the Latheon Gorge. Give this staff to the watchman."

Lloyd slowly takes the staff with wide eyes. "Elder—"

"I have nothing more to say to you humans."

With that dismissal, the entire group leaves. The elf elder watches them go before sinking back into his seat. A few moments pass in silence, and then the window opens. Kratos Aurion slips through the window and enters the elder's home.

". . . You spoke the truth," Brambert says.

"You could have given them fresh pieces of the herb," Kratos states.

"You could have given them all the information they need to cure that disease as well as the materials and technique to do so without much effort."

"Would they have accepted such things from their enemy?"

Brambert points a critical eye towards the Seraph. "Kratos," the elder says, "why do you believe that I should be involved in your game? Not only has the village rejected you but my own ancestor and namesake has rejected you, and that rejection carries down to me."

"You are not only the elder but also Brambert the Kharlan Hero's descendant," Kratos reminds. "You know my history as well as the Storyteller does, and I doubt that Yuan will give any information crucial for my plan's success to Lloyd. You are the only one I can trust in this."

"Do you really mean to—"

"Yes. Lloyd and his company still have their principles and souls intact; they are ideal for reversing Cruxis' damage on this world, at least more so than Yuan."

"And if you fail?"

"I won't."

"Best not. I would not put it passed Yggdrasill to find a way to transfer the seal and give you the worst possible punishment he can device before granting a long and painful death."

Kratos grimaces. ". . . I know. I have seen such a fate."

"Then leave the village. Should Yggdrasill notice your presence here, he may suspect you."

Kratos nods to the elder and leaves through the same window rather than exiting and drawing attention from those outside. Brambert turns away from the window and sighs. "What have I agreed to contribute to . . . ?"

* * *

Waiting for the others to return didn't take too long. They were at the village entrance when Genis and I returned from practice. Lloyd gives us a rundown of what happened in the village and shows us the staff in his hands when he tells us about the elvan elder. Raine, Genis, and I take this in as the entire group goes through the Ymir Forest. Once we reach the end of the boardwalks, we stuff the staff into a wing pack and fly off to the southeast.

Admittedly, I'm not too certain about the Latheon Gorge. All I remember is a splitting headache and tons of frustration. Hopefully the real Latheon Gorge won't be so trying.

When we arrive, we land at the foot of the Latheon Gorge and head up a steep path where an elvan watchman awaits. Lloyd pulls out the elder's staff and shows it to the watchman when he approaches. "That's the elder's staff!" the watchman says. The elf takes the staff and points up the path. "Follow the path. The Storyteller will direct you as needed."

"Thank you," Lloyd replies as we pass on by.

The path, as it turns out, proves easy to walk along. Occasionally there's a giant plant that blows air out and looks like one of those Mario piranha plants but most are out of the way and generally don't disrupt us. The trail we follow is worn and beaten, and I could have sworn that I saw at least one other elf before the figure disappeared. As we go further along, the signs of other inhabitants goes from vague to outright clear as we spot more elves. Although not nearly enough to even amount up to the same number of people in Hima, there are still enough elves for us to notice and for them to number into the double digits. Most of them, strangely, seem to be rather young, the elvan equivalent of teenagers. They stare at us with a mix of curiosity and hostility, yet they don't interfere with us.

At the end of the path is a small cluster of five houses nestled against a solid cliff wall and a waterfall off to the side. A few of the elves we already saw had already joined an elderly man sitting at the oldest of the five houses, informing him of our arrival. The older elf looks out at us with an analytical expression but one that isn't at all forbidding like the others.

When we get closer, the man goes, "Humans and . . . half-elves? Quite an unusual assembly."

"You must be the Storyteller," Raine says. "Do you know where the mana leaf herb is grown?"

Lloyd explains, "We need it to help save a friend of ours."

The Storyteller answers, "I know of where it grows, but it is in a rather difficult place."

"So where is it?" Lloyd asks.

The Storyteller studies us for a moment before getting up from his seat and slowly walking towards the waterfall. "This way," he utters as he wobbles on by. We follow him until he stops before the top of a cliff and he points downward at a rocky area flooded by the waterfall's splashing. Along the rocks and growing even further is this plant that looks like watercress or maybe more like water poppies without the flowers. Although the drop is about eight feet, the wet rocks worry me.

At least there isn't some giant plant with a T-rex skeleton inside just laying about.

"We should be able to get to it no problem," Lloyd tells the Storyteller with a smile. "Thank you."

"Be careful on those rocks. All of them are slick and some are quite sharp."

Lloyd nods and jumps down. As soon as he lands, his feet slip out and he bangs his head against a large rock behind him. I gasp as Colette shouts, "Lloyd! Are you okay?"

He groans as he gets back up to his feet. After running his hand through his hair, Lloyd gives us a thumbs-up and calls out, "Yeah, I'm fine! Not even bleeding!"

We either sigh or shake our heads at him while Genis scolds, "He told you to be careful, moron!"

Raine says, "Lloyd, collect a handful of the leaves, and make certain that at least most are intact!"

The Storyteller asks, "You said you need the mana leaf herb to save your friend. What is it that you need to save your friend from?"

Genis casually answers, "Our friend is sick. The mana leaf herb is part of the cure."

"Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium, I assume."

We all turn to the Storyteller with clear astonishment. As, by this point, I don't recall how the game plays out with this area, this is a surprise to me as well. After a second of thinking, though, I realize that this man passes down the lore of the elves and that it's likely that he learned about this disease. Shame on me for not remembering this kind of information.

"What do you know about it, sir?" Colette asks.

The Storyteller glances around at each of us and answers once Lloyd returns. "It is the same disease that Martel had," he said. "My duty is to pass on Heimdall's knowledge and history to the next generation without being bounded by Heimdall's taboos. It is here that those willing to learn of such things come and listen to what I have to say. What they leave with is entirely their own choice. I teach them about the arrival of the elves and the planting of the Kharlan Tree, the establishment of life on this world, the arrival of humans, the rise of the Balacruf Empire and the Tethe'allan Dynasty, the Kharlan War, the story of whom you call Mithos the Hero and his companions, and the rise of Cruxis."

Raine says, "If you know how Cruxis was establish, please tell us what happened. We have had conflicts with Cruxis and their leader and need as much information as possible."

"Understand that this story is not one to be heard casually; It is tied deeply into the Kharlan Heroes' story. Do you still wish to know?"

We all exchange glances before we turn back to the elf with our attention focused on him. The Storyteller nods. "Very well."

"To understand Cruxis, you must understand Mithos and the Kharlan War. At the beginning, cultural conflicts and political disagreements led to growing tensions between the two nations that would be known as Tethe'alla and Sylvarant. One day, a Tethe'allan sent by the Tethe'allan royal family assassinated a member of the Sylvaranti royal family. War broke out between the two nations and any neutral territories were swiftly overtaken by the nations and forced into the conflict. At this time, Mithos, who was born and raised in Heimdall, was banished from the village due to the conflicts concerning the war and his status as an outsider."

"An outsider who lived in the elvan village?" Raine's eyes start widening. "Does that mean he may have been a half-elf?"

Zelos switches between Raine and the Storyteller in shock. "No way! With how Tethe'alla is, they wouldn't honor a half-elf like they do Mithos!"

"But Mithos ended the war!" Genis says with growing frustration. "Why is his name taboo in Heimdall? It's because he's a half-elf, isn't it?"

"Yes, Mithos was a half-elf, and no, his name is not taboo in Heimdall due to his race," the Storyteller says. "His name is taboo in Heimdall because Mithos, who was loved by Origin the Summon Spirit of All Things, is also a fallen hero."

"A fallen hero?" Lloyd goes.

"Yes. The ones who betrayed Origin and used the power of the magic sword granted by Origin were none other than Mithos Yggdrasill, his sister Martel, and his companions Yuan and Kratos. Those four changed the nature of the world and that is why their names are taboo in Heimdall."

Shock goes through the group, and I turn away to avert the lack of shock on my face. I cross my arms and shake my head, and anything else to make my body language signal any sort of shock or denial over the information presented. Hopefully, my reaction won't be too over-the-top.

"Yggdrasill of Cruxis is . . . is Mithos the Hero?" Lloyd gasps. "And his companions were Martel, Yuan, and Kratos? Impossible!"

"Kratos is the friend of a hero from four thousand years ago? Angels are said to be timeless but . . ."

"These are humans and half-elves! Even an elf cannot live for so long!"

The Storyteller interrupts, "Angels can use special combat techniques developed during the Kharlan War. One uses the body's mana to alter its metabolism and stop the body's internal clock. This allows them to stop aging and live for an indiscernible amount of time."

When I glance back to see if my unusual calm won't be noticeable, everyone is working through their confusion and shock to come up with some sort of answer. Presea ends up being the first one to come out with a sentence. "I think . . . it is not good for one to exceed the lifespan of its species."

As I glance away, Sheena snaps, "Duh! I-if Yggdrasill really is Mithos the Hero, look what it did to him! He's a murderous lunatic who . . . who just . . . Ugh . . . !"

"This doesn't make any sense . . ." Lloyd utters. "None of this makes any sense . . . Why would Mithos do all this?"

Zelos finally says, "At least one thing is clear: the power of Origin was involved in splitting the world. And that magic sword . . . that's the key!"

"Exactly!" Raine says, "We mustn't lose sight of the true problem. Our main goal is to save the two worlds."

As I risk rejoining the group, Sheena crosses her arms as she says, "Yeah. We couldn't control the Great Seed, but if we can return the worlds to their true form, we can solve a lot of problems right there."

"Yeah, you're right," Lloyd says, though just in general, it seems like.

Genis and Zelos remark, "It's a waste of time to think when you have no good ideas."

Lloyd sighs. "You guys are mean . . ."

An awkward chuckle passes between Genis and Zelos.

Colette bows at the Storyteller. "Thank you for telling us the story."

". . . May the Giant Kharlan Tree protect you."

We left the Storyteller and the other elves and made our way down the Latheon Gorge. However, sunset quickly comes and we set up our camp. All of us are silent as we reflect on our thoughts. I take my turn to collect firewood, paying little heed to anything unless it moves. Once a brilliant fire is going and dinner is cooking, I keep myself occupied by making random doodles in the dirt with a frown etched in my face. No one seems to even notice what anyone else is doing unless it was outside the daily routine.

"'May the Giant Kharlan Tree protect you.'"

Maverick.

We bolt up towards the path leading out of the gorge with our weapons ready. Maverick, leaning against a thin tree, simply shakes his head and continues as if he's in a casual conversation. "Why do the elves keep using that phrase after all these years? It couldn't even protect itself . . ."

"You were there? You were right there all that time?" Lloyd exclaims.

"How do you keep following us around without us noticing?" Sheena shouts.

"After what happened in the Temple of Lightning, I gave up on chasing you around the entire world and decided to wait here for you. You need the mana leaf herb, after all."

"Wait, you knew how to cure Colette all this time?" Lloyd goes.

"Of course I did!" Maverick snaps. "How else could I know what documents to steal in Meltokio?"

"Maverick," Lloyd says, "what is your connection in all this? Who are you?"

Maverick glances at me, causing me to stiffen in fear, before glancing back at Lloyd. ". . . None of you pieced it together yet?"

Regal says, "You are a former companion of Mithos the Hero. You knew Martel, Kratos, and Yuan personally, and that is how you know about the details of the cure to this rare disease Martel had."

Lloyd turns to Regal before turning to Maverick with wide eyes. ". . . No way! The storyteller only mentioned Martel, Yuan, and Kratos!"

"Simply mentioning the most important few is not the same as listing every person that was in our group," Maverick states. "There were at least nine of us consistently."

"So that's how you know about 'everything'!" Sheena goes.

Lloyd stares at Maverick for a second in shock. Then, he asks, ". . . What _happened_ to you guys? You were the Ancient Kharlan Heroes! You were supposed to be really close, and now . . ."

Maverick stares back before saying, ". . . A thousand years worth of war, things we have done we can never take back, and differing ideals and differing methods for reaching common goals. _That_ is what happened to us. In your reality, people can just talk these sort of conflicts out. Your Kharlan 'Heroes,' however, are proof that your reality is just a sad naïve lie."

"But there had to be some point where you could sort things out! You guys are still willing to work with each other, even if you don't like each other anymore!" Lloyd insists.

Maverick shakes his head. "We worked together out of necessity. In any other circumstances, we would kill each other on the spot. We have all done horrible things to one another that would prevent even basic civility—and I am not counting all the crimes Yggdrasill has done to the world in general."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Colette asks.

Maverick sighs. "I . . ." Then he shakes his head and snaps, "We are off topic. Sheena, you know exactly what I need from you. Will you cooperate with me?"

"Transplant the World Tree of Derris Kharlan with the help of the Summon Spirits, right?" Sheena coolly replies. She crosses her arms and scowls at the angel. "I'll think about it, but first I want you to tell us what the magic sword Origin gave Yggdrasill is."

"The Eternal Sword. It's the thing Yggdrasill used to split the world in two. Currently, he uses it to balance mana levels at the scale he does. Your only hope for taking that sword away is to make a pact with Origin and kill Yggdrasill. I can buy you time and a distraction with my plan, but Yuan and your group are the only ones who can finish this."

"Then why don't you just tell Yuan about your plan?" Lloyd questions. "And don't just tell us that it's because of something you two did to each other!"

"Actually, that's exactly why Yuan is unlikely to let me live, let alone listen," Maverick says. "The last time I tried this, I did something regrettable."

"REGRETTABLE?"

In a flash, Yuan jumps up from his hiding place off at the side, sparks flying off his body. Just as quickly, Maverick snatches Lloyd and locks the boy in one arm while pressing his gun against Lloyd's temple. We all just stand there, snarling yet unable to do anything without risking Lloyd's life.

Yuan roars, "_You call what you did 'regrettable'? I'll make your existence 'regrettable'!_"

"Like Yggdrasill didn't already do that," Maverick drones.

"_You will just make everything worse! You will doom two worlds with this!_"

"We all take our risks."

"_Your plan is not a 'risk'! It's a disaster!_"

"_And what happened with the Great Seed isn't?_" Maverick snapped.

"_Don't you dare pull that shit with me! I have tolerated you long enough!_"

"Go ahead! Try something! See if this doesn't end 'triggering'!"

Yuan glares with more hatred than I've ever seen from the man. ". . . We will see how this ends."

Maverick keeps his eyes on Yuan and pauses for a second. Then he says, "Summoner, your choice was taken from you. If you want Lloyd to live, come with me."

Lloyd goes, "Don't, Sheena! It'll all be okay! Just don't go along with it!"

Sheena's aura begins to turn black with Shadow's mana. All that earns her, though, is Maverick telling her, "Your summoning makes me feel twitchy, especially at my hands! That does not bode well for your friend, now does it?"

The mana fades away, and tears bud at Sheena's eyes. She shudders and then, to our horror, steps close to Maverick. The man releases his angel wings and teleports away with Lloyd and Sheena.

Colette and Genis cry out as Raine charges at Yuan and demands that he explain the situation to her. Presea, Regal, and Zelos chatter rapidly among themselves as they plan for some sort of rescue mission. As for myself, I feel my heart sinking and my stomach churn as though I'm about to puke. I can't even get myself to speak!

"QUIET!" With that silencing bellow, Raine turns back to Yuan. "Where is Maverick? He can't be in Derris Kharlan by now!"

"No, but he will be soon. We need to stop him now or he will kill the world tree there!" Yuan says.

"Through transplanting the tree?" Genis questions.

"No. He will directly harm the tree during its state of shock over transplanting to the point where it will need additional mana—specifically the kind necessary for sentient life—and merge his will to the tree's spirit by providing his own life."

A stunned silence answers him.

"I didn't say it would make sense to anyone else," Yuan snaps. "If you want Lloyd and Sheena's lives saved and the last piece to the cure you seek, we will have to cooperate. All of you go to the base and speak with Botta. He will direct you in infiltrating Derris Kharlan and retrieving the mana shard you need. Leave the rescue of Lloyd and Sheena to me. I still have full access to the areas in Derris Kharlan so I will be able to intercept Maverick before he gets to the world tree. This is a delicate situation so I need full cooperation or their lives as well as our own are forfeit."

"Then hurry."

With that, Yuan teleports away.

"Raine!" Genis shouts, "How could you just let him take control? Remember what happened last time we just followed what he said without thinking?"

"Genis, this situation has little to do with what happened with the Great Seed! We are heading towards Cruxis' base to rescue Lloyd and obtain a mana fragment! Yuan is our only means to enter or exit Derris Kharlan safely."

"But if we don't go there now, Lloyd could be dead!"

"Lloyd will be dead if we act rashly!"

While the siblings argue, I ask Regal, "Should we intervene?"

"I will." Regal steps forward and says, "Genis, rescuing Lloyd requires careful and swift cooperation with someone who knows Derris Kharlan's layout. The arrangement isn't ideal, but Yuan is the exact person we need to trust right now."

Genis glances between Raine and Regal with his eyes wide with worry. He dips his hand into his bag and pulls out one of our wingpacks, eyeing it in reluctance. Raine sighs in relief, "Thank you. Now release the rheairds and we will be on our way!"

Genis releases only three rheairds. I frown in confusion and cross my arms, but then gasp when, in one swift motion, Genis sucks both Raine and Regal into the wingpack, just as we used to do with Noishe.

"I'm so sorry, Raine! I'm sorry, Regal! If we wait, Lloyd will die! I can't let that happen!" the mage cries out. Then he turns to the rest of us. "Are any of you going to stop me?"

"You just put the professor and Regal into the wingpack!" Colette cries.

"No! I won't! Just don't suck us into that!" I shout.

"Calm down! We'll do as you say!" Zelos says.

"Put the wingpack away, Genis," Presea cautiously says.

Genis puts the wingpack into his back and boards a rheaird. "Good! Let's go to the Tower of Salvation now or we'll be too late!"

* * *

Maverick's teleportation spell leads them right before the entrance of Tethe'alla's Tower of Salvation. With his firearm pointed against Lloyd's head, Maverick forces Lloyd and Sheena to a deep ditch hidden from the entrance to the Tower of Salvation. He presses against a specific spot in the steep slope and a section opens up, revealing the disguised mechanical door and a dark passageway leading deep inside.

Lloyd elbows Maverick's gut and breaks free from his hold. Sheena and Lloyd draw their weapons—

A single shot pierces Lloyd's ear.

The two pause as they stare at Maverick as he gives them a determined glare. With his firearm held steadily, he said, "I am not playing. You will do as I say if you don't wish to draw Cruxis' attention and get us all killed."

Lloyd and Sheena exchange worried glances, and Sheena puts away her spell cards. Lloyd watches the ninja with dismay before he, too, sheathes his weapons. They walk ahead of Maverick as he ushers them inside the passageway and eventually to another portal. On the way, he casts a barrier behind them, cutting Lloyd and Sheena off completely. Then, once they reach the end, Maverick kneels down at the side of the portal, set his firearm to free both hands, rips open the maintenance opening on the portal, and works on the programing and wiring. Lloyd glances about the area, noting where Maverick set his firearm and the barrier behind them. Using hand waves, Lloyd directs Sheena to the barrier while letting her know what Lloyd's next target is. The ninja nods and heads off to the barrier.

When Sheena tests the barrier, causing a loud hiss as the barrier's mana resists, Maverick drolly remarks, "It won't work. I went through too much to let simple mistakes ruin everything."

"Spirit Seal!" Sheena slaps a spell card on the barrier and begins absorbing mana.

"Yes, see how long you will have to absorb mana before freeing yourself. I'm sure you will escape sooner than I can reprogram this portal."

Using his angelic strength, Lloyd stomps on Maverick's firearm, causing it to shatter into pieces. Maverick whips around and sends Lloyd flying off onto the ground with a blast of mana. He glances over at his ruined weapon and huffs, "Oh, fuck all kinds of duck." He glares at Lloyd and Sheena. "So you prevented me from using one method of attack. Brilliant—now what are you going to do about my knives and advanced magic usage?" When he doesn't get a response, he returns to his work. "Exactly what I thought."

"You don't have anything to make us go through that portal!" Lloyd says. "Even if you did, we'd just use it to walk right back out!"

Maverick calmly finishes his work and turns back to the two. "To answer the second statement, this portal is now a one-way entrance to Norn's room. If you go back through, you will end up in Welgaia rather than back down here. To answer the first . . ."

Using a levitation spell, Maverick lifts Lloyd up and flings him onto the portal before activating it. Sheena races to the portal with a cry and disappears through it. With a smirk at the predicted outcome, Maverick follows them through the portal.

A grand tree towering above their heads stands in the center of a surprisingly large open-air room. The air is thick with so much mana, even Lloyd could easily sense it. The sky above glows with a violet hue from the mana within the atmosphere, setting an eerie violet shade upon the land. Lloyd and Sheena stare at their surroundings as they try to take everything in. Then, when Maverick joins them and unsheathes a long dagger, a voice says, "It will not end as you planned, Maverick."

Maverick walks past Lloyd and Sheena without so much as a glance. They follow his line of sight to find a winged lady with a large, billowing dress that engulfs the entire lower half of her body. She stares back at Maverick with an indiscernible expression as she continues on, "Turn back now and your goals will be fulfilled without further bloodshed."

"Death awaits me no matter what path I choose," Maverick states. "I will _not_ simply lie down and give nothing to repair the damage I've wrought."

"Even at the cost of other lives?"

"Did you ask that of Yggdrasill?" Maverick questions. "Norn, I will never allow so many deaths and so much effort be in vain!"

"That is not something you should openly express when you were the one who ruthlessly murdered Martel."

Lloyd and Sheena gasp.

"Y-you were the one who . . . !" Lloyd utters.

"You! _You killed Martel?_" Sheena exclaims.

"Yes, go on, Norn. Tell me how much of a heartless monster I am," Maverick emotionlessly replies. He lifts the dagger in his hand up and twists the mana around the blade. "Tell me everything I already heard from Yggdrasill, Kratos, and Yuan for four thousand years. It won't change a thing, especially since Martel's death would be a complete waste if I just give up. After everything I have gone through, after everything I have done, after everything I caused, _I will NOT allow it all to be in VAIN!_"

The dagger goes flying out and stabs Norn right in her heart. The mana within her twists and destabilizes, and Norn simply fades away. Before she disappears entirely, she raises her staff up and casts a barrier around the entire tree. With nothing to hold it up, the dagger falls to the ground with a soft thud.

Maverick stares at the now unguarded tree. ". . . That was easier than I—"

Lloyd slashes at Maverick with a long series of combos as the swordsman cries out in rage. On the last strike, Lloyd's blade lands across Maverick's ribs and sends him flying into the air. As he lands, Lloyd roars, "_YOU BASTARD!_"

While Maverick gets back to his feet, Lloyd shouts, "_You killed Martel and so many other people for no reason at all! You started all this! If it weren't for you, Mithos wouldn't have snapped! Fuck you! How did Yuan ever let you live?_"

Maverick glares at Lloyd. "You would . . . deny me my end? Despite everything, you deny me the chance to end this?"

"I'll give you an end, alright!" Lloyd snaps.

Sheena joins Lloyd's side with her cards out. "Don't think we'll cooperate with you this time! Not after everything you put us through!"

"So you do." The mana within the room swirls about until it all gathers within Maverick's body. His sepia wings brighten into white and grow three times their original size with a smaller set of wings at his wrists and a third at his ankles. Mana radiates off of him as he glares down Lloyd and Sheena. His voice thick with hatred, he says, "I will break you, just as I've been broken!"

Massive spiked stones rise out of the ground at their feet. Lloyd and Sheena dive out of the way and charge at the angel. Maverick draws the mana composing the stones, condenses it into a ball, and throws it at the duo. The ball of mana explodes into a large shockwave that throws them far back. As soon as they get back on their feet, lightning flies at them. Sheena narrowly jumps out of the way while Lloyd gets hit with the collateral sparks.

"Lloyd!" The ninja begins summoning Undine. Suddenly, Maverick teleports to her and hits her with Air Blade. Sheena flips back onto her feet just in time to miss a deadly aimed Grave.

Lloyd's sword runs through Maverick's stomach. A second passes as Lloyd realizes that Maverick is no longer feeling pain, and the angel slams the back of his fist into Lloyd's face. Maverick pulls the sword out of his gut and sends it straight for Lloyd. The swordsman rolls out of the way and retrieves his sword—

"Judgment Ray!"

A beam of light strikes Lloyd down.

"_Come, Shadow!_"

Darkness gathers at Maverick's feet and yanks him into the shadowy mass. Lloyd takes the opportunity to recover while the shadows remain. Then Shadow throws Maverick back into the air with new wounds before disappearing. The angel catches himself in the air and hovers there as he regains his bearings. Darkness gathers at Maverick's right arm in the form of a long whip-like extension. With a lash, the dark mana wraps around Sheena and slams her around the area.

"That," Maverick says.

"UGH!"

"Is how."

"GAH!"

"That feels."

"KACK!"

With that, Maverick throws Sheena up into the air. Then he gasps in shock as Lloyd suddenly slices off the angel's left arm. Lloyd falls back to the ground and lands easily with the help of his large wings. The dismembered arm twitches and flies back to its original place. Mana gathers around it to mend it back together, and then Maverick gives Lloyd an irritated glare.

The once-dismembered arm snatches Lloyd's face and throws him off balance whenever Lloyd tries to counter, trapping the swordsman there. The mana clustered at Maverick's fingers turns red and begins burning whatever flesh they touched.

"Ahh! _Ahhh! Let go!_" Lloyd cries out.

"_Come, Efreet!_"

Efreet materializes just behind Maverick, rips the angel into the air, and holds Maverick there as fire explodes over and over from the Summon Spirit's fist. When Efreet disappears, Maverick falls to the ground, almost every part of his body severely burned. When he hits the ground, he flips backwards, erects a barrier, and heals himself. After just a couple of seconds, Maverick dispels the barrier and goes back into battle with only the major burns healed.

Sheena gawks at the intensive healing. "_H-he just . . . ! He REATTACHED his arm! And healed ALL of those burns! HOW?_"

"I told you!" Maverick shouts in crazed glee. "I'm going to _break_ you! That's how you get what you want! You break them! And use them! Yggdrasill always got what he wanted! Yuan got what he wanted since Yggdrasill already did most of his work! Now it's my turn to get what I want! And I want this hell to _end!_"

* * *

With hearts pounding and hands shaking, we land the rheairds before the Tower of Salvation. I force myself to breathe evenly as I feel myself locking up out of terror. However, after another look at the Tower of Salvation, I just freeze. The blood and the horror and the screams from the last time we were here come back to me! This time there's no Renegades to get us out, and we're going in sooner than I thought! This is enemy territory! And Maverick is there! But Lloyd and Sheena need us, and if Cruxis finds out that they're there . . .

"Kelsey! Hurry up!" shouts Genis.

But I just stand there. I stand there and watch as Genis pulls out the wingpack, presses a couple buttons, and releases Noishe. As Noishe whines, Genis says, "Sniff around for Lloyd and Sheena! They _had_ to be here!"

Once Noishe finds and follows their scent, Genis shouts at me again, "Kelsey, we're going! Get over here or I'll put you in the wingpack too!"

I know! I know but I can't bend my legs! My body won't move! My heart feels like it's gonna jump up my throat! I can barely even breathe!

Colette hurries to my side and holds my hand in a tight grip. "Take deep breaths," she tells me. "We're going to get back out here with Lloyd and Sheena, safe and sound. It's scary, but we can do this." Then, with a gentle tug from Colette, I finally start moving forward with the group.

Noishe leads us into an out-of-the-way tunnel just behind the Tower of Salvation. After we walk in, a barrier blocks our way to the end where a portal is. Genis tests the barrier and turns back to me. "Kelsey, come help me with . . ." Then he grimaces after taking one look at me. ". . . On second thought, I don't think you can do any magic with how nervous you are . . ."

"You brat," Zelos snips before he joins Genis' side. "Here, I'll help you take this thing down."

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Genis protests.

"Let's just get this over with."

Together, Genis and Zelos destabilize the mana in the barrier and the entire thing disappears. Before dashing to the portal, Genis tells Noishe, "Stay! It's too dangerous to take you even in the wingpack!"

Genis, Zelos, and Presea rush into the portal. Colette, still holding my hand, gives me a comforting squeeze and ushers me to the portal. Mana floods my body as I enter Derris Kharlan and brings back the burning sensation I felt when I took my first step into the Tower of Salvation. Although exposure to mana since then made the burning less intense, I still tense up from the pain. Then, the first thing I see on is a grand tree towering far above my head with healthy, vivid green leaves. The room itself is simply a dome with the top left open for the tree to grow out of.

The next I see is the battle.

A blast of mana sends us all flying and slams us against the wall. Whatever part of me could tolerate mana now _burns_ from the energy agitated by the attack. Stars blotch out my sight, and my head gets dizzy. When my sight clears, I finally see Maverick and his new angelic form. With so much mana inside his body, his aura shines white with the palest touch of brown; his large wings glow brightly, almost obscuring facial details; two new pairs of wings—one on his feet and another on his hands—also hide whatever body part they're attached to in the slight glare. His body holds a new number of wounds left neglected and his clothes are either tattered or burned. Despite whatever battle he had with just Lloyd and Sheena, Maverick just keeps going.

As Lloyd and Sheena duck behind the three new people entering the battle, Genis releases Raine and Regal from the wingpack. At first they turn against him, but they immediately get into the fight when they realize just what kind of situation they were forced into. Raine heals Lloyd and Sheena while Regal and Genis join the fight. I, however, just stand there in terror as the others exchange blows against the relentless Maverick.

Lloyd gets back into the battle and unleashes a combo that ends with Lloyd and Zelos casting Lightning Tigerblade. Even with electricity hopping around Maverick's body, the man still casts spell after spell after spell in rapid pace, keeping every single melee fighter at bay whenever possible. Then his head snaps to Raine.

"Holy Lance!"

A white spell circle appears under Raine's feet. I dash right to her side and put up a barrier against the spell just as Raine does. Mana shaped like a giant spear crashes into the ground, shattering our barriers. However, we blocked just enough of the energy to soften the blow. As Raine heals herself, I cast, "Atlas!"

Wind and water trap Maverick in a sphere much like Air Thrust and lash at him. Maverick pulls up a barrier and forces it to pulse outward, dispelling my spell and throwing anyone close enough to their knees. With everyone vulnerable, I cast Flame Lance in hopes that would slow Maverick down. Just before my own spell hits, Raine casts Photon, trapping the man in place. While Photon does nothing to the seraph, Flame Lance at least burns his skin. However, it barely fazes him.

Genis and I exchange glances, and the mage asks, "Are you ready to try out your Mystic Arte?"

"No."

"Try it out now!"

"Now's not the time for experimentation!"

"It's a strong spell! Do it now!"

"But I—"

"NOW, KELSEY, NOW!"

I draw up all the mana within that I can spare. It condenses, making a red aura around me, and feels like it's about to set me on fire.

"The fears of the past gathered as one, return and strike terror into the future!" I chant. "APOCALYPSE!"

Gusts of wind swirl around Maverick before disappearing in place of a small ball of fire. The tiny flame bursts into a small explosion with a shockwave of wind. However, it barely has enough power to knock anyone off their feet, let alone a Cruxis angel.

That wasn't supposed to happen like that! It was supposed to be bigger! It was supposed to set the guy on fire and send him flying!

I fall to my knees out of exhaust and look up to find Maverick's aura glowing red. Through Lloyd, Sheena, Zelos, Regal, and Presea, he looks me right in the eye.

"Apocalypse!"

My body turns cold right before the wave of wind and fire hits me.

* * *

The area around the fighters is in burnt ruins. The entire group lies on their backs with horrible burns and wounds. Maverick remains standing but barely so. The numerous small wounds on his body he ignored in favor of the larger and more obvious wounds took their toll, as does the fiery spell he just cast. He stands there, gasping, and barely able to bring himself to speak more than repeating "It's over."

The portal activates and a squadron of angels floods the area and precedes the three seraphim following. Kratos arrives first and gasps at the sight of his son's fallen team. He rushes to Lloyd and checks for a pulse before sighing in relief. Yggdrasill and Yuan walk past him and watch their former ally with barely a hint of emotion.

"Yuan, Kratos," Yggdrasill states, "this is what happens when people outlive their usefulness. Please remember this in case you have already forgotten."

Maverick pulls out one last knife and attempts to twist the mana around it only for it to gradually return back to normal without his notice. With all the strength remaining, he dashes at Yggdrasill.

Yuan sends a precise bolt at Maverick, causing his muscles to spasm strongly enough to break his bones with a painful snap, and Kratos follows that up with a not-so-precise sword thrust to the heart.

Impaled on the blade, Maverick slumps downward, and the knife in his hand drops to the ground. Even as he chokes on his own blood, Maverick manages to utter, "No . . . Not after . . . it's all in . . . ."

Silence falls upon the man, and no longer does he speak.

Kratos slides the blade out of Maverick's chest and lets the body fall to the ground. Yggdrasill appears before the corpse and removes the Cruxis Crystal attached to Maverick's hand. With ease, he crushes the stone to dust and lets the remains fall.

The leader of Cruxis stares at the broken body of Martel's murderer before him before saying, ". . . I am feeling rather charitable in this wonderful occasion. Since Lloyd and his friends have done a wonderful job exhausting Maverick to the point of near-death, I want to give them the chance to become part of our new era once Martel is revived. Heal their wounds and hold them in separate cells until further orders."


End file.
